Close Quarters on the Côte d’Azur at the Loro Piana Giraglia
Racing at the 73rd Loro Piana Giraglia continued today with a change in weather for Day 2, as significant cloud cover brought a different complexion to the racecourse. A gradient breeze from the south to south east delivered around eight knots at the start of the day, building to approximately 12 knots as racing developed.
The Maxis in Group 0 were once again sent to the Bay of Pampelonne for a technical windward leeward programme, while Groups 1 and 2 enjoyed another coastal race in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez.
The Loro Piana Giraglia is organised by Yacht Club Italiano in collaboration with Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, under the guidance of the Federazione Italiana Vela and the Fédération Française de Voile.
Coastal Racing in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez
The Gulf of Saint-Tropez provided a spectacular stage today, with the sails of 126 boats bringing excitement and elegance to the picturesque bay on the Côte d’Azur. Amid the beautiful surroundings, the competition was intense. At the start, the northern end of the line was busy, favoured by much of the fleet. At the top of the course, the Loro Piana Giraglia fleet was through the lee of the Cap de St. Tropez with the breeze softening in open water.
In Group 1, Jean Pierre Barjon’s French TP52 Spirit of Lorina won Race 2 after IRC time correction, striking back after losing out to Giovanni Lombardi Stronati’s Wallyrocket 51 Django WR by just 41 seconds on Day 1. Today, Spirit of Lorina finished 3 minutes 9 seconds ahead of Django WR on corrected time, with Jeremy Weir’s Wallyrocket 51 Kilara II completing the podium. Results are provisional.
In Group 1, the contest between Giovanni Lombardi Stronati’s Wallyrocket 51 Django and Jean Pierre Barjon’s TP52 Spirit of Lorina is developing into one of the great battles of the inshore series.
On Day 1, Django took the win by just 41 seconds after IRC time correction. Today, Spirit of Lorina struck back, winning a race that finished with a dramatic match race under spinnaker in the final approach to Saint-Tropez.
For Shannon Falcone on Django, the day began with confidence. “The guys on board have been doing good starts all season,” said Falcone. “We went for another middle of the line start and the boys did a really good job to get us around the mark in a position where we could extend.”
Django led for much of the race, but Falcone admitted the course was far from straightforward. “It was difficult, dropping conditions, big shifts as you moved out of the bay,” he said. “Things can change so dramatically and so quickly. Spirit of Lorina did a really good job. They stayed on us the whole time and managed to get us at the line.”
On board Spirit of Lorina, navigator Fabien Delahaye said the decisive moments came from staying patient and reading the shifts. “We expected a right shift on the first leg, so we started close to the committee boat,” said Delahaye. “It was a really good gain and we were second, just behind Django.”
The final run proved decisive. “Entering the bay, we expected a left shift because the wind turns around the corner,” said Delahaye. “In terms of trajectory it was very important to anticipate that. We gained a lot, passed just ahead, and the last manoeuvre was really nice.”
Falcone summed up the duel perfectly: “We’re one for one now, both in real and corrected. Two more days of inshore, but the reality is, the Giraglia is all about the offshore as well.”
In ORC 1, Luca Locatelli’s Italian Swan 45 Thetis won Race 2 after ORC time correction. Bernard Giroux’s Club Swan 43 Team 42+1 was second, with Piero Semeraro’s Swan 45 Andante completing the podium. Results are provisional.
In IRC 2, Wiktor Kobryn’s French J/122 Selma Racing - Noisy Oyster won Race 2 after IRC time correction. Nicolas Popp’s American JPK 1050 Invictus was second, 1 minute 29 seconds behind on corrected time, with Peter Lezhnin’s Kazakh J/112 Jedi completing the podium. Results are provisional.
In ORC 2, Marcello De Gaspari’s Italian J/109 Fremito D’Arja kept their perfect scoreline but only just. Leonardo Petti’s Italian J/109 Chestress was second, just 30 seconds behind on corrected time, with Agudo Gonzales’ Spanish Salona 37 Salvora completing the podium. Results are provisional.
No Racing for Maxis in Pampelonne
For the Maxis in the Bay of Pampelonne patience was a virtue today with unstable light winds preventing any racing. The Maxis will be hoping for better wind tomorrow.
The Inshore Race Day Prize Giving was held in the Loro Piana Giraglia Race Village, where Pierre Roinson, President of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, and Carlo Cameli, President of Yacht Club Italiano, presented the day’s leading crews with their prizes on the main stage beneath the historic 15th-century Tour du Portalet in Saint-Tropez.
Racing at the Loro Piana Giraglia continues tomorrow, Monday 15 June, with more inshore racing scheduled in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez and the Bay of Pampelonne.
