The 73rd edition of the Loro Piana Giraglia reached its climax with the final inshore race day off Saint-Tropez. With north-easterly winds that picked up to ten knots as the day progressed, the Maxi fleet completed a shortened coastal course of twelve nautical miles. The start took place in the Baie de Pampelonne, three nautical miles south-east of the windward mark, before the fleet headed back downwind to the Golfe de Saint-Tropez. The event is organised by the Yacht Club Italiano in collaboration with the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, under the auspices of the Federazione Italiana Vela and the Fédération Française de Voile. The race marked the third event in the International Maxi Association’s Mediterranean Maxi Inshore Challenge. The majority of the fleet took advantage of the shifting winds on the starboard side of the course near the coast, before heading towards the buoy on a long starboard tack. Remarkably, Alessandro Del Bono’s 82-foot ‘Capricorno’ led the 100-foot class at times.
“Jethou” triumphed in light winds
The 100-foot Wally “Galateia”, skippered by Lizz Flowers, eventually took the lead and crossed the finish line first. On the downwind leg, however, the field closed in significantly. As they entered the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, Sir Peter Ogden’s “Jethou” had worked its way up to second place and successfully kept the larger, faster yachts at bay. After the IRC time correction, “Jethou” won the race. “For us, the conditions were perfect – six to ten knots – for racing against the 100-footers,” explained Marc Blees, who was at the helm for owner Sir Peter Ogden. Brad Butterworth had made the last-minute decision to start at the buoy. The wind shift came and “Jethou” had more pressure on the first upwind leg. Most of the other boats came from the right, but “Jethou” crossed well beneath them. Downwind, the 100s did roll past “Jethou”, but the team found a clear path to the coast near Club 55.
“V” at his best in Giraglia
George Sakellaris’ 72-foot yacht “Proteus” finished second after the IRC time correction, whilst “Capricorno” came third. In the past, the Maxi Grand Prix boats (formerly Maxi 72s) would have utterly outclassed the 100-footers in light winds, but this was the first time in the past four days that they had the upper hand. Despite a disappointing sixth place on the final day, “V” had enough of a lead to win the class with 16 points. “Jethou” followed two points behind, with “Galateia” completing the podium. “We definitely made it hard for ourselves today,” commented Paul Wilcox, “V”’s tactician, after Ken Read had moved to lead Karel Komárek’s America’s Cup campaign. The 70-footers are more manoeuvrable than the larger boats in light winds. The start wasn’t great, but the team recovered well. “V” has now won its last four races and leads the International Maxi Association’s Mediterranean Maxi Inshore Challenge with 192.87 points, ahead of “Galateia” on 139.18 and “Jethou” on 124.19 points.
“Atalanta II” on an unbroken run
The standout performance of the regatta came from Carlo Puri Negri’s Farr/Felci 70 “Atalanta II”, which won today’s race in the small Maxi class and remained unbeaten in this category. “Today’s race was brilliant,” commented Tazio Puri Negri, the fourth-eldest of Carlo’s five children. He said the team had set out with the mindset of not making any mistakes, as the only way they could lose would have been through disqualification. The start at the top end of the line went very well, ahead of “Cippa Lippa X”, their main rival. “Atalanta II” match-raced them the whole time. They closed in very closely at the first mark and kept “Cippa Lippa X” behind them downwind, where “Cippa Lippa X” is stronger. Puri Negri confirmed that this was the best result for “Atalanta II” in its recent history, although it had achieved similar results in its early years.
Giraglia overall group standings
“Django WR” won the provisional IRC 1 Inshore Series, rounding off an impressive week with two race wins and three top-two finishes. Jean Pierre Barjon’s TP52 “Spirit of Lorina” finished second following a fierce battle with “Django” throughout the series. The Ker 46 “Lisa R” rounded off the podium with a strong result in the final race. In ORC 1, the Swan 45 “Thetis” won the inshore series, finishing it with a victory on the final day. Roberto Bosio’s XR-41 “Crabx Aquarama Fraber” finished second after a consistently strong series featuring two race wins. “L’Immens” completed the podium. In IRC 2, “Flying Dolphin” won the inshore series, finishing it with victories in the last two races. The JPK 10.50 “Invictus” came second, whilst Peter Lezhnin’s J/112 “Jedi” completed the podium. Michael Müller’s J/111 “Pappes” finished seventh, making it the best-placed German yacht.
J Boats came out on top
In ORC 2, “Fremito D'Arja” won the inshore races, level on points with “Chestress”, but came out on top on a countback following its victory in the final race. “Chestress” finished second after an excellent duel between the two Italian J/109s. Agudo Gonzales’ Salona 37 “Salvora” took the lowest place on the podium. Following the final race, the prize-giving ceremony took place at the Loro Piana Giraglia Race Village, where the class winners and special prize winners were honoured. The prizes were presented by Pierre Roinson, President of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez; Carlo Cameli, President of the Yacht Club Italiano; and Loro Piana Deputy Chairman Pier Luigi Loro Piana. The Ville de Saint-Tropez Trophy was awarded to the winner of IRC 1, the most numerous class in the Loro Piana Giraglia Inshore Series.
Saint-Tropez Trophy awarded to “Django WR”
With a large and highly competitive fleet, IRC 1 produced a thrilling contest between “Django WR” and the TP 52 “Spirit of Lorina”. The “Django” crew won the inshore series, but the Italian-French rivalry will be reignited in the offshore race to Genoa. “Saint-Tropez is a very special place; I think that’s why sailors love coming here so much,” commented SNST President Pierre Roinson.
The atmosphere is different from that in other harbours because the harbour is situated within the village. After the race, the crews, owners and sailors immediately become part of Saint-Tropez, with its restaurants, bars, the village and the life around them. That is very important. The Giraglia has a long history. It began as a result of the friendship between the Yacht Club Italiano and the French clubs. In the beginning, there were perhaps 20 or 25 boats; now there are 145, so the race is very lively.
A difficult forecast for Hatz’s trip to Genoa
His message to the sailors is simple: come to Saint-Tropez, sail hard, enjoy the place, then head to Genoa via the Giraglia Rock. This race is an important link between Saint-Tropez and Genoa, as well as between France and Italy, and thus to all international sailors. He’s hoping for good wind for the offshore race. The forecast looks tricky, but he hopes everyone will arrive safely and in time for the prize-giving ceremony: “Bon vent à tous”.
On 17 June, the legendary 241-nautical-mile offshore race gets underway, running from Saint-Tropez via the Giraglia Rocks to Genoa. The first warning signal is scheduled for 11.55 am and marks the start of one of the Mediterranean classics, as the fleet leaves the Gulf of Saint-Tropez and sets course for Corsica before the final leg to Genoa begins. Also taking part will be the contenders for Line Honours, “Magic Carpet e” and “Arca SGR”.
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Loro Piana Giraglia Inshore Results
IRC 0 Maxi A Overall Standings:
- 1st place (Karel Komárek): 16 points
- 2. Jethou (Sir Peter Ogden): 18 points
- 3. Galateia (Chris Flowers/David Leuschen): 20 points
IRC 0 Maxi B Overall Standings:
- 1. Atalanta II (Carlo Puri Negri): 5 points
- 2. Cippa Lippa X (Guido Paolo Gamucci): 14 points
- 3. Wallyño (Benoît de Froidmont): 16 points
IRC 1 Overall Standings:
- 1. Django WR (Giovanni Lombardi Stronati)
- 2. Spirit of Lorina (Jean Pierre Barjon)
- 3. Lisa R (Giovanni Di Vincenzo)
IRC 2 Overall Standings:
- 1. Flying Dolphin (Willem Ellemeet)
- 2. Invictus (Nicolas Popp)
- 3. Jedi (Peter Lezhnin)
ORC 1 Overall Standings:
- 1. Thetis (Luca Locatelli)
- 2. Crabx, Aquarama, Fraber (Roberto Bosio)
- 3. L'Immens (Nicolas Gonzalez)
ORC 2 Overall Standings:
- 1. Fremito D'Arja (Marcello De Gaspari): 9 points
- 2. Chestress (Leonardo Petti/Giorgio Anserini): 9 points (tiebreaker)
- 3. Salvora (Agudo Gonzales)
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