Second win in a row for Tilly XV at the GYC Centenary Trophy

  25.12.2018 Sports & Leisure

 It was a record-breaking edition for various reasons: the highest number of entrants, the tough conditions on the race course, and never before did a boat win the Trophy twice in a row in the history of the regatta.

It was sunny and blue skies but rough conditions indeed for the old beauties: 20 to 25 knots of wind and a swell of more than three metres. So much that only nine brave crews out of the twenty-two entrants succeeded in finishing the nine miles long coastal race. And if last year it was a question of a handful of seconds, this year German-flagged Tilly XV crossed the line with a lead of several minutes, making her second victory in a row. Silver went to the newcomer gaff cutter Kismet, who celebrated her 120th anniversary in style. 7 Metre I.R. Mignon from 1912 got on third place.

“It’s always great to compete in the Centenary Trophy. This year the tough conditions put to a test both the boat and the crew. The beautiful images of this windy but clear day will always be with us”, declared Corentin and Caroline Thiercelin from team Mignon.

The Centenary Trophy, raced in a pursuit format with staggered starts, features a customised handicap system, which allows boats differing in size and rig to compete on equal terms. The first boat to cross the line off the Saint-Tropez breakwater wins the race.

Siegfried Rittler, who has owned and cared for Tilly XV for over 28 years, had a great time at the Centenary Trophy: “It was a great day for us. Big waves, a lot of wind, it was very hard to sail. I’m a mountaineer, climbed the Himalayan peaks many times, and today sailing was a bit like climbing a 2,000-metre high mountain. But the most important thing is that I did it with my best sailing mates, our team is like a family. I hope we will be back in Saint-Tropez in 2019. Thank you all for the great experience.” At the dinner party, he and his crew were awarded with the trophy, an exclusive 5-day stay at the Soneva Resort in the Maldives or Thailand and a copy of a limited photo print by Juerg Kaufmann.

The prize-giving night, with more than 150 guests, was held at the Saint-Tropez waterfront.

GSTAAD YACHT CLUB

 


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