Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez - Summary
by Maguelonne Turcat 11 Oct 2022 09:09 AEDT
24 September - 8 October 2022
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The new supercharged format for Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, which has been stretched out over two weeks for the past three years, has more than demonstrated its coherence, to the great delight of the racers and owners, as well as the large well-informed and novice audience, all of whom relished the unique spectacle out on the water and the festive and social atmosphere on land.
Some 214 boats, Modern and Classic yachts, were pushed to their limit by over 2,100 sailors in the first week, giving way to 800 sailors and 46 Maxi Yachts in this past week. All of them were able to enjoy very fair racing, in line with the safety rules, within groups which perfectly adhered to the characteristics of size and measurement of every yacht.
Severely restricted in the past two years as a result of the pandemic, Les Voiles has returned to full force in 2022, rekindling its ties with its trademark spirit of fair play and conviviality synonymous with a passion for yachting. The sea, the sun and the sumptuous races were the perfect way to celebrate the 160th anniversary of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, event organiser, under the leadership of its President, Pierre Roinson and his teams.
A reference edition!
This 24th edition of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez is undoubtedly a red-letter year. Coloured by big breeze or light airs, each of the two weeks of racing pitted the most beautiful classic and modern yachts in the world against one another in a truly sumptuous setting. 46 of the latter group, the so-called Maxis, which measure in excess of 60 feet, constituted the largest gathering of this kind in the Mediterranean.
The last event in their inshore challenge, Saint Tropez crowned Capricorno as the best Maxi of the season on behalf of the International Maxi Association. The IMA also made the most of its presence at Les Voiles to open its doors to Multihulls and foilers which, going forward, will be invited to further flesh out its start lines in Saint Tropez.
The race village, the beating heart of Les Voiles
Beyond the dazzling spectacle and the competitive aspect of the event, another great source of satisfaction for President Roinson and his teams over the past fortnight has been the wonderful social atmosphere at the heart of the eco-design Race Village at Les Voiles. Indeed, the unmissable nerve centre buzzed with the good humour of sailors from all around the world until late into the evening each day.
Pierre Roinson, President of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez
"This past fortnight has totally lived up to expectations. We're all delighted. By all, I mean the teams from the Nautique, the partners, the sailors and all those who have played a part in this spectacle and who head home having been completely won over by it. We've really been spoilt by the summer weather. In all, we played host to 260 Modern, Classic and Maxi yachts and nearly 3,000 sailors. It's a success.
"We've also rediscovered the Nioulargue spirit through the festivity and sociability and the fabulous atmosphere around the bar every evening. Our second week has really established itself now with numerous spectators along the sea wall and along the Quai Jean Réveille. Not everything's perfect yet, but we know what we need to work on.
"Equally, our efforts in terms of the preservation of the environment are really bearing fruit, particularly with regard to the implementation of electric geopositioned marks, which prevent damage to the seabed, and the switch from paper to digital for everything from Notices of Race to amendments, registration forms and results. I believe that next year will be even better.
"The crews of Magic Carpet 3 and Tango, who participated in the first Club 55 Cup dedicated to Maxis were delighted to get the opportunity to contest this special highlight of Les Voiles and get together with Patrice de Colmont for a privileged exchange. It's important to rediscover this spirit of tradition in the second week which, by its very nature, is more geared around professional sailors than the first. Georges Korhel's teams do an outstanding job. They managed to launch and validate the races and so this is all to their credit.
"I believe that after two years of Covid, Les Voiles is firing on all cylinders once again."
See you in 2023, from 30 September to 14 October
Naturally, a date has already been set for the 2023 edition and, as per usual, festivities will kick off on the last Saturday in September and run through to mid-October.
Event website: www.lesvoilesdesaint-tropez.fr/en