Voile de Saint-Tropez

News from the successor of the Nioulargue

After a brief period in the wilderness following the death of a competitor, this is the third year of existence for the Voiles de Saint-Tropez regatta, the re-creation of the highly successful Nioulargue on the Cote d'Azur. This regatta is once becoming the definitive event of its type combining the massive classics such as Adix and Shenandoah which graced the Solent in August with the latest high tech maxis and the futuristic Wallys.

The organisers, Societe Nautique de Saint-Tropez, now claim to have the bit firmly between their teeth and have made certain improvements to the racing and shore side activity. As ever the entries are not lacking for either the modern or classic yacht divisions and will be limited in number to around 200 (not all entries can be accepted as St Tropez harbour is only so big!)

New Start

On the water the most important new introduction is that of separate staring lines for classic and modern classes. This will avoid clashes between classes and the knock on effects of delayed starts. The starting area in front of the Portalet will be used as before but the committees, under the chairmanships of George Korel, for the modern yachts, and Jean-Pierre Odero, for the classic yachts, will have the option of setting alternative starting lines in other areas. It is hoped that this will allow the committees greater flexibility in setting courses appropriate to the wind conditions and ensure the provision of the safety measures required when dealing with such a large fleet of large yachts.

While the start lines may not be in the vicinity of St Tropez, the organisers hope that the finishes will all be on the Portalet line to allow the crowds that gather on the Mole Jean Reveil enjoyment of the incredible spectacle of the yachts passing just feet away.

Ten Wallys

Among the ten Wally Yachts entered in this year's regatta will be six 80 footers which will race together for the first time. These large, sophisticated yachts combine exceptional performance and equipped so that they require minimal crew to sail them. Able to sail faster than the breeze when the true wind is less than 10 knots, these yachts regularly get up to 20 knots downwind. Their achievements appear all the more impressive given the apparent simplicity of the decks and rigs but both are marvels of modern technology specifically designed for racing and fast cruising.

New for 2001 and long anticipated is the new 88 footer, Tikeitoo, built for Luca Bassani, the head of Wally Yachts.

Prada Challenge for Classic Yachts

Starting in Cowes this year, the Prada Challenge for Classic Yachts is run by the Yacht Club de Monaco and ties the major classic yacht regattas together in a series. As ever this annual series will end in Saint-Tropez with the race on 3 October being the final one of the series.

The fleet that includes many of the finest classic yachts afloat, will be augmented this year by a fleet of American 12 Metres, continuing their tour following The America's Cup Jubilee in Cowes, and events in Porto Cervo, Monaco and Cannes.

Racing kicks off on Monday 1 October and continues until Saturday 6 October.