The near 170 Giraglia Rolex Cup race participants left for Genoa today at 12:20 in a blaze of colour and noise, with an easterly wind of 20 knots. The teams are well on their way now and will spend their first night in gradually calming conditions, tomorrow navigating with winds between 3 and 9 knots. With the yacht club premises positioned centre stage on the front, more than 500 spectators watched the start line action from the various vantage points along the waterfront and from a large fleet of spectator craft.
The 242-nautical mile distance race from St Tropez to a turning mark at La Fourmigue, and onward via the Giraglia Rock at the northern tip of Corsica will then take them to the finish in the Italian port of Genoa.
For Vladimir Liubomirov, Commodore at the Yacht Club of Saint-Petersburg, his dream is finally becoming a reality; he first became interested in Nautor’s Swan four years ago at the Geneva Boat Show and although visited the boatyard in Finland it was another four years before the yacht was commissioned and constructed. Finished only in time for the racing season this year, the Swan 60, Bronenosec has gone full steam ahead throwing herself into the toughest competitions in the Mediterranean against world-record holding teams.
The idea is to put Russian sailing back on the map. Although the first yacht club was established in St. Petersburg in 1724 by Peter the Great, sailing in Russia has had a turbulent history and at times has been non-existent. After the October Revolution sailing clubs were in decline and only grew again after the Second World War during which time there were many regattas and many famous sailors emerged. But again after Perestroika sailing died and the country experienced more than 10 years of silence.
Vladimir Liubomirov, Commodore at the Yacht Club of Saint-Petersburg, commented;
“Our club deals with real sport, everything from Olympic classes to the children’s sport school. For us it’s very important to create community, you can see everywhere Gazprom’s social responsibility. The core values of sailing are strength, determination, skill and team-work and Gazprom want to teach these values to Russian youngsters through their sponsorship of the children’s sailing academy at St. Petersburg Yacht Club. Together we aim to put Russian sailing back on the map. Campaigning Bronenosec and flying the Russian flag on her stern is the first stop on a much bigger and wider project for St. Petersburg Yacht Club supported by Gazprom.”
The Giraglia Rolex Cup is organised by the Yacht Club Italiano, in conjunction with the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez and the Yacht Club de France.