Giraglia Rolex Cup: Race around the clock underway

The famous race is underway. At 12:45 today an international fleet of 209 yachts commenced the 65th running of the Giraglia Rolex Cup. Departing from Saint-Tropez, France, their destination is the historic port city of Genoa, Italy with 241-nautical miles of tactically challenging sailing in constantly shifting weather patterns lying ahead. On route to Genoa, the fleet will round the race’s symbolic landmark, the Giraglia rock, located off the northern tip of Corsica.

Following a sunshine start under a consistent 6-8 knots of wind, the early stages of the race went to form with the three Maxi 72s leading the fleet and picking up good speed as the breeze built on the passage to La Fourmigue. Alex Schärer’s Caol Ila R, top performer in the week’s inshore series, Sir Peter Ogden’s Jethou from the United Kingdom and Dieter Schön’s German entrant Momo, optimized specifically for offshore racing, are set to dominate the front of the race. 

Schärer identified the Giraglia rock as a key juncture in the race. Ogden was in agreement: “It is important to round the rock before the wind dies. After that we will look at the forecast and choose the best route to Genoa.”

CHALLENGING FORECAST
Processing the latest weather data on the docks this morning, navigators were largely in agreement that the 2017 race will be dominated by lighter conditions notably on the final leg from the Giraglia rock to the finish line in front of the Yacht Club Italiano clubhouse in Genoa. “You can divide this race into lots of small sections,” explains Gérald Véniard, French navigator/tactician on Wallyño, someone who relishes the persistent challenges the Giraglia Rolex Cup offshore race presents. “It’s the weather which will determine the technical difficulty of each part. The Mediterranean is very unique, with weather patterns which are not always kind. The wind can pick up and then drop very quickly. This capricious nature gives every boat its chance.” Matteo Capurro, tactician on Adriano Calvini’s Itacentodue believes the race will demand a lot of energy and crew resources. “It will be very hard because of the constant changes in wind intensity. To make sure you have the right sails at the right time is hugely important.”  

The weather, and how successfully crews are able to adapt tactically and navigationally to changing situations, plays a significant role in determining the overall race winner, decided on corrected time, and theoretically within reach of any yacht in the fleet. The race’s democratic nature is reflected in the diversity of the recent winners - last year Frenchman Gilles Pages helmed the Corinthian-sailed 36-ft Tip to success while in 2015 Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones’s cutting-edge Wally Cento Magic Carpet Cubed claimed the race’s main prize.

The frontrunners were forecasting arrival at the Giraglia rock at around sunrise on Thursday morning and arrival in Genoa later that same day or in the early hours of Friday morning.

Live tracking of the fleet can be found at www.giragliarolexcup.com

A NATURAL AND SUPPORTIVE PARTNER
Rolex has always sought to associate with activities that, like itself, are motivated by passion, excellence, precision and team spirit. Naturally, Rolex gravitated toward the elite world of sailing, forming an alliance that dates back to the late 1950s. Today, Rolex is Title Sponsor of some 15 major international events.

From leading offshore races, such as the Rolex Sydney Hobart, the biennial Rolex Fastnet Race and the Giraglia Rolex Cup, through to the highest-level one-design competition at the Rolex Farr 40 World Championship, spectacular gatherings at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and the Rolex Swan Cup, as well as its close relationships with the most prestigious yacht clubs around the world, including the Yacht Club Italiano, New York Yacht Club (US) and the Royal Yacht Squadron (Cowes, UK), Rolex is driven by a passion for excellence and a great appreciation for yachting that furthers the strong ties that bind these two singular worlds.

PRESS ENQUIRIES:

For further information on Rolex and Yachting please contact:

Ms Virginie Chevailler
Rolex SA
virginie.chevailler@rolex.com
+41 22 302 26 19

Mr Giles Pearman
Quinag 
giles@quinagcommunication.com
+41 79 763 37 34

Media contact for Italy:

YACHT CLUB ITALIANO
Clare Mahon
clare.mahon@yci.it          
+39 348 4943675 

OFFICIAL WEBSITE
www.giragliarolex.cup.it

www.rolex.com