When 253 yachts from a wide variety of eras set sail together, the Gulf of Saint-Tropez becomes a floating stage for sailing history. This year’s impressive line-up ranged from majestic J-Class yachts and historic classics to modern high-performance racers. Added to this was the fact that the elegant town of Saint-Tropez showed itself at its very best as the regatta week drew to a close. Sunshine and a steady easterly wind ensured ideal conditions. A perfect setting for an event that delighted sailors and visitors alike.
A host of celebrities at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez
Once again, the extraordinary number of exceptional yachts was impressive. Among the highlights were Peter Duben’s new Judel/Vrolijk design, the ‘Northstar III’, the Wallycento ‘V’ (formerly ‘Tango’), three J-Class replicas, the 65-metre three-masted schooner “Atlantic” and the “Tuiga”, built in 1909, the flagship of the Yacht Club de Monaco. According to the organisers, the event attracted around 75,000 visitors a day to the harbour and the waterfront promenades.
Numerous international sailing greats also joined the crews. Among them were Paul Cayard, Jochen Schümann and Boris Herrmann. The Malizia skipper sailed alongside Pierre Casiraghi, a member of the Monegasque princely family, aboard the legendary “Tuiga”. Backed by Australian America’s Cup star Jimmy Spithill, the team prevailed against the competition in its class, which included, amongst others, the “Mariella” and the “Hallowe’en”.
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A Living Museum of Sailing History
With 80 boats, the traditional fleet once again proved to be one of the highlights of the event. Divided into ten groups, the historic classics sailed four races, transforming the Gulf of Saint-Tropez into a living museum of sailing history. There is hardly a more apt way to describe this special character than with a quote attributed to Éric Tabarly:
“Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez is like turning the pages of a book on maritime history.”
The French sailing star was regarded as a passionate advocate of the original regatta, “La Nioulargue”, from which the current “Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez” emerged in 1999.
J-Class: The Queens of Regatta
The three J-Class yachts also attracted particular attention. Their arrivals and departures at the “Quai Suffren” were regularly met by crowds of people. No sooner had the imposing yachts cast off than visitors held their smartphones aloft to capture the spectacular manoeuvres.
On the water, “Svea”, “Rainbow” and “Hanuman” put on a high-calibre show across six races. In the end, the Swedish yacht “Svea”, owned by Skype co-founder Niklas Zennström, came out on top. Not even a temporary DNF following a broken genoa halyard shackle could prevent her from securing overall victory.
The organisers already have ambitious plans for the future. Pierre Roinson, President of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez (SNST), said:
“We’re hoping for even more J-Class yachts in 2027. I’d also like to organise a race between ‘Shamrock’ and ‘Endeavour’, the only two surviving J-Class yachts from the 1930s.”
Top German rankings
There was also good news from a sporting perspective for Germany. In the modern fleet, comprising 123 boats, Dr Harald Bruning won the IR3 class with his Farr 30 ‘Topas’. After five races, he relegated William Graves’ American yacht ‘Pride’ to second place.
The Sparkman & Stephens Swan 44 holds a special place in the history of the event. In September 1981, the ‘Pride’ sailed her first match race against the 12-mR yacht ‘Ikra’. This duel gave rise to the ‘La Nioulargue’ regatta, which in 1999 evolved into what is now known as ‘Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez’.
Graves also demonstrated his class elsewhere. At the Rolex Swan Cup 2026 in Porto Cervo He most recently won the Legacy Division. The president of the SNST also hinted that a rematch of the historic clash between “Pride” and “Ikra” was on the organisers’ wish list. However, no concrete plans have yet been announced.
In the IR4 class, Arnt Bruhns from the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein also put in an impressive performance. He finished second overall in his Swan 391 ‘Iskareen’, designed by Ron Holland. The experienced offshore sailor, who took part in the Transat Jacques Vabre in 2019 alongside his brother Sönke, capped off his run with a victory in the fifth and final race.
Who won where?
The results are broken down into different classifications: in addition to the overall winner of the Maxi yachts, the J-Class, traditional yachts and the modern IRC classes, amongst others, were classified separately. The table shows the main winners and their respective categories.
Most important overall winners
| Fleet | Score | Winner |
| Maxi yachts | Overall winner of all Maxi classes | Blue Oyster (Andrew Fitzamurice / Luca Scoppa) |
| Maxi yachts | Best J-Class | Svea (Niklas Zennström) |
| Maxi yachts | IMA Maxi Mediterranean Inshore Challenge Cup | V (Karel Komarek) |
| Traditional yachts | Big Boat | Elena of London |
| Traditional yachts | Grand Tradition Yacht | Tuiga |
| Traditional yachts | 12mR | Kiwi Magic |
| Modern yachts | IRC 0 | Spirit of Lorina |
| Modern yachts | IRC 1 | Lisa R |
| Modern yachts | IRC 2 | J Wow |
| Modern yachts | IRC 3 | Topaz |
| Modern yachts | IRC 4 | Overdose Neo |
Further information You will find here.
This is planned for 2027
The organisers’ assessment was also consistently positive. They reported that the feedback from the crews had been excellent and that, thanks to the good conditions, all the scheduled races had been able to go ahead.
According to race director Georges Korhel, the upcoming edition will focus primarily on two areas: Firstly, the particularly fast IRC-0 yachts – which this year were dominated by TP52s – may be assigned longer courses in future. Secondly, the finishes of the Maxi coastal races are to be moved to the Gulf of Saint-Tropez wherever possible. In 2026, these races finished just off Pampelonne and were not visible to spectators in the harbour.
At the same time, Korhel says he is preparing for a phased handover to his successor, Corinne Aubert. “She will be serving as Principal Race Officer at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles and brings a wealth of experience to the role,” explained the long-serving race director.
This means that attention is already turning to 2027. Should it actually prove possible to bring the historic rivals ‘Shamrock’ and ‘Endeavour’ together for a head-to-head contest, it would mark another chapter in the extraordinary history of ‘Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez’.
A visual look back at the 2026 “Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez”:
Fabian Boerger
Editor News & Panorama