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Corsican collection
Now in its seventh year, and established as the opener to the Med season, the Ajaccio event remains relaxed and informal. Words and pictures by Nigel Pert.
Above: On board The Blue Peter passing Moonbeam III Far left: setting the spinaker on Blue Peter Left: Avoiding the rocks of the Bay of Ajaccio on Corsica’s west coast
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relatively young event in regatta terms, after seven years Les Régates Impériales, held in the Bay of Ajaccio in Corsica, are now firmly established as the opening event of the series of classic yacht regattas in the Mediterranean that terminate in the autumn with Les Voiles de St Tropez at the beginning of October. This position became official in 2007 with the inclusion of the event in the circuit of the CIM (Comité International de Mediterranée). Although not a resurrection of a historical races series as is the case with Les Régates Royales of Cannes, the Bay of Ajaccio was traditionally a playground for mainly British yachtsmen escaping northern climes at the beginning of the 20th century. The current event has its origins in the almost chance reunion between CLASSIC BOAT OCTOBER 2009
Thibaud (‘Tibo’) Assante, communications director, and one of his old schoolfriends Stephane Meil, president of the RI, in 2002. That year Stephane, remembering Tibo’s sailing passion called for his assistance as a crew member to deliver a yacht. Tibo had sailed since a very tender age, his father being a sailing and skiing instructor in Corsica. With the rebellion of youth, as a teenager he rejected his father’s conception of sailing in dinghies and the family 7-Metre aluminium yacht for more exciting methods of going to sea taking to Hobie Cats and windsurfinfg, then in his twenties pure surfing, which led him to competitions the world over. Stephane’s call to crew the 20m (65ft 8in) Abeking & Rasmussen Vortex rekindled his desire to sail. They decided to run the classics circuit that year starting with 47
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Above: The crew of Moonbeam out on the rail Right: The 1950 Francois Camatte designed Nagaina Far Right: Dolphin sdff sdf fzdfzxdfh
Les Voiles d’Antibes where they talked a lot with the organisers. During the homeward delivery trip to Corsica, having won the award for the best crew, they decided with a third friend on board that they would organise their own regatta. François Desjobert (now the treasurer) produced a leaflet for them to show at the Paris boat show in the December and in May 2003 they managed to attract eleven participants for the first edition, held at the same time as the local fishermans’ festival. Since then the number of entrants has steadily increased; this year saw 28 boats at the quayside in Ajaccio, most of which were racing. From the start, the race committee has been headed by St Tropez veteran judge George Korhel who together with fellow Tropezian Roger Gibert set the daily courses and saw fair play. 48
On the first race day, after a fairly short course in relatively light winds, the Tourist Office of Porticcio, the small resort opposite Ajaccio, invited the boats to anchor off and come ashore for an aperitif and the first prizegiving in its new beach shelter, and with a prize of a five-day break in the resort’s Sofitel for the crew of the vessel with the most elegance – Moonbeam III. Another evening a catwalk was set up on the quayside and three local fashion designers presented their latest collections. All this in a very relaxed informal way with the bar just a few metres from the waterfront and many crews having set up their dinner tables in the evening sunshine on the dock. Each evening there was music in the bar and the event was very familial with the public having free access to stroll along in front of the yachts. The harbour is in the CLASSIC BOAT OCTOBER 2009
heart of the old town, where, incidentally, Napoleon was born, and there is a thriving local produce market every day just the other side of the waterfront street. Behind this are restaurants and bars where, one night, we enjoyed hearing local Corsican youths singing their polyphonic chants. The week’s racing results saw The Blue Peter first in their class, with Havsörnen in second place. Moonbeam III was just ahead of Moonbeam IV in the period gaff rigs, Emeraude first to White Dolphin’s second place in the classic Marconis. Zephyr of Falmouth made a satisfying return to racing, after a couple of quieter years, with a first in the Spirit of Tradition class. After Saturday night’s final prizegiving a closing dinner of local dishes was enjoyed by all in the conference hall, also only two steps away on the quayside.
PARDON ME
Top: Henry Gruberdesigned schooner Aschanti IV of Vegasack Above: Catwalk model in the fashion show Left: Lulu, the 1897 gaff cutter
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