Rainbow Leads J Class at Saint-Tropez After Svea Technical Retirements

Rainbow has moved to the top of the J Class standings at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez after a breezier second day produced wins for both Rainbow and Hanuman while Svea was forced to retire from two races. With three races completed, all three yachts have now taken a victory, leaving Rainbow and Hanuman level on three points with Rainbow ahead on countback.

Svea’s halyard lock fails seconds after the start

Svea entered the day after winning the opening race but suffered a technical problem almost immediately in the first of Tuesday’s contests. The headsail dropped to the deck when the halyard lock system failed, leaving the Swedish-flagged team unable to continue competitively in winds reaching around 16 to 17 knots.

The crew attempted to repair the system on the water before the second race but could not restore it in time. Two retirements added significant points to Svea’s score, although the discard allowed the team to remain close enough to the leaders for the regatta to stay open when points racing resumes after Wednesday’s scheduled lay day.

Rainbow converts pressure into its first win

Rainbow won the first race of the day after a close contest with Hanuman. The boats remained tightly matched through the course, but a sheet override aboard Hanuman during a tack cost the Italian-owned yacht valuable distance and allowed Peter Harrison’s Rainbow team to move clear for its first winning gun of the event.

The result showed continued progress from a Rainbow crew that is still relatively new to the J Class platform. Strategist Ben Saxton said the team had improved its upwind speed since the Palma regatta and highlighted the incremental gains coming from manoeuvres and crew coordination.

Hanuman answers with a race victory

In the second race Rainbow was called over the start line and had to return, handing an early advantage to Hanuman. Giovanni Lombardi Stronati’s team capitalised on the opening and converted it into the yacht’s first J Class race victory under its current campaign.

Hanuman tactician Vasco Vascotto acknowledged that the crew is still learning the boat and refining its starts, but the yacht has repeatedly shown enough pace to challenge the more established teams. After three races, Hanuman and Rainbow are tied on three points while Svea sits third on five.

Three race winners keep the regatta open

The first three races have produced three different winners: Svea, Rainbow and Hanuman. That balance gives the Saint-Tropez event a very different character from a series dominated by one yacht and leaves each crew with a realistic route back to the top of the standings.

Racing is scheduled to resume on Thursday 1 October and continue through Saturday 3 October. Superyacht Guide is treating this as a race-day update distinct from the opening-day report, with the next standings change dependent on the repaired Svea returning and the fleet completing further points races.

Official sources: www.jclassyachts.com.