At les voiles D’antibes, 42 vintage boats for the panerai classic yachts challenge 2009

At les voiles D’antibes, 42 vintage boats for the panerai classic yachts challenge 2009 
 
 
42 vintage and classic yachts took part between 3rd and 7th June in Antibes, the French Riviera resort, in the fourteenth Les Voiles d'Antibes regatta, the first Mediterranean leg of the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge 2009, now in its fifth year. This level of participation was in line with previous editions, and confirms the continued interest shown by boat owners and crews in this event dedicated to vintage boats and sponsored by Officine Panerai.
 
For five days Port Vauban, near the ancient Bastion Saint Jaume, came alive with the presence of around 400 crew members and thousands of spectators who, from morning to late evening, had the chance to visit the regatta village, dominated by the Officine Panerai lounge, this year set up on top of the ancient walls, the perfect site from which to enjoy a spectacular view and watch the entire regatta course.
 
The boats were split between four groups, further divided into sub-categories: Marconi Classic (15 entries), Vintage Aurica boats (4 entries), Marconi Vintage (15 entries) and Spirit of Tradition (4 entries). Also taking part were four boats that competed in two separate match-races (one-against-one). The first of these took place between the 12-Meter International Tonnage yachts South Australia (1985) and Kookaburra III (1986), while the second took place between the two aurica cutters Moonbeam IV from 1914 and Moonbeam of Fife from 1903, respectively 30 and 25 meters in length.
 
Six boats over a hundred years old were present: in addition to Moonbeam of Fife mentioned above, were Iona, a Marconi Vintage from 1899, the aurica yachts Tigris and Bona Fide, both built in 1899, Wayward from 1908 and the 12-meter Lulu from 1897, the oldest participating boat and considered a national historic treasure in France. During one of the Les Voiles d’Antibes regattas, Lulu defeated Bona Fide, the same boat that gained the upper hand over the same Lulu on the occasion of the Paris Olympic Games of 1900. In any case, in the final ranking at Antibes, it was once again Bona Fide that won the category.
 
On Thursday 4th and Friday 5th June, the regattas took place over quadrilateral courses of distances varying between 10 and 12.5 miles, with changeable southerly winds of 4 to 10 knots, often under cloudy skies but with no rain. On Saturday 6th June it was the turn of the 22-mile coastal regatta, interrupted in the early afternoon by strong south-westerly winds that hit the French coast. The strong winds and high waves soon convinced the regatta committee to call the boats back to port. Also on Sunday 7th June, the concluding day of Les Voiles d’Antibes 2009, the south-west winds were strong, but before they became too intense it was possible to finish the third regatta, valid for the final ranking, that was raced on a turquoise sea along a triangular race course.
 
All the boats raced according to a compensated time scheme, with an APM (allowance per mile) set according to their tonnage certificate. The APM defines how many seconds per mile need to be deducted from the actual time taken by each boat in order to obtain the compensated time valid for the final ranking.
 
Among the stars of the regatta was Chaplin, the Italian Navy’s 16.75 meters Sangermani, this year celebrating the 25th anniversary of its launch. This boat will take part in all the upcoming classic yachts regattas. Chaplin won the Marconi ‘A’ Classic Yachts category for boats over 15 metres in length.
 
Every yacht at Antibes had its own story to tell. Like the 23-metre Marconi ketch Adria, built by German shipyard Abeking & Rasmussen in 1934. During the second world war it was sailed off the north coast of France by the Third Reich field marshal Erwin Rommel, he who would later become famous by the name “the Desert Fox”. The boat was saved from destruction by Rommel himself who prevented it from being requisitioned and dismantled to use the lead of the ballast for the German munitions industry.
 
One of the new attractions at Les Voiles d’Antibes 2009 was the presence of Nazgul of Fordell, a 23.60-meter Spirit of Tradition yacht built in 2008 by the Spirit Yachts shipyard of Ipswich, England, to a design by Sean McMillan. This boat, built using the cross planking technique, can reach and exceed a speed of 15 knots. Nazgul of Fordell, with its shape and deck typical of a vintage boat, has the quick works of a modern yacht, including a weighted keel and centreboard and a carbon mast. Also Ilhabela II, a 14-meter sloop from 2005 entered in the Spirit of Tradition category, was designed and built by the same shipyard and designer and at Antibes was winner in its class.
 
The record of participation in all the editions of Les Voiles d’Antibes belongs to Outlaw, a 15-meter Marconi cutter from 1963, always recognisable as it displays the name of the boat below the waterline when sailing upwind.
 
The elegant 18-meter Rowdy, a New York 49 from 1916, already winner of the Panerai Trophy in 2008 in the “Vintage” category did not disappoint, winning the Marconi Vintage ‘B’ category for yachts of length not greater than 15 metres.
 
The Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge 2009 circuit will continue in the Mediterranean with the Vele d'Epoca at Porto Rotondo in Italy (10-13 September) and the Régates Royales in Cannes, France (21-26 September), while the United States will host the Robert Tiedemann Classic Week End (Newport, 27-28 June), The Opera House Cup (Nantucket, 7-16 August) and the Museum of Yachting Classic Yacht Regatta (Newport, 5-6 September).