Every autumn, as the Mediterranean sheds its summer calm and the first mistrals begin to build, the historic fishing port of Saint-Tropez becomes the backdrop for one of sailing's most extraordinary gatherings. Over 240 yachts carrying more than 4,000 sailors from around the world will converge on the harbour for ten days of racing, celebration, and spectacle.
The 2025 edition runs from 27 September to 5 October, and the entry list is exceptional. More than 70 yachts exceeding 20 metres will lead the fleet, with a record 41 Maxis and close to 125 modern IRC-rated racers lining up alongside a glittering collection of classic yachts.
Origins: from a café bet to global fame
The story of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez begins with a wager. In 1981, a friendly bet between two boats, Pride (a Swan 44) and Ikra (a 12 Metre JI), turned into an impromptu race finishing at the legendary Club 55. The loser bought lunch. From that spirited exchange grew The Nioulargue, an end-of-season fixture that through the 1980s and into the early 1990s evolved into a grand gathering of Maxis, classic yachts, parades and famously exuberant parties.
In 1995, the event was halted after a tragic collision between the schooner Mariette and the 6 MJI Taos Brett. The spirit, however, proved impossible to extinguish. Four years later, the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez revived the tradition under a new name: Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez. Stricter rules replaced some of the Nioulargue's wilder edges, but the regatta retained its singular character, blending fierce competition with genuine conviviality, and honouring tradition while embracing innovation.
Atmosphere ashore: sail hard, play hard
During Les Voiles, the town itself becomes part of the event. Music drifts through the cobbled lanes of the old quarter, exhibitions fill the galleries, and wine-soaked gatherings run late into the night. Hôtel La Ponche, Byblos, The Sube, and the Irish Pub remain the sailors' preferred haunts. Club 55, which marks its 70th anniversary in 2025, continues to host the Club 55 Cup challenge that has long been woven into regatta tradition.
This year's poster and programme celebrate the work of local painter Jacques Cordier, whose paintings captured the light, the sea, the sails, and the enduring character of the town. Onshore, the Communauté de Communes Golfe de Saint-Tropez brings an environmental focus to proceedings under the theme of Leisure Boating and Marine Protection, with a public stand and conference examining sustainable moorings and marine biodiversity.
Programme highlights 2025
The week follows its own distinctive rhythm, with serious racing interwoven with ceremony and ritual.
Check-in for the Maxis, modern IRC racers, and traditional yachts opens on Saturday 27 September. The following day, Sunday 28 September, the harbour fills further as the YCF Coupe d'Automne fleet arrives from Cannes.
Racing gets underway in earnest on Monday 29 September, with coastal races for the IRC classes starting at 11am and the Maxis lining up off Pampelonne at midday. Tuesday 30 September follows the same format, with the Rolex Trophy added for the classics fleet. That evening, sailors gather for the celebrated SNSM Sardinade Party.
The Maxis take a rest day on Wednesday 1 October, while the IRC fleet continues coastal racing from 11am and the traditional yachts pursue another coastal course alongside the Rolex Trophy classics fleet, who set off at midday. The evening belongs to North Sails, who stage a pétanque showdown beneath the plane trees of Place des Lices.
Thursday 2 October is one of the most cherished days on the Saint-Tropez calendar. Schoolchildren parade through the vieux port in the morning, the Club 55 Cup Challenge Day brings the traditional yachts to the start line, and the Maxis and Centenary Trophy fleets race in the early afternoon before the crew parade draws everyone back into town that evening.
Friday 3 October sees all divisions back into full-throttle competition, with the day ending at the legendary crew party at La Ponche. Saturday 4 October brings coastal races for both modern and traditional yachts, final duels among the Maxis, and the Rolex Trophy conclusion for the classics, before their prize-giving that evening. The regatta closes on Sunday 5 October with the overall prize-giving for both modern and traditional fleets.
Rolex and the classics
Rowlex has partnered with Les Voiles since 2006, lending its name to the Rolex Trophy, which in 2025 goes to the Big Boat class of large classics. Leading the field is Atlantic, the three-masted schooner launched in 1903 and still celebrated for her 1905 Kaiser's Cup transatlantic record.
The competition she faces is formidable. Sumurun (William Fife, 1914), Cambria (Fife, 1928), Mariella (Alfred Mylne, 1938), and Cariad (1896, the world's largest gaff ketch) are all expected. Tuiga, the 15mJI and 2024 champion now repaired following her dismasting, will also be there, along with Black Swan, a 40-metre Camper and Nicholson ketch from 1899, and Croce del Sud, a 43-metre schooner. Among the century's finest survivors, the duels promise to be fierce.
Maxis: record fleet, fierce battles
No regatta on earth assembles more Maxis in one place. The 2025 fleet of 41 is spread across four divisions, with the Rothschild Trophy going to the overall champion. The newest and most radical designs are well represented, among them the Wallyrocket 71 Django 7X, which weighs just 12 tons with water ballast for rating efficiency, and V, racing alongside established names such as Galateia, Jethou, My Song, and Leopard 3, the 2024 world champion.
Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones returns to Saint-Tropez with his new Magic Carpet⁴, a Verdier-designed 100-footer built by Persico. She incorporates a hybrid-electric drive, cork decks half the weight of teak, and retractable appendages on titanium bearings. She is considered the most technologically advanced Maxi currently afloat.
Moderns: eclectic and fast
Alongside the Maxis, 125 modern IRC yachts contest five divisions, taking in everything from one-designs like the eleven Tofinou 9.50 entries to the elite TP52s that compete for the BMW Trophy, awarded to the top IRC 0 yacht. Four TP52s are expected, including Nanoq, chartered by Denmark's King Frederik X, and Kilara II, a next-generation Wally aiming to establish a new class.
Further down the entry list, Daguet 5 (Carkeek 60 design), Albator 3 (a 2021 Botin 44 fresh from the Admiral's Cup), and Maxitude, a bold Lift 45 scow-hulled design by Lombard that blends performance with comfort, all add to the diversity and depth of the modern fleet.
The Centenary Trophy
Established in 2011 by the Gstaad Yacht Club, the Centenary Trophy is open exclusively to yachts over 100 years old. Run as a pursuit race where first across the line wins, it reliably produces close finishes and genuine drama. Past winners include Oriole (2015 and 2024), Olympian (2014, 2019, and 2021), and Spartan (2016 and 2023).
The trophy race is paired with Swiss Night on 1 October at Place des Lices, where crews trade their sailing gear for cow-milking contests, ski races, and Alpine cuisine. Tradition served with humour, it captures something essential about the lighter side of Les Voiles.
Style, trends and tributes
One visual shift in the fleet is hard to miss: black sails. Once thought of as sinister, they have become markers of performance. North Sails' 3Di laminates now allow any fibre blend to be produced in black or grey, with the added practical benefits of reduced glare and high-contrast tell-tales for trimmers.
Les Voiles 2025 will also pay tribute to Peter Nicholson, owner of Dainty, who passed away this year after competing in 19 editions. His presence over so many years embodied the loyalty and warmth that give the regatta much of its character.
Don't-miss boats in 2025
Among the classics, the boats to watch are Atlantic, Sumurun, Cambria, Mariella, Cariad, Tuiga, Black Swan, Croce del Sud, Invader, and Marilee. In the Maxi fleet, eyes will be on Magic Carpet⁴, Leopard 3, Galateia, Jethou, My Song, Tilakkhana II (ex-Magic Carpet³), Django Wallyrocket51, and Wallyrocket 71 Django 7X. Among the moderns, Nanoq, Kilara II, Albator 3, Maxitude, Daguet 5, and Capricorno are all worth following.
A regatta like no other
What separates Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez from every other regatta is the completeness of the experience. The racing is genuine, the rivalries real, the designs at the very edge of what is possible. Yet the event is equally theatre, played out against pastel houses, champagne-lit evenings, and the timeless grain of wooden decks.
From the bagpipes of the schooner Elena to pétanque under the plane trees of Place des Lices, from the roar of the Mistral to the quiet clink of glasses on the quay at dusk, Les Voiles has grown into a living festival of sailing, heritage, and style. In 2025, all signs point to one of its finest editions yet.
