After four exceptional editions, the 47th Régates Royales de Cannes are once again looking very promising this year. The storms that raged over the weekend are now behind us, and the weather forecast is superb, typical of Cannes on this first day of autumn.
On Monday, September 22, the 32 Dragons kicked off the competition in the East harbor in a breeze that slowly but surely picked up to 20-25 knots, creating choppy waters under a bright sun. This heavy 9-meter keelboat with a tapered hull, designed in 1929 by the Norwegian Anker and nicknamed “the sailboat of kings,” is extremely technical to trim and climbs into the wind like a spider climbing a wall. It has long attracted the cream of the regatta, including many former Olympic medalists and European and world champions. After two superb races, Germany's Dirk Pramanin took the lead ahead of the British Dragon led by Klaus Diderichs and Martin Westerdhal, with Italian Diego Negri, former Star world and European champion, as tactician... Gérard Blanc, president of the International Dragon Class... and treasurer of the Cannes Yacht Club, is delighted: “Not only do we have a very international fleet, but we also have ‘champagne sailing’ conditions with wind and warm seas for this first day of racing. It's no surprise that many sailors love to come and compete in the Régates Royales. They are welcomed like royalty at the YCC... and I'm delighted!”
Among the 12 MJI boats, legendary America's Cup sailboats from the 1980s, which raced in the western harbor, the match was exciting in a shifty wind, oscillating from northwest to southwest at around 20 knots. Danish sailor Jes Gren Hansen on Kiwi Magic, finalist in the Louis Vuitton Cup in 1987, leads after two races, ahead of South Australia led by Yann Deplace and French Kiss – Christophe Babule, Marc Pajot – which recently celebrated its 40th anniversary in Hyères with most of the original crew.
Tomorrow, the nine other Big Boat series will enter the fray at Tofinou. Jean-François Cutugno, president of the Cannes Yacht Club, is understandably delighted. The village on the quay is already packed for a Monday, and “sailing” from one point to another is like leaving a stadium after a match: “We have nearly 140 boats, some of the most beautiful in the world.” He taps on his weather app: “The week is shaping up to be exceptional once again with dream weather. I see nothing but sunshine and moderate winds, ideal for racing. The stars seem to be aligning. What more can I say!”
Institutional partners: AFYT Association Française des Yachts de Tradition, Cannes Sports, Département 06, FFVoile, Région Sud, Ville de Cannes, Yacht Club de Cannes.
Official partners: HighField, Carlton Hotel Cannes, IGY Marinas – Old Port of Cannes, Marinepool, Palais des Festivals, Champagne Taittinger. Technical partners: DAB Boissons, Palm Beach Hotel Cannes, ICOM France, Key4events, SNSM Société Nationale Sauvetage en Mer, Trans Côte d’Azur. Media partners: Cannes Radio, France TV.
Royalty-free photos: Stéphane Conte (credit required)
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