Régates Royales – Trophée Panerai
The 36th edition of the Régates Royales – Trophée Panerai drew on a close on Saturday. The five day long regatta ended in grand style and in typical Cote d’Azur conditions, with blue skies, warm weather and light airs. Four races for the Classics and ten for the 12 Metres crowned this year’s winners: Vanity V, Chinook, Mariquita, Sagittarius, Dorade, Sirius, Freya and Speedbird.
Classics fight to the very last metre
On the final day of the Régates Royales crews enjoyed almost summer-like conditions with light winds that nevertheless allowed the Race committee to launch a coastal race for the Classics. The course was shortened to respect the busy social schedule and let the crews join the prize-giving ceremony in the race village.
The last race gave some the chance to bounce back and some the opportunity to confirm their leadership. In the Big Boats’ group where Mariquita got gold, she was tied at points with Moonbeam IV, but with a higher number of wins, while Moonbeam of Fife III finished in third. In the Vintage Marconi under 15 metres, Dorade easily led from the beginning and finished with an impressive score of 3 points out of 4 races, followed by The Blue Peter and Skylark, tied at points while Manitou, third up until the eve of the final, slipped off the podium.
Among the Spirit of Tradition, Shamrock V’s powerful sail area was not enough to steal victory from Freya 2003 that clinched it with only one point to spare, Scherzo finished in third at four points from the leader. Sirius won almost undisputedly in the Vintage Marconi under 15m, leaving behind her fellow Italian crews on Jalina and Cholita. In the Tofinou class Speedbird ended with a clear score of four wins.
In some classes the winner wasn’t decided until the very last race. In the Vintage Gaffers Chinook trailed Eva and Duet 1926 from the start, but finally managed to pull off victory with a 1 point margin on Duet 1926 and two on Eva, who earned a bronze. Similarly in the Classics division, Sagittarius clinched victory thanks to the last race, pushing Namib down from the highest step of the podium, and Naif finished in third.
Podium by class
Big Boats: Mariquita, Moonbeam IV, Moonbeam of Fife III
Vintage Gaffers: Chinook, Duet 1926, Eva
Classics: Sagittarius, Namib, Naif
Vintage Marconi under 15 m: Dorade, The Blue Peter, Skylark
Vintage Marconi over 15m: Sirius, Jalina, Cholita
Spirit of Tradition: Freya 2003, Shamrock V, Scherzo
Tofinou: Speedbird, Camomille, Cambronne
Vanity V wins the 12 Metres
The week has been very intense for the 12 Metre class, with a strong debut by Vanity V and Wings that constantly battled for final victory during the rest of the series. So much so, that on the eve of the final day, the two leaders were distanced by a mere point but, at the end of the much contested 10-race series, Vanity V – skippered by Dane Bjorn Westergaard and flying the flag of the Royal Danish Yacht Club – jumped on the highest step of the podium, beating Wings by 3 points and Vim by 7 points. Germany’s Trivia, helmed by Wilfried Beeck finished in fourth.
