First-time victories for Yoru and Six Jaguar maxis as Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez wraps up
by James Boyd / International Maxi Association 5 Oct 15:18 PDT
28 September – 6 October 2024
Alessandro Del Bono’s Capricorno finished third today, following the former Maxi 72s – Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez © Kurt Arrigo
Insufficient winds meant no racing on Friday for the maxis partaking in Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez. However, today saw further triumphs in the concluding races organized by the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, marking the final event in the International Maxi Association’s Mediterranean Maxi Inshore Challenge for 2024.
After a brief wait in Pampelonne Bay, the SNST’s race officials successfully dispatched the Maxi A and B for a second coastal race, following Thursday’s race, while the slower and smaller categories, Maxi C and D, competed in a single windward-leeward.
“The week has proceeded exceptionally well,” stated IMA Secretary General Andrew McIrvine. “I am grateful to the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, their race officials, and volunteers, and I congratulate the deserving winners.”
One of the most fiercely contested divisions this week was in the smaller classes, where two first-time competitors ascended to the podium. Maxi C featured a three-way race for the top positions among defending champion IMA President Benoît de Froidmont’s Wally 60, Wallyño, Luigi Sala’s Vismara 62 Yoru, and Jean-Pierre Dreau’s Mylius 60FD, Lady First III.
Wallyño secured victory in today’s final race, finishing 1 minute and 7 seconds ahead of Yoru. “It was an excellent finish – the conditions were perfect with 10-12 knots and a flat sea,” remarked de Froidmont. “Windward-leeward races are a lot of fun for this type of boat. The skill level of our fleet is exceptionally high, and the crews on these three boats are very adept, making the racing very competitive.”
However, despite Wallyño securing two wins, it was not sufficient to surpass Yoru’s three victories this week, allowing Sala and his Italian crew to claim the Maxi C title by a narrow margin of one point, with Lady First III finishing in third place. “We are thrilled because this is our first major event victory,” stated Sala. “This accomplishment follows 18 months of enhancing the boat and collaborating as a team. And it unfolds in such a beautiful location. We are going to celebrate tonight!” Originally intended for cruising doublehanded, Yoru has taken time to adapt into a dual-function cruiser-racer, and this week it benefited from the expertise of new tactician Lorenzo Bodini.
In the final two races, Luca Scoppa’s Dehler 60, Blue Oyster, achieved consecutive victories in Maxi D. Meanwhile, Anthony Ball’s esteemed Swan 65 sloop, Six Jaguar, had previously dominated the first three races, placing second to Blue Oyster in the concluding two, thus finishing the regatta with a three-point advantage, while CNB 60 Expression of London came in third.
“It was quite good – we experienced around 14 knots. The forecast came in favorably once again,” noted Six Jaguar’s helmsman George Ball, son of owner Anthony. “We placed second today, even though windward-leewards aren’t our strong suit, as modern boats have a superior pointing ability. It was all about ensuring our maneuvers were executed perfectly. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed this experience – it’s our first time here, and we will definitely return.” The Balls previously triumphed at the Swan Cup in 2020.
In the larger classes, no one could unseat Peter Harrison’s Maxi 72, Jolt, in Maxi A, nor Terry Hui’s Wally 77, Lyra, in Maxi B, both of whom are consistent winners here, with Jolt having claimed victory in the last three editions, and Lyra, remarkably, in the last six.
On Thursday, Jolt struck a rock, resulting in minor injuries among her crew, damaging her keel and bursting the top of a water ballast tank. Impressively, she continued to finish sixth and raced today under less-than-ideal conditions, nonetheless securing second place.
“We had a fantastic week,” remarked Peter Harrison. “The first two days, we achieved four wins – windward-leewards have always been a strength for us. Overall, the boat is performing wonderfully. The enhancements we’ve made for windier scenarios have had a significant impact. We faced one challenging day when we had a ‘run-in’ with the land, which was unfortunate, and after that, the boat wasn’t quite the same. But today was great – we held our position and are very pleased with the outcome.”
His strategist, Michele Ivaldi, stated: “We are learning increasingly how to maximize the boat’s potential, and it’s going really well. The crew, along with Hamish [Pepper, tactician] and Peter, executed perfectly. We managed to bounce back from an OCS fairly well. The only hiccup was hitting the rock – from what we could assess, we thought we had cleared it, but it was an uncharted hazard. The boat was slower today.”
Jolt’s second-place finish was sufficient to maintain her winning streak here, three points ahead of Sir Peter Ogden’s 77 ft Jethou, with Giovanni Lombardi Stronati’s 82 ft Django HF finishing third.
After an impressively consistent performance with five second places, Sir Peter Ogden’s team clinched the final race win: “We executed a very good race with a strong start – we maintained our lane and Jolt could never recover – it was quite satisfying. We come here annually, and every other year, we perform well!” commented Ogden.
While Lyra remained unbeaten in 2023, a mark appeared on their scorecard this year as well when they became stranded in a transition zone, conceding the win to Paul Berger’s Swan 82, Kallima. “We had a significant lead but then stalled for an hour and couldn’t regain our time,” explained tactician Nicolai Sehested, who usually skippers the Rockwool Denmark SailGP team. Owner Terry Hui added: “It has been great. Kallima has proven to be quite competitive – in the absence of wind or during wind holes, everything can shift; you might be 20 ft away from someone who disappears while finding yourself waiting. We were fortunate to maneuver out, but Nicolai located the breeze.”
While some classic vessels departed Saint-Tropez harbor to the sounds of a piper, Lyra departed today accompanied by Danish crew member and professional sailor Peter Wibroe playing boogie piano tunes from a portable keyboard on Lyra’s aft deck.
IMA maxi racing resumes on 19 October with the Rolex Middle Sea Race, the inaugural event of the IMA’s 2024-25 Mediterranean Maxi Offshore Challenge.
Event website: www.lesvoilesdesaint-tropez.fr/en
