Winner 2019
Olympian
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.
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.
“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 became double winner of the Gstaad Yacht Club Centenary Trophy.
Community
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 30 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.
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 centers of nautical activities: Sailing competition, sailing school and Motor Yachting.
The mix of classic yachts with ultra-modern boats is the main feature of the “Les Voiles” and its true “brand” as are the festival and the many activities on land, wide open to the Tropezians and the public.
Since 2011 during “Les Voiles de Saint Tropez “ a new special challenge has been organized, on Thursday – Jour des Defis. Initiated by the GYC in cooperation with the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez the Centenary Trophy has been launched as a race for traditional boats aged 100 years and older.
The Centenary Trophy at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez each year is a celebration of yachting history that lives long in the memory for spectators and participants. To sail on these great old boats is a privilege, to watch them is unforgettable. With the Centenary Trophy, the Gstaad Yacht Club has created a showcase of some of the most important boats afloat.
“Tying in with the race, Classic Boat magazine is delighted to be partnering with the Gstaad Yacht Club for our Centenarian of the Year trophy, which we award annually to a boat that is now enjoying her second century under sail.”
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