Racing at the 73rd Loro Piana Giraglia began today in classic Mediterranean style, with the fleet opening its campaign in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez. All classes except the Maxis raced one coastal race of about two hours, while the Maxi fleet was sent to the Bay of Pampelonne for a technical windward leeward programme of two races.
The Loro Piana Giraglia is organised by Yacht Club Italiano in collaboration with Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, under the guidance of the Federazione Italiana Vela and the Fédération Française de Voile.
Before racing began, Yacht Club Italiano President Carlo Cameli reflected on the Loro Piana Giraglia’s deep heritage, the magic of Saint-Tropez, and the race’s unique role as a sporting bridge between France and Italy.
“It is inspiring to see the fleet coming together here in Saint-Tropez. During these days you can really breathe sailing, with boats and crews from many countries sharing the same passion. Saint-Tropez is unique, with a wonderful setting and very good conditions for inshore racing, from the Mistral to the thermal winds. The Giraglia is also a bridge between France and Italy, two countries with a great sailing heritage. That connection is part of the history we have inherited, and it is what makes this regatta so special.”
Maxis on the Windward Leeward Course
In Maxi A, Pier Luigi Loro Piana’s ClubSwan 80 My Song leads the overall standings after two races on 5 points, one point ahead of Joost Schuijff’s Farr 100 Leopard 3 on 6 points, with Alessandro Del Bono’s Judel/Vrolijk 80 Capricorno third on 8 points but only on countback from Chris Flowers and David Leuschen’s Wallycento Galateia. Race wins went to Galateia and Capricorno.
My Song Tactician Paul Cayard commented after racing. “Today was the first day of the Loro Piana Giraglia, and also my first day racing on My Song, so I was keeping an open mind. I have raced here in Saint-Tropez before, so we knew we wanted to get the right side of the course if we could. We are racing with the big boats, the 100-footers as well, so we expected there to be traffic, but in the first race we had a great start and were able to own the right. Galateia won the race, but we had a very strong second, and in the second race we were consistent again. A two, three is a great start but there are quite a few more races to go. I have known Pier Luigi Loro Piana for more than 30 years, mostly from racing in Porto Cervo. He has always struck me as a gentleman, and I am really enjoying sailing with him. The crew has a lot of unity, and the boat is an interesting challenge, especially in windward leeward racing and light air. Today we put together a good plan and came away with the win for the day.”
In Maxi B, Carlo Puri Negri’s Atalanta II had a perfect day with two bullets and leads the overall standings by two points ahead of Guido Paolo Gamucci’s Mylius 60 Cippa Lippa X. Phillip Rann’s Rogers 82 is third, but only on countback from Benoit De Froidmont’s Wally 60 Wallyño and Muratore Lorenzo’s Wally 80 Sud.
In the 20-strong Maxi Class racing windward leeward in the Bay of Pampelonne, the light airs racing produced a fluctuating scoreboard in Maxi A. None more so than for Wallycento Galateia with a first and seventh on the scoreboard as Brad Jackson explained.
“We had a good first race and a very good start, which makes all the difference in this fleet. From there we could choose where we wanted to go and how to sail the boat,” commented Brad Jackson. “The team got Galateia around the track really tidily. We had a bit of damage to a spinnaker on the first drop, but we recovered from that and it was a pretty straightforward race. It is always nice to put a bullet on the board, but it also reminds you that if you get off the line well, you give yourself a good chance. The second race did not go quite as well. We were in the mix at the top mark, chose a different option, and it did not work out. It was shifty, with big differences in pressure around the course, but that is what makes this racing so tricky.”
Coastal Racing in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez
On the Coastal Course, the first start featured 69 boats racing in Group 1. In about ten knots of breeze it was a blanket start, with nearly the entire fleet within one boat length as the gun was fired. The breeze held throughout the two-hour race, with the finish right in front of the Loro Piana Lounge in the Race Village.
In IRC 1, Giovanni Lombardi Stronati’s Wallyrocket 51 Django won the race on corrected time, finishing 41 seconds ahead of Jean Pierre Barjon’s TP52 Spirit of Lorina, with Ruedi Huber’s TP52 Musica third, 2 minutes 55 seconds behind the winner.
In ORC 1, Roberto Bosio’s XR-41 Crabx Aquarama Fraber won the race on corrected time, finishing 24 seconds ahead of Dmitry Gavrilov’s XR 41 DXarma, with Luca Locatelli’s Swan 45 Thetis third, 1 minute 06 seconds behind the winner.
The Group 1 start was followed by 35 boats racing in Group 2. In IRC 2, Willem Ellemeet’s Dufour 40 Flying Dolphin won the race on corrected time, finishing 55 seconds ahead of Josh Neely’s S&S Classic Skylark of 1937, with Wiktor Kobryn’s J/122 Selma Racing - Noisy Oyster third, 4 minutes 34 seconds behind the winner.
In ORC 2, Marcello De Gaspari’s J/109 Fremito D’Arja won the race on corrected time, finishing 2 minutes 32 seconds ahead of Leonardo Petti’s J/109 Chestress, with Filippo Gazzerro’s First 36.7 Gianburrasca third, 2 minutes 35 seconds behind the winner.
After racing, the Inshore Race Day Prize Giving was held in the Loro Piana Giraglia Race Village, where Pierre Roinson, President of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, and Carlo Cameli, President of Yacht Club Italiano, presented the day’s leading crews with their prizes on the main stage beneath the historic 15th-century Tour du Portalet in Saint-Tropez.
Racing at the Loro Piana Giraglia continues tomorrow, Sunday 14 June, with more inshore racing scheduled in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez and the Bay of Pampelonne.
Organisation
The Loro Piana Giraglia is organised by the Yacht Club Italiano, in cooperation with the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, under the patronage of the Yacht Club de France, Yacht Club Sanremo and Yacht Club de Monaco, and with the support of the Union Nationale pour la Course au Large (UNCL) and the International Maxi Association (IMA).
The event is held with the support of the City of Saint-Tropez, the City of Genoa and the Liguria Region.
The Giraglia is a qualifying event for the IRC-UNCL Mediterranean Championship and forms part of the 2026 Mediterranean Maxi Offshore Challenge, organised by the International Maxi Association (IMA).
The Loro Piana Giraglia
On July 11, 1953, 22 boats set off on the first-ever Giraglia, covering a 196-mile course from Cannes – La Giraglia – Sanremo, with 17 yachts reaching the finish line. The first edition was won by a French yacht in 31 hours. The following year, the start and finish ports were swapped, the number of participants increased to 31, and the Giraglia Rock remained the iconic mark of the Course, securing its place as one of the world's premier yachting events.
Over the years, this offshore race has become legendary. It blends sailing technique with poetry, becoming a rite of passage for many young sailors. Saying "I've done it too" is a prestigious badge of honour for any sailor.
Participation numbers have steadily grown while race times have drastically decreased. The record for the most boats on the start line was set in 2016, with 302 entries, while the fastest time belongs to Igor Simcic's Esimit Europa 2, which shattered the previous record in 2012 with an astonishing time of 14 hours, 56 minutes, and 16 seconds.
The format has remained essentially unchanged. In the 1970s, over 100 boats consistently participated, sometimes exceeding 150, remarkable figures for the niche yachting world. Until the 1990s, starting and finishing locations alternated between Italy and France. Back then, participating in the race was an adventure, with all crew members sleeping on board and assisting with yacht transfers.
The Giraglia has witnessed the transition from wooden boats to fibreglass, from heavier designs to lighter, more sophisticated yachts and increasingly faster passages. Since 1998, the format has remained stable: gathering in Saint-Tropez in mid-June, coastal races in the breathtaking gulf, a grand party before the offshore start, and then the 241-nautical-mile challenge, which, just as in 1952, still finishes in Genoa after rounding the Giraglia Rock.
Loro Piana has been the title partner of the Loro Piana Giraglia since 2024.