D-3 for the 48th Royal Regattas: Let the party begin!
by Jean François Cutugno 18 Sep 14:16 BST
20-26 September 2026
Royal Regattas © Didier Ravon / YCC
Organised for almost 100 years by the Yacht Club de Cannes, the 48th edition of the Royal Regattas takes place from 20 to 26 September 2026.
More than 130 classic yachts among the most beautiful boats on the planet are expected in the harbour of Cannes. The show promises to be sublime once again.
Among the many entries, loyal to the biggest classic yacht event in the world, we inevitably find in the "Big Boats" category Cambria and Hallowe'en, both born in 1928, designed by William Fife, a genius of naval architecture, and who can easily be compared to classical music composers Bach, Mozart, Purcell or Verdi. Mariella, a Mylne design built in 1938 at Fairlie, the Fife family's shipyard, or Viveka also join the party.
The "Gaff Era> 15 metres" category is undoubtedly the richest, reflecting the often fratricidal battle between the P Class and the NY 40. These sailboats dating from 1913 and 1911 respectively, designed by the American Nathanaël Herreshoff, another genius architect in New York, were already avant-garde. Even today, we can see that today's racing yachts, even equipped with foils, were in fact inspired by these large and powerful hulls drawn on tracing paper at a time when CAD did not yet exist. Rotting because they are abandoned in the mudflats near Chicago, they have been superbly restored by an American shipyard, and have had a second life in recent years thanks in particular to Bruno Troublé, former helmsman and then organizer of the America's Cup, or Sébastien Bazin, CEO of the Accor Group, and owner of Corinthian. Almost of the same generation and owned by the Italian Patrizio Bertelli, CEO of Prada, crazy about sailing, the sublime Herreshoff Scud design, back in Cannes this year, is a scarecrow. Led by a professional transalpine crew, it is helmed by Brazilian legend Torben Graël, five-time Olympic medallist.
Finally, this 46th edition will see the return to Cannes waters of the superb 1936 Fife design Eilean, flagship of the Panerai brand well known to Mediterranean sailors.
Jean-François Cutugno, President of the Yacht Club de Cannes: "The port is full as ever, a sign that the Royales are still having the same success. We are sold out. The weather is looking perfect, summery with rather "light" winds from the south-east. No easterly gales or mistrals are forecast to date. I am also delighted with the arrival of two new partners: TBS and Château Saint Ex. It will be a great edition!"
Finally, a tribute will be paid throughout the week to the great Italian photographer Carlo Borlenghi, who died recently after a long illness, and who, upon discovering the Royal Regattas a few years ago, literally fell under the spell of the event in the city of Cannes, and illuminated the "Royales" with his talent with two exceptional exhibitions.
www.yachtclubdecannes.org