Skippered by Pierre Casiraghi with exceptional back-up comprising Boris Herrmann, Jimmy Spithill and Loïck Peyron.
The year 2026 is historic for the Yacht Club de Monaco’s gaff cutter. Fresh from a voyage along the United States East Coast, Tuiga (1909) has just won the Tradition class at the 28th Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez. This event marks the annual conclusion of the Mediterranean regatta season with a fleet of over 250 modern and classic sailboats out on the water. Skippered by YCM Vice-President Pierre Casiraghi, YCM’s flagship benefited from back-up at the stern that included two-time America’s Cup winner Jimmy Spithill and German sailor Boris Herrmann from Team Malizia, with Loïck Peyron joining them for the finale.
Uniting different generations and backgrounds on board
“With Boris on navigation, Loïck on tactics and Jimmy at the helm, we could not have asked for more. What a crew, what a week! Everything went exactly as I’d imagined. I have never seen a better crew on Tuiga, not to mention that we had many Club members on board including Jimmy, Boris, Baron Frederick Schroder, Stavros Niarchos and our budding young Laser sailor Louise Debeaumont who was racing with us for the first time. She’s a great discovery. Always eager to help and with such a good attitude, she is a very promising young sailor for our Club. Bringing together sailors from offshore racing, the America’s Cup and the Olympics was truly magical. I feel very lucky to have shared these moments with them; they all deserved this victory. I also want to acknowledge the work of the core team who contributed to this success,” said a delighted Pierre Casiraghi. On board, there was also a human challenge in bringing together individuals with such diverse backgrounds on a 1909 Fife yacht. The crew included Dutch sailor Rosalin Kuiper who competed in The Ocean Race with Team Malizia; British racer Tom Dawson, a veteran of the Extreme Sailing Series and winner of the Admiral’s Cup alongside Pierre Casiraghi; Italian sailor Lorenzo De Felice, a Moth and foiling specialist; and French freediver Arnaud Jerald, who holds several world records in the constant weight bi-fin discipline.
Tuiga stands out among the classics
The tone was set early on in the week. On Tuesday a steady easterly breeze saw Tuiga secure 2nd place, the classic yachts having had to adjust their sail plans to cope with gusts exceeding 15 knots. With the easterly air flow still firmly established on the Wednesday, the Monegasque cutter clinched another 2nd place to remain in contention. On Thursday the Centenary Trophy, a pursuit-style race format, saw 18 yachts over a century old set off at staggered intervals based on their ratings. On a nine-mile round-trip course, Kismet finished ahead of Tuiga to claim her second Centenary Trophy after her win in 2022. On Friday in a moderate easterly, Tuiga kept up the pace heading into the final day. The crew had to stay fully focused on Saturday to wrap up the week by topping the overall ranking to win their class.
YCM competing in several classes
Tuiga was not the only YCM boat in Saint-Tropez, as several members were competing in the different classes. In Maxi 1 Karel Komarek (V) finished 2nd and won the IMA Mediterranean Maxi Inshore Challenge 2026, a five-event circuit. In Maxi 3, Benoît de Froidmont (Wallyño) secured a well-deserved 3rd place. There was also a tight battle between Peter Harrison (Rainbow) and Giovanni Lombardi Stronati (Hanuman) in the J Class who finished in 2nd and 3rd place, respectively. Among the classics, Mark Dixon and Elena of London won the Big Boats class, while the Bermudan sloop Lak II clinched victory in Epoque Marconi B. Angelo Mazzarella (Carron II) finished 3rd out of 19 in the Époque Marconi division, while Argynne III came 4th in the Epoque Marconi A category. Finally, in the IOR fleet three Club members were competing: Bart Weduwer (Encounter) came 3rd, Massimiliano Ferruzzi (Il Moro di Venezia) 4th and Lorenzo Bortolotti (Tarantella) 6th.
This 28th edition also marked 100 years of the International Committee for the Mediterranean (CIM) whose international rating system for classic yachts was developed at Yacht Club de Monaco’s instigation. It this link between heritage and competition that the Club will continue in Monaco from 8-11 September 2027 during the 18th Monaco Classic Week-La Belle Classe.
