Les Voiles de St Tropez 2017 and Other Cote d’Azur Events
Saint-Tropez is the summer destination of choice for fun-loving yacht charterers and international jet-setters. However, with its sunny climate and legendary beach clubs open well into the autumn, St Tropez’s yachting season is a long and event-packed one. The beautiful Riviera town also offers an amazing array of activities and events, making the end of the season a fantastic time to enjoy a St Tropez yacht charter.
An Inspiring Week of Sailing
As usual, this year’s major event was the breathtaking regatta, Les Voiles de St Tropez. This annual rendezvous of yachts took place from 30th September to 8th October 2017, providing an 8-day marine spectacle for lucky spectators. Organised by the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez has been delighting crowds with a stunning array of sailing boats since 1981. The participants must enjoy it too, otherwise, they wouldn’t return each year. The participating vessels include a combination of classic and modern luxury yachts for charter.
Les Voiles de St Tropez attracts international racers and sailing enthusiasts who compete in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez. This year 4,000 skippers, crew members and yacht owners were involved in some way and over 200 French and overseas journalists covered the regatta.This edition benefited from particularly clement weather and sailing conditions. A combination of beautiful scenery and timeless yachts ensures that St Tropez becomes the location of some of the finest sailing photography in the world for one week in autumn.
The contemporary sailing yachts took part in five days of competitions, whereas the vintage yachts experienced four days of thrilling races. The elegant Sonderklasse Tilly XV won the Centenary Trophy, organised by the Gstaad Yacht Club and limited to boats that are 100 years old or more. Another outstanding performance was delivered by Swan 53 Music which finished first in class B, winning for the second year in a row. S/Y Mariska once again dominated in the 15m JL class. The relatively small Wally 77 Lyra managed to hold on for the win for two fine races in the Wally class outperforming the Wallycento Magic Carpet 3, who had previously dominated the category.
More End of Season Events in St Tropez
If you still crave sailing after Les Voiles, you will be happy to learn that a couple of other yachting extravaganzas take place in the Gulf of St Tropez. The Dragon Championships is an important international regatta for Dragon-class yachts. It is a wonderful event for sailors and yacht enthusiasts with more than 100 entrants and the prestigious second Gold Cup to take place in the Mediterranean after the one in Palma. The Voiles d’Automne is the final regatta of the season, gathering together more than 60 yachts from 10-12th November. It’s a colourful event that covers 900 nautical miles in the Mediterranean.
Another autumn festival takes place on shore at the Festival d’Automne, a celebration of classical music. It includes a recital by pianist Jean-Claude Pennetier at the Cinema La Renaissance on 24th October 2017.
Petrolheads will love the Porsche Rally, which takes place between 13th and 15th October. Porsche owners from across the Mediterranean region meet and compare their luxurious cars and show them off to the public in St Tropez port’s car park. If you prefer two-legged transport, you might want to participate in La Course du Bout du Monde in Bormes-les-Mimosas. The 20-kilometre race covers the picturesque countryside from Cabasson Beach through the Domaine de Malherbe’s vineyards and provides stunning beach and hillside views.
The legendary French icon Brigitte Bardot is the subject of an exhibition at the Musee de la Gendarmerie. The actress, singer and model, became internationally famous in 1957 when she frolicked on Pampelonne Beach in the film ‘And God Created Woman’. The photo exhibition charts the myth behind the woman and will be open throughout the autumn and winter until 15th January 2018.
If you would like to charter a yacht in St Tropez or any other Mediterranean destination, please contact the friendly team at Silver Star Yachting.
Categories
