– The sea, the sun, the boats… and the Mistral! – Shenandoah of Sark, Rolex Trophy star – A fellow pilot among the Classics, Madcap is at Les Voiles.
As in a technicolor film, the Voiles de Saint-Tropez assemble all the ingredients of happiness: the sea, the sun, the sublime boats, and the wind. It is this last component that, for once, poured this Tuesday morning a little in excess, forcing the Race Directorate to keep in the port of Saint-Tropez one of the most beautiful fleet in the world. 30 knots of wind established in the Gulf, with gusts to 50 on the edge… it is without hesitation that the 132 Modern sailboats and the 85 Classic Yachts have wisely remained docked, allowing an audience as numerous and curious, to admire in the port the sublime hulls of large and small classic yachts. Georges Korhel, and all the teams of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez keep their eye on the weather files, in anticipation of the weakening of the Mistral allowing the resumption of the great spectacle of the Voiles.
“Shenandoah, I can’t wait to see you…” The 54.35-metre Shenandoah of Sark is undeniably one of the stars of Les Voiles and the 17th edition of the prestigious Rolex Trophy. Originally commissioned for the wealthy American banker Charles Fanhestock by architect Theodore Ferris, who was inspired by the lines of Meteor III, the yacht of the German emperor and king of Prussia, Wilhelm II, the fabulous three-mast ship built by Townsend & Downey in New York, was launched in 1902. Saved from abandonment by Baron Marcel Bich, he found the waters of Newport thanks to him for the first French campaigns of the America’s Cup. After a complete restoration, it carries approximately its original sail surface, that is 2,000 m2 at the door, but the difference is that today some spars and mast heads are reinforced. To celebrate its centenary, its owner offered her a world tour and the boat went to greet Cape Horn by nearly 50 knots of wind, during an extraordinary cruise in the canals of Patagonia. The origin of its name is also tasty. The word Shenandoah comes from the Native American and means “The Beautiful Daughter of the Stars”, a name worn by a valley in the area in western Virginia that was the scene of terrible battles during the American Civil War. But it is also an iconic song from the American folk repertoire. “Shenandoah” was indeed a cabestan “sea shanty”, a work song that accompanied the work of sailors, generating an appropriate rhythm during heavy maneuvers, especially cabestan. The song Shenandoah appeared on collections as early as 1850, but it would date back to the time when French Canadian trappers descended from the great lakes along Missouri in the 16th century.
Madcap, the fun and friendly incongruity of the Voiles As we know, Les Voiles brings together the most beautiful yachts in the world, sailing yachts witnessing a queen pleasure, where elegance and performance are combined in the quest for absolute marine perfection. The 2022 edition of the great gathering Tropézien however welcomes with great pleasure an incongruity, a sprain to the casting, with the presence of a working boat, admittedly more than centenary, certainly equipped with an auric rigging that recalls that of the finest classic bloodhounds, but nevertheless a boat whose primary function was neither the regatta nor the pleasure, but the labor at the service of the ports. Madcap, as it is called, is the oldest Pilot Cutter still able to sail. Witness to an era (sailing) and a profession (Pilotage), there are only 18 pilot cutters left in the world. Launched in 1874 in Cardiff, it spent most of its existence off Bristol, before being renovated and classified as a Historic Monument, and now docked in La Rochelle. Wind is announced to Les Voiles; however, weighed in concrete and strong of its 24 tons on the scale, Madcap fears neither Eole nor Neptune.
Ketch, cotre, yawl or schooner To “read” the Sails, it is necessary to memorize some fundamentals, and to distinguish the different types of rigging that characterize a sailboat. Thus, one will name sloop (sloop), a sailboat equipped with a large mast supporting a mainsail with its boom and a jib forward. The cutter also has a large mast, but several forward sails often hoisted simultaneously. The ketch has two masts, one small positioned at the back, the artimon. Not to be confused with the yawl, which also has an artimon, but located at the rear of the rudder axis. A schooner (schooner) also has two masts, but the smaller one is at the front, the foremast. A schooner can also carry two masts of equal size. It remains to identify the types of sail. We will call “Marconi”, triangular sails, and “aurics”, trapezoidal sails, often surmounted by a smaller sail, the arrow, which is also called “horn” in certain categories of sailboats (P Class for example).
In Brief: Postponement of the Sardinade Very much awaited time, ashore, of all the sailors participating, the Sardinade des Voiles initially scheduled for tonight, is postponed to Thursday 20 hours, Môle Jean Réveille.
“Don’t Dream” on Les Voiles France Télévision’s famous program “Faut pas rêver” is being shot in the Var, for a 110-minute special that will naturally give pride of place to Saint-Tropez, its legend and its Voiles. Presenter Carolina De Salvo and her team, including Laurent Desvaux (director) and Etienne Chopin (Cameraman), live the event from the inside out. She will be aboard the classic Khayyam cutter during Thursday’s challenges and will narrate through the menu the magic of the Voiles de Saint-Tropez. Release at year-end, or early 2023.
NRJ on video Radio NRJ Saint-Tropez, and its antenna director, Patrick Ploix, has been broadcasting the life of Nioulargue and Les Voiles on its airwaves for more than 30 years, on its flagship program, “Le carré des Voiles”, hosted by Rémi Pelletier, every evening between 18 and 19 hours during the fortnight of the event. Great novelty this year, the faithful listeners will now be able to see the show live and then offline on the Youtube channel NRJ Saint-Tropez. The studio positioned in the heart of the village of Les Voiles is indeed equipped with 5 cameras and a control room, to live even more intensely the Voiles from the inside.
They said: Georges Korhel, Principal Race Officer “The decision to cancel today’s regattas was made naturally and with the approval of all the players. The Special Weather Report in progress sums up this classic situation with a Mistraleux episode that sweeps the gulf at more than 30 knots. The boats remain in port today. We expect a noticeable weakening of the wind tomorrow Wednesday for the resumption of the races.” Renaud Godard, President of the International Committee of the Mediterranean. The Classic Sailing regattas run under the aegis and the gauges defined by the International Committee of the Mediterranean (CIM). Since 1926, the CIM organizes, regulates and harmonizes the high seas regattas in the Mediterranean, but also in England, with projects in the Atlantic. “In 2022, the CIM set up a new management team, and more than ever committed to promoting classic yachts, supporting races and renovation projects. Our rules are intangible and defined in the assertive spirit of protecting these wonders of the maritime heritage from any deviation likely to distort them. Thus, carbon is prohibited, especially in rigging, as well as plastic in hulls. We intervene firmly but also in a spirit of tolerance. We understand that ships like Elena are more about reconstruction than renovation. We are regularly informed by Associations such as AFYT of current projects. We have recently intervened on boats such as Madcap, pilot cutter of 1874 or Viveka, schooner of 1929 present at Les Voiles.”
Partner of the Day: Rolex, a natural and committed partner Since 2006, the Rolex watch manufacture has been showcasing a class of classic boats that represent the very best of their time. This year, the seven large classic schooners, ranging in length from 25 to 55 metres, sometimes 100 years old, have the honour of competing in the 17th edition of the Rolex Trophy. Rolex has always sought to be associated with activities that, like her, are characterized by excellence, precision and team spirit. Naturally, the brand drew closer to the prestigious world of sailing by establishing a first partnership dating back to the late 1950s. Today, Rolex is the title sponsor of fifteen major international races, including the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, the Rolex Middle Sea Race and the Rolex Fastnet Race, but also the prestigious Rolex TP52 World Championship Grand Prix, not forgetting the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and the Rolex Swan Cup, two particularly spectacular nautical events. The brand supports the new SailGP circuit, which sees national teams compete on one-design catamarans in the waters of some of the most famous ports. Rolex is also a partner of prestigious yacht clubs around the world, including the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, Yacht Club Italiano, Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (Italy), New York Yacht Club (USA), Royal Yacht Squadron (Cowes, UK) and the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez (France).
0Week 1: Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, Moderne et Classiques Wednesday 28, Friday 30 September and Saturday 1 October: regattas for modern and traditional sailboats Thursday 29 September: Challenge Day, Club 55 cup, Centennial Regatta Saturday, October 1: Awards ceremony (week 1)
Week 2: Maxi Yachts and Multihulls Sunday 3 and Monday 4 October: Home of large modern units (Wally, Mini Maxis, Maxis, Super Maxis) and Performance Cruising Multihulls (from 60 feet) Tuesday 4, Wednesday 5, Friday 7, Saturday 8: regattas Thursday 6: lay day/reserve day Saturday, October 8: Awards Ceremony (Week 2)
Partners of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez ROLEX BMW NORTH SAILS WALLY SUZUKI MARINE MARSHALL MERCANTOUR BYBLOS BESSERAT DE BELLEFON TORPEZ (VIGNOBLES DE SAINT-TROPEZ) BERNARD OPTIC PEPINIERES PIERRE BASSET ESPRIT VILLAGE A SAINT-TROPEZ VILLE DE SAINT-TROPEZ PORT DE SAINT-TROPEZ LES MARINES DE COGOLIN FEDERATION FRANCAISE DE VOILE YACHT CLUB DE FRANCE INTERNATIONAL MAXI ASSOCIATION
Organisation :
Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez
Président : Pierre Roinson
Principal Race Officer : Georges Korhel
Responsable Régates : Frédérique Fantino
Responsable technique : Philippe Martinez
Communication et Attachée de Direction : Chloé de Brouwer
Rédaction : Denis Van den Brink
Site internet : www.lesvoilesdesaint-tropez.fr
Media site : www.snst-media.com/
Facebook : les Voiles de Saint-Tropez Officiel www.facebook.com/VoilesDeSaintTropezOfficiel
Twitter : @VoilesSTOrg
Instagram : les_voiles_de_saint_tropez https://www.instagram.com/les_voiles_de_saint_tropez/
Photo :SNST/Gilles Martin-Raget
Vidéo :SNST/Guilain Grenier, 6G
Relations Presse : Maguelonne Turcat