A Sailing Extravaganza in Saint Tropez

Les Voiles de St Tropez Maxi event 2022

Despite the past two editions being coloured by covid, Les Voiles de Saint Tropez 2022 managed to put on a cracking fortnight for yachtsmen and women from all over the globe. Sailors and visitors alike enjoyed a brief moment of escapism as the Maxis and the Classic yachts took to the water for a spectacular two weeks of sailing against the stunning backdrop of Saint Tropez,.

CLASSICS

The first week was dedicated to the classics and the smaller modern racing yachts. With their gaff and Marconi sails mixing it up against the Kevlar sails of the smaller modern yachts such as Dainty and her 8.20 m waterline, to the largest, 55 m Shenandoah and the oldest, Mad Cap, the scene was eclectic as it was breath taking and beautiful.

The enchanting display by dozens of classic yachts, from massive schooners to a fantastic fleet of yawls and Marconi ketches, Les Voiles once again boasted one of the finest, if not the finest line-ups of classic yachts in the world with the port of Saint Tropez the stage and setting for a very special extravaganza of sail.

The famous Shenandoah of Sark, helmed by Captain Russell Potter, was the big threat in the group vying for the Rolex Trophy. Beaten in race 1 by the amazing Paine design Viveka, she came right back into the game in stronger airs to triumph in the final race in a steady breeze, notably outpacing Elena of London and finishing ahead of Orianda, the beautiful Danish schooner and the very speedy Naema to claim the prestigious Rolex Trophy. A tidy finale to what has been a busy season for Shenandoah.

Also out on the water, a sturdy bunch of 15mRs, ketches and large cutters dazzled out on the race zone as they battled in the Grand Tradition Group.

Sumurun, the legendary ketch helmed by Hugues Boullenger, who has amassed an amazing haul of prizes over the centuries, took an authoritative win again at Les Voiles ahead of Halloween and Mariella to claim the Besserat de Bellefon Trophy.

Winners of the Epoque Aurique trophies were the insatiable Scud, Patrizio Bertelli’s fabulous gaff cutter and Lulu, who proved to be very impressive in the strong breeze in the hands of Bernard Manuel, outmanoeuvring the title holder Juan Carlos Eguiagaray’s Oriole.

Eugenia V, launched in 1968 absolutely crushed the competition in the Classic Marconi A group with her two race victories, the Italian Cesare Sangermani sloop from 1968 ultimately taking the win in the overall ranking of the Classic Marconi B group.

It was a privilege to witness such a gathering of these iconic beauties and Ingrid Abery’s images capture their magnificence and beauty in their full glory.

MAXIS

The second week of Les Voiles de St Tropez was dedicated to the maxi yachts a different breed of man and machine. Focused on micro-trimming and calculating the race zone with pinpoint accuracy, the 800 maxi yachts got down to business with their first day of racing at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez with the crews, many of them professionals, all more than capable of getting the best out of their steeds, whatever the conditions served up.

46 Maxi Yachts sailed in fleet format and were split into four separate groups according to their length and measurement, sharing the race zone on the gulf of Saint Tropez throughout week one along courses of at least 25 nautical miles.

The larger sloops measuring more than 30 m kicked off the week’s racing were up against a very light easterly breeze, they included the larger Wallys, Swans, Hoeks and other Dubois yachts. Battling it out for the 2022 title in these SuperMaxis were names familiar to the superyacht circuit such as Jasi, Simba 108 and Pattoo – ex Missy, with the Maxi 2 group hosting the colossal clash between the 100-foot Wally Y3K and the three Wally Centos Magic Carpet3, Galateia, and Tango.

No fewer than seven 100-footers were also in action in the gulf, with the group also boasting the legendary speed demons Leopard3 and Rambler 88.

Unfortunately, it was a storm that triumphed on the final day, sucking up every last breath of air in the gulf and prompting the cancellation of this last day of racing.

However, in addition to a day of Challenges on Thursday, the 4 Maxi groups validated 3 superb races in all, making it possible to crown the magnificent winners. Stéphane Névé’s Spirit of Malouen X, with a crew from the world of TP52 racing, narrowly missing out on the hat-trick in Maxi 1 after securing two race victories.

In the Maxi 2 category, Cannonball not only reigned supreme over the rest of the group, she also got the better of the two other formidable Maxi 72s, Jethou and North Star, and was able to dismiss the threat from Magic Carpet 3, the incredibly successful Wallycento.

Lyra just snatched the win in Maxi 3 against one of the most outstanding Maxis this season, the 80-foot Reichel/Pugh design Capricorno. The ketch Saïda belonging to Jürg Schneider from Switzerland also excelled in Maxi 4, just ahead of the two previous America’s Cup protagonists, the 12mRs Kiwi Magic KZ7 and French Kiss.

Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez is now the 6th and final Maxi meeting in the IMA Mediterranean Maxi Inshore Challenge 2022, their 2022 races began with the Palma Vela in May, the Rolex Giraglia in June, the Copa del Rey MAPFRE in July, and the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in September.

In early 2023, the futuristic Maxis will head over to the Caribbean for the tropical IMA Caribbean Maxi Challenge, which includes the RORC Caribbean 600, the St Maarten Heineken Regatta, Les Voiles de Saint Barth and Antigua Sailing week.