Loro Piana Giraglia Overall

The Maxi 100 and Grand Prix classes set sail on today's coastal race - Loro Piana Giraglia © Loro Piana / Studio Borlenghi

After three days of windward-leewards on the Baie de Pampelonne, the final day of inshore racing at Loro Piana Giraglia saw the 22 maxi yachts sail a coastal course. Starting at just after 1300 from the Baie de Pampelonne in 8 knots, they headed upwind to the west to a turning mark in the Baie de Cavalaire before the fleet retraced its steps back to the finish line deep within in the Golfe de Saint-Tropez. The course involved negotiating several headlands where there were transitions causing compression within the fleet benefitting those chasing.

After yesterday's David and Goliath contest, Alessandro Del Bono's JV80 Capricorno provided a repeat performance today, managing to reel in and overhaul Karel Komárek's 100ft V, the smaller more nimble boat in the light conditions managing to edge ahead on even the slightest puff to reach the top mark second behind Galateia. V powered back past on the run-reach-fetch to the finish but the smaller boats remained close and ultimately under IRC corrected time Capricorno scored her second bullet to win the Maxi 100 class overall on countback from Galateia.

"It was the best week so far with this boat," agreed Capricorno tactician, Brazilian multi-Olympic medallist Torben Grael. "This week there were more windward-leewards and more light air races which I think suits the boat better. We still have a lot to learn to be competitive with the others."

Grael said that he very much enjoyed today's race which although it followed the coast was highly tactical. "I love races like this, which are so challenging. It was not an easy race for the big boats, because when you start in 10 knots and you finish in 18, it benefits the small boats."

Pier Luigi Loro Piana 80ft My Song was second in the Maxi 100 class today to Alessandro Del Bono's Maxi 100 overall winner Capricorno - Loro Piana Giraglia - photo © Loro Piana / Studio Borlenghi

Leaving her best result until last was event sponsor Pier Luigi Loro Piana's 80ft My Song, which today finished second in the Maxi 100 class. "I was happy with the results - we had a good upwind, a better downwind, where we could recoup some positions. And we finished just after the 100 footers," commented Loro Piana. Of the event he added: "The second year [of Loro Piana's sponsorship] has been a great honour. Saint-Tropez is a perfect place for this kind of racing."

Sir Peter Ogden's Jethou - amid today's maxi yacht mêlée - won the combined Maxi 100 and Grand Prix class - Loro Piana Giraglia - photo © Loro Piana / Studio Borlenghi

In the Maxi Grand Prix fleet (ex-Maxi 72), there were effectively three winners today. Sir Peter Ogden's Jethou won the combined Maxi Grand Prix and Maxi 100 class ahead of George Sakellaris' Proteus and Capricorno. In the scoring for the Maxi Grand Prix class alone though, Proteus toppled Jethou from the top spot, after finishing second to her fourth today.

"A good venue, good choices, good racing and good competitors," summarised Sakellaris of the inshore racing. "We lost a couple of points when people fouled us, but when it's light winds, she [Proteus] is the best." According to strategist Chris Nicholson they did well today on the upwind half of the race to Cavalaire by protecting the right. "Navigation, tactics and strategy - it all needed to come together today and factoring in the big boats, how to deal with their gas..."

Giovanni Lombardi Stronati at the helm of his brand Django 7X - Loro Piana Giraglia - photo © Loro Piana / Studio Borlenghi

The Maxi Grand Prix class race (and the combined class with Maxi 100) was won by Giovanni Lombardi Stronati's brand new wallyrocket 71 Django 7X, on only her second ever day of racing following her recent launch. "Today was effectively a long windward-leeward with some reaching," explained tactician Vasco Vascotto. "Reaching the boat is okay, but today she showed her potential downwind. We are very happy, she is very promising, even if we still have a lot of jobs to do." Django 7X is shorter than her Maxi Grand Prix class competitors, and, displacing 12 tonnes, is 2-3 tonnes lighter with more water ballast (2.7 tonnes) each side while enjoying a lower IRC rating.

Again in the Maxi Alpha class there was upset when Guido Paolo Gamucci's canting keel Mylius 60 Cippa Lippa X stole the top spot from Jean-Pierre Barjon's Botin 65 Spirit of Lorina after winning today's race both in Maxi Alpha and the class combined with Maxi Beta. "We had a match race from before the start to the end with Spirit of Lorina and we were always at least one metre ahead," recounted a beaming Gamucci. The three transitions had been tricky, the wind ranged from four to 17 knots, but they had benefitted on the downwind legs. "We go more or less the same speed but 10 degrees deeper. The team is working fantastically - it runs extremely smoothly."

Guido Paolo Gamucci with his victorious Cippa Lippa X team - Loro Piana Giraglia - photo © IMA

There was a final day leader change too in the Maxi Beta class when Enis Ersü's Contest 63 Blue Vision won today's race stealing the top place from Gunter Birkner's Swan 65 Cloudy7 which finished fourth to come second overall in class ahead of Robert Szustkowski's Mylius 60 R6.

Tomorrow the offshore race starts from Saint-Tropez at 1200. Due to an exceedingly light forecast the course has been shortened so that it now heads directly to the Giraglia rock and then on to Genoa. This shortens the course from 242 miles to 210, but even so the leading maxis are still expecting to take 40-50 hours (by comparison the record is just under 15 hours).

The offshore race will conclude in Genoa, home of the Yacht Club Italiano where President Carlo Cameli welcomes the fleet. Looking back at the last four days he commented: "I must thank the YCI team - they did an amazing job, and I am pleased to see a new generation of young people who are happy to help, both in the race secretariat and on the sea."

Overall Results:

See the current leaderboard from the 2025 IMA Mediterranean Maxi Inshore Challenge here.

More information on Loro Piana Giraglia here.