★ Rolex Giraglia

01Pourquoi c'est important

At more than seventy years old, this is the senior offshore classic of the Mediterranean, older than the Mediterranean's yacht shows and most of its regattas, and the only race on the region's calendar that regularly forces a maxi fleet to sail through an open-water night passage rather than a series of coastal courses. Its standing rests on that history and on the course itself rather than on scale: the fleet is smaller than Porto Cervo's regattas and the event draws less general public attention than Saint-Tropez's own Voiles later in the season, but among distance-racing sailors it carries particular weight.

02La semaine environnante

Mid-June in Saint-Tropez falls before the town's peak summer season, so the harbor and the streets around the Vieux Port are busy with the regatta fleet without the full crowding of July and August. Genoa, at the other end of the course, sees a shorter but concentrated burst of activity around the finish and the prizegiving, with the fleet's arrival staggered over one or two days depending on conditions at sea.

03Quand arriver

For the inshore days, Friday or Saturday gives time to see the fleet assemble in Saint-Tropez before racing begins on the Saturday or Sunday; the offshore start is the week's most photographed moment and draws spectator boats out of the harbor. Following the race to its Genoa finish requires travelling separately, since the two ends of the course are a full day apart by road or rail.

04Où séjourner

In Saint-Tropez, the Vieux Port and the streets immediately behind it put visitors within walking distance of the clubhouse and the start; Ramatuelle and Gassin, a short drive inland, are quieter and cost less. In Genoa, the old port and the Porto Antico area near the Yacht Club Italiano are the natural base for the finish and the prizegiving.

05Accès et hospitalité

Entry is open to registered yachts meeting the organizers' rating and safety requirements, applied for through the Yacht Club Italiano and the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez under the published Notice of Race. There is no admission charge to watch from the harbor or the shore at either end of the course, and no public ticket, since nothing during the week is enclosed.

06Où se déroule l'activité sociale

In Saint-Tropez, the quay along the Vieux Port and the terraces of the cafés facing it are where the fleet and the crowd both gather before the start; the Société Nautique's own building is club territory rather than public space. In Genoa, the Porto Antico waterfront around the Yacht Club Italiano is the equivalent gathering point for the finish and the prizegiving.

07Comment s'y rendre

08Informations pratiques

09Historique

The race was founded in 1953 by the Yacht Club Italiano and the Yacht Club de France, with the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez joining as a organizing partner; the Yacht Club Italiano itself dates to 1879, making it one of the oldest sailing clubs on the Mediterranean. Rolex's sponsorship began in the late 1990s and continued for roughly two decades and a half; reporting is inconsistent on the exact year the watchmaker's name entered the race's title, with one source citing 1997 and another describing a change in title structure from 2018, a discrepancy an editor should resolve against the clubs' own archives. Loro Piana became title sponsor in 2024, the same year the fashion house consolidated its yachting sponsorships across the Mediterranean.

10Qui s'y trouve

Offshore and grand-prix sailing owners and their crews, drawn from French and Italian yacht clubs in particular; professional racing sailors hired for the offshore leg; the two organizing clubs' memberships; and a smaller marine-trade and media presence than the Sardinia or Riviera shows draw.