Sailing: LVdST 23 - Final day for Classic and Modern Yachts - deserved Crowned Champions Nanoq, Tuiga, Varuna ! - NAANII GLOBAL Luxury/Quality Family Lifestyle MAGAZINE 'en Vogue' - NAANII GLOBAL Quality & Luxury Family Lifestyle - MAGAZINE 'en Vogue'-

! Crowned Champions LVdST 2023 !

– Varuna wins the Rolex Trophy
– Kiwi Magic supreme among the 12mRs
– Final curtain for the IRCs; 123 Modern yachts round off their season in the Gulf
– Monaco's Classic Yacht Tuiga 1909 winner  'Big Boats'
-  Crown Prince Frederik from Denmark winner BMW Trophy 3rd time in a rowe with Nanoqu !
- etc. -

Canon fire, bagpipes, English and French sea shanties… the 2,500 or so sailors competing on the Modern and Classic yachts hit the racetrack at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez one last time this morning with beaming smiles, the weather heaven-sent once again.
Indeed, it’s been a packed week of the most stunning racing, punctuated by the event highlights which have earned Les Voiles an amazing international reputation over the past 25 years.
For a long time to come, the Challenges, the Club 55 Cup and the Centenarians Race will remain etched on the memories of all the participants and the huge crowds both on land and out on the water.
Each of the 4 IRC groups and the 8 Classic groups have crowned some very worthy champions, after fending off some stiff opposition throughout the numerous races contested, (4 for the Classic yachts and 5 for the Modern yachts).

Enjoying magical, summery conditions, blessed with sufficient breeze to put on a show, one and all were treated to the incredibly rare spectacle of sailboats of all sizes, ages and designs racing at the highest possible level.
All the heroes will be celebrating until late into the night, their heads and their hearts filled with images of the sea, the sails, the spray and the laughter, which they will treasure for another year until they return for another wonderful edition of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez in 2024.

Racing right to the wire!
There was a great deal at stake in this last day of racing at Les Voiles among the 8 groups of Classic yachts.
As has been the case throughout the week, this morning’s subtle breeze picked up just as action commenced, providing dynamic, full-on racing for the 86 Classic yachts.
Pushed along by over 12 knots of breeze, the crews were able to really get the best out of their machines and work them hard, providing the large crowds with some jaw-dropping images of beautiful gaff or Bermudan rigs powering down to the far reaches of the gulf.

The wind range favoured the large schooners, Elena and Naema, which performed superbly in elapsed time. However, in corrected time it was the light and pacey 15mRs, which stole both a march and the show.

Varuna 1939 wins the Rolex Trophy
12 fabulous Bermudan yawls were competing for this week’s prestigious trophy, but it was Varuna which utterly dominated the quest for the Rolex Trophy, winning all 4 of the validated races.
Comet (Stephens 1946) and Stormy Weather (Stephens 1934) respectively complete the podium.  

Spartan outsails the gaffers!
Each group crowns some fine champions, some of which rule supreme, like Encounter (Frers 1976) in Classic Marconi, which groups together 13 Bermudan cutters and sloops.

In Epoque Aurique, Spartan didn’t even need to participate in the last race.
Indeed, her three race victories saw off some fearsome competition, including Viola (Fife 1908) and the P Class Chips (Burgess 1913).

Winner NY50 SPARTAN -  Classic Yacht at 'Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez 2023'
and 12th Centenary Trophy Gstaad Yacht Club

NG sail tv's K. Johanna Altmann talks with Patrick Gavin-Brynes 'Main Sail Trimmer' ( NY 50 SPARTAN )

Consistently ranking well, albeit without scoring any bullets, the Sparkman & Stephens Blitzen managed to secure ultimate victory in the Epoque Marconi.
Carron II (8 M Fife 1935) and Falcon (Paine 1930), both race winners, were not consistent enough to really threaten her reign.

12M: Kiwi Magic and Nyala top of the leader board
Among the 12mRs, French Kiss rounded off the event in style with a victory in elapsed time, but it was Johan Beach’s Kiwi Magic, which snatched the SNST Trophy.

Meantime, in the older 12mRs, Patrizio Bertelli’s Nyala triumphed.
However, in line with the Class’s focus on sporting equity, the ten 12mRs sailing together at Les Voiles are split into two separate rankings according to the generation of the build. As such, the 12B group comprises four boats built between 1970 (France) and 1987 (South Australia).

The second group, referred to as 12D, gathers together 6 craft built between 1918 (Thea) and 1938 (Eileen).