The season-closing Régates Royales de Cannes delivered a fitting finale to the 12th edition of the Panerai Classic Yacht Challenge, the leading international circuit for classic and vintage craft.More than 80 of the most beautiful yachts in sailing history did battle for the Panerai watches destined for the event winners in addition to, of course, the Panerai Trophies for the top-scoring yachts of the season. The three craft that wrote their names in the 2016 Circuit roll of honour were Moon beam IV in the Big Boats, Chinook in the Vintage Yachts and Ganbare in the Classic Yachts.
After her victories in 2011, 2012 and 2015, the gaff cutter Moonbeam IV, a 35-metre splashed in 1914 at the William Fife & Son shipyard in Scotland, took the prestigious Big Boats season trophy for the fourth time,a record unmatched by any other boat. Her French owner Xavier Tancogne and skipper Mikaél Créac’h were also celebrating the 10th anniversary of their decision to get the famous yacht on which Prince Rainier of Monaco and his American bride Grace Kelly honeymooned, back sailing.Now based in Spain and flying the burgee of the Real Club Nautico de Palma, Moonbeam IV competed in three of the four rounds this season. She won all four of herraces in her class at Cannes, beating the legendary Big Boats Moonbeam of Fife (1903), Hallowe’en (1926), Elena of London (2009) and Cambria (1928) in doing so.
The gaff cutter Chinook could not have celebrated her centenary year in more glorious fashion either. Launched in 1916 by the Herresh off yard in the US, this 19.8-metre is one of only four NY 40 (New York 40) still sailing out of a total of 14 built between 1916 and 1926. This is the second occasion on which Chinook has written her name on the Panerai Trophy Vintage Yachts roll of honour. This time, she won under the ownership of Paolo Zannoni, who acquired her in 2015 from her former English owner Graham Walker, a multiple winner of the Trophy with Rowdy (1916), also present at Cannes. Chinook competed in every round of the 2016 circuit, clocking up a total of 14 races and out-sailing other aspiring victors of the calibre the Q-Class Leonore (1925) and Rowdy to the title.
On her maiden outing in the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge the One Tonner Ganbare, built from red cedar wood by the Carl Eichenlaub yard in San Diego (USA)in 1973, took the Panerai Trophy in the Classic Yachts category. She was the first yacht designed by Californian Doug Peterson, who soon became one of the world’s most renowned pens. In 2016, Ganbare competed in three rounds of the Panerai circuit, doing battle with such glorious craft as Naïf (1973), Il Moro di Venezia (1976) and Sagittarius (1971).
Four prestige Panerai watches were also presented to the winners of the main categories of the Régates Royales de Cannes. The victor in the Big Boats was Moonbeam IV, while Patrizio Bertelli’s Linnet (1905), the 10th of 18 NewYork Yacht Club 30s to be built, took the honours in the Vintage Yachts. The 1969 Bermudan sloop Arcadia took the watch in the Classic Yacht category while Freya of Midgard (2001) did likewise in the Spirit of Tradition.
The Challenge of Challenges, in which two yachts go head-to-head with the first over the line declared the winner, was a tie between schooner Elena of London and Cambria,after a truly spectacular race in full sail that provided unique viewing to the spectators ashore.
In the International 5.5-Metre Class, after three days of racing and a total of eight races, overall victory went to the Dutch yacht, Feng Shui, while Pitch, built in 2006, took the top step of the Tofinou 9.5 podium having won three out ofthe four races held.
The winners at Cannes in all the individual categories into which the fleet was divided: Moonbeam IV(Big Boats), Arcadia (Classic Yachts), Enterprise (Vintage Marconi > 15 m), Arrow (Vintage Marconi < 15 m), Linnet(Vintage Gaff), Freya of Midgard (Spirit of Tradition),Sovereign (International 12-Metre Class). Overall victory amongst the 50 Dragons that competed in Cannes went to the Russian boat Annapurna after 10 races and under the captaincy of the class champion Anatoly Loginov.
our of the five scheduled races went ahead at Cannes – the final one was cancelled because of a lack of wind. The others were held over coastal and triangular courses of up to 20 miles in medium winds and summery temperatures.The fleet spanned 84 historic craft which were flanked by 18 International 5.5 Metre Classes and 50 Dragons, the world’s most popular one design keel boat, adding up to a total of 152 vessels.
After a hugely successful 2016 season that spanned 11 regattas spread across Europe, the Caribbean and the US, and attracted approximately 500 classic beauties, the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge will return, to the delight of enthusiasts, at Antigua in April 2017.
