Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez 2026: 251 crews, ideal conditions and the first drama

15 knots from the east, waves of around one metre, sunshine and a temperature of 25 degrees. Tuesday at the “Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez” began with almost perfect conditions for the Record-breaking fleet at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez with 51 Maxis and three J-Class yachts. As the afternoon wore on, the wind gradually picked up before dying down again in the early evening. In the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, around 120 modern yachts and 77 traditional boats competed in their races. In Pampelonne Bay, the Maxis shared the courses with the J-Class yachts.

J-Class: A two-way battle instead of a three-way battle

Having secured a clear victory on Monday, the ‘Svea’ went into the second day of racing at ‘Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez’ as the favourite. Shortly after the starting signal for the first race, the Genoa halyard locking mechanism failed; the sail fell onto the deck, and the race was over for the “Svea”.

What followed was a head-to-head battle between Peter Harrison’s ‘Rainbow’ and the ‘Hanuman’ on a close-hauled course covering around three nautical miles with some 20 tacks. ‘Hanuman’ took the lead initially, but a botched manoeuvre at the leeward mark allowed ‘Rainbow’ to overtake. ‘Hanuman’ won the second race.

‘Northstar III’ wins the Maxi-1 class

In Pampelonne Bay, the 76-foot Maxi ‘Northstar III’ came out on top on corrected time in the first Maxi-1 race of the day. The Judel/Vrolijk-designed yacht, owned by Peter Dubens, confirmed its form. Most recently, the boat had competed in the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in Porto Cervo won the Grand Prix World Championship. Whilst her design is more reminiscent of a large TP52 than a classic Maxi, she sailed at flatter angles downwind and was, at the same time, faster than the competition.

Wouter Verbraak, the team’s strategist, said:

“It features a keel that maximises righting moment and power, whilst generating strong hydromechanical lift. It has no additional appendages whatsoever that would increase drag. It also features an aerodynamics package that stands out thanks to its rotating mast and a ‘retractable’ deck.”

In the second race, owner Karel Komarek of the Yacht Club de Monaco came out on top with his ‘V’, formerly known as the ‘Tango’.

The Maxi-1 and J classes sailed up-and-down courses in Pampelonne Bay. The Maxi classes 3, 4 and 5 set off on a 28-nautical-mile coastal course heading south-west. The finish was at a mark off Cavalaire-sur-Mer.

• ​​Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez 2026: Record-breaking fleet featuring a spectacular line-up of J-Class yachts

BMW Trophy: ‘Knutte’ takes the lead

In the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, several boats flying the German flag were also among the frontrunners. In the IR3 class, Dr Harald Bruning’s ‘Topas’ and Rainer Badent’s ‘Einstein’ took second and third place respectively. In the IR0 class, the “Nanoq” (USA) initially took the lead amongst the TP52 yachts after a strong start and defended it tenaciously.

At the finish line, however, the “Knutte” was just ahead. The German team led by Thomas Andersen thus took the lead, according to Organiser the provisional leader in the overall standings of the BMW Trophy, one of several trophies at “Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez”. It had already secured a podium place the day before.

Further results you will find here.

A sweeping panoramic view of the bay

Even away from the race courses, the Bay of Saint-Tropez was a sight to behold. The ‘Sea Cloud Spirit’ and the ‘Orient Express Corinthian’ had taken up position at the starting line. Together with other large yachts at anchor, they created an impressive panorama.

The P-Class yachts sailed their races for the Rolex Trophy even before the so-called ‘Big Boats’; the latter include the approximately 65-metre-long, three-masted ‘Atlantic’, a replica of the transatlantic record-holder of the same name. In the Traditional class, the oldest entrant, the ‘Sky’ (built in 1890), and the ‘Resolute Salmon’ from 1976 took to the water on the same day.