Rolex Giraglia: Mistral arrives, is it record hunt?

It’s Rolex Giraglia time. Indeed, at 12 noon today, the 241-mile offshore race will get underway, which will take the fleet of nearly 300 boats from Saint Tropez first to the Formigue, then to the Giraglia Rock, and finally to the finish line in the Principality of Monaco. Punctual as always, Mistral seems to be planning to respond to the appointment as well. In fact, conditions for the first part of the race are expected to be windy, with the Mistral likely to blow up to or over 30 knots, and then drop off.

Several pretenders to the record, first and foremost the American Maxi
Rambler 88
, George David’s serial winner that counts on a stellar cockpit (among others, in addition to Italian Silvio Arrivabene, a poker of Kiwi superstars formed by Dean Barker, Brad Butterworth, Simon Daubney and Scott Beavis). Will they succeed in the feat of lowering the record of 14h56m16s set by Igor Simcic’s Maxi Esimit Europa 2 in 2012?

We can divide the regatta into several segments. The first is the upwind, just over 30 miles, to the Formigue, where crews will mostly have to save their boats in the formed sea they will encounter as soon as they leave Saint Tropez Bay. Having rounded the Formigue it will be time to fly downwind, into the long reach to the Giraglia where the fast boats will glide and try to make the break on the smaller ones. You will need to be quick to get to Giraglia because the wind will drop overnight and then start to be variable and lighter. Having rounded the Giraglia the ascent to the finish will be complex, with the weather still developing but likely to be characterized by light winds. The arrival in Monte Carlo then will be all to be interpreted, including currents and wind shifts.

THE ROLEX GIRAGLIA
The Giraglia was conceived in 1953 as a 241mn offshore race. It has since grown and now includes approach races from San Remo and three days of coastal racing in the Bay of Saint-Tropez. In 2019 this classic regatta celebrates its 67th anniversary. The Rolex Giraglia is organized by the Yacht Club Italiano with the collaboration of the Yacht Club Sanremo and, for the 2019 edition, with the Yacht Club de Monaco, the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez and the Yacht Club de France. Rolex has been a partner of the Rolex Giraglia since 1998.

COASTAL WINNERS

With the awarding of the French trials and the big Rolex party on Ponche beach for the 2,900 participants in the Rolex Giraglia 2019, the French chapter of the Italo-Italienne regatta comes to a close.

IRC A: TP 52 – Red Arrow – by Vadim Yckimenko (5.1)
IRC B: JPK 10.80 – Rossko – by Timofey Zhbankov (4.1)
ORC A: Swan 45 – From Now On – By Fernando Chain (1,2)
ORC B: First 34.7 – L’Escargot – by Costa-Iacobucci (5.1)