|
*Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez 2011 - 24.09. - 02.10.2011
www.snst.org - Übersicht
Tagesberichte siehe Menu unten
31.08.2011
*Yachting -- Classic and Modern yachts *
*THE FINEST TRADITIONAL AND MODERN YACHTS AT LES VOILES 2011*
*Thirty years on: the "Nioulargue spirit" is honoured at Les Voiles
de Saint Tropez*
*Modern craft: over 50 yachts measuring more than 18 metres in length*
*Traditional craft: 115 traditional yachts, a true first*
|
Foto: www.snst.org
|
*Over four thousand crew* are preparing to do battle from 24 September
at the 13*^*th* *edition of Les Voiles. They will be racing aboard three
hundred of the finest futuristic yachts and the most elegant traditional
yachts on the planet. The event will be run in the exceptional setting
of the bay of Saint Tropez, bathed in light and swept by the lovely
breeze of early autumn. The Société Nautique de Saint Tropez, which has
presided over the organisation since 1999 with the close collaboration
of the Town, wishes to honour the spirit of the event for this the
thirtieth anniversary of the original Nioulargue: seamanship, fair play
on the water and on shore, coloured by good humour and some brand new
features, will all spice up what is set to be a remarkable edition.*
*The breath of the Nioulargue*
"/We'd like everyone to remember, or learn, how the Nioulargue came
about"/points out André Beaufils, President of the Société Nautique,
"/when in 1981, Patrice de Colmont demonstrated his familiar intuition
in the creation of a no stakes regatta between a group of friends who
had come together for the end of the summer, prior to the following
sailing season."/Initially christened the "Club 55 Cup", the event was
contested by two boats, Ikra and Pride, both of which are scheduled to
race in the Var region's port some thirty years on! From these
beginnings as a duel, the event adopted the name Nioulargue. Hailing
from the Provençal "Nioulargo" - literally "Offshore nest"- after an
area of shallow water situated 5 miles from the bay of Pampelonne and
serving as a haven for the reproduction of numerous species of
Mediterranean fish. It is also very interesting to note that it was this
original race between a 12mJI classic and a modern racer which coloured
the Nioulargue's character. It went on to become Les Voiles de Saint
Tropez, which is synonymous with getting together boats from the latest
generation and those which have written the history of yachting on the
same race zone.
*Modern craft: more than 50 yachts measuring over 18 metres*
Thirty years on from the original event, the success of the event's
formula has been unfailing!
Among the superyachts, *the Wallys *have become a 'trademark' not to be
ignored at Les Voiles over the past ten years or so. These prestigious
craft, commonly manoeuvred by crews of 25, were created by Luca
Bassani's team and really create a stir both in port and on the water.
This year all eyes will be on /Inti/(24 metres) -- the former /Indio/--
a title smasher at Palma Vela, which is likely to rank as favourite in
the racing at Saint Tropez. Playing opposite her will be /Magic Carpet
2/(28m80) -- which is competing in her last season as we await the
arrival of the very first Wally Cento (100 feet) on order for next year
-, the giant /Esense/(43m70) as well as /Angel's Share /-- the former
Wally 130 -- entirely revamped at the owner's request and set to compete
in Les Voiles in her new anthracite hull livery.
Among the most popular *Maxis,*the duel between /Sojana /(35m -- Farr
115) and /Rambler 100 /(30m -- Reichel Pugh) mid-Atlantic won't
unfortunately be echoed in Saint Tropez. Indeed the 100 footer skippered
by Australian Mick Harvey unfortunately capsized mid-August, near the
Fastnet Rock, having lost her keel. Peter Harrison's Farr 115 will have
to console herself by competing with the brand new /Firefly/, a Dutch
115 footer created by Hoek Design and built in 2011 at the Jachtbouw yard.
As regards the *series boats*, all the major French and overseas yards
will be present at Les Voiles. Leading the way is Bénéteau, with thirty
Firsts, including five First 45s of under three years of age, closely
followed by Nautor Swan which is to have a new 90 footer on the start
line this year in the form of /Nefertiti. /At Dufour meantime, the most
recent craft is a French 45 footer, /Cristeban./There's also going to be
some fierce battling among the Grand Soleils, X Yachts, Archambauds and
Baltics, which each boast at least half a dozen entries.
*Traditional craft: a record in excess of 115 boats expected*
Among the traditional craft the major event in 2011 is unquestionably
the arrival of /Hispania/. This gaff cutter features two unique
qualities in that it is one of the most beautiful craft from the golden
age of yachting to be designed by William Fife, as well as belonging to
the 'royal' 15 m JI class. Built in 1909 on the order of HRH the King of
Spain Alphonso XIII, this 23 metre long boat first enjoyed success
during the numerous international races her owners had her compete in,
whilst simultaneously enhancing the prestige of the Spanish regattas as
major sights for the yachting world. However, her glorious past and her
royal origins were to fade little by little, until such time as she sank
into oblivion. Indeed she was used as a floating house in England for
more than thirty years. She was in a pitiful state when she was found
some 15 years ago in mud flats by the historian William Collier and
Jonathan Syrett of Camper and Nicholson International. Thanks to the
participation of the Real Fundacion Hispania, the cutter, whose hull was
buried in mud and no longer had a keel, was transported to Fairlie
Restorations on the Hamble River, England, which began the complete
restoration of the hull prior to its transfer to the shipyards of
Majorca. As a result /Hispania /will be at Les Voiles this year for the
very first time and she'll complete the Carré d'Or for the 15 m JIs as
she does battle with the illustrious /Tuiga/from the Yacht Club de
Monaco, /Mariska/and /The Lady Anne. /Three of these exceptional
yachts** will notably form part of the first edition of the
centenarians' race organised in collaboration with the Société Nautique
de Saint Tropez and the Yacht Club de Gstaad on Thursday 29 September.
Built in 1937 from Olin Stephens plans, /Manitou/(18m90) is a very
elegant Marconi yawl, whose claim to fame was that she was used by John
F. Kennedy during his presidency. Indeed the yacht even had the title
"Floating White House". Kitted out with all the lastest technologies of
the time, she enabled the President of the United States to stay in
touch with land during his sails along the western seaboard. Having
continued her career as a training school, the boat underwent a thorough
refit in 2010 and will be making her very first appearance in Les Voiles.
Another yawl, but a very rare gaff yawl this time, will also be present
in the bay. Built in 1918 at the Nielsen yard in Denmark, /Runa
IV/(10m73) cannot deny its Viking origins. This wooden racer with its
long keelwas saved from destruction in 2009 by Yves Carcelle, who
brought her back from San Francisco to have her entirely restored at the
Guip yard in Brest. Bruno Troublé, who followed the whole project, will
be her skipper for Les Voiles de Saint Tropez where the boat's
characteristic outline -- bowsprit and dolphin striker -- won't go
unnoticed. It may even be that Elisabeth Meyer, the American owner who
drove the restoration of Endeavour, will be aboard for some of the races
in Saint Tropez.
Among the 'newcomers' we're also keenly awaiting /Skylark /(16m), an
elegant yawl designed by Stephens in 1937, which is a boat restored by
Tara Getty, a descendant of the Getty dynasty. Other splendid
restorations by her include the motor yacht Blue Bird as well as
/Palynodie II /(12m), one of the first indexstays in the saga of racing
yachts belonging to the famous Mayor of Marseille, Gaston Defferre.
Alongside the impressive number of representatives of varying sizes and
types of boats retracing the *metric measurement***through history --
around twenty in total from 6 M to 8 M, 10 M,12 M, 15 M, 19 M and 23 M,
with gaff and Bermuda rigs -, connoisseurs will appreciate the presence
of one of the very pretty fleet of six *30m2*craft. Indeed these
'little' boats span a dozen metres and are very sleek combined with a
large sail area, which makes them particularly spectacular on the race
course.
Also of note is the fact that Les Voiles will this year play host to a
fleet of around twenty Tofinou 9m50s, the dayboats designed by Michel
Joubert and built by the Latitude yard in Saint-Martin de Ré off La
Rochelle. Given the sizeable fleet, they will enjoy their own courses
and their own ranking.
* 4,240 is the number of participants as of 30 August 2011: 2,500 modern
craft, 1,400 traditional craft, 200 Wallys and 150 Tofinous
**/The Lady Anne /dates back to 1912
*Partners to Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez*
*Les partenaires des Voiles de Saint-Tropez*
ROLEX
WALLY
KAPPA
SILLINGER
VAN DUTCH
La REGION PACA
SERIE LIMITEE / LES ECHOS
PARIS PREMIERE
CNN INTERNATIONAL
HOTEL BYBLOS
LES MARINES DE COGOLIN
RODRIGUEZ GROUP
L'ESPRIT VILLAGE DES COMMERCANTS DE SAINT-TROPEZ
WINDREICH
QUESTIONS DE MARQUE
*PROGRAMME*
CLASSIC YACHTS
Sunday 25 and Monday 26 September: Reception and scrutineering
Sunday 25 September: arrival of the Yacht Club de France's Autumn Cup
from Cannes
Tuesday 27 September, Wednesday 28, Thursday 29 (J. Laurain Day,
Challenge Day, Club 55 Cup), Friday 30 and Saturday 1 October Coastal
course, 1^st start 1200 hours
MODERN YACHTS
Saturday 24 September -- Sunday 25: Reception and scrutineering
Monday 26, Tuesday 27, Wednesday 28, Thursday 29 (J. Laurain Day,
Challenge Day), Friday 30 and Saturday 1 October: Coastal course, 1^st
start 1130 hours
General prize-giving for all
Sunday 2 October, from 1100 hours
/DRAGON SAINT TROPEZ /
/*Monday 3, Tuesday 4, Wednesday 5 October: Reception, launches and
scrutineering*/
/*Thursday 6, Friday 7, Saturday 8: Racing in the bay*/
/*Saturday 8: prize-giving*/
*Organisation*:
Société Nautique of Saint Tropez, President: André Beaufils
Administration: Anne Bogaert
Registration: Frédérique Fantino
Communication: Chloé de Brouwer
Website: _www.snst.org _
|
|
|