Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez - Day 2
by Maguelonne Turcat 28 Sep 2016 07:31 BST
24 September - 2 October 2016
With the much anticipated opening match for the 120 Classic yachts today, Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez 2016 is certainly living up to expectations with a dazzling spectacle right across the bay.
The arrival of a light E'ly wind enabled the beautiful classic sails to parade around in the shadow of Le Bailli de Suffren, whilst the Modern yachts and giant Wallys languished offshore of Pampelonne. From midday, each competing group were set courses studied to offer them every possible point of sail with a backdrop that was positively overwhelmed with light. The result was a showstopping festival of top level sport, where the light airs called for keen anticipation, supreme skill in the trimming and the utmost subtlety at the helm.
Advantage the bay of Saint Tropez
As was the case for the fleet of Classic yachts, you needed to be sailing within the bay of Saint Tropez today to gain favour with the wind gods. In this way, the start procedures for the 10 competing groups were able to be launched from noon without encountering any opposition and with these came the first race in the Rolex Trophy for the "Grand Tradition" yachts. In a light breeze settled comfortably in the eastern sector, the pretty Marconi and gaff rigs made for the open water in a great whirl of tack changes and crossing of tacks, before being caught up down the edge of the bay by the flat calm served up between Cavalaire and Saint Raphael. This prompted a course reduction off Sèche à Huile with the order of passage denoting the ranking for each class.
Meantime, the Wallys also managed to validate a race along a specially-built course rendered all the more technical due to a very shifty breeze both in terms of strength and direction. Decidedly, the Modern yachts were the least spoilt of all the fleets today. After several fruitless attempts to launch a start in a rather wheezy breeze, Race Management called all five IRC groups back into port.
15 m JI: Mariska against all the odds
Light airs, a start at the tail end of the fleet of 15 m JIs, a bottleneck at the mark roundings... Mariska overcame all today's obstacles to secure her first race win in Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez where the annual 15 m JI champion will be decided.
The pacey Classics
They have taken the yachting planet by storm for decades now. Marconi or gaff rigs, there are a handful of classic yachts penned by illustrious naval architects, which year on year continue to add to their most prestigious haul of trophies. In this way, at the start of this latest edition of Les Voiles, we must surely identify a few of the boats whose crews have their eyes on the prize. Among them, famous racers like Jour de Fête (Q boat Paine 1930), already crowned at Les Voiles, Rowdy the multiple 'reoffender', (New York 40 1916 Herreshoff), battling it out with the other NY 40 Chinook (Herreshoff 1916), Eva, (Fife 1906), Ikra, the historic 12 m J designed by Boyd (1964), Olympian (P Class Gardner 1913), Halloween (Fife 1926) and Moonbeam IV (Fife 1914) to name but a few...
Les Voiles on video
Gilles Martin-Raget and Guilain Grenier (GMR+G1) are taking charge of the video production at Les Voiles, with a short daily clip highlighting the day's action:
These productions, graced with the unique touch synonymous with these marine photographers, are enjoying unprecedented success this year, already boasting over 30,000 views for the first day's 'teaser'.
A yacht of distinction - Marga
A newcomer to Les Voiles, Marga is an elegant 10mJI cutter that has only recently completed her restoration. Launched in 1910 at the Halstholm yard in Stockholm, she is the fruit of work by Swedish naval architect CO Liljegren. Incredibly, Marga participated in the Olympic Games in Sweden in 1912, where she ranked 4th. Featuring an aggressive form for a 10 Metre, Marga has the look of a racing thoroughbred, with a highly studied sail plan. With no winches, all the manœuvres are made using muscle power alone. Her refit was the result of many long hours of prior study and research.
Her creator, C.O. Liljegren, initially devoted his time to the design of highly competitive race boats, like fellow Swedes, Benzon, Abrhamson and Plym. He subsequently turned his mind to research and theoretical studies in marine engineering and architecture. His yacht designs are extensive with over 200 hulls to his credit apparently. Virtually unheard of in the Mediterranean, this designer was one of the yachting greats in Scandinavia. In Sweden between 1910 and 1915, three boats by the name of Marga were built, all belonging to the 10mJI class, designed by different naval architects and built by different yards. Word has it that C.O. Liljegren was the brother of the owner of the Liljegren Göteborg yard. This same yard built 'Marga 1914', yet her design was not penned by C.O. Liljegren, but most likely one William Fife III.
The research continues...
Wednesday's weather forecast
The summer weather continues with warm sunshine, 6-7 knots of NNE'ly breeze, making an abrupt shift round to the SE in the afternoon.
Today's partner: Rolex - 10th edition of the Rolex Trophy
With a global presence, on all the seas and oceans, the Rolex watch brand has partnered the major yacht races for over fifty years. Combining high standards and tradition, Rolex has a rather special relationship with this sport, which is in perfect harmony with the values cherished by the brand: excellence, precision and team spirit. From the Rolex Fastnet Race to the Giraglia Rolex Cup, the Rolex Sydney Hobart, the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and the Rolex Middle Sea Race, every sailor in the world has a race equal to their achievement. Since 2006, Rolex has partnered Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez and organises the Rolex Trophy.
For its tenth anniversary, the Rolex Trophy is honouring a class of yacht that it is impossible to remain indifferent to during Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez. From Tuesday 27 September to Saturday 1 October, the "Grand Tradition" yachts will challenge one another within their own fleet and with their own starts, along coastal courses. They'll have to bring all their power into play to stand a chance of winning this highly coveted trophy. Ten of these fabulous yachts are entered in the Rolex Trophy.
The Rolex Trophy yachts:
Aschanti IV, Bermudan schooner (Henry Gruber 1954)
Cambria, 23m Bermudan cutter (Fife 1928)
Elena of London, Gaff rig schooner (Herreshoff 2009)
Gladoris II, Bermudan yawl (A.R. Luke 1928)
Halloween, Bermudan cutter (Fife 1926)
Iduna, Bermudan ketch (H.W De Voogt 1939)
Moonbeam IV, gaff cutter (Fife1914)
Moonbeam III, gaff cutter (Fife 1903)
Puritan, gaff schooner (John Alden 1930)
Sincerity, Bermudan ketch (Baglietto 1928)
www.lesvoilesdesaint-tropez.fr