Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez: Mass and class - regatta week with 243 yachts from 13 decades

The cult regatta has its origins in a fun race. Patrice de Colmont, landlord of "Le Club 55", arranged it in 1981 between an American Swan 44 and the 12er of a French owner. The race from Saint-Tropez's Portalet tower to the legendary beach club in the Bay of Pampelonne was held without pay and was won by the Frenchman, who also received a silver compote bowl from Club 55 stock. The loser was served sea urchins and champagne. Gastronome de Colmont used his charming audacity to establish the event, which was initially organised locally and named after the Nioulargue shoal, as the finale of the Mediterranean maxi and classics fleet.

Despite the ever-increasing number of entries in all classes, the organisers of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez try to preserve the amateur spirit. There is no prize money, but there are still glittering parties and, a heartfelt wish of Patrice de Colmont, a colourful supporting programme with a sardine evening and closing fireworks. Some crews dress up during the traditional parade and compete in the pétanque tournament on the village square.

Les Voiles is and remains a cult regatta

Tradition was also upheld on the water. Instead of regular races, Thursday brought match races in the spirit of the original edition. On Challenge Day, for example, a Swan 50 competed against a ClubSwan 50 or "Lys" (16.56 m Bermudan sloop) against "Eileen 1938" (19.75 m Marconi sloop). The Club 55 Cup was contested by "Il Moro di Venezia" (1976, 20 m) and the classic yawl "Mariella" (1938, 24 m), with Raul Gardini's former IOR Maxi coming out on top.

With 118 entries, the IRC (Modern) starters, spread across five groups, were the most strongly represented. The closest competition was in the IRC 0 category. King Frederik of Denmark Nanoq", one of six TP52s, sailed to third place behind "Vesper" and "Zen" after five races. The German "Heat" crew led by Max Augustin placed their Melges 32 for the NRV in third place in IRC 2 behind the Spirit 52 "Happy Forever". The highest GER participation was in IRC 3, with the J-112 "Jedi" taking the runner-up title and the Farr 30 "Einstein" finishing in third place. Martin Baum's Swan 48 "Elan" was listed in eighth place overall after mixed results, with the Swan 46 "Fixation" two places behind.

Lots of movement among classics

The class with the widest range in terms of year of construction is quite rightly called "Tradition" by the organisers. The 81 yachts sailed three course races in nine (!) groups, including one labelled IOR and one 12mR. Many classics travelled on from the Régates Royales in Cannes to Saint-Tropez, some of them as part of a transfer regatta.

The "Atlantic", which was built in the Netherlands in 2010 as a reconstruction of a racing cutter, was a newcomer. At 69 metres, she was the longest participant and sailed around the race for the first time this year after visiting as a spectator - with an 820 square metre gennaker. The 36 metre long Summers & Payne gaff ketch "Cariad" was launched in 1896 with a spoon bow and rigging. She was restored in Thailand and sailed to the Mediterranean on her own long keel. The 35-metre fife "Sumurun", launched in 1914, rejoined Les Voiles as a yawl and with a boom.

Germán "Mani" Frers, son of the Argentinian designer of the same name, appeared in Epoque Marconi B with "Recluta"a 20-metre ketch completed in 2021 according to the unrealised plans of grandfather "Don Germán". Jens Kellinghusen's "Varuna VII" took victory in the strongest classic group with 18 starters.

Favourite victories in the Maxis

The Maxi classification comprised 44 contemporary yachts over 60 feet, which were divided into five groups. Once again, "Dango 7X" proved unbeatable in the Maxi Grand Prix. The 21.40 metre Wallyrocket 71, built by King Marine in Valencia, won three out of six races and is quite different in design. It is two metres shorter and two tonnes lighter than its competitors, which it compensates for by using ballast tanks. From around eight knots of wind, they fill up and bring up to 2.7 tonnes to the edge.

Alois Neukirchen steered his Mylius 66 RS "Schorch" to fifth place in Maxi 4 under the flag of the Düsseldorf Yacht Club. Sven Wackerhagen's Wally 80 "Rose" took third place in the Maxi 3 classification. Within the seven large Maxis "Magic Carpet e" However, the Wally 100 "V" triumphed once again ahead of the strongly sailed JV 80 "Capricorno". On "Tilakkhana II", one of three Wally 100s, Dee Calfari sailed to fourth place overall as one of nine women with French owner Pascale Decaux.

Haste and delay: own set of rules

The organisers have also retained their sense of humour. "If you want to keep a rule a secret, add it to the sailing instructions!" - a saying that is sure to make the jury at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez smile. At this year's event, early starters were automatically demoted five places in the race classification. The rule was introduced at the Régates Royales de Cannes to prevent risky manoeuvres when returning to the start line. It is particularly effective with a diverse fleet, some of which are invaluable due to their cultural heritage. The same rules also stipulate that four races must be sailed in the modern fleet in order for the worst result to be cancelled from the classification.

Enthusiastic conclusion

Pierre Roinson, President of the organising Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, summed up the event as follows: "The 2025 vintage was particularly successful. Never before have we had so many large boats among the 81 traditional yachts, and the fleet of 41 maxis was both dense and of a very high standard. The wind was a little light, but still sufficient to organise the event in three large groups." What unites them all? Roinson sums it up: "Everyone on board these boats loves the sea and sailing."

All the results of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez 2025 can be found here:

• Tradition
• Modern
• Maxi