(St Tropez, France)- After four days of exceptional weather conditions
sailing the inshore racing portion of the event, the teams completed the
challenging 242-nautical mile race from St Tropez, France to Sanremo,
Italy via the Giraglia Lighthouse sitting on a rocky outcrop off the
northern tip of Corsica. The forecasted blow came through for 20-35
knots and course records were broken for the big boats like the
thousand-footer, canting-keeler, water-ballasted cigar-shaped boat
called ESIMIT EUROPA.In the "real sailors" division, the various J's sailed well in the tough conditions and managed to hang into the overall standings. In the end, for IRC A, Giancarlo Ghislanzoni on his J/122 CHESTRESS 3 finished 6th overall in the five race series. The J/122 ARTIE from Malta, owned by Lee Satariano and co-skippered by Christian Ripard were able to finish 9th overall despite not sailing the fourth race. And Olivier Parchet's J/122 NOISY OYSTER finished 11th. As a result, the J's were the best performing brand in the top fifteen for the series.
This
historic edition – running 242nm from Saint-Tropez, France to Sanremo,
Italy – was eagerly anticipated and provided a poignant opportunity to
reflect on the race’s evolution through the ages. “The event is the
oldest in the Mediterranean and its spirit comes from having a mixed
fleet: from small, family-run boats to professional crews who have taken
part in events like the America’s Cup,” reflected Carlo Croce,
President of event organizers the Yacht Club Italiano and son of Beppe
Croce, one of the race’s co-founders. “This is the essence of the
Giraglia Rolex Cup and it is important that it has not been lost.” The
event has grown enormously. That first edition in 1953 welcomed 22 boats
while in 2012, 170 yachts from eighteen different countries crossed the
start line.The choice of race course for the 2012 event was particularly significant: Sanremo was the arrival point for the first ever race when it commenced from Cannes, and the sailing paradise of Saint-Tropez provided the departure point for several of the early editions.
Saint-Tropez has been the permanent home for the start of the race since 1998 when Rolex commenced its involvement with the competition. At the time, ‘La Giraglia’ was a struggling giant and these two factors have aided its re-emergence as the most respected offshore race in the Mediterranean.
Thirty
knots of breeze welcomed the race start and around 40 knots were
present when some teams rounded the race’s key strategic point – the
Giraglia rock, located 1-nm north of Corsica. On reaching the rock at
sunset, the crew on ESIMIT EUROPE made a crucial tactical maneuver: “We
didn’t jibe around the Giraglia rock as it was so windy, so we tacked
around just to make sure we didn’t break anything.” Prudence was
rewarded and despite tamer conditions as Esimit Europa 2 approached
Sanremo, the race record was demolished. The winning time was 14 hours,
56 minutes and 16 seconds - just over three hours ahead of the yardstick
set by Alfa Romeo 2 - and only the sixth time in the last fifty years
that the record has been broken.As the late Beppe Croce, one of the event’s founders, once reflected following the race’s inception: “The aim was to find something new and challenging, a rise in quality at an age when offshore racing was still characterized by family-organised competitions. There was a desire to give life to a real race, following the formula of famous international events like the (Rolex) Fastnet.” Sixty years later, that ambition has been realized - the Giraglia Rolex Cup is a benchmark in its own right. For more Rolex Giraglia Race sailing information
