Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez - A Benchmark for Excellence

Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez © Gilles Martin-Raget / www.martin-raget.com

The organisation of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, whose 28th edition will take place from 26 September to 4 October, is built on proven experience and a constant attention to detail. Each year, the teams of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez under the presidency of Pierre Roinson, continue to raise organisational standards in order to provide crews with exceptional racing and hospitality conditions, both ashore and on the water.

This intensive preparation is carried out in close collaboration with the event's partners and in consultation with the town of Saint-Tropez.

Courses: Greater Variety, Enhanced Safety

Launching around twenty starts each day of a fleet of more than 250 yachts ranging from 10 to 50 metres in length - from valiant century-old classics to brand-new maxis and the latest-generation prototypes - is the daily challenge of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez. Three race committees, supported by approximately 70 volunteers, strive to improve operations year after year. As Principal Race Officer Georges Kohrel explains for the 2026 edition: "We will be laying several additional geodynamic buoys to diversify the courses. Our objective is to eliminate out-and-back courses where fleets cross paths and instead systematically include a third mark to round." This safety requirement has also led to changes in the bay of Pampelonne, where the starting lines for the Maxis will no longer be positioned in the middle of the windward-leeward course but outside of it. Sporting quality also remains central to the organisers' priorities: "From now on, race courses will only be announced on the morning of racing so that we can adapt as closely as possible to weather conditions, and we will ensure that legs can be lengthened if necessary to increase the intensity of the racing," adds Georges Kohrel. This request was notably expressed by the Modern fleet, whose largest yachts, IRC 0, will once again compete this year for the BMW Trophy.

The P Class Yachts in the Spotlight for the 20th Anniversary of the Rolex Trophy

Since 2006, the Rolex Trophy has recognised a different category of classic yacht each year, selected by a dedicated committee, thereby highlighting a specific class and offering a broad panorama of yachting history. For its twentieth anniversary, the prestigious Rolex Trophy will, for the first time, be awarded to the best-performing P Class yacht. These elegant approximately 16-metre gaff cutters were designed according to Nathanaël Herreshoff's Universal Rule. Already competing in 2024 as part of the Epoque Aurique category, which was honoured that year, the P Class yachts narrowly missed victory to the 10 Metre Class yacht Marga, skippered by Torben Graël.

Spectacular yachts and formidable competitors in light to moderate winds, yet equally comfortable in the stronger breezes that often animate the gulf of Saint-Tropez in late September, all P Class yachts were originally built on the east coast of the United States at the beginning of the twentieth century. Four of them will once again gather in Saint-Tropez. Joyant, the most recently restored in Camden, Maine, will battle against Chips, Corinthian and Olympian. One thing is certain: one of these four outstanding contenders will add its name to the honours list of the highly coveted Rolex Trophy.

Maxis: Les Voiles as the Natural Choice

The Maxis are part of the history of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, having already been recognised as a dedicated class at La Nioulargue in 1983. The Maxi owners, led by the then Maxi Association' President, Baron Edmond de Rothschild, first came together as early as 1979 and today compete in high-level racing in the bay of Pampelonne while delighting visitors with their majestic presence along the quays of the Old Port each evening.

This enduring relationship between this exceptional class and the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez has made Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez one of the world's largest gatherings of Maxi yachts. "Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez holds a very special place in the hearts of Maxi owners. Racing in Saint-Tropez is a pleasure and the perfect way to conclude the season," confirms Maurits van Oranje-Nassau, the new President of the International Maxi Association (IMA), appointed last September to succeed Benoît de Froidmont. Also owner and helmsman of the Wally 80 Sud, he will compete in Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez as part of the fifth - and last - event of the 2026 season counting towards the IMA Mediterranean Maxi Inshore Challenge.

As was the case last year, the top-performing Maxi 1 yacht at the end of the week will be honoured with the prestigious Edmond de Rothschild Trophy, presented by owner Ariane de Rothschild, who today continues the legendary Gitana legacy.

www.lesvoilesdesaint-tropez.fr/en

2026 Schedule:

Saturday, September 26: Registration confirmation
Sunday, September 27: Registration confirmation, Arrival of the Yacht Club de France's Coupe d'Automne (Cannes-Saint-Tropez)
Monday, September 28: Races for the Maxis and Moderns
Tuesday, September 29: Races for the Maxis, Moderns, and Classics, including the Rolex Trophy
Wednesday, September 30: Races for the Moderns and Classics, including the Rolex Trophy Day off for the Maxis, Club 55 Maxi Yachts Cup
Thursday, October 1: Club 55 Cup, Gstaad Yacht Club des Centenaires Trophy (staggered starts), Challenge Day for the Moderns and Classics, Races for the Maxis
Friday, October 2: Races for the Maxis, Moderns, and Classics, including the Rolex Trophy
Saturday, October 3: Races for the Maxis, Moderns, and Classics, including the Rolex Trophy Prize-giving for the Maxis, including the Edmond de Rothschild Trophy, Presentation of the Rolex Trophy
Sunday, October 4: Prize-giving for the Moderns and Classics, including the BMW Trophy and special trophies

Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez 2025 Day 6 - photo © Gilles Martin-Raget