September Thursday 25: Dead calm weather!

After three wonderful days of “champagne sailing,” as the Anglo-Saxons say, the wind decided to take a break on Thursday. Not a breath of wind. Nothing. Nada... At 3 p.m., the race committees blew the whistle to end the break, and everyone returned to shore.

Mid-afternoon. The village is packed with people, and the locals, tourists and onlookers who usually stroll along the quays at this time of day are delighted. They watch each of the sailboats moor and don't miss a thing. Smartphones are buzzing... The sailors don't take offense, unloading their sails before meeting up at the bar. Regattas are also a lesson in patience, and when there is a calm, which in sailing jargon means no wind, they adapt. To think that off the coast of the Azores, Hurricane Gabrielle is generating winds of force 12 and above at the same time, forcing race organizers to cancel the first leg of the Mini Transat so that the 90 competitors can seek shelter as quickly as possible. And then, for the crews' dinner, they won't suffer from aching muscles or eyes reddened by salt. On Friday, Aeolus should be a little more understanding, if the thermal breeze coming in from the open sea isn't “crushed” by a north wind and nasty clouds.

Reaching his boat moored at Quai Laubeuf, he greets everyone with a gesture as discreet as it is friendly, shaking a few hands. Then he carefully takes off his shoes and steps onto the Recluta gangway. This elegant man in a white polo shirt and black Bermuda shorts, with a tanned complexion, silver hair, and thick eyebrows, is Argentine. In the sailing world, he is a living legend. His name is German Frers, and he remains one of the greatest naval architects of all time. He has designed more than 1,300 racing and cruising sailboats, notably for the Nautor-Swan, Hallberg Rassy, and Bénéteau shipyards, the America's Cup, the round-the-world race, the Admiral's Cup, and more. Many of “his” old IOR boats are racing here in Cannes. At 84 years old, German Frers lets no one else steer his ketch Recluta, which is racing in the “Epoque Marconi > 15 m” category. This 20.36-meter sailboat was designed by his father, German Frers Sr., in 1943, but was never completed. German decided to bring it back to life in 2016, and brought it from Buenos Aires to Cannes via Martinique to compete in the Régates Royales in 2021. 

He had sworn to return before having to part with this sublime sailboat, which he has put up for sale. Yesterday, Wednesday, in a strong breeze, Recluta won in real time and in the overall time-on-time classification, taking 8th place just behind two sailboats designed by the prestigious Stephens & Sparkman firm in New York... where a certain German Frers began his career as a naval architect at a young age, before achieving global success and then launching his son Mani into the footsteps of this incredible family saga.

Finally, on Friday, September 26, at 7:30 p.m. at the Régates Royales village on Quai Saint-Pierre, Gérard d'Aboville, president, and the members of the board of directors: Pascale Bladier-Chassaigne, general delegate, Jean-François Cutugno, president of the Cannes Yacht Club, and Damien Giguet, president of Shift Capital, will present the PMF-Shift Capital Maritime Heritage Award.

All results here: manage2sail.com

47^ème Régates Royales de Cannes : Partenaires institutionnels : AFYT Association Française des Yachts de Tradition, Cannes Sports, Département 06, FFVoile, Région Sud, Ville de Cannes, Yacht Club de Cannes. Partenaires officiels : HighField, Hôtel Carlton Cannes, IGY Marinas – Vieux Port de Cannes, Marinepool, Palais des Festivals, Champagne Taittinger. Partenaires techniques : DAB Boissons, Hôtel Palm Beach Cannes, ICOM France, Key4events, SNSM Société Nationale Sauvetage en Mer, Trans Côte d’Azur. Partenaires médias : Cannes Radio, France TV.

Photos libres de droit pour la presse : Didier Ravon/YCC (crédit obligatoire)

A retenir :

-        Dates : du 21 au 27 septembre 2025

-        Site web : www.regatesroyales.net

-        Service de presse : yccommunication@gmail.com