The Maxis enjoyed a day off today, with only My Song and Balthasar out on the racecourse as they duelled for the Club 55 Paul Watson Maxi Yachts Cup. As such, it was the Modern and Classic yachts who were tasked with putting on the entertainment in front of the Village des Voiles in Saint-Tropez with a series of dramatic downwind starts, the Modern boats bound for Les Salins and the Classics heading to Les.
The Maxis enjoyed a day off today, with only My Song and Balthasar out on the racecourse as they duelled for the Club 55 Paul Watson Maxi Yachts Cup. As such, it was the Modern and Classic yachts who were tasked with putting on the entertainment in front of the Village des Voiles in Saint-Tropez with a series of dramatic downwind starts, the Modern boats bound for Les Salins and the Classics heading to Les Issambres. Needless to say, it was a veritable feast for the eyes and ears in a W’ly wind, gusting to around 20 knots at midday…
Breezy conditions and downwind starts As a result of the low pressure systems centred over the Gulf of Genoa, the light airs of the early morning soon gave way to a solid W’ly wind of 20 knots resulting in some spectacular downwind starts. Crews had already had a taste of being nabbed by the breeze yesterday as it suddenly packed a punch during the sprint back to Saint Tropez, increasing from 10 to 25 knots in a matter of minutes and creating mayhem for a number of the Classic yachts. Several competitors, like the yawl Hermitage , found themselves fully canvassed with light sails on impossible to replace furlers, and rigs severely put to the test, resulting in a broken top mast on Sky and a snapped spreader on Elena of London , fortunately all without injury to the crews. The order was one of caution this morning then with the Race Committee opting to confine the Classic yachts to a 15-mile course bordering Les Issambres and Saint Raphaël, which was the coastline best protected from the W’ly winds. The seas weren’t as heavy there as they were at Les Salins and Pampelonne, where the Modern yachts got down to business from 11:00 a.m. with an 18-mile course for classes B and C and 14 miles for the smaller ratings. Meantime, the ambiance was one of relaxation today for the Maxi fleet, save for My Song , which was originally supposed to be duelling with the new Capricorno . Regrettably the latter had to decline following yesterday’s damage and so it was Balthasar who took up the gauntlet on the legendary course leading the boats to the famous Club 55, which takes them around the shallows of Nioulargue.