Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez Day 3 - An on-the-water celebration at Les Voiles
by Maguelonne Turcat 2 Oct 00:44 PDT
27 September - 5 October 2025
Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez © Gilles Martin-Raget
The sunshine and the wind were in perfect harmony on Wednesday afternoon in the Gulf of St Tropez. At 2 pm, reaping the benefits of a thermal breeze that continued to gain momentum whilst remaining amicable, all the Modern and Tradition fleets got some racing under their belts, revelling in their respective coastal courses.
Outside the gulf, the more erratic wind and transitions again required great agility and informed choices.
Modern and Tradition yachts in serried ranks
The starts are eye-popping but the spectacle of some of the finishes is well worth the wait. This afternoon, the leading Modern yachts, Vesper and Nanoq Final Final, barrelled along towards the finishing line under code zero and a leaden sky, whilst the first Tradition yachts hugged the wind from Saint-Raphaël to tack across the line. Easy to recognise was the 50-metre spruce mast of Cambria, powered up in hot pursuit of Elena of London, the first Tradition yacht vying for the Rolex Trophy to complete the course, with event newcomer Marilee, the New York 40, joining the party. Under full sail in the background, the schooner Atlantic managed to catch up with the P class yachts in a picture-perfect display.
Pride, the legendary US Swan 44 owned by the Graves family, was impeccably trimmed again today earning her a third class victory in a row. She was brilliant in elapsed time and untouchable in corrected time in light of her age. Not bad for a boat that was behind the creation of the Nioulargue after challenging the 12mR Ikra to a duel in 1981.
More haste less speed
"If you want to keep a rule secret, add it to the Sailing Instructions!" - a saying that is sure to make the jury at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez snigger. At this year's event, the OCS boats are automatically demoted 5 places in their race ranking. A rule introduced at Les Régates Royales de Cannes to prevent the risky manoeuvre of boats returning to the starting line, it is particularly effective with a diverse fleet combining boats of all shapes and sizes, some of which are priceless in terms of heritage.
Among the Modern yachts, several boats have already paid the price, including Nanoq Final Final, the theoretical race winner in corrected time, which has since tumbled down the ranking to sixth place. Others like Albator only learned of their penalty this evening, after heading over to the Race Committee to make amends for overshooting the start. It's a double whammy for this yacht, which boasted fourth place in the provisional ranking yesterday, because on top of the 5 automatic extra points, she was also trailing the leading pack today.
These same rules also stipulate that four races must be run in the Modern fleet if they are to scratch the worst result from their tally.
A day off for the benefit of one and all
After two races run in Pampelonne Bay, the traditional day-off for the Maxis this Wednesday was timed to perfection. For certain crews it provided an opportunity to analyse their race data, while others switched sails in readiness for the latter windier part of the week. For Galateia meantime, it was a chance to effect repairs in nearby La Ciotat following a collision on Monday that saw her bow out of Tuesday's racing. The good news hot off the presses tonight is that David M Leuschen's Wally Cento will be rejoining the fray tomorrow.
In line with tradition, the Maxi owners have agreed to meet at the Club 55 at noon, to extend a hand of friendship to Patrice de Colmont, the man responsible for founding the Nioulargue. Indeed, back in 1981, he hosted the crews of Pride and Ikra in his restaurant after their race. The famous eatery will once again provide the setting for some wonderful clashes tomorrow, Thursday, synonymous with Challenge Day at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez.
One day, one boat - Magic Carpet e: A shark with a language all of her own
With her XXL transom, her gleaming blue livery and her very full bow, Magic Carpet e garners the approval of the crowds thronged along the quayside each evening. Experts and novices alike agree that she tears up the rule book. "Lindsay (Owen Jones) always tries to break new ground. For three years, he wanted to create a new boat but couldn't really find the trigger until Guillaume Verdier presented this fabulous design to him," confirms her boat captain Danny Gallichan. Having worked alongside him for the past 30 years, the Briton has had the role of boat captain on every one of his Magic Carpets. He is stepping back next year but will continue sailing aboard this boat having followed every step of her evolution: "We started working alongside Edouard Bell on the possibility of creating an electric boat with a day's range but the same weight, which is not a simple equation!" Able to head over to the starting area on her own, power all the on-board hydraulics and return to the dock, Magic Carpet e is the only Maxi of this size (30.50 metres) capable of racing for an entire day without running her emergency BMW generator, which is solely required for long delivery trips. Competing for the Edmond de Rothschild Trophy, Magic Carpet e is positively brimming with revolutionary features, which are discussed in detail in the official programme for the Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez available online and on site.
Loick Peyron: I favour Herreshoff more than Fife!
Visiting Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez as an ambassador for BMW, one of the partners of Les Voiles, the legendary French sailor Loïck Peyron spent last week racing in Porto Cervo on the TP52 Paprec and decided he simply could not miss the rendez-vous in France's Var region. Memories and secrets of a fan.
Q: A lot of water has flowed since the event began. Among today's Maxis, there are some subscribers for a multihull class at major events. What do you think of that idea?
I don't believe it's essential to be honest. You can clearly see with the Gunboats, which are built like F1s whilst being very comfortable and luxurious, and hence bang on target, that it's incredibly difficult to integrate them. Clients are calling for it, but they're cruising pretty much all over the world and when the organisers, the IMA, Porto Cervo or St Tropez open the door to them, there aren't really any clients. I think that multihulls can play amongst themselves. Moreover, before Covid, there were some great meets in the BVIs, but ultimately, I think it's great if the Maxi races continue to target monohulls.
Q: Which boats move you the most at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez?
I have a weakness for the classic yachts and especially those which were a bit ahead of their day. I have fond memories of a little Swedish boat from a few years back, which was built like a little aeroplane with riveting and a tubular interior structure. She was a little gem! I guess essentially, I'm more in favour of Herreshoff than Fife!
What also moves me is the owners' passion and sense of anxiety about passing things down from one generation to the next. I've noticed that the eligible parties don't always share the passion of their elders, even when they have the necessary means at their disposal. In the clubs, the kids are more into wing foil than hoisting and dousing 300 m2 spinnakers...!
2025 Voiles de Saint-Tropez Programme:
Thursday, October 2: Club 55 Cup, Wally Rocket 51 Match Race, Gstaad YC Centenary Trophy (Pursuit race), Challenge Day for Modern and Classic yachts, racing for Maxis
Friday, October 3: Racing for Maxi, Modern and Classic yachts, including the Rolex Trophy
Saturday, October 4: Racing for Maxi, Modern and Classic yachts, including the Rolex Trophy, Prize giving for Maxis
Sunday, October 5: Prize giving for Modern and Classic yachts, including the Rolex Trophy
Find out more at www.lesvoilesdesaint-tropez.fr