Final flourish in Saint-Tropez before the Giraglia goes offshore

The final day of inshore racing at the 73rd Loro Piana Giraglia brought the fleet together for one last flourish on the Côte d’Azur before the headline race, the Loro Piana Giraglia offshore race tom Genoa.

A light north easterly breeze built through the day, gusting up to 10 knots, as all classes, including the Maxis, were set coastal courses. The Maxis started in the Bay of Pampelonne, while all other classes began racing in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez. With the full 145 boat fleet finishing in front of the Loro Piana Lounge in the Port of Saint-Tropez, the stage was set for a fitting climax to one of the Mediterranean’s most historic and glamorous regattas.

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.

Maxis Complete Coastal Race to Saint-Tropez

The Maxi fleet returned to racing on the final day of the inshore series, with Group 0 set a coastal course from the Bay of Pampelonne to finish in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez. For the Maxis, this was Race 5 of the series and a final chance to shape the standings before attention turns to the offshore race to Genoa.

In IRC 0 Maxi A, Sir Peter Ogden’s Maxi Grand Prix Jethou won Race 5 after IRC time correction, completing the 11.10nm coastal race in a real time of 87 minutes. George Sakellaris’ JV 72 Proteus was second on corrected time, with Alessandro Del Bono’s JV 80 Capricorno completing the podium. In IRC 0 Maxi B, Carlo Puri Negri’s Farr/Felci 70 Atalanta II won again, ahead of VO60 Fincantieri Doers On Board and Guido Paolo Gamucci’s Mylius 60 Cippa Lippa X. Results are provisional.

There were celebrations for Karel Komarek’s Wallycento V, which wins the IRC 0 Maxi A inshore series after five races by two points. Jethou finished the series in style, winning the final race to move up to second overall. Behind them, the battle for the final podium place was exceptionally tight. Chris Flowers and David Leuschen’s Wallycento Galateia takes third on countback, tied on points with Pier Luigi Loro Piana’s ClubSwan 80 My Song and George Sakellaris’ Proteus.

In IRC 0 Maxi B, Atalanta II completed a dominant inshore series, winning all five races to finish on a perfect 5 points. Cippa Lippa X was second, with Benoit De Froidmont’s Wally 60 Wallyño completing the podium.

V Finds Its Winning Rhythm

Paul Wilcox, Wallycento V tactics and helm coach, said the decisive moments came on the penultimate day, when V won both races in IRC 0 Maxi A. “We have had a little restructure at the back of the boat recently, so a lot of it has been about Sime Fantela and me getting used to our communication loop, trusting each other’s way of doing things, and trusting the process,” said Wilcox. “Yesterday was one of those days where we made a plan, executed the plan, and it turned out to be the right thing to do. That is really positive for us as a team.”

Coastal Racing in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez

Cumulus cloud built over the Vanoise Massif, about 30km inland, helping to generate a light sea breeze. Group 1 started on time, with the northern end of the line favoured, while the Group 2 start was delayed as the line was reset. The enhancement produced about 8 knots of breeze, gusting to 13 knots.

In IRC 1, Dominique Tian’s ClubSwan 42 Glen Ellen saved their best for last, taking their first bullet of the inshore series. Giovanni Lombardi Stronati’s Wallyrocket 51 Django WR was second, just 29 seconds behind on corrected time, while Giovanni Di Vincenzo’s Ker 46 Lisa R made the race podium for the first time in the series.
In ORC 1, Luca Locatelli’s Swan 45 Thetis won Race 4 after ORC time correction. The Yacht Club Italiano youth team on ELO II produced an excellent result to finish second, with Nicolas Gonzalez’s Sinergia 40 L’Immens completing the podium.

In IRC 2, Willem Ellemeet’s Dufour 40 Flying Dolphin won Race 4 after IRC time correction. Nicolas Popp’s JPK 10.50 Invictus was second, with Murat Abdrakhmanov’s J/112 Jenis completing the podium. In ORC 2, Marcello De Gaspari’s J/109 Fremito D’Arja won the final race from Leonardo Petti and Giorgio Anserini’s J/109 Chestress, with Adelio Frixione’s X-35 Imxtinente third.

Group 1 and Group 2 Overall

In IRC 1, Django WR won the provisional inshore series, completing an impressive week that included two race wins and three top two results. Jean Pierre Barjon’s TP52 Spirit of Lorina finished second after a strong series long duel with Django, while Lisa R completed the podium, helped by its final race result.

In ORC 1, Thetis won the inshore series, finishing in style with victory in the final race. Roberto Bosio’s XR-41 Crabx, Aquarama, Fraber was second after a consistently strong series that included two race wins. L’Immens completed the podium, while ELO II finished an impressive fourth overall.

In IRC 2, Flying Dolphin won the inshore series, finishing strongly with victories in the final two races. Invictus took second overall, while Peter Lezhnin’s Jedi completed the podium. Wiktor Kobryn’s J/122 Selma Racing, Noisy Oyster finished fourth after leading the class earlier in the series.

In ORC 2, Fremito D’Arja won the inshore series, tied on 9 points with Chestress, but ahead on countback after winning the final race. Chestress takes second after an excellent duel between the two Italian J/109s, while Agudo Gonzales’ Salona 37 Salvora completed the podium. Results are provisional.

Prize Giving and the Ville de Saint-Tropez Trophy

After racing, the Overall Inshore Prize Giving was held in the Loro Piana Giraglia Race Village, honouring class champions and special prize winners. The winning teams were presented with their prizes by Pierre Roinson, President of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, Carlo Cameli, President of Yacht Club Italiano, and Loro Piana Deputy Chairman Pier Luigi Loro Piana.

The Ville de Saint-Tropez Trophy was awarded to the winner of IRC 1, the most numerous class in the Loro Piana Giraglia inshore series. With a large and highly competitive fleet, IRC 1 produced a superb contest between Django and Spirit of Lorina. Django has taken the inshore series, but that Italian and French battle will be rekindled in the offshore race to Genoa.

“Saint-Tropez is a very special place, I think that is why the sailors enjoy coming here so much,” commented SNST President Pierre Roinson.”The atmosphere is different from other harbours because the port is inside the village. After racing, the crews, owners and sailors are immediately part of Saint-Tropez, with the restaurants, the bars, the village and the life around them. That is very important. The Giraglia has a long story. It began from friendship between Yacht Club Italiano and the French clubs in 1952. At the start there were maybe 20 or 25 boats, and now we have 145 boats, so the race is very much alive.

My message to the sailors is simple: come to Saint-Tropez, race hard, enjoy this place, then go to Genoa by way of the Giraglia Rock. This race is an important link between Saint-Tropez and Genoa and between France and Italy, as well as all the international sailors who share it.For the offshore race, I hope they have good wind for Genoa. The forecast looks difficult, but I hope everybody arrives safely and in time for the prize giving. Bon vent à tous.”

The Loro Piana Giraglia Goes Offshore

Racing at the 73rd Loro Piana Giraglia reaches its defining moment tomorrow, Wednesday 17 June, with the start of the legendary 241nm offshore race from Saint-Tropez to Genoa via the Giraglia Rock.
The first warning signal is scheduled for 11:55, setting the stage for one of the great Mediterranean offshore contests as the fleet leaves the Gulf of Saint-Tropez and turns towards Corsica before the final push to Genoa.

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.