Les Voiles de Saint Tropez - An opportunity to rekindle the links
by Les Voiles de St Tropez on 4 Oct 2014
2014 Les Voiles de Saint Tropez Gilles Martin Raget
http://www.martin-raget.com/
It was a particularly special day and one not to be missed on any pretext. Indeed, Thursday at Les Voiles de Saint Tropez has been an opportunity to rekindle the links with the Nioulargue era and the founding spirit of yachting, when owners and captains launched friendly challenges from boat to boat with the shake of a hand, a meal or just for the sake of it.
In this way, in each edition of Les Voiles the organisation puts the race programme to one side for a brief moment, sets a start line, and leaves the competitors to enjoy their race, their challenge, their original ‘remake’ of the creation of the Nioulargue and Les Voiles, by leaving Portalet bound for Pampelonne and its Club 55. The soothed bay, still bathed in sunshine, witnessed a number of yachts from all classes and eras, rushing to set sail, in the wake of the competitors in the Club 55 Cup, embroiling themselves in a series of jousts contested as if the America’s Cup depended on it.
The Club 55 Cup and the Centenary Trophy race.
By way of an opener for the 20 challenges listed in this anniversary edition of Les Voiles, the Club 55 Cup saw Altaïr (Fife 1931) vying with Halloween (Fife 1926), whilst Moonbeam III (Fife 1903) challenged Lelantina (Alden 1937). After some three hours of close-contact racing in the sunshine, it was Moonbeam of Fife, which got the better of Lelantina, whilst Halloween outpaced Altaïr. And so it is that Moonbeam and Halloween, closely adhering to the rule, which makes it mandatory to have the owner sail aboard, will be next year’s two challengers for the Club 55 Cup.
The Centenary Trophy of Gstaad Yacht Club gathered together some 13 yachts aged 100 plus on a course between the large Rabiou and Sèche à l’Huile marks. Each yacht in turn set sail from Portalet in the wake of the little Fife one-design Jap (1897), according to a timing determined by the rating of each boat. In this way, it was the large gaff cutter Mariquita, who brought up the rear, crossing the start line some 31 minutes 12 seconds after Jap. The American P-Class Olympian (Gardner 1913) secured the win, ahead of the 8m Fife (1910) Silhouette and Viola, the La Rochelle-based gaff cutter (Fife
Event website
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