Please select your home edition
Edition
Sydney Boat Show 2025 - Apply to Exhibit

Mistral keeps Les Voiles fleet in port

by Key Partners (KPMS) on 5 Oct 2006
Eleonore, 41m, a spectacular replica of Nathanael Herreshoff’s legendary schooner Westward Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi http://www.carloborlenghi.net
The Les Voiles fleet awoke to a crystal clear morning with an azure sky and seas. The day would have been perfect, without the mistral that appeared in the morning. By 10:30 this morning, the race committee of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez made the obvious decision to cancel racing given the forecast for the wind to increase to 40+ knots through the day.

While many yachts and crew in the fleet were more than prepared for some heavy air sailing, it is almost impossible to safely get all of the yachts off the quay and back again safely.

For the 3,000 sailors along the quay in Saint-Tropez, the mood was festive as they ran into old acquaintances and enjoyed a drink in the waterfront cafés. There was plenty of activity as crewmembers carried out tasks onboard the yachts, with a number of sailors aloft on the big gaffers doing routine maintenance and effecting some repairs.

Tuesday's results were finalized late last evening and, in the end, it was Eleonora who won the 'big boat' class. In Epoque Marconi - Class A, the Fife yawl, Mariella was 1st. Owner/Skipper Carlo Falcone is an enthusiastic competitor who has raced Mariella in classic yacht regattas on both sides of the Atlantic, from his home waters of Antigua to the classic circuit around the Mediterranean - sailing the boat on its own bottom back and forth. Of his win yesterday, he said,

'We were with the 12 meters around the course, though they point higher we held our own...and had some exciting moments with (the 23 metre) Cambria, who crossed us on starboard...this year we are going for it - we are looking for a win this week!'

In Epoque Gaff - Class C, local knowledge seemed to pay off for Lelantina, the John Alden-designed gaff schooner. They stayed with the breeze all day managing to get within 100 metres of the finish before the wind shut down. Lelantina finished 1st, but it was a race of attrition for many classes, with a large part of the fleet dropping out when the wind died.

Keeping to the regatta format, today's race is canceled and not carried over. For Thursday, the showcase will be the 3rd annual Trophee Mer & Bateaux de la Grande Classe, which is an invitational race for the big classic yachts. This year's entries include Altair, Cambria (current title holder), Eleonora, Lulworth, Mariette, Mariquita, Moonbeam IV, Shamrock V, Sumurun, Sunshine, and Velsheda.

As well tomorrow, if the west wind allows, the racing will follow tradition as the 'day of challenges'. The course is simple: from le Tour du Portalet around La Nioulargue shoal with the finish off Club 55 on the beach in Pampelonne.

New this year, the Trophée Rolex will be awarded to the 'Tradition' division sailing yacht of more than 16 metres, which has the lowest score for the regatta (not including Thursday's racing). There are 52 boats eligible for the Trophée Rolex, and the winner will also receive a steel Rolex Submariner timepiece.

Fleet racing for both Moderns and Classics continues on Friday and Saturday. The prizegiving ceremony will take place on Sunday October 8, from 11:00 at the Citadelle.

Preliminary Results: Classic/Tradition Division, Tuesday, Oct 2

Epoque Gaff - Class A:
1) Eleonora, Zalz Zbynek
2) Moonbeam IV, Plumptre Ltd
3) Altair, Joe Pytka

Epoque Gaff - Class B
1) Marilee
2) Bona Fide, Guiseppe Jiordano
3) Oriole, Alain Aubry

Epoque Gaff - Class C
1) Lelantina, Patrick Gilbert
2) So Fong

Epoque Marconi - Class A
1) Mariella, Carlo Falcone
2) Agneta, Markus Sheweiger
3) Cambria, Chris Barkham

Epoque Marconi - Class B
1) Cotton Blossom, Dennis Conner
2) Anne Sophie, Hans George Klein
3) Classic Addy, Hank Bouma

Epoque Marconi - Class C
1) Cholita, Maria Linda Nettis
2) Tamara IX, Doug Peterson
3) Havsornen

Spirit of Tradition
1) Shamrock V, Georges Mueller
2) Finsco, Willi Balz
3) Savannah, Canfield Ciaran
Rolly Tasker Sails 2023 FOOTERZhik 2024 DecemberSwitch One Design

Related Articles

Admiral's Cup 2025 | D3 Inshore Racing Videos
More light and tricky conditions on the Solent. Three races? More light and tricky conditions on the Solent. Three races?
Posted today at 1:55 am
O'pen Skiff World Championship in Japan
Team USA delivers a solid performance Five US sailors traveled to Nishinomiya, Japan for six days of challenging conditions, hot temperatures, and world class sailing. USA sailor Lucas Doran was in third place in the U17 fleet before the final day of racing.
Posted on 24 Jul
Admirals Cup: Day 4 - All hanging on the Fastnet.
The end of the beginning of the 2025 Admirals' Cup. Rán runs aground - claims redress. Today marked the End of the Beginning of the 2025 Admirals' Cup with the conclusion of Inshore racing on what is known as the "Central Solent". The Baltic teams' TP52 Rán hit a sandbank and has claimed redress.
Posted on 24 Jul
Palm Beach Motor Yachts Trans-Tasman 49ers Series
Happening for the first time at Hamilton Island Race Week Palm Beach Motor Yachts is proud to be the naming rights sponsor of the Palm Beach Motor Yachts Trans-Tasman 49er Series, which will debut at the 2025 Hamilton Island Race Week, celebrating its 40th edition in August.
Posted on 24 Jul
Less than 48 hours to Rolex Fastnet Race
Battle lines are being drawn up Battle lines are being drawn up for the RORC's centenary Rolex Fastnet Race. As the final day of Admiral's Cup inshore racing took place in the Solent, so several yachts due to take part in Saturday's main event were out training.
Posted on 24 Jul
A Day at the WASZP Games
Video interviews with some of the sailors and supporters of the class The WASZP Games 2025, being held at the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy in the UK, has attracted 248 of the foiling dinghies to take part in a week of varied and high intensity racing.
Posted on 24 Jul
Admiral's Cup David Maynard Thursday Gallery
First race of the day, captured for our viewing pleasure David Maynard was out on the water to catch the action from the first on Thursday of the Admiral's Cup Inshore Racing.
Posted on 24 Jul
World Sailing's inaugural Impact Report
Charting a new course for a sustainable future in sport World Sailing, the global governing body for the sport of sailing, today released its first Impact Report, a comprehensive overview of the federation's significant progress in environmental sustainability and social contribution.
Posted on 24 Jul
Yoann Richomme returns to Fastnet
Says Elodie Bonafous' is the boat to beat This weekend's biennial Rolex Fastnet Race - one of the oldest classics in sailing - sees the IMOCA Class return to the racetrack, with eight boats on the startline on Saturday for what is the second round of this year's IMOCA Globe Series Championship.
Posted on 24 Jul
2025 iQFOiL Youth & Junior Worlds kicks off
Over 20 races scheduled across eight days, with the world's top young windsurfers chasing the title The world's fastest young windsurfers are arriving in Brittany as the 2025 iQFOiL Youth & Junior World Championships get under way in Brest.
Posted on 24 Jul