Ten yachts belonging to racing members of the Yacht Club de Monaco (YCM) competed in the Classics division at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez 2026, and six of them came home with a podium finish. Elena of London, Lak II and Tuiga, the Club’s flagship, each won their category, while Mariella, Carron II and Encounter completed the picture.
Fresh from her campaign on the East Coast of the United States, Tuiga, a 15 Metre built in 1909, was helmed by YCM Vice-President Pierre Casiraghi. The skipper-tactician shared the helm with two fellow Club members, two-time America’s Cup winner Jimmy Spithill and Vendée Globe skipper Boris Herrmann, within a crew of very different backgrounds that also included Baron Schroder, freediver Arnaud Jerald and 19-year-old YCM sailor Louise Debeaumont.
For Pierre Casiraghi, it all came down to teamwork: on board, “every manoeuvre is prepared”, and the timing between the helm, the trimming and the crew’s movements makes the difference. Twice runner-up behind the schooner Viveka early in the week, the Monegasque cutter used Challenge Day to contest the Gstaad Yacht Club Centenary Trophy, a nine-mile pursuit race against Kismet. Then things clicked. Although Viveka made one of the best starts on Friday, Tuiga beat her to win the race, before doing it again on Saturday to secure the Grand Tradition title for the Club’s flagship.
In third place was Mariella, Carlo Falcone’s yawl, a two-masted yacht with the smaller mast set aft, which finished in the top three in three of the four races.
Eight large yachts competed in the Big Boat category, from the three-masted schooner Atlantic to the ketch Sumurun. Owned by YCM member Mark Dixon and skippered by Stephen Benfield, Elena of London fought a week-long schooner duel with Lelantina, owned by Tigrane Djierdjian and skippered by Patrick Gibert.
Victorious from the opening race, the 55-metre schooner, built in 2009 to the lines drawn by Nathanael Herreshoff for the 1910 Elena, ended the week as she had begun it, with a win. This edition also honoured her former captain, Steve MacLaren, who oversaw her construction, with a special award.
A triangular Marconi mainsail and a build date before 1950: such is the profile of the yachts in Époque Marconi A, the largest category at Les Voiles with nineteen entries. The Monegasque-flagged 8 Metre Carron II took third place under Angelo Mazzarella. Runner-up last year, Emilia Prima finished 13th this time, with Club member Timofey Sukhotin handing the helm to Luigi Guarnaccia.
No rival could keep pace with Lak II in Époque Marconi B. Sailed by Cian O’Carroll on behalf of YCM member Michele Rubinelli, the yacht won the first three races in a row and triumphed over ten competitors.
Winner of the Classique Marconi at Les Voiles 2025, as well as at the Monaco Classic Week a few weeks earlier, Argynne III arrived as defending champion. This 1955 design, from the generation of yachts built after 1950, had also taken second place at Les Dames de Saint-Tropez in the spring, helmed by Anne Rodelato. In the top five in every race, she finished just off the podium.
Heirs to the offshore racing of the 1970s and 1980s, IOR yachts take their name from the rating rule of the era. With one race win and never lower than third, Encounter, Bart Weduwer’s Frers design, took second place. Winner in 2024 and 2025, Il Moro di Venezia, Raul Gardini’s former maxi now sailed by Massimiliano Ferruzzi, finished fourth, while Lorenzo Bortolotti’s Tarantella rounded out the top six.
Grand Tradition (4 yachts): 1st Tuiga (Pierre Casiraghi, Jimmy Spithill), 3rd Mariella (Carlo Falcone)
Big Boat (8 yachts): 1st Elena of London (Mark Dixon, skipper Stephen Benfield)
Époque Marconi A (19 yachts): 3rd Carron II (Angelo Mazzarella), 13th Emilia Prima (Timofey Sukhotin, skipper Luigi Guarnaccia)
Époque Marconi B (11 yachts): 1st Lak II (Michele Rubinelli, skipper Cian O’Carroll)
Classique Marconi (9 yachts): 4th Argynne III
IOR (7 yachts): 2nd Encounter (Bart Weduwer), 4th Il Moro di Venezia (Massimiliano Ferruzzi), 6th Tarantella (Lorenzo Bortolotti)
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