Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, the final event of the International Maxi Association’s 2026 Mediterranean Maxi Inshore Challenge got underway with a record fleet of 51 maxis competing, including the welcome return of three J Class yachts – Svea, Hanuman and Rainbow.
J Class Svea won their first ever race at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez in light winds, the Swedish flagged team emerging victorious from a spirited, close J Class windward-leeward race which saw Giovanni Lombardi Stronati’s Italian debutante Hanuman seize the lead momentarily at the leeward gate before finally losing second place to Rainbow on the final run.
The light conditions particularly favoured the smaller yachts and in Maxi 1 it was not just the trio of Maxi Grand Prix yachts that prevailed under IRC corrected time, but the smaller Maxi 100s – Wendy Schmidt’s Botin 85 Deep Blue and Alessandro Del Bono’s 82ft Capricorno fourth and fifth respectively under IRC corrected time.
A battle royal is lining up this week in Maxi 2 – a rematch from a year ago between Terry Hui’s Wally 80 Lyra, a serial winner here and Luciano Gandini’s Mylius 80 Twin Soul B, the defending champion.
This year both boats are bristling with talent – Francesco Bruni among an all-star cast on Twin Soul B and Nicolai Sehested and most of his Danish Rockwool Racing SailGP team on Lyra.
In the sub-10 knot breeze from 100-120˚, these two were the run-away leaders today but with Lyra correcting out to 1 minute 21 seconds ahead of her rival under IRC.
Another rematch from the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup is taking place in Maxi 3 between Luigi Sala’s Vismara 62 Yoru, Lasse Petterson’s Mylius 60 Why Not and former IMA President Benoît de Froidmont’s Wally 60 Wallyño. There Yoru prevailed, but now it was the turn of Why Not, albeit by just 40 seconds from Yoru.
As always the event is organised by the Société Nautique de Saint Tropez, and well known for its giant fleet of magnificent classic yachts of all sizes, which, plus the ‘Modernes’, total 250 yachts.
James Boyd