Thursday at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez carries a different energy from every other day on the racing calendar. Known as Challenge Day, it weaves together youth and experience, spectacle and competition, in a way that explains the near-mythic reputation this event has earned over the decades.
The morning opens with fifes and drums. From 9 a.m., more than 250 local children paraded through the village, led by the Association Fifres et Tambours, the sound of their instruments filling the port and carrying across the water. The procession wound down to the Village des Voiles, where the children sampled crêpes from the local crêperie and watched the first yachts head out into the morning light.
By evening, it was the crews' turn. Twelve elaborately costumed teams marched the length of the quayside to the accompaniment of a 30-piece band, cheered on by spectators before presenting themselves to the jury that would award one of the event's most prized trophies, a recognition of fun, creativity, and genuine Corinthian spirit.
The Maxis had their own kind of day. After two days of windward-leeward racing in the bay, they ventured offshore. The Maxi 1s competed for the Edmond de Rothschild Trophy while the Maxi Grands Prix headed out on a 19-mile coastal course to Cavalaire. Classes 3, 4 and 5 followed a shorter 12-mile route to the Escalet mark. A residual swell left over from the previous night's weather system complicated conditions, particularly for owner-helms handling large hulls in confused seas.
Django, in the Maxi GP class, was again in a class of her own. A third consecutive bullet, earned through strong upwind pace and clean speed off the breeze, confirmed her dominance in the division. The Maxi 1 contest was considerably tighter. Capricorno and Galateia finished separated by less than a minute after nearly three hours at sea, with Capricorno taking the win.
Further down the fleet, Yoru (Vismara 62) and Crazy Diamond (Solaris 60) continued their perfect scoring runs in Maxi 4 and Maxi 5 respectively. Maxi 3 remained the most open contest of the regatta. Twin Soul B, the Mylius 80 FD, claimed today's race and in doing so drew level overall with Lyra, the Wally 77, setting up a compelling finish to the series.
Challenge Day also revives one of Les Voiles' older traditions: informal match racing between yachts operating entirely outside the official programme. Some encounters are arranged well in advance, others arise on the water with barely a moment's notice. Among Thursday's highlights, Atlantic set up a show match against the three-masted Adix, while elsewhere in the bay Ulika and Volpe (both Swan 50s) and Nagaïna and Briseis (Bermudan cutters) kept up a lively thread of unofficial rivalry that drew smiles from spectators and competitors alike.
Club 55 on Pampelonne Beach is where Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez began. In 1981, the Swan 44 Pride issued a challenge to the 12-Metre Ikra, and the resulting contest gave birth to the Nioulargue, the race that eventually grew into Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez. With Club 55 marking its 70th anniversary this year, a dedicated "55 Cup" match revisited that founding moment. Il Moro di Venezia (Maxi IOR) defended the title against the 1934 yawl Mariella, with camaraderie and Corinthian grace firmly prioritised over scorelines.
The 14th Gstaad Yacht Club Centenarian Trophy drew 18 yachts each more than a century old to the start line. Conducted as a pursuit race, Viola, the 1908 Fife, led the fleet away at 12:30 p.m. The 34-metre Sumurun was last to depart, carrying the substantial burden of 31 minutes to recover if she was to win. An hour and forty minutes later, it was Leonore, a 1925 Johan Anker Q-Class, that crossed the line first, marking her 100th birthday in style. Moored at port, Cariad sounded her horn in salute as the crowd offered warm applause for a result that captured everything the Centenarian Trophy exists to celebrate.
Of all the vessels gathered at Saint-Tropez this week, few carry more accumulated history than Sumurun. William Fife built her 34-metre hull in 1914 for the husband of Victoria Sackville-West, and the craftsmanship in her construction has never really left her. Jean-Paul Mouren, sailing aboard her this week, puts it simply: "a boat where everyone's eyes are smiling."
Sumurun's story between her launch and the present day has been eventful. After years of mixed fortunes, Swiss collector Alain Moatti commissioned a thorough restoration in 2016, with designer Juan Kouyoumdjian and the Guip yard in Brest undertaking the work. Photographer Michel Le Coz documented the process in a photo archive at sumurun-1914.com. Now owned by Jean-Pierre Dréau, Sumurun remains in immaculate condition and one of the most admired presences at the regatta.
Racing continues on Friday 3 October, with the Maxi, Modern, and Classic fleets all in action, including competition for the Rolex Trophy. Saturday 4 October is the final day of racing for the Maxis, followed by their prize-giving. On Sunday 5 October, the Modern and Classic yacht prize-giving concludes the regatta, with the Rolex Trophy also presented.
