After the traditional Swiss Night, which opened the festivities on Wednesday evening on the Place des Lices, the crews entered for the Gstaad Yacht Club Centenary Trophy met on the water at midday.

"The Centenary Trophy was created 15 years ago. One of our members, the owner of Mariquita, found himself facing her 100th anniversary in 2011. There were few entries in the first edition. The fleet has grown considerably since then. We are delighted to see how far the regatta has come."
— Manrico Iachia, Commodore of the Gstaad Yacht Club

"It is always a pleasure to have more and more centenarians at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez. You realise how extremely well this heritage is looked after by owners who are deeply in love with their boats. It reflects a passion for sailing, for the sea and for a maritime ethic that must be preserved."
— Pierre Roison, President of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez

As every year since its creation in 2011, the competition was run in pursuit race format, which allows every yacht to race on equal terms. The boats cross the start line at a time set according to their rating, and the first to cross the finish line wins.

This year it was Lulu, a gaff cutter from 1897, who opened proceedings, setting off first in front of the Tour du Portalet at 12.35. One by one, the other competitors set off in pursuit. Sumurun (1914), the largest yacht in the fleet at 34.8 metres overall, was the last to start. On board was the Swiss sailor Élodie-Jane Mettraux, delighted to be taking part in the Gstaad Yacht Club Centenary Trophy once again.

"I have taken part in the Centenary Trophy several times. The first was a few years ago with Alain Moati, the former owner of Sumurun. It is a beautiful regatta. Starting one after another and seeing whether you can catch the leader is a different exercise. This day does not count towards the Voiles de Saint-Tropez standings, but it lets you enjoy the boat and watch the others. It is wonderful!"
— Élodie-Jane Mettraux, on board Sumurun

A nine-nautical-mile course

Ahead of the bows of these magnificent yachts, witnesses to the golden age of yachting: nine nautical miles. After a start between the Tour du Portalet and a white buoy, the crews left the La Rabiou and La Moutte marks to starboard, then the Red buoy and the La Rabiou marks to port, before returning in front of the Tour du Portalet.

Kismet, winner of the Gstaad Yacht Club Centenary Trophy

The light airs favoured Kismet, third to leave the Tour du Portalet. First to round the red buoy, the 1898 Fife design gave her rivals no chance, becalmed as they were on the approach to the mark.

"We nearly did not sail today given the forecast. In the end we went to the briefing this morning and decided to race. We were lucky. The conditions were perfect for Kismet, who is very quick in light winds. We had a good leg up to the red buoy, where we had a big lead over our pursuers. The wind then dropped away completely, which allowed us to get away in 3 to 4 knots on the way back."
— Sir Richard Matthews, owner of Kismet since 2005

See you next year at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez for the 16th edition of the Gstaad Yacht Club Centenary Trophy.

Further information and a gallery of photographs from previous editions can be found on the Centenary Trophy website: https://gyccentenarytrophy.com

Winners of the Centenary Trophy

• 2011: Bonafide (1899)
• 2012: Marigold (1892)
• 2013: Not awarded (unfavourable weather conditions)
• 2014: Olympian (1913)
• 2015: Oriole (1905)
• 2016: Spartan (1913)
• 2017: Tilly XV (1912)
• 2018: Tilly XV (1912)
• 2019: Olympian (1913)
• 2021: Olympian (1913)
• 2022: Kismet (1898)
• 2023: Spartan (1913)
• 2024: Oriole (1905)
• 2025: Leonore (1925)
• 2026: Kismet (1898)

Notes to Editors

Gstaad Yacht Club

The Gstaad Yacht Club was founded in 1998 by a group of passionate sailors with the mission to "create a unique global yacht club away from the water, rather than another local yacht club by the sea". Located in the Swiss Alps and initially met with some surprise, the Gstaad Yacht Club has grown into a club of 400 members from more than 40 different countries and a place where members and their guests enjoy coming together. Its reciprocal club network now extends across all continents. The annual events calendar includes a wide variety of social, sporting and sailing events, organised by a dedicated team of three, together with ten volunteer members of the Board and Committee, who organise up to 90 event days each year.

The GYC supports sailing projects at every level, from juniors to professional sailors, and has become an important player in Swiss sailing, particularly in Olympic sailing and classic yachting.

Since 2011, topics relating to the protection of oceans and waters, as well as other sustainability and environmental well-being themes, have become an integral part of Club life, enriched by collaborations and events with figures and organisations such as Sylvia Earle, the Blue Marine Foundation, IUCN Ocean Ambassador William Winram and the Gstaad Cultural Encounters.

Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez

Founded in 1862, the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez has been organising nautical events for more than 160 years. Some of its members have left an enduring mark, including Guy de Maupassant in 1887 and Paul Signac in 1897, President of the SNST from 1908 to 1911, who were among the pioneers of French yachting. Affiliated with the FFVoile and an allied club of the Yacht Club de France, the SNST has continued to grow with the guiding principle of remaining open to modernity and innovation while respecting tradition. Supported by a passionate team, including 15 members of the Board of Directors, three permanent staff, 500 members and many volunteers, the Club organises major events such as Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, the Festival ArMeN, Les Dames de Saint-Tropez, Les Voiles d'Automne and the Mediterranean offshore race Paprec 600 Saint-Tropez. It also co-organises events such as the Loro Piana Giraglia in Saint-Tropez. The Club regularly hosts exceptional international events, including TP52, Swan and Dragon regattas, the French stage of SailGP and, in 2026, the Cape 31 World Championship.

The Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez was the challenger club for the French team in the 2024 America's Cup and will again hold this role for the 2027 America's Cup in Naples.

Press Contact

Soazig Gueho – mobile +33 6 62 08 75 44 – email: [email protected]
Photographer: Jürg Kaufmann – [email protected] – https://juergkaufmann.com/centenary-trophy – © Juerg Kaufmann / GYC
Sailing Officer: Daniel Heine
Managing Director: Cindy Schoenrich
Administration & Events: Nina Onezhskaya / Alberto Almeida – [email protected] – +41 33 748 0190 – www.gstaadyachtclub.com

 

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