Panerai Transat Classique - Fleet gearing up for action

by Solène Rennuit on 27 May 2014 The starting gun of the third edition of the only transatlantic race for classic yachts will be fired in a little over seven months and already many sailboats have signed up. This great start shows just how much interest this unique event generates among sailors and sailing enthusiasts. Hailing from the Mediterranean to the Channel, the first old ladies of the sea to enter the Panerai Transat Classique 2015 are gearing up for next January and some of them are real beauties. Let’s take a closer look.

Among the early-bird entries is Corto, a Carter design launched in 1970 and taking part for the… third time! Suffering from a serious lack of preparation in 2008, she took second place on the podium in 2012 and no doubt her owner Hacène Abbar will be aiming for the top spot this time around. Faiaoahé, a Ribadeau-Dumas design, and Saint Salomon (formerly Petite Lande), a superb Alden schooner, are also Transat Classique regulars having been pioneers of the very first edition. Among the new faces are Paloma, a yacht built in 1964 and flying the Spanish ensign, and Skanda, a Laurent Giles design from 1948.

Great news! After witnessing her magnificent performance in the previous edition, all the classic yacht enthusiasts of the Mediterranean were hoping The Blue Peter would be signing up for the Panerai Transat Classique 2015. Mathew Barker, owner of this Alfred Mylne design from 1930, has officially committed to taking the starting line of this unique event on 7 January at Lanzarote in the Canaries.

She’s a superb sailing boat and proof, if proof were needed, that the old ladies of the sea are still game for a transatlantic adventure. They were designed decades ago for racing and the high seas, and crossing the ocean is for them child’s play… or almost. You only have to glance at The Blue Peter’s sailing programme to see that it’s true. After competing in the Panerai Transat Classique 2012 (the year she won the AFYT Trophy) and numerous events in the Caribbean in early 2013, this elegant cutter headed back to the Mediterranean for the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge and then, barely pausing for breath, she set a course for the West Indies at the end of last year. Soon returning to Europe on a cargo ship, she’ll do the racing season in the Med up to Saint-Tropez… and then out to Martinique at the beginning of next year. At 84 she’s certainly a sprightly lass!

Mat Barker can hope for a place on the podium. In 2012, after leading the pack all the way from Cascais (Portugal) to the Canaries, The Blue Peter engaged in an extenuating duel with the eventual winner White Dolphin. She also lost out to Corto in corrected times. Indeed, with so many different rigs and hulls entering the race, the Panerai Transat Classique has to apply a handicap to ensure all the competitors have an equal crack at the trophy. François Séruzier, race manager, explains: 'We use the Jauge Classique/Classic Handicap which was developed on the Atlantic and Channel coasts of France. Like other handicap systems, the Classic Handicap takes into account a yacht's specifications, in particular, her original launch date, subsequent changes made to her original design, and the shape of her keel. This handicap system has been in use for a number of years in France and is starting to make an impact overseas. The British and the Spanish are showing interest in the system, and representatives from Spain are now on the handicap advisory board.'

With about 230 days to go before the start, many new competitors are preparing to join the thoroughbreds from the golden age of sail which have already signed up. In a few days’ time the regatta Voiles d’Antibes will be launching the classic racing season in Europe which, this year, will be finishing in spectacular fashion with the Panerai Transat Classique 2015 from Lanzarote to Martinique.