Olympian wins Gstaad Yacht Club Centenary Trophy 2019 at photo-finish
Olympian, the William Gardner’s gaff cutter from 1913 skippered by Guillaume Fetas has won the 9th edition of the Gstaad Yacht Club Centenary Trophy in a nail-biting photo-finish with Viola.
On Thursday, the day traditionally dedicated to the Défis (the challenges), over 20 of the most handsome boats from the classic yachting circuit gathered on the waters of Saint Tropez to fight for the 9h edition of the Gstaad Yacht Club Centenary Trophy, the only sailing trophy reserved to one hundred years or older boats.
The event is raced in a pursuit format with staggered starts and features an especially created handicap system, allowing very different boats in size and rig to compete on equal terms, with the first boat to cross the line off the breakwater to be declared the winner.
Sunny, blue skies, light wind conditions that never exceeded 10 knots, just perfect for the centenarian beauties, welcomed the 23 yachts – the highest number of entrants so far in the history of the regatta – on a 9-mile course in the bay of Saint Tropez.
After a real sailing duel, Olympian this year skippered by Guillaume Fetas, managed to take over Viola just five hundred metres from the finish, by hoisting the big spinnaker, getting the necessary extra speed to cross the line in first. At the end of an exciting 3 hours race, the two boats were separated by only a half boat-length. Despite having won almost all the races she participated to this year, 1908 gaff cutter Viola could not write her name in the books of the Centenary Trophy for just a handful of seconds, while third on the finish line was the 10 m I.R. Marga from 1910.
“We knew from the start it was going to be tricky for the light wind conditions, very changeable. We just chose not to stick to tactical choices, but to adapt to find the best lane to catch up with the boats that started before us. Our competitors sailed very well, so it was hard for us to beat them.” Declared an elated Guillaume Fetas. “It was a great day on the water and winning with a finish like that is very cool.”
Olympian thus becomes the second boat to have won the Centenary Trophy twice after the success in 2014, together with Tilly XV that this year unfortunately could not defend her title. Olympian is a P-Class gaff sloop designed by American William Gardner in 1913 that spent almost her entire life in the USA scoring several wins on Lake Michigan, before being rediscovered and restored in 2013 by French America’s Cup veteran Bruno Troublé who had her delivered to the Mediterranean. Since then Olympian successfully took part to the top regattas and yesterday became double winner of the Gstaad Yacht Club Centenary Trophy.
“It was a super exciting race, one of the closest finishes in the history of the Centenary Trophy. Watching from close such an incredible display of racing skills and boat handling on these old yachts was just fantastic.” Declared the Gstaad Yacht Club’s Commodore, Manrico Iachia. “We are looking forward to next year, it will be an important milestone with the regatta celebrating its 10th anniversary. We will be working hard to make it a memorable event, from both a technical and a social standpoint, hoping to gather a record number of centenarians.”
The prize-giving night, with more than140 guests, was held right off the Saint-Tropez waterfront.
Past winners of the Centenary Trophy
2011: Bonafide (1899)
2012: Marigold (1892)
2013: due to adverse weather conditions the title was not awarded
2014: Olympian (1913)
2015: Oriole (1905)
2016: Spartan (1913)
2017: Tilly XV (1912)
2018: Tilly XV (1912)
2019: Olympian (1913)
The Centenary Trophy is organized by The Gstaad Yacht Club in co-operation with the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez.
Editors’ notes:
The Gstaad Yacht Club was founded in 1998 by a group of sailor enthusiasts with the vision to “create a unique global yacht club away from the waters, instead of another local club by the waters”. The GYC was regarded with astonishment in the beginning as a club in the mountains without water and meanwhile developed to a club with about 400 members from over 20 different countries. With sailing projects on all levels from juniors to professional sailors and the launch of the Centenary Trophy regatta in 2011 it has become a solid force on the Swiss sailing scene and for classic boats.
Gstaad Yacht Club PO Box 374 3780 Gstaad Tel: +41 33 748 0190
Administration: Nina Onezhskaya – [email protected]
The Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez
With more than 600 members and organizing fifteen events including the Voiles de Saint-Tropez, the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez is one of the oldest clubs in France, its origins date back to 1862. Since 2015, the merger of sailing clubs of Saint-Tropez (formerly UST Sailing and SNST) helped to broaden the horizons. Located in two beautiful places, the Club includes several centres of nautical activities: Sailing competition, sailing school and Motor Yachting.
Olympian remporte le Gstaad Yacht Club Centenary Trophy 2019
Olympian, le cotre aurique de 1913, skippé Guillaume Fetas remporte la 9ème édition du Gstaad Yacht Club Centenary Trophy juste devant Viola.
Le jeudi est le jour traditionnellement le jour des d é fis lors des Voiles de Saint Tropez. Cette année, plus de 20 bateaux classiques ont participé à la 9 è me édition du Gstaad Yacht Club Centenary Trophy, le seul événement réservé exclusivement aux bateaux de cent ans et plus.
Le Centenary Trophy, est disputé selon le format de la « pursuit race » avec un syst è me sp é cial de rating, les concurrents ont franchi la ligne d é part en fonction de leur handicap, le premier bateau à franchir la ligne d arrivé e devant Saint Tropez est d é claré vainqueur.
Soleil, ciel bleu, un vent de moins de 10 noeuds… Toutes les conditions étaient réunies pour accueillir les 23 concurrents – nombre record – sur le parcours de 9 milles nautiques dans la baie de Saint-Tropez.
Après un finish en duel, c’est Olympian qui a franchi la ligne d’arrivée en premier juste devant Viola. Après trois heures de courses passionnantes, Il a réussi à prendre la tête de la flotte en hissant son spi, 500 mètres à peine avant de couper la ligne d’arrivée. A quelques secondes, Viola termine deuxième de cette édition, Marga complète le podium.
Olympian devient ainsi le deuxi è me bateau a remport é deux fois le Centenary Trophy, tout comme Tilly XV qui n a pu ê tre pr é sent cette ann é e pour d é fendre son titre.
Cette ann é e, Olympian avait à sa barre Guillaume Fetas. Olympian a é t é con ç u par l Am é ricain William Gardner en 1913, il a remport é de nombreuses victoires sur le lac Michigan, avant d’ ê tre red é couvert et restaur é en 2013 par B runo Troubl é Depuis Olympian a particip é à des nombreuses r é gates et il est devenu, hier, double vainqueur du Gstaad Gstaad Yacht Clu b Centenary Trophy.
«Avec les conditions de vent faible nous savions d è s le d é part que ce serait difficile pour nous. Nous nous sommes donc adaptés aux conditions et nous avons navigu é aux mieux pour rattraper nos concurrents. C ’é tait une tr è s belle co urse avec un tr è s beau niveau. La journ é e a é t é excellent et nous sommes fiers de notre victoire » confie Gu illaume Fetas.
«Cette é dition a é t é p assionnante avec un final historique. Ce final restera graver dans ma m é moire, c é tait incroyable. Confie Manrico Ia chia, Commodore du yacht club de Gstaad. Nous vous donnons rendez vous l an prochain pour une é dition anniversaire les 10 ans du Centenary Trophy. Nous allons tout mettre en oe uvre pour faire un é v é nement exceptionnel. » déclare le Commodore du Gstaad Yacht Club Manrico Iachia.
Cette année, lors de la soirée de remise de prix, le Centenary Trophy et le Centenary Award Silver Bowl a été remis. Le Centenary Award Silver Bowl a été décerné plus tôt cette année à Londres au Royal Thames Yacht Club, il récompense le « Centenarian of the Year 2019 ». Le vainqueur Car-lotta (15m) construit en 1899, il a été restauré par Abernethy et Gaudin au Canada et le chantier Elephant Boatyard en Angleterre.
Les prprééccéédentsdents laurlaurééatsats dudu CentenaryCentenary TrophyTrophy ::
2011:
2011: BonafideBonafide (1899)(1899)
2012:
2012: MarigoldMarigold (1892)(1892)
2013:
2013: EnEn raisonraison dede conditionsconditions mmééttééorologiquesorologiques ddééfavorablesfavorables lala coursecourse nn’’aa pupu avoiravoir lieulieu etet lele trophtrophééee n’an’a paspas ééttéé attribuattribuéé
2014:
2014: OlympianOlympian (1913)(1913)
2015:
2015: OrioleOriole (1905)(1905)
2016: Spartan (1913)
2017: Tilly XV (1912)
2018: Tilly XV (1912)
2019
2019 :: OlympianOlympian (1913)(1913)
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La Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez
Forte de plus de 600 membres et organisant une quinzaine de manifestations dont les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, la Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez est l’un des plus anciens clubs de France, son origine remonte à 1862. Depuis 2015, la fusion des clubs de voile de Saint-Tropez (ex UST Voile et la SNST) a permis d’élargir les horizons. Située dans deux lieux magnifiques, la Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez regroupe plusieurs centres d’activités nautiques : le pôle voile habitable, le pôle voile légère et le pôle Motor Yacht.
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