GREAT SUCCESS FOR THE FIRST MEDITERRANEAN LEG OF THE PANERAI CLASSIC YACHTS CHALLENGE 2008
 
The grand opening of the sailing season took place on the Côte d’Azur at Antibes-Juan Les Pins, with the 13th edition of Les Voiles d’Antibes, the first Mediterranean leg of the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge 2008. This was organised under the aegis of the CIM (Comité International du Mediteranee) and the AIVE (Associazione Italiana Vele d’Epoca), with the collaboration of Officine Panerai for the fourth year in succession.
As is traditional, the event at Antibes was notable for the involvement of the public and the convivial atmosphere of the occasion, the regatta village being the centre of attraction in the true tradition of Les Voiles, which is to be serious and efficient at sea, and festive on land.
After 12 editions in the shadow of Fort Carrè, the ancient walls of which surround Port Vauban, one of the largest sports marinas in Europe, the epicentre of Les Voiles has now moved to a new quay in the old city, along the Esplanade Saint-Jaume. With this move the event, organised by the Yacht Club d’Antibes and the Club Nautique d’Antibes, has become even more fascinating and accessible to the public. Another interesting detail is that the buoys of the regatta course have been positioned very close to the shore, so that crowds of the public have enjoyed themselves lining the old walls of the harbour during the race days.
The weather conditions during the days of the regatta were variable, with one constant factor: the light wind, which is certainly not the ideal wind for traditional yachts. Nevertheless the organisers managed to complete the whole programme as planned, the regatta ending on Sunday with a race for which there was an unexpected clear sky and a good wind of 10 knots, following a long rainy morning.
Here are the results of Antibes 2008, the first stage of the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge.
In the Big Boats division there were three contenders in the race where the speed of Cambria (skipper Chris Barkham) proved dominant. Designed by William Fife III which in 1928 with its 40 metres. this was one of the first yachts to be fitted with the Marconi rig. Second and third places went to the two auric gems Moonbeam IV (skipper Mikael Creac’h), another Fife III built in 1920, and Lulworth (with its skipper Gerald Read), 42 metres overall dating from 1923 and the subject of the ultimate vintage yacht restoration project in recent years.
In the Vintage Auric class there was victory for Italy, with Bona Fide owned by the lawyer Giuseppe Giordano and steered helmed by the yachtsman Beppe Zaoli proving unbeatable as usual; this yacht dating from 1899 continues to surprise with its speed. In second place was the Frenchman Renee Etter’s Lulu, which holds the palm as the oldest auric yacht in the fleet (it dates from 1897), while Marigold, owned by the Briton Jason Gouldstone, was third.
The Vintage Marconi class was divided into two groups. In that for the larger yachts, victory went to the United States with Graham Walzer’s Rowdy taking a string of four first places on successive days. It was followed by the beautiful Agneta, the 25-metre yawl with its characteristic red sails constructed in 1951, which used to belong to Gianni Agnelli. Third place went to Britain with The Blue Peter, a cutter designed by Alfred Mylne and constructed in 1930. In the second group there was an Italian victory with Amorita, Claudio Mealli’s 1937 sloop with Mauro Pelaschier at the helm, which defeated Kipawa, a magnificent Baltic cutter of 1938 recently restored by the owner Claudio Valtulini, and the British Stormy Weather of Tarquin Place.
There were also two groups in the Classic Yacht category. In Group A Italy scored another success with Emeraude of Vittorio Cavazzana, after a victorious duel with the Spanish Galvana (Borja Pella) in second place, the English Outlaw, winner of the first Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge, being relegated to third place. Fourth was Stormvogel with its Irish skipper Graeme Henry, on board which was the South-African yachtsman Michael Trimming, who had been one of its constructors in 1960 and who returned on board 47 years after the yacht’s historic victory in the 1961 Fastnet Race with Sir Francis Chichester at the helm. In Group B the French scored a triple with Andrè Laffite’s Sagittarius defeating Patrice Vazeux’s Noryema IV and Bernard Olivieri’s Crazy Life.
Not to be overlooked, although not competing in the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge, there were also several 12 metre International Rule yachts which had gathered together at Antibes for the occasion. Victory went to Jacques Faroux at the helm of South Australia.
Les Voiles d’Antibes 2008 passed into history with the final prize giving which reunited all the crews, and it was universally regarded as a great success. The next leg in the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge Circuit will take place in Italy, at Porto Santo Stefano during the Argentario Sailing Week from 19 to 22 June.
Source: Panerai Website |
