Hobnobbing with the Rich and Famous
Call it serendipity or just dumb luck. We were heading back to Provence after another visit to Corsica (more about that later). Being afflicted with sailboatomania, I chose the coast road that runs west from Nice, past yacht basins stuffed with boats to die for. When we got to Cannes, the forest of masts took on a whole new look. Wooden masts and - as we got closer - the long, rakish hulls of classic boats from the Thirties and earlier.
Dozens of them, more than I had ever seen (other than in my dreams). Also 12-meter Americas Cup yachts from the Fifties and Sixties, Dragon class racing boats (80 of them, from 14 countries), and a jumble of cruising boats of all types and sizes. Turns out that we had blundered into the Royal Regattas - a weeklong classic boat event hosted by several Riviera yacht clubs and sponsored by the fashion house Prada and others.
To participate your boat had to be built before 1950 (antique) or before 1976 (classic) or as a replica of an old design. There was also a new category this year: boats built of modern materials but "in the spirit of yachting tradition." In other words, big, fast and expensive. I won't get into the details of how the boats were classed and handicapped. The rules have evolved since the first international regatta held in Cannes in 1906. The first participants were "meter yachts" - 6 meters, 8 meters and 12 meters. In 1921 it was renamed the "Royal Regatta" in honor of the King of Denmark and other titled sailors who raced their yachts on the Riviera. The Royal Regatta has become one of the world's largest get-togethers of classic yachts, "meter yachts" (including a dozen 12-meter boats, most of whom raced in the Americas Cup over the past three decades) and Dragon Class racers. Here are some facts: over 300 boats with crews totaling approximately 3000.
The oldest boat was Partridge, a 65-footer built in 1885 by Camper & Nicholson and recently restored over a 17-year period. The largest was Creole, a three-masted schooner designed by Nicholson and launched in 1927. It's almost 200 ft. long and has been owned since 1983 by the Gucci family. There they all were, lined up like thoroughbreds, moored "Med-style" (perpendicular to the dock), teak and brass glistening.
Crews in matching outfits lounged on the decks or touched up the polish. Others, plus press people and sponsors, clustered around the bar. Very pretty people, with end-of-summer tans and fancy sunglasses. Then it was time to start another race. One by one, most of the boats cast off and motored out into the bay to start another race. Alas, no wind. Nothing. We watched those giant sails slatting around for a while, got back into our car, took one last look at those gorgeous flightless birds and headed home. PS. Next year the Prada Challenge for Classic Yachts starts at Cowes, England, with the world championship for 12 meter boats (August 18-25), then moves to Minorca and Sardinia before coming to the Riviera for a series of events from Sept. 13 to October 7.
