LIVING HISTORY

THE ICONIC SEASON-CLOSING REGATTA LES VOILES DE SAINT TROPEZ WAS AN IMMERSIVE HISTORY LESSON FOR CROSBIE LORIMER

The great French sailor, Eric Tabarly, an instrumental figure in the origins of what is now Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, is reputed to have said that strolling along the quays of the riviera town during this regatta was like 'flicking through the pages of a maritime history book.

Tabarly's words deftly distil the essence of this unique event held each year in the small town of Saint-Tropez, perched on a north facing promontory in the gulf to which it gives its name.

At first sight it seems inconceivable that this charming but pocket-sized fishing port could possibly accommodate the majority of the 250-boat fleet, representing almost 135 years of yacht design history, that descends on Saint-Tropez each year.

But remarkably, for the last 25 years the skilled RIB drivers of the Capitainerie (Saint-Tropez's busy harbour master's office) have somehow nudged, towed and coaxed everything from 130ft schooners and modern maxis to small engineless sloops into cheek-by-jowl order along the harbour's modest walls and pontoons.

It's perhaps that very concentration of yachting history, all in one place, that lends this event its charmed intensity, drawing huge crowds down the town's narrow laneways to walk the quays or admire the scene from the numerous waterfront eateries.

Sir Richard Matthews, founder of Oyster Yachts, has sailed at Les Voiles for many years, returning for the event's 25th anniversary in 2024 with his 12 Metre Crusader. He remains beguiled by the whole experience.

"It's a magic place," he said. "You walk the docks at Saint-Tropez, it's yacht porn basically! It's just unique in my experience with the bands playing in the streets. Everybody loves it and we certainly do, it's fantastic." This relaxed end-of-season atmosphere at Les Voiles owes much to the conscious efforts of the host club Société Nautique Saint-Tropez (SNST) to preserve the spontaneous, quirky DNA of the event's origins.