41-Boat Maxi Fleet Ready for the Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez Finale
by James Boyd / International Maxi Association 29 Sep 10:54 PDT
28 September – 6 October 2024
Wallyño, with her blue spinnaker, training today in the maxi fleet © Gilles Martin-Raget
The International Maxi Association’s annual inshore series concludes this week with Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, the final event in the 2024 IMA Mediterranean Maxi Inshore Challenge (MMIC).
The series started with PalmaVela in May, culminating in the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup earlier this month.
“It’s fantastic to see such a remarkable variety of maxis in both quantity and quality,” said Andrew McIrvine, Secretary General of the International Maxi Association, recognized by World Sailing for overseeing maxi racing globally. Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, organized by Société Nautique de Saint Tropez, will host maxi races from Pampelonne Bay from Monday to Saturday, with a layday on Wednesday.
This year’s competition includes 250 yachts, featuring the classic boats that make this event renowned, alongside the ‘modern’ fleet and the 41 maxis, all racing under IRC. Their speeds range from Remon Vos’s Black Jack 100, a frequent line honors winner in Mediterranean races, to Jürg Schneider’s classic Swan 65 Saida, the 2022 victor here.
Black Jack recently claimed line honors and set a new course record in August’s Palermo-Montecarlo race. “We are lacking a couple of crew members tied up with the America’s Cup, but we’re confident,” noted skipper Tristan le Brun. “The owner is new to this kind of racing, but he’s enjoying the wonderful venue of Saint-Tropez.”
The largest maxi here is Christian Oldendorff’s ‘modern classic’ Spirit 111 Geist, while the smallest are 60-footers, such as Jean-Pierre Dréau’s Mylius 60 FD Lady First III and IMA President Benoît de Froidmont’s Wally 60 Wallyño. Wallyño is not only the defending champion but also last year’s IMA Mediterranean Maxi Inshore Challenge winner, making her a strong candidate for her third consecutive title.
The maxi fleet is segmented into four classes.
In Maxi A, for the fastest boats, Peter Harrison’s Jolt [formerly Dario Ferrari’s Cannonball] is the favorite, having won her class here for the past two years. She will face Sir Peter Ogden’s 77ft Jethou, who won here in 2021.
The ‘dark horses’ in Maxi A include Alessandro Del Bono’s brand-new IRC 82-foot Capricorno. His previous Capricorno was a past winner of both Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez and the IMA MMIC. The new vessel has already displayed her capability by winning her second race ever in Porto Cervo two weeks ago. Additionally, Wendy Schmidt’s 85ft Deep Blue has finished on the podium in two out of three races in Porto Cervo and is a contender as well. Louis Balcaen, in his first season at the helm of his improved Balthasar (ex-Alegre, Caol Ila, etc.), is also on the rise.
“The last two races were primarily in light winds, and the boat excels in those conditions,” explained Michele Ivaldi of Jolt regarding their previous successes here. “Moreover, we started strong and made some lucky breaks. This year a couple of unknown competitors like Capricorno could change our performance. Then there’s Jethou and Balthasar, who are both improving rapidly.”
Joining the maxi fleet and participating in her first race this week is the wallywind 110 Galma, the latest creation from Wally Yachts. A familiar figure in Saint-Tropez, the 100ft Tilakkhana is competing in a new livery after previously sailing as Magic Carpet Cubed.
In Maxi B, the top contender is Terry Hui’s Lyra. The 24m Lyra boasts an impressive record of never losing here. “This is our sixth appearance with Lyra, and we’ve won every year,” tactician Nicolai Sehested stated. “However, many teams are closing the gap—if we don’t perform excellently, we risk losing. It may seem effortless but often hinges on mere seconds.”
This year, Lyra faces Paul Berger’s Swan 80 Kallima, who won his class at the IMA Maxi European Championship in Sorrento last May. Peter Dubens of North Sails is also competing in his 60-footer Spectre, while Maurits d’Orange is racing his newly acquired Wally 80 Sud, having sold his previous Mylius 65 FD. The newest entry in this class is Matteo Groppo’s Grand Soleil 72 Bianca.
Given Benoît de Froidmont and Wallyño’s previous successes here, they are again expected to excel in Maxi C. “The organization and the fleet improve every year,” commented de Froidmont. “We have over 40 maxis present this year, and after Porto Cervo, this is the second major event for both the maxi fleet and the IMA. The week’s wind conditions look promising. Additionally, this year marks the 25th anniversary of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez.”
Wallyño will compete against IMA maxi event veterans Jean-Pierre Dréau on Mylius 60 Lady First III and Luigi Sala’s Vismara 62 Yoru. New entrants in this class include Marco Tursini’s wide-bodied Advanced 80 Mindfulness and Jacques le Barazer’s 78ft Zampa, among several stylish cruising yachts built by CNB.
Despite being the smallest class, Maxi D will feature fierce competition, including three past champions: Matteo Fossati, the current titleholder with his 64ft Stella Maris; Jürg Schneider, the 2022 winner aboard his vintage Swan 65 Saida, and Francois Benais’ Shipman 63 Bambo, who won previously.
While autumn can bring unpredictable weather to Saint-Tropez, the forecast for this week appears promising, although Wednesday, the layday, may bring excessive wind.
For more details, visit www.lesvoilesdesaint-tropez.fr
