48th Régates Royales Day 4: Church bells ring for Pope Leo XIV
by Jean François Cutugno 26 Sep 14:54 AEST
20-26 September 2026
48th Régates Royales Day 4 © Didier Ravon / YCC
On Friday, September 25th, Jérôme Nutte, Principal Race Officer (PRO) decided to postpone the usual skipper briefing by fifteen minutes. At 10 a.m. sharp, all the bells of the churches in France ring for the arrival of Pope Leo XIV.
The Notre Dame d'Espérance church located in the Suquet district overlooking the old port of Cannes is no exception to the rule. The volunteers of the Yacht Club de Cannes in the oven and in the mill, serve coffees and croissants at the bar with a smile. The sailors wait. An easterly wind is blowing at nearly 25 knots, but depending on the weather, should weaken from noon. The race committees then decide to postpone the start by an hour. Well done. The gusts are less aggressive, the sea almost flat.
The starts follow one another with the precision of Swiss watchmaking. It's absolutely wonderful weather for racing. If we had to give a score, it would be without hesitation a 20 out of 20... We don't know what the sailors in the gaff class (EA) ate this morning, but they offer a start and a first tack close to the 300-metre strip worthy of an Olympic round in a dinghy. As the wind oscillates, the crossings are hot and boiling, the spectacle grandiose. And to spice things up, the boats have to take into account the presence of the Orient Express Corinthian, the largest sailing liner in the world at 220 metres and its three rigid sails on Balestron, which arrived in the early hours of the morning and is anchored in the middle of the western harbour.
The day is jubilant. The Régates Royales definitely have a beautiful star, but deserved. In the eastern harbour, the Dragons completed their tenth and final race. The winners were Portuguese. Michael Zanikel, Diego Pereira and Joao Matos Rosa won brilliantly, and the prize-giving ceremony on the terrace of the Yacht Club de Cannes at sunset was a reflection of this week: faultless. On Saturday, for the closing of this 48th edition, a light south-easterly wind should be on the programme.
Every sailor has worn TBS deck shoes at least once in his life. Born in 1978, the company of the Eram group is already avant-garde by launching shoes that stand for "Synthetic Clay". The idea is to recycle the soles of tennis shoes for synthetic pitches. TBS has always had a penchant for the sea and a taste for innovation, while maintaining a strong link with the land. In the 80s, under the leadership of the sailor Pierre Follenfant, it launched an iconic sea shoe called Globe, whose comfort and specific non-slip sole seduced boaters and racers.
The Follenfant family has always raced at the highest level. His brothers Philippe and Hubert were four times vice-world champions of the 470 in 70, 71, 72 and 75, and Pierre was part of the great adventure in La Rochelle on the Charente-Maritime 1 and 2 catamarans, before competing in the first Vendée Globe 1989-1990 on the Joubert-Nivelt TBS-Charente Maritime design, which he finished in 5th place, despite a crippled rudder.
The company managed by Julien Bianchi since 2018, collaborates with Michel Desjoyeaux historically, and also with Mer Concept (François Gabart, Tom Laperche, Anne-Claire Le Berre...). This year, TBS, the new partner of the Régates Royales, has also created a line of specific clothing to dress the team of permanent staff and volunteers of the Yacht Club de Cannes. For Patrick Guia, sales director, who was present in Cannes, and who is charmed by the spirit and atmosphere that reigns here, "being associated with such a prestigious club and event is not only an honour, but it is also a way of showing the new nautical impulse of this heritage brand." In fact, TBS is currently working on a line of technical seawear.
Partners of the 48th Régates Royales: City of Cannes Côte d'Azur, TBS, IGY Old Port of Cannes, Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, Maison Saint-Aix, Carlton Cannes Regent Hotel, Alpes Maritimes Department, South Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur Region.
www.yachtclubdecannes.org