S.R.:Loro Piana Giraglia 2026 – Inshore: four days of numbers, wind, and hierarchy
S.R.:Loro Piana Giraglia 2026 – Inshore: four days of numbers, wind, and hierarchy
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Four days of inshore racing in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez and Pampelonne Bay. Four days of shifty wind, ratings that decide, perfect starts, and costly mistakes.
Now that the coastal races are done, the fleet gets ready for the long one. The mistakes and the lessons learned are behind us. Ready or not, tomorrow there are no excuses: it's time to hunt every puff and beat the opposition.
Maxi A – V wins, but My Song is still in the game
Series winner: V (CAY-111) – Wally Cento, Karel Komarek – 16 points (piazzamenti: 3, 5, 1, 1, 6)
Podium:
1. V – 16 pt
2. JETHOU – 18 pt
3. GALATEIA – 20 pt (tie-break)
After a shaky start (3rd, 5th in the first two races), V won R3 and R4 in sustained wind, using the highest rating in the class (1.798) to her advantage when conditions played to her strengths. In R5, a coastal course with lighter wind, she paid the price (6th), but the accumulated margin was enough.
My Song (ITA-2311P) – Pier Luigi Loro Piana with Paul Cayard on tactics – finished fourth, tied on points with Galateia and Proteus (20 points). Two fourths in R3 and R4, a fifth in R5. Consistent, but no fireworks. The 1.700 rating helped but wasn't enough.
Leopard 3 (MON-100) – the fastest on paper – struggled all week. Rating 1.782 too high for the light conditions. Only one good result (2nd in R2), then down. Seventh overall.
The takeaway: Maxi A is wide open. Offshore, with real wind, Leopard 3 and V can recover. But if the breeze stays light, My Song and Jethou are in the game.
Maxi B – Atalanta II, perfect
Series winner: ATALANTA II (ITA-204) – Farr/Felci 70, Carlo Puri Negri – 5 points (piazzamenti: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1)
Podium:
1. ATALANTA II – 5 pt
2. CIPPA LIPPA X – 14 pt
3. WALLYNO – 16 pt
Nothing much to say. Five races, five wins. A perfect performance. Atalanta II won in every condition: light wind, strong wind, coastal, windward-leeward. Always ahead.
Cippa Lippa X and Wallyno fought for second. Cippa finished with 14 points, Wallyno with 16. SUD (20 pt) and Aegir (25 pt) completed the frame.
Fincantieri (VOR 60) made her debut in R5 with a second place – a promising sign after four days of absence.
The takeaway: Atalanta II is the absolute favourite for the long race. The rest of the fleet fights for second.
IRC 1 – Django WR beats Spirit of Lorina
Series winner: DJANGO WR (GBR-51X) – Wallyrocket 51, Giovanni Lombardi Stronati – 6 points (piazzamenti: 1, 2, 1, 2)
Podium:
1. DJANGO WR – 6 pt
2. SPIRIT OF LORINA – 10 pt
3. LISA R – 21 pt
The most beautiful duel of the week. Django WR and Spirit of Lorina traded blows for four races. Django won R1 and R3, Lorina R2. Then in R4, while Lorina dropped to 5th, Django finished 2nd. Consistency made the difference.
Musica (TP52) – 3rd in R1 and R3, but 18th in R4 – lost the podium by 2 points.
The takeaway: The Wallyrocket proved it can beat TP52s on corrected time. Offshore, in light wind, it's the favourite. But if the wind picks up, the TP52s (Lorina, Musica, Arkas Blue Moon) can turn the tables.
IRC 2 – Flying Dolphin wins, J/Boats dominate
Series winner: FLYING DOLPHIN (NED-7935) – Dufour 40, Willem Ellemeet – 7 points (piazzamenti: 1, 4, 1, 1)
Podium:
1. FLYING DOLPHIN – 7 pt
2. INVICTUS – 13 pt
3. JEDI – 20 pt
Flying Dolphin won R1, R3, and R4. Selma Racing (J/122) won R2 but collapsed to 15th in R4 and lost the podium. Invictus (JPK 10.50) was solid: 5th, 2nd, 4th, 2nd.
J/Boats everywhere: 5 J/Boats in the top 10. J/112, J/122, J/111 – the most numerous and competitive fleet.
Skylark of 1937 – the classic S&S – started well (2nd in R1) but faded. A good example of how low rating helps in light wind, but when the breeze picks up, the modern boats run away.
The takeaway: Flying Dolphin used rating 1.034 and consistency. Invictus is second with 13 points. Selma Racing paid for one mistake in R4. J/Boats are the backbone of the class.
ORC 1 – Thetis wins, Crabx second
Series winner: THETIS (ITA-2945) – Swan 45, Luca Locatelli – 8 points (piazzamenti: 3, 1, 3, 1)
Podium:
1. THETIS – 8 pt
2. CRABX – 11 pt
3. L'IMMENS – 21 pt
Thetis was the most consistent: 3rd, 1st, 3rd, 1st. In R4 she won with 8 minutes and 39 seconds margin over ELO II. A perfect machine in light conditions.
Crabx (XR-41) won R1 and R3, but in R2 (5th) and R4 (4th) lost contact. Two wins aren't enough if the other two are off the podium.
DXARMA (XR-41) – 2nd in R1 – finished 8th, penalised by R3 (14th) and R4 (12th).
The takeaway: Thetis proved that experience and consistency pay. Offshore, in light wind, she is the favourite. But if the wind rises, the XR-41s (Crabx, DXARMA) can recover.
ORC 2 – Fremito D'Arja beats Chestress by a whisker
Series winner: FREMITO D'ARJA (ITA-109) – J-109, Marcello De Gaspari – 9 points (piazzamenti: 1, 1, 6, 1)
Podium:
1. FREMITO D'ARJA – 9 pt
2. CHESTRESS – 9 pt
3. SALVORA – 15 pt
The only class where the winner and the runner-up have the same score. Fremito won R1, R2, and R4; Chestress had three seconds (R1, R2, R4) and a third in R3. Black Magic (J 35) won R3 but then faded.
The difference: Fremito won the tie-break because she won R4. Chestress is second by a hair.
Salvora (Salona 37) is third with 15 points – solid but not enough to trouble the J-109s.
The takeaway: The J-109s are unbeatable in this class. Fremito and Chestress are the boats to beat offshore.
The big picture after the inshore
- Maxi A: V won, but the margin is minimal. Anything can happen.
- Maxi B: Atalanta II is perfect. The chasers fight for second.
- IRC 1: Django WR won the duel, but Lorina is ready to respond.
- IRC 2: Flying Dolphin used consistency and rating. J/Boats are the most numerous class.
- ORC 1: Thetis won with experience and consistency. Crabx is second, but has shown she can win.
- ORC 2: Fremito won by a hair over Chestress. Two J-109s, two crews, a fight that will continue.
The numbers that matter for the long race
- Maxi A: V / My Song – Leopard 3, Jethou – Rating and wind will decide
- Maxi B: Atalanta II – Cippa Lippa X, Wallyno – Atalanta is unbeatable
- IRC 1: Django WR – Spirit of Lorina – Lorina's low rating in light wind
- IRC 2: Flying Dolphin – Invictus, J/Boats – Consistency pays
- ORC 1: Thetis – Crabx – Experience and rating
- ORC 2: Fremito / Chestress – Salvora – J-109 vs J-109
Tonight, a bit of fun and carefree spirit at the Loro Piana Giraglia Village – but always with one eye on tomorrow's test. DJ set from 21:00.
Tomorrow, the long one.
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