ROLEX GIRAGLIA 2018 – Tomorrow the coastal races start
COUNTDOWN TO THE COASTAL RACES
The fleet is back in port after the Sanremo- Saint Tropez race, with victory in the first leg of the RG going to the crew of Hebe V in ORC and of Rossko in IRC. In the Gulf of Saint Tropez a magnificent day of stiff breezes welcomed the crews who took advantage to fine tune their yachts for the coastal races.
Saturday was interpreted in different ways by the crews who started filling the Gulf of Saint Tropez. With the 80 yachts entered for the Sanremo-Saint Tropez who began arriving over the morning – 7h45m was the uncorrected time for Vera, the Maxi yacht that was first across the finish line in Saint Tropez, and it was a “foreign” double in the ORC and IRC divisions with the Victoria in compensated time of Hvelka Jakub’s M37 Hebe V (11h00m45s) in ORC and Zhbankov Timofey’s very fast JPK 10.80 Rossko (10h30m39s) in IRC.
An afternoon’s rest for these crews who had been battling all night in a long and soaking wet beat up to Sanremo, with seas running and a south-westerly wind. But it was a day of intense training in the Gulf for the rest of the fleet, which took advantage of a good stiff breeze for a final tweaking of yachts and crew.
So the games start tomorrow, with the gun at 11 o’clock to start three days of coastal racing and the spectacle of 241 boats that from tomorrow will be filling the Gulf of Saint Tropez with colour.
The Rolex Giraglia demonstrates once again it’s a real spectacle, increasingly appreciated by yachtsmen and enthusiasts: an increasing number of foreigners and very high level crews for this regatta which, since 1953, has continued to innovate while remaining faithful to its nature.
THE ROLEX GIRAGLIA
The Giraglia was conceived in 1953 as a 241 mile offshore race. Since then it has grown and today it includes a race from Sanremo and three days of coastal races in the gulf of Saint Tropez. In 2018 this classic race celebrates its 66th anniversary. The RG is organised by the Yacht Club Italiano with the collaboration of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, the Yacht Club Sanremo and the Yacht Club de France. Rolex has been a partner of the Rolex Giraglia since 1998 and this year celebrates 20 years of collaboration with the Yacht Club Italiano.
THE YACHT CLUB ITALIANO
Founded in Genoa in 1879, the Yacht Club Italiano is the oldest yacht club in the Mediterranean. Based in the Porticciolo Duca degli Abruzzi, the YCI’s objectives have always been popularising yachting and organising races. The Rolex Capri Sailing Week, the Giraglia Rolex Cup and the MBA’s Conference & Regatta, the Italian Olympic Classes Championships and the World Series, the latest to arrive in chronological order, are just some of the international regattas organised by the YCI. The Coppa Carlo Negri, the Trofeo SIAD Bombola d’oro and the Millevele and many other events distinguish the present and future of the Club, which is always open to new challenges.
In line with tradition, YCI partner BMW will be there to help also in this regatta with its much-appreciated shuttle service for guests, journalists and yacht owners.
