Lätta vindar för eleganta klassiker

Det var nästan ingen vind alls den sista dagen av 38:e upplagan av Régates Royales de Cannes, där världens elegantaste segelbåtar gör upp. Viken utanför La Napoule var helt lugn när eleganterna skulle segla. Svenskbåten Enterprise med bland andra Göran Rutgersson och Lars Wiklund ombord vann sin klass.

Det var bara ytterst svaga vindar som försökte få igång seglingarna under denna klassiska regatta. Ett rejält högtryck över Cote d’Azur gjorde att båtarna fick dra sig tillbaka till den gamla hamnen i Cannes i stället för att segla några avgörande rundor.

En del besättningarna var väldigt besvikna eftersom de bara behövde några poäng för att avancera i poängställningen i 38th Régates Royales.

Seglingarna har pågått hela veckan och avgjordes efter fyra deltävlingar, som alla avgjordes i sydliga vindar på 8–15 knop. Segerrikast var Moonbeam IV i Big Boat division och Freya of Midgard i Spirit of Tradition.

Det är ett stort internationellt inslag i den här regattan. De svenska färgerna försvarades av Göran Rutgersson och Lars Wiklund med besättning, som seglade sin vackra båt Enterprise till klasseger. Totalt är det sex seglarkompisar som på mogna dagar har satsat pengar och tid på att delta med Enterprise i denna prestigesegling.

Totalt deltog 80 Classics, 50 Dragons och 18 stycken 5.5 Metres, där den sistnämnda klassen var med för första gången i Cannes.

Lite mer information (på engelska) om de deltagande båtarna:

William Fife III is the naval architect who has the highest number of boats racing at the 38th edition of the Régates Royales de Cannes -Trophée Panerai, followed by the “Wizard of Bristol” Nathanaël Herreshoff and Briton Charles Nicholson. These three designers, who were active at the beginning of last century, before the International Rule was adopted (1907), worked hard to find the best possible hull shapes, used new materials (metal ribs, hollow masts etc.) to make hulls stiffer and sails more long-lasting.

The Fife dynasty reached its peak with William Jr’s work from 1888 to the Second World War . His designs at this year’s Régates Royales include the 23 Metre Cambria (1928), the 8 Metres Eva (1906) and Carron II (1935), Eilean (1937), the Marconi cutter Hallowe’en (1926), Moonbeam of Fife (1903) and Moonbeam IV (1914), Nan (1896) that inspired Pen Duick, the ketch Sumurun (1914) and the gaff cutter Viola (1908)…

Nathanaël Herreshoff began his career designing boats to compete in the early editions of the America’s Cup: Vigilant (1893), Defender (1895), Columbia (1899 and 1901), Resolute (1920). The American designer is represented in Cannes by the replica of a gaff  schooner dated 1911: Elena, the longest yacht racing at the Régates Royales with her 60 metres of overall length. Herreshoff also designed the New York Yacht Club 50′ one design Spartan (1913), the  NY40 footers Chinook and Rowdy (1916), the NY30 footers Linnet and Oriole (1905) that show, to this day, his ability to design fast and modern hull lines.

Charles Nicholson was also a naval “archistar” from the beginning of last century, despite never succeeding in winning the America’s Cup with the boats commissioned by Sir Thomas Lipton: Shamrock V, Velsheda, Endeavour I and Endeavour II. Moored in the Vieux Port of Cannes are Marigold (1892), the oldest yacht racing in the event, and Oiseau de Feu (1937). Alfred Mylne should also be included in that age’s top designer, having designed some of the most stunning boats of the early 19th century. Kelpie (1903) is the only Mylne design in   Cannes this year.

It was in the 1940s that a new design concept started to develop thanks to the contribution from New York based office of Sparkman & Stephens. Entreprise, Manitou, Skylark are all from 1937 and all racing in Cannes. Later in the century other designers came into the international yachting spotlight with the IOR rule: Britton Chance, Dick Carter, André Mauric, Doug Peterson, German Frers, Olin Stephens, Ron Holland…

Different hulls, sail plans, deck layouts… the early 19th century was a real melting pot of brilliant ideas and innovative technologies that we can still appreciate.

Overall results – Régates Royales de Cannes

Big Boats (9 boats)

1- Moonbeam IV (Mikael Créac’h) 3 points

2- Hallowe’en (Mick Cotter) 6 points

3- Moonbeam of Fife (Erwan Noblet) 9 points

12 Metre (3 boats)

1- Sovereign (Michel Nicolas) 5 points

2- France (Thierry Verneuil) 9 points

3- Chancegger (José de la Vega) 15 points

Vintage gaffers (16 boats)

1- Linnet (Patrizio Bertelli) 4 points

2- Spartan (Courtney Koos) 7 points

3- Chinook (Jonathan Greenwood) 14 points

Classics (16 boats)

1- Arcadia (Bruno Ricciardi) 5 points

2- Ganbare (Don Wood) 6 points

3- Maria Giovanna II (Jean-Pierre Sauvan) 13 points

Vintage Marconi >15m (16 boats)

1- Enterprise (Goran Rutgersson) 4 points

2- Leonore (Mauro Piani) 8 pts

3- Skylark of 1937 (Tony Morse) 11 pts

Vintage Marconi

1- Arrow (Phil Plumtree) 4 points

2- Carron II (Angelo Mazzarella) 7 points

3- Jalina (Carlo-Luciano Frattimi) 8 points

Spirit of Tradition (5 boats)

1- Freya of Midgard (Philippe Fabre) 3 points

2- Fairlie (Thomas Fisher) 7 points

3- Tabasco 5 (Karl Lion) 9 points

Tofinou (6 boats)

1- Pitch (Patrice Riboud) 3 points

2- Team 42 (Bernard Giroux) 5 points

3- Pippa (E. Fort) 7 points

Dragons (50 boats)

1- Anatoly Loginov – RUS (Annapurna) 55 points

2-  Jonathan Brown – GBR (Storm) 70 points

3- Javier Scherk – ESP (Gunter) 74 points

4- Nicola Friesen – GER (Smaug) 83 points

5- Stéphane Baseden – FRA (Outlaw) 87 points

5.5 Metre (18 boats)

1- Arend Jan Pasman – NED (Feng Shui) 12 points

2- Hannes Waimer – GER (Atari) 17 points

3- Max Muller – GER (Prettynama) 21 points