12m centenary regatta begins

Awesome display of sailing history off Cannes at the Régates Royales - Trophée Panerai

If you happened to be on the bay of Cannes in the early afternoon on Tuesday, you would have enjoyed a sight seldom seen in one regatta. To the left, towards the shoreline, 15 classic yachts, representing the final start of the day at the Régates Royales - Trophée Panerai, were charging upwind. To the right, eighteen 12 Metres, sailing in their centennial World Championships had rounded the top mark and were cruising downwind under spinnaker.

Look back to the left and off in the distance, more than 80 Dragons were engaged in battle, along with a further 66 classic yachts on a beautiful sunny day, where the warm, Mediterranean waters off Cannes were caressed by 7 to 10 knot easterlies. Indeed, conditions were perfect for the first day of racing for the entire Régates Royales-Trophée Panerai fleet.

The Dragon and 12 Metre classes both took advantage of the good conditions to sail two races. The remainder of the fleet sailed a longer, coastal type of race from the bay, out past the Iles de Lérins and back.

12 Metre World Championships

Tuesday marked the first day of the centennial world championships for the 12 Metre class and Roger Wright’s Wright on White jumped out to the lead in the Grand Prix division. With Torben Grael calling tactics, Wright on White won both races. Edgar Cato’s Hissar earned a second and third on the day, good for second place.

Kiwi Magic, entered by 1992 America’s Cup winner Bill Koch, had a difficult afternoon, with a fifth and a fourth, but Koch said he still enjoyed the day.

“They’re a lot of fun,” Koch said, referring to the 12 Metre class. “It’s a good chance to sail with old buddies and this time to sail with Paul Cayard. It’s fun to have him on my boat rather than racing against him. The 12 Metres have a cachet of course, with their history in the America’s Cup and they’re interesting to sail.”

“We didn’t have a very good start and went the wrong way,” was Koch’s quick explanation of the results. “Here, because the races are so short, you can’t make any mistakes…all the boats are similar so you have to get a good start, go to the right side and pick the windshifts. Today, we didn’t do that, but that’s racing.”

In the Modern division, Challenge 12 had two race wins to claim the lead, while Trivia had a first and second to lead the Classic Vintage division. Sovereign and Ikra split their races in the Classic Traditional.

Dragons

With three races sailed in the class, Yevgen Braslavets’ Bunker King has come to the head of the fleet, adding a seventh and a race win to yesterday’s third place finish. Peter Johansen’s BB King (2, 13, 2) and Thomas Müller’s Sinewave (12, 11, 4) are giving chase.

In the Classic Yachts and Spirit of Tradition divisions, over 60 yachts provided a photographers dream as they sailed a long coastal race for the day. With names such as America (a replica of the boat that first won and then gave its name to the America’s Cup), Cambria, Shamrock V, and Moonbeam IV in the fleet, there was plenty of history afloat. And Mr. America’s Cup, Dennis Conner, was at the helm of his beautiful Cotton Blossom II, adding to the elegance of the day.

According to Météo France, there is a high probability of mistral conditions in the area on Wednesday. But in the protected Bay of Cannes, the winds are forecast to be near 15 knots, with much stronger gusts possible. Racing in all classes is scheduled to continue on Wednesday.