The 73rd Loro Piana Giraglia offshore race got underway from Saint-Tropez on Wednesday, sending an international fleet on one of the Mediterranean's most celebrated courses. The race takes competitors from Saint-Tropez to Genoa via the iconic Giraglia Rock off northern Corsica. Organised by Yacht Club Italiano and Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, the event has attracted close to 1,000 sailors from 45 nations across six continents.
Ireland is represented in the race by the Dublin Ker 46 Searcher 2 skipered by Pete Smyth.
A light easterly breeze of around eight knots greeted the fleet at the start. The conditions provided a short beat before crews cracked sheets and hoisted sails downwind for the passage towards Corsica.
The fleet ranges from 30-metre maxi yachts to classic racers and smaller offshore boats under 10 metres in length. Among the early pace-setters were Lindsay Owen Jones' Verdier 100 Magic Carpet E and Benussi Furio's Don Jones 100 ARC SGR, both making strong starts in the Maxi division.
One notable absentee was Leopard 3, which returned to Saint-Tropez before the start. Organisers said the boat did not race due to a private matter and confirmed all crew were safe and well. Weather is expected to play a major role in the outcome. Navigators face a complex forecast with light and shifting winds across the course.
"This year, the Loro Piana Giraglia will be about managing transitions, not just boat speed," said Silvio Arrivabene, navigator aboard Giovanni Lombardi Stronati's Wallyrocket 51 Django. "The key is to stay with the breeze and negotiate each change as it comes," he added.
The race awards include the Loro Piana Challenge Trophy for overall victory on corrected time, line honours for the first yacht to finish in Genoa, and the Trofeo Beppe Croce for the first boat to round the Giraglia Rock.
Yacht Club Italiano President Carlo Cameli described the Giraglia as a race "every sailor wants to have on their record". "This is a race with great tradition, but it is also alive because every edition creates new stories and new memories," he said.
The fleet is now making its way towards the Giraglia Rock before turning north for the finish in Genoa.
