Calling all to the 17th edition of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez

Les Voiles de St Tropez day 3 © Gilles Martin-Raget / www.martin-raget.com

From the clatter of halyards in the wooden masts to the creaking of carbon under the tension of the rigging, nothing can replace the thrill of what has become an unparalleled mixture of the classic and the modern with the passing years, beyond the windows of the newly revamped Société Nautique, the DNA of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez. With some two months until kick-off, the opposing armies are beginning to emerge.

Modern boats: Wally forever

A luxuriously kitted out 100-foot Wally that is faster than all the thoroughbred racing maxis: it's an incredible dream, but it's the reality! Indeed, the Wallycento Magic Carpet Cubed and Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones' crew, masterfully won the overall ranking of the Giraglia Rolex Cup 2015 in corrected time and confirming the Wally adage: more comfortable and faster. At Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez this year, no fewer than 15 Wallys, an unequalled record, will be facing off in a bid to secure a win in the second edition of the BMW Trophy. Though the ranking for the start of the season currently sees the Wally 107 Open Season topping the leaderboard, there is sure to be stiff competition from the Wallycento and the 80-footer, Y3K.

Among the largest craft announced at this year's Les Voiles, the spectre of the Farr 100 Leopard, owned by Briton Chris Sherlock, obviously looms large, but rest assured they won't have it all their own way among the other mega-maxis, including the highly anticipated 33-metre Briand design, Inouï, and the new Swan 115 Solleone. IRC A is also set to see plenty of action with the legendary VOR 70 Green Dragon, which will be vying with another VOR 70, Lady L. This round the world medallist, the ex Puma, is none other than Lionel Péan's new boat, taken over by Team SFS.

Assigned to the national IRC Cs, the Edmond de Rothschild Trophy this year favours the elite level race, a class which groups together some of the speediest monohulls on the international circuit: TP52, GP 42, Farr 42, Swan 45 and 42, etc. On the decks and in the cockpits of these racing boats, some of the big names from offshore racing and round-the-cans competition frequently come together in the battle for supremacy, calling tactics and manoeuvring about the racetrack with skill.

Traditional boats: the return of Puritan

The rumours have been spreading like wildfire and even though we're still awaiting final confirmation, no-one is impervious to the charm of the potential return of the very elegant, John Alden-design gaff schooner launched in 1930, Puritan. The uncluttered lines of this 31-metre craft are an integral part of the powerful images linked to the history of the Nioulargue and Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez. Another witness of this enduring tradition and the perpetuity of history is the Bermudan ketch Sincerity, a 1928 Baglietto design, which for a long while belonged to Paris' "King of the night" Jean Castel and also participated in the vintage years of Les Voiles' original event.

Part and parcel of Les Voiles for the past 9 years the Rolex Trophy will this year be awarded to a new category of traditional boats. Having previously been a showcase for the classic yachts in excess of 16 metres, then the hundred-year old B gaffers, for this edition of Les Voiles the Rolex Trophy is interested in the Marconi Bs, which are the more modern design of yachts of some fifty or so years of age. This choice is in line with the 90th anniversary of the legendary Rolex Fastnet Race, which will take place this coming August and has boasted a large number of today's entries in the Rolex Trophy among its line-up. Argos, Crazy Life, Espar II, Fantasque, Ilaria, Namib, Noryema IV, Oryx, Outlaw, Palynodie II, Ratafia, St Christopher and Stiren will be on the start line on Tuesday 29 September for the first race of the Rolex Trophy. Measuring 11 to 16 metres in length, these monohulls have put in their first tacks and written some of the finest pages in the history of yachting at the major meetings of the era including the Admiral's Cup, the Fastnet Race and the RORC (Royal Ocean Racing Club) race.

The hundred-year old yachts, which race according to their size and their rig types within the various competing groups at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, are a venerable age group. For this 2015 edition, the highly impressive figure of some twenty or so craft is already announced! These beauties also benefit on the Thursday from their own trophy, which was initiated in collaboration with the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez by the Gstaad Yacht Club back in 2011. Among those due to attend is the 'young' centenarian, Eva, a 1912 Fife-design gaff cutter whose owner, Pete Townshend, has also won fame in other playing fields as the guitarist and founder of the famous band, The Who.

The programme is a little different for the four 15m JIs still sailing - Hispania, Mariska, The Lady Anne and Tuiga, who can reasonably be called the stars of Les Voiles. Like last year, they'll benefit from special windward-leeward courses on Monday and Thursday, enabling them to round off the scoring for their 2015 race season.

It's worth noting too that this year, once again, the four J Classes, Lionheart, Ranger, Velsheda and Shamrock, will benefit from a special start on the same round as the Wallys, offshore of the beaches of Pampelonne.

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