Rolex Giraglia 2022 - Heat is on for the inshore races

2022 Rolex Giraglia © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi

And they're off! At 12:30 p.m. the inaugural cannon shot sounded over the regatta courses of the Gulf of Saint-Tropez. For the first day of inshore racing, an initial breeze of around 6 knots from the east increased during the day up to 10-12 knots from 180 degrees. The fleet completed coastal courses (Groups A and B) and windward-leewards in front of the beaches (Group 0).

Conditions in the Gulf were optimal, with the wind increasing over the course of the day. The start was on schedule for Groups A and B (boats from 9 to 18 metres), who raced on a coastal course of 19 miles, while the larger boats (over 18 metres) completed two races around the marks just off the beach at Pampelonne. Here the big maxi yachts of Class 0 did battle in rapid windward-leeward races, covering approximately 3.5 miles per leg.

The Presidents of the two organising clubs, Gerolamo Bianchi of the Yacht Club Italiano and Pierre Roinson of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, watched with great satisfaction. "We are pleased to see the inshore races of the Rolex Giraglia back in Saint-Tropez after two years of interruption due to the health crisis," commented Pierre Roinson "it is always a pleasure to admire this fleet of exceptional yachts in the port of Saint-Tropez and, above all, competing on the water! Not to mention the party organised by our partner Rolex. Conceived in 1952 during a dinner for the Yacht Club Italiano and the Yacht Club de France, next year this event will celebrate 70 years from its first edition in 1953. Time passes, sailing boats evolve, but the spirit of collaboration between France and Italy remains unchanged."

"Saint-Tropez gave us an amazing first day," noted Gerolamo Bianchi, "and it is with great pleasure that we return to this 'normality' with our regatta, in the format introduced in 1998, which highlights the strong bond between Genoa and Saint-Tropez. In our case a sporting bond, but also historical, since in 1436 a Genoese nobleman, Raffaele Di Garezzio, received a mandate from the Count of Provence to repopulate Saint-Tropez. Sixty Ligurian families were brought to Provence and settled in today's village, thus giving it new life."

Results of the day: In the IRC division, victory of the day for the A40 Vito 2m owned by Gianmarco Magrini in Group 1 and JPK 10.10 Raging Bee, owned by Jean Luc Hamon, in the second group. In the ORC group, the day went to two historic boats as the Frers 50 Matrero took the lead in its group and the One-Tonner Resolute Salmon, owned by Andrea Zaoli, topped the classification in Group 2.

Remaining on the Pampelonne race course, leaders of their respective groupings at the end of the two races today are:

• IRC 1: Jethou - Sir Peter Ogden (1,1)
• IRC 2: Capricorno - Alessandro Del Bono (1,1)
• ORC 0: Leaps & Bound 2 - Jean Philippe Blanpain (1,1)

For more information visit the Rolex Giraglia official website.