Light winds at Saint-Tropez for the two fleets which today were divided between two courses: the Maxis on an upwind-downwind off the beach of Pampelonne, Groups 1 and 2 along the coast for 19 miles for the former and 13 for the latter. The weather was the reverse of yesterday’s conditions, with the yachts on the coastal courses starting on time between 1210 and 1225 (the second start of group 2 with a black flag) with about 8 kn from E/NE. But at Pampelonne there was a long wait until 1420 when a gentle 8 kn breeze spread over the course and permitted the race to start over a course of about 1.7 miles a leg.

While the Maxis fought it out round the marks, at 1514 Peter Harrison’s Botin 52 Jolt 3 was the first in real-time to cross the finish a few hundred metres from the breakwater of the port of Saint-Tropez. Very close behind was the TP 52 owned by Carl Peter Forster and then the Botin 52 Caro. But we had to wait until the rest of the fleet finished to have the day’s results. Among the Maxis, after about two hours of racing the leading positions basically confirmed the results of the previous day, with Dario Ferrari’s Pepe Cannonball, Benoit de Froidmont’s Wallyno and Valter Pizzoli’s Les Amis leading in their classes.

The second day of racing in Saint-Tropez then finished with the day’s prize-giving at the Tour de Portalet, and meanwhile, tension mounted all around in the wait for the last coastal races tomorrow, the French prologue of the offshore race which will start at midday on Wednesday, June 14.

The Rolex Giraglia The Giraglia was conceived in 1953 as an offshore regatta of 241 nautical miles. Since then it has grown and today includes the approaching race from Sanremo and three days of coastal races in the Bay of Saint-Tropez. In 2023 this classic regatta celebrates its 70th anniversary. The Yacht Club Italiano organises the Rolex Giraglia with the collaboration of the Yacht Club Sanremo and the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez. With the patronage of: Yacht Club de France, the Union Nationale pour la Course au Large (UNCL), International Maxi Association (IMA), Municipality of Saint-Tropez, Municipality of Genoa and Municipality of Sanremo. B&G and North Sails are technical Partners.

La Rolex Giraglia is valid for the IRC-UNCL Mediterranean Championship and is part of the IMA 2023 Mediterranean Maxi Offshore Challenge.

Rolex has been a title partner of Rolex Giraglia since 1998.