Who will succeed last year’s champions – Jolt in the Maxis, the unbeatable Expresso in IRC or Tuiga and Marga in the Classics – who made their mark on the 2024 edition? Will the TP52s remain unchallenged in the top IRC fleet? Which centenarian yacht will add its name to the roll of honour this year? And who will challenge whom during the middle of this truly unique week of racing, where fierce competition is always.
Who will succeed last year’s champions – Jolt in the Maxis, the unbeatable Expresso in IRC or Tuiga and Marga in the Classics – who made their mark on the 2024 edition? Will the TP52s remain unchallenged in the top IRC fleet? Which centenarian yacht will add its name to the roll of honour this year? And who will challenge whom during the middle of this truly unique week of racing, where fierce competition is always paired with a spirit of camaraderie? There is no shortage of questions surrounding the 27th edition of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez – especially since every class is seeing new developments.
Rockets Incoming! Some familiar faces are returning – like Daguet , Frédéric Puzin’s Carkeek design, which debuted at last year’s Voiles but couldn’t compete after a collision. Others are arriving, sharper than ever. Notably the Wally Rocket 51s , which “if enough show up, could have their own start and scoring,” says Georges Korhel. “The IRC rating rule helps group the fleet so crews compete against familiar rivals from the year-round circuit. But since Les Voiles is not part of the official IRC championship, we’re not ruling out small adjustments to rating bands to make each class as even as possible,” adds the Principal Race Officer of the event. In the Maxis category, all eyes will be on Magic Carpet e , the new 100-foot Verdier designed yacht owned by Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones. Exceptionally innovative in its class, with lifting rudders, an aft-positioned mast, and fully electric hydraulic systems, it’s a true marvel of technology, down to its 7-meter canting keel, which is also retractable to reduce its draft to 4.60 meters to allow access to the port of Saint-Tropez. And watch out – there’s movement in the Mini-Maxis too, where class heavyweights will need to keep an eye on the new Wallyrocket. This 71-footer, claimed to be 15% lighter than its competitors, has just been launched under the name Django.