Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez Day 8: 25 years in the sunshine, an anniversary vintage worth savouring
by Maguelonne Turcat 6 Oct 15:58 UTC
28 September - 6 October 2024
The magic of Les Voiles was in full force once again for this epic 25th anniversary edition. Boasting weather conditions perfectly tailored to the 250 boats invited to be a part of this grand festival of racing by the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez.
Maxi, Tradition and Modern yachts enjoyed an exceptional week of racing. Following last night’s prize-giving for the Maxi yachts, today it was the turn of the Modern and Tradition yachts to be honoured, with everyone gathered together to accept the numerous trophies awarded by the loyal partners of Les Voiles. The perfect opportunity to review this wonderful anniversary edition.
Pierre Roinson, President of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez:
“The spirit of Les Voiles was in full flow”
“We’ve never seen so many people on the quaysides! The quality of the line-up was remarkable and the weather really played ball. As a result, all the ingredients were in place to make this edition exceptional! Used to taking part in major events, the Maxis confirmed to us during their prize-giving yesterday evening that the standard of the hospitality at Les Voiles had exceeded their expectations, a sentiment that pays tribute to our team. However, we still have room for improvement and it’s important to always ensure that what we offer is of a standard that befits our exceptional partners, they too an integral part of the event.
"As the organiser, I always feel a slight twinge of regret not to be on the water myself but I’ve been fortunate enough to race pretty much all over the world and only at Les Voiles have I seen such a unique ballet as the boats dock in and out. Just yesterday, the six large schooners were making headway in single file to the sounds of music, horns and canon fire, which was another wonderful moment. There were smiles of shared happiness and even when the party was in full swing late into the evening, the ambiance is never aggressive here. It’s quite remarkable but that’s the spirit of Les Voiles and something we must continue to cultivate.
"I was also touched by Patrice de Colmont’s initiative regarding Paul Watson. It’s a cause well worth defending and we’re proud to have supported it. I hope that the visibility of Les Voiles and the various initiatives put in place will have helped him.
"This anniversary edition of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez also had an America’s Cup vibe running through it, with its nod to the 12mRs in port and the announcement of Britain’s victory in the Louis Vuitton Cup, which delighted a number of the British crews racing here. As the Challenger Club we’re obviously frustrated for the French crew but we will continue to stay in regular contact with Stéphane Kandler going forward. The team is fantastic. Unlucky to break their AC 40, there is an abundance of young sailors coming up through the ranks and there are undoubtedly high hopes to be nurtured for the next edition.”
Georges Korhel, Principal Race Officer at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez:
“I’ve never seen so many people on the sea wall!”
“This anniversary edition went very smoothly, especially on a safety level, which is the first thing I think of in my role as Principal Race Officer. Aside from Daguet 5’s collision, which is especially regrettable because she’s a very fine machine, which had just put in her very first tacks at Les Voiles, we suffered very little breakage, a situation which was assisted by the conditions. Organising a race like Les Voiles over three rounds with such a wealth of different boats and speeds requires expertise and, as I congratulated our three Race Committees yesterday evening, I could only share the message from the crews who are heading home and were thrilled by their regatta.
"We broke new ground this year with a fresh rating distribution for the Modern yachts and we shall continue in this vein next year in a bid to make the fleets even more uniform and steer away from having groups that are too small, which is detrimental to the event’s competitive legibility.
"I’d also like to thank all the crews for being so disciplined during the pre-start waiting phases. The durability of our organisation and the way we do things creates good habits and that’s a key factor in the success of future editions.”
They were at Les Voiles:
Alexia Barrier, Luca Bassani, Sébastien Bazin, Frédérique Bel, Pierre Casiraghi, HM King Frederik X of Denmark, Jean d'Arthuys, Sophie Davant, Francesco De Angelis, Patrice de Colmont, Benoît de Froidmont, Jean-Pierre Dick, Peter Dubens, François Gabart, Reinold Geiger, Tara Getty, Torben Grael, Peter Harrison, Damien Iehl, Bruno Jourdren, Tom Laperche, Devan Le Bihan, Simon Le Bon, William Leymergie, Pier Luigi Loro Piana, Fabrice Luchini, Xavier Macaire, Christophe Maé, Léon Marchand, Philippe Monnet, Sir Peter Ogden, Marc Pajot, Lionel Péan, Loïck Peyron, Christopher Pratt, Frédéric Puzin, Pierre Roinson, Wendy Schmidt, Sylvie Siri, Maxime Sorel, Peter Townshend, Bruno Troublé, Prince Maurits Van Oranje, Laurent Voulzy
www.lesvoilesdesaint-tropez.fr
All the Trophies awarded at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez 2024....
TRADITION
ROLEX Trophy for the best Epoque Aurique A yacht
Winner: Marga (Matteo Tacconi)
Château Saint-Maur Trophy for the best BIG Racer category yacht
Winner: Tuiga (Daniele Pereira) 5 points
2nd: Viveka (Gery Atkins) 7 points
3rd: Mariska (Dan Poliska) 8 points
Mercantour Events Trophy for the best Grand Tradition category yacht
Winner: Belle Aventure (Josi Laid) 3 points
2nd: Orianda (Tommaso CRISI) 6 points
3rd: Aschanti IV (Karl-PeterEbner ) 10 points
Ekle Decoration Trophy for the best Epoque Marconi A category yacht
Winner: Blitzen (Charles Dunstone) 11 points
2nd: Carron II (Angelo Mazarella) 11 points
3rd: Varuna 1939 (Jens Kellinghusen) 12 points
Pépinières du Golfe Trophy for the best Epoque Marconi B category yacht
Winner: Stormy Weather (Christopher Spray) 4 points
2nd: Sonda (Eric Leprince) 13 points
3rd: Dione (Marc Froeschke) 15 points
SNSM Trophy for the best Classique Marconi A category yacht
Winner: Eugenia V (Baptiste Garnier) 4 points
2nd: Maria Giovanina II (Jean Pierre Sauvan) 7 points
3rd: Argynne III (Jean Poissonnier) 10 points
SNST Trophy for the best 12mR yacht categories A and B
Winner: Crusader (Sir Richard Matthews) 3 points
SNST Trophy for the best 12mR yachts categories C and D
Winner: Flica II (Alexander Falk) 3 points
SNST Trophy for the best yacht from the ‘Guest’ category
Winner: Dainty (Peter Nicholson) 4 points
Trophy for the best IOR
Winner: Il Moro di Venezia (Massimiliano Ferruzzi), 5 points
Yacht Club de France’s ‘tape de bouche’ (canon muzzle award):
Winner: Joyant (Stephane Lobmeyr)
Town of Saint-Tropez Cup for the first Maxi overall
Winner: Yoru (Luigi Sala)
MAXIS
Barons de Rothschild Trophy for the best Maxi A
Winner: Jolt (Peter Harrison) 6 points
2nd: Jethou (Sir Peter Ogden) 9 points
3rd: Django HF (Giovanni Lombardi) 17 points
La Mer Trophy for the best Maxi B
Winner: Lyra (Terry Hui) 5 points
2nd: Kallima (Paul Berger) 16 points
3rd: Geist (Christian Oldendorff) 17 points
Barons de Rothschild Trophy for the best Maxi C
Winner: Yoru (Luigi Sala) 5 points
2nd: Wallyño (Benoit de Froidmont) 6 points
3rd: Lady First 3 (Jean-Pierre Dréau) 12 points
BRIG Trophy for the best Maxi D
Winner: Six Jaguar (Anthony Ball)
2nd: Blue Oyster (Luca Scorpa)
3rd: Expression of London (Conn Rob)
IMA Trophy for the best placed IMA Member
Winner: Jolt (Peter Harrison), Maxi A
Wally Trophy for the best Wally
Maxi As: Y3K (Claus Peter Offen)
Maxi Bs: Sud (Lorenzo Muratore)
MODERN YACHTS
Town of Saint-Tropez Cup for the first Modern overall
Winner: Expresso (Guy Clayes)
North Sails Trophy for the best IRC B
Winner: Nanoq (King Frederik of Denmark) 26 points
2nd: Lisa R (Giovanni di Vincenzo) 27 points
3rd: Blue Carbon (Luciano Secchin) 29 points
BMW Trophy for the best IRC C
Winner: Shotgunn (Michael Wilson) 14 points
2nd: Meerblick (Gabriele Pohlmann) 17 points
3rd: Solano II (Pascal Ferrin) 21 points
Suzuki Marine Trophy for the best IRC D
Winner: Expresso (Guy Clayes) 4 points
2nd: Raging Bee (Jean-Luc Hamon) 11 points
3rd: Hathor 5 (Paul Van Gaver) 12 points
Marines de Cogolin Trophy for the best IRC E
Winner: Pride (William Graves) 10 points
2nd: Flower Power 2 (Karel Olsthoorn) 10 points
3rd: Lady (Nicolas Gonzalez) 14 points
Trophy for the best Tofinou 9.5 and 9.7
Winner: Team 42 (Bernard Giroux) 6 points
2nd: Geyser (Pierre Cuilleret) 12 points
3rd: Pippa (Béatrice Joyaud) 15 points
Crew parade:
Winner: Beautiful Day (Jonathan Litt) (Maxi C)
Jury favourite: Lulu, Savannah et ses ailes
OPERATION DIALIX 80th ANNIVERSARY OF THE LIBERATION OF THE VAR AND ST TROPEZ 1944-2024
Centenary Trophy, awarded by the Gstaad Yacht Club
Winner: Oriole (Juan Carlos Eguiagar)
2nd: Marga (Matteo Tacconi)
3rd: Olympian (Philippe Oddo)
Club 55 Paul Watson Maxi Yachts Cup
My Song pitted against Balthasar.
Winner: My Song (Pier Luigi Loro Piana)
Club 55 Paul Watson Cup
Il Moro di Venezia pitted against Belle Aventure
Winner: Il Moro di Venezia (Massimiliano Ferruzzi)
Partners of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez:
ROLEX
BMW
NORTH SAILS
WALLY
SUZUKI MARINE
BRIG
MERCANTOUR EVENTS
BYBLOS
PEPINIERE DU GOLFE
LA MER
EKLE HOME
Official suppliers of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez:
CHAMPAGNE BARONS DE ROTHSCHILD
CHATEAU SAINT-MAUR
DOMAINE BERTAUD BELIEU
Institutional partners of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez:
VILLE DE SAINT-TROPEZ
PORT DE SAINT-TROPEZ
LES MARINES DE COGOLIN
FEDERATION FRANCAISE DE VOILE
YACHT CLUB DE FRANCE
INTERNATIONAL MAXI ASSOCIATION
ESPRIT VILLAGE DES COMMERCANTS