47th Régates Royales de Cannes - Day 3: When the planets are aligned...
by Yacht Club de Cannes 25 Sep 2025 00:47 BST
21-27 September 2025
It was a phenomenal day in the bay of Cannes on Wednesday 24 September in a beautiful breeze from the south-west to the west. Apart from a tiller that gave way near the buoy anchored at the Lérins Islands on the P7 Joyant, and a few small problems usual in regattas when the wind is blowing, the 140 crews enjoyed themselves... and to see the faces at the finish, were jubilant.
Weather is still not an exact science despite the rise of AI... The models announced strong westerly winds, especially as a copious mistral was blowing from Marseille to Saint-Tropez. Jérôme Nutte, head of the race committees, had therefore decided to bring forward the starts. These sublime "classic" sailboats where spruce masts or ropes are omnipresent, may be as seaworthy as they are robust, and magnificently maintained, but there is no question of "breaking wood" if Eole gets angry. But in addition to the caution of the race management who adapted the courses, a slightly temperamental wind never exceeded 25 knots, weakening and cooling, but sometimes turning the bay of Cannes into a pot, with short, cross-seas.
Never mind! The breeze specialists shone once again, saving their rating (handicap) like the Briton Kismet (Sir Richard Matthews) in Epoque Aurique, the Irishman Hallowe'en (Inigo Strez) in the Big Boat, the Frenchman Maria Giovanna II (Jean-Pierre Sauvan) in the Classic Yacht, the Argentinian Matrero (Martin Busch) in the Classic Racer... all winners even today. And what about Patrice Riboud, untouchable in Tofinou with four wins in four races! In the 12 MJI, the Dane Jes Gram Hansen on Kiwi Magic, former finalist of the Louis Vuitton Cup in the hands of New Zealander Chris Dickson in 1987 in Perth (Australia) is in the lead after six races, followed by French Kiss (Christophe Babule, Marc Pajot, Laurent Delage) and South Australia (Yann Delplace, François Pailloux, Yannick Pollet).
The Royal Regattas are very often unusual stories, favorites and dreams come true. Charlotte Rousselot is a magnificent illustration of this. This young woman with boundless energy cracked up and bought a 50-footer (15.21 m) rotting from 2012 to 2023 in a construction site in New Zealand. For eleven months, she refurbished this former racing yacht that had competed in the Admiral's Cup and had raced against Eric Tabarly's Pen Duick IV. This IOR "safe" of its first name Phantom, weighing nearly 14 tons, was designed and built by C & C (Cuthberston & Cassian) in 1971. On her restored boat named Valiant, Charlotte wants to bring it back to France, to the South... to compete in the 47th Royal Regattas. A talented sailor and captain who is not afraid of anything, she is on her way on a 25,000-mile (46,400 km) journey - Fiji, Samoa, Tahiti, Easter Island, Panama, the Caribbean... Then, during the Atlantic crossing from the West Indies, she finished solo from the Azores on this prototype, usually driven by thirteen people, before mooring in Cannes to compete in the Royal Regattas. A real fairy tale!
All the results here: manage2sail.com
47th Royal Regatta of Cannes: Institutional partners: AFYT French Association of Traditional Yachts, Cannes Sports, Department 06, FFVoile, Southern Region, City of Cannes, Yacht Club de Cannes. Official partners: HighField, Hotel Carlton Cannes, IGY Marinas - Vieux Port de Cannes, Marinepool, Palais des Festivals, Champagne Taittinger. Technical partners: DAB Beverages, Palm Beach Hotel Cannes, ICOM France, Key4events, SNSM Société Nationale Sauvetage en Mer, Trans Côte d'Azur. Media partners: Cannes Radio, France TV.