PANERAI Classic Yachts Challenge Mediterranean Circuit Debuts

The world’s most beautiful classic and vintage yachts return to competition between June 1 and 5 at Les Voiles d’Antibes, the first stage of the 2016 Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge Mediterranean Circuit. Some 75 history-making craft will gather off the pretty Cote d’Azur town as guests of luxury sports watchmaker Officine Panerai which is sponsoring the leading classic sailing circuit for the 12th consecutive year.

The extraordinary fleet taking part in the 21st edition of Les Voiles d’Antibes comprises 75 historically-notable craft from a variety of different nations, not least Italy, France, England, Spain, the US and Germany. Manned by over 500-member strong  crew, the yachts are divided into different classes and categories for racing purposes: Big Boats, Classic Marconi, Vintage Gaff, Vintage Marconi, Spirit of Tradition and Tofinou (the latter being a 9.5-m fibreglass daysailer built along classic lines). In the Big Boats category, the 1928 Bermudan cutter Cambria makes a notable and very welcome return after a two-year restoration in England. The stunning 40-metre is the only surviving member of the International 23-Metre Class and will be attempting to win the Panerai Trophy in her category for the third time after previous triumphs in 2010 and 2013.

There will be centenary celebrations for two craft competing at Antibes also: the Bermudan cutter Rowdy and the gaff cutter Chinook, launched in 1916 by the Herreshoff yard in the US. Both are New York 40s, a one design commissioned by the New York Yacht Club between 1916 and 1926. Rowdy has won the Panerai Trophy in her category in 2008, 2010 and 2011, while Chinook took the honours in 2014.

Officine Panerai is also celebrating an important milestone of its own – the 80th birthday of its Bermudan ketch Eilean. Built by the legendary Fife yard of Scotland in 1936, Eilean was rediscovered at Antigua in 2006 and moved to Italy for a long and meticulous restoration after which she recommenced sailing in the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge. Eilean is not merely Panerai’s ambassador at the regattas but is also used to promote classic sailing culture as well as playing host to the “Captain for a Day” initiative staged in association with various not-for-profit organisations.

The oldest boat taking part at this year’s edition of Les Voiles d’Antibes is Lulu, an 1897 gaff cutter of around 15 metres that enjoys “national historic interest” status in France. The smallest boat competing is the 7.6-metre Cabrufa, a 1970 Folkboat. Making her racing debut will be Marga, a 1910 International 10-Metre Class. The gaff cutter represented Sweden in the 1912 Stockholm Olympics and was named Best Restoration of the Year by the prestige magazine Classic Boat after she emerged from recently-completed renovations. Other historic craft coming to Antibes include a slew of multiple Trofeo Panerai winners, all primed to unleash their competitive power to spectacular effect: the 1925 Leonore (Vintage Trophy 2012 and 2013), the 1937 Manitou, once President J.F. Kennedy’s “Floating White House” (Vintage Trophy 2015), the 1976 Moro di Venezia I (Classic Trophy 2013 and 2015), and the 1914 35-metre Moonbeam IV (Big Boats Trophy 2011, 2012 and 2015), aboard which Prince Rainier of Monaco and actress Grace Kelly spent their honeymoon.

The four races scheduled between Thursday and Sunday will play out between the Gulf of Antibes and Juan-lesPins. Aside from the extraordinary sight of these Grandes Dames doing battle at sea, there will also be photographic and art exhibitions and live concerts ashore each day. The prize-giving ceremony takes place on the afternoon of Sunday, June 5, in front of the area of the dock where the yachts are moored.

After the success of the 11th edition, the eagerly-awaited Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge returns in 2016. The leading international classic and veteran boat circuit will once again be promoted and sponsored by the Florentine luxury sports watch-maker Officine Panerai in celebration of its inextricable links to the seafaring world. Now a must for all enthusiasts, the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge brings together many of the world’s most spectacular regatta venues on two separate international circuits, spanning everything from the crystal-clear waters of the Antilles to the stunning sea and landscapes of the Mediterranean. The magnificent classic and veteran yachts it attracts, vie for, amongst other prizes, the exclusive Panerai watches presented to the winners of each stage, which last year numbered Moonbeam IV, Il Moro di Venezia I, Manitou and Siren. The 2016 season will also have amongst its stars, Eilean, Officine Panerai’s own 1936 Bermudan ketch. The prestige William Fife III-penned craft is taking part in the Mediterranean circuit regattas and will also be hosting events for seriously-ill young people in association with various not-for-profit organisations. The Captain for a Day programme, in fact, treats youngsters to an unforgettable day of skippering aboard Eilean, that also allows them experience the healing powers of the sea. The Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge calendar begins in April with the traditional Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta (13 – 19 April), which has been closing the Caribbean sailing season each year since the 1960s with a dazzling gathering of boats at English Harbour.

In June, the racing moves to the back to Europe and the Mediterranean Circuit gets underway on the Cote d’Azur with Les Voiles d’Antibes (1 – 5 June) before continuing in Italy with the Argentario Sailing Week in Tuscany (16 – 19 June). The 2016 calendar also includes Le Vele d’Epoca di Imperia (7 – 11 September), which is held every second year and draws dozens of historic craft to compete off the Ligurian coast. The season wraps up with Les Régates Royales at Cannes between September 20 and 24. Four regattas are scheduled for the North American Circuit, the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge’s twin circuit across the Pond: the Corinthian Classic Yacht Regatta at Marblehead (12 – 14 August), the Sail Nantucket Regatta, for the first time on the American calendar (19 – 20 August), the Opera House Cup at Nantucket (21 August) and the final round at Newport in the form of the Newport Classic Yacht Regatta (2 – 4 September). The legendary Isle of Wight in Great Britain provides the backdrop to the only non-Mediterranean European regatta: the Panerai British Classic Week at Cowes (16 – 23 July).