The fifth edition of the Gstaad Yacht Club’s Centenary Trophy will be filed in the archives under a tag: challenging. The fifteen one hundred years and more old yachts that went go head-to-head in a pursuit race based on a special handicap system, were in fact faced with extremely challenging conditions, with an easterly wind well above 20 knots, gusting over 25 and an especially tough sea state. Not the easiest setting for the delicate centenarians that, nonetheless, proved to be strong, seaworthy and responsive in the hands of their experienced crews. At the end of a demanding and tough race, NYYC 30 Oriole (1905) crossed the line just off the St Tropez’s breakwater in first in her fourth attempt. “Since its inception, we always considered a great idea to gather the centenarians during the Voiles de Saint Tropez with the Centenary Trophy, offering them an original race format. I believe the pursuit race concept is interesting, motivating and enjoyable for the crew. Oriole has always taken part and, despite being in the top scorers, we have never been able to win it. A victory was among our goals for the 2015 season.” declared owner Jean-Pierre Lostis, adding: “But to win you need the right weather conditions, and this year they were just perfect for us, you need to avoid making too many mistakes but mostly to push hard from start to finish. We did not start that well; we had some issues hoisting the jib and we crossed the line 3 minutes late. Yet, we soon caught up with the boats in front. Upwind and in strong air Oriole is fast and does not beat too much in the big waves of the gulf of St Tropez. We were leading since the first mark but, as it goes, we noticed the faster boats approaching and namely Olympian, the 2014 winner. After the last upwind mark, a long downwind leg was waiting for us. We decided not to hoist the spinnaker, but we were fast, pointing right to the mark while the others had to do several gibes. On the last stretch to the fin-ish we realized that Olympian was not in a position to catch us, if we made no mistakes. The crew remained focussed and we made it! We are very proud to have won this prestigious trophy and we wish to thank the Gstaad Yacht Club for organizing the regatta with such energy and passion.” “What a joy! To win, yes, but mostly to have pushed Oriole at her maximum, this old American 110 year old lady we all are in love with! She sure deserved this victory, thank you Oriole.” added Fran-cis Van de Velde.