J/122 Third In St Tropez 900 Race

(St Tropez, France)- With the support of the City of Saint-Tropez, under the aegis of the FFV (Federation Francois de Voile) and the race sponsors, the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez held its famous first offshore race in the Mediterranean- the 900 nm St Tropez Race.  This "tour of the Mediterranean" makes the Giraglia and the Middle Sea Races, both notorious for having to cope with demanding and often capricious weather on the Med, look like practice races.  The St Tropez race, to give you some perspective, is nearly 35% longer, crosses a number of major shipping lanes and rounds some of the most famous (and largest) islands in the Med.  The race goes from St Tropez, to the island of Minorca, then around Sardinia, then around Corsica and back to St Tropez.

Like their other famous J/122 sisterships in Malta and Italy, Olivier Parchet's French team on his J/122 NOISY OYSTER finished third overall in IRC, just behind famous French Solo Champion Lionel Pean, in an elapsed time of 6 days, 20 hours and 58 minutes. Said Olivier, "It was a difficult finish for us since we were in first position for over 75% of the race after passing the Minorca turning mark!  A bit frustrating but nevertheless a fantastic race for us.  We're happy with the outcome, not bad for a "comfort without compromise" 40 foot sailboat!  The J/122 is simply amazing, perfect for how we sail in the Med. By the way, NOISY OYSTER will participate to Giraglia in June, Copa del Rey in Palma in July and Middle sea Race in October in Malta!"  Best regards, Olivier

In addition to the J/122, the 2011 St Tropez Overall Winner, the J/109 ALBACOR IV sailed by Jena-Louis Pezin, managed to hang tough in this demanding race to score a sixth overall in an elapsed time of 7 days, 13 hour sand 12 minutes.   For St Tropez 900 Race sailing results   For St Tropez 900 Race sailing information