With a view to the 2020 edition, the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez is unveiling a brand new formula: extended to two weeks – from 26 September to 10 October, the legendary meeting for the most beautiful boats in the world is upping the ante in its hosting of the largest classic and modern craft, which will henceforth enjoy their own event.
By increasing the number of days Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez runs for, the organisers are keen to boost their capacity for accommodating very big boats, a programme which extends from modern boats – Wallys, Maxis and super Maxis in IRCA, to classic boats – large Schooner class and Grand Traditions. “We envisage splitting the fleet into two groups,” explains Tony Oller, President of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez “For boats up to 24 metres or so – except for specific classes – the dates and the programme remain unchanged, aside from the prize-giving, which will take place on the evening of Saturday 3 October.
“The major new feature revolves around offering the big and very big boats – classic and modern alike – referred to as Les Voiles Super Boats, their own exclusive week from Monday 5 October. By not mixing them together with the rest of the fleet, we’re making every effort to help them evolve as well as offering them the priceless opportunity to enjoy some starts at the Tour du Portalet, just in front of the port of Saint Tropez. Indeed, up till now, notably with a view to safety, some of the boats had rounds either outside the bay or off the beaches of Pampelonne.”
For Georges Korhel, Principal Race Officer, the cards will also be reshuffled in terms of the programme. “By separately managing the fleets with very different potentials, we’ll be able to offer other types of much longer courses, geared specifically around these types of boats, with starts and finishes off the breakwater. Similarly, by quickly and efficiently dispatching the current participants at Les Voiles, we would be in a position to welcome around 250 boats in the first week and between 30 and 40 in the second. The Notice of Race, with all the details about the programme, will be distributed shortly.”
, the Maxis, Super Yachts, large schooners, J Class and three-masters will take centre stage from Monday 5 October. This minor revolution also has some other major benefits, such as being able to host some of the finest craft that navigate Mediterranean waters, right inside the port of Saint Tropez, to the delight of enthusiasts and public alike. As such, there are countless arguments to convince the crews of some exceptional craft to head to Saint Tropez in early October.
Provisional Programme for 2020:
Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th September: Registration for boats up to 24m (save for some exceptions in certain classes)
Monday 28th September: races for the modern boats
Tuesday 29th, Wednesday 30th September, Friday 2nd, Saturday 3rd October: races for the modern and classic boats
Thusday 1st October: Challenge Day
Saturday 3rd October: Prize-giving (week 1)
Sunday 4th and Monday 5th October: Registration for the big boats IRCA, Wally, Grand Traditions, IMA classes, etc.
Tuesday 6th, Wednesday 7th, Friday 9th and Saturday 10th October: races for big boats
Thursday 8th October: Spare day
Saturday 10th October: Prize-giving (week 2)
www.lesvoilesdesaint-tropez.fr
by Maguelonne Turcat
