German J/133 J-WOW Wins IRC 2 at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez
(Saint Tropez, France)- At Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, the spectacular show both on the water and ashore was enjoyed by more than 3,500 crew members from around the world. Without a doubt, the throngs of sailors enjoyed the unique spectacle: the 250-plus sailing yachts ranging from 9 to 56 meters, enjoying the nine days of racing and celebrations hosted by the famous Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez. Combining elite-level competition, elegance, and conviviality, the sailors enjoyed yet another celebration of every facet of the art of yachting. In fact, several dozen passionate, enthusiastic J/sailors loved this remarkable festival of sail, gathering their fair share of silverware to show for their success on the water! Here’s how it went down for those J/Teams.
IRC 2 Division- J-WOW Domination!
This huge twenty-six-boat fleet included two J/111s (the French Michel Buffet’s MERLIN & the German Michael Mueller’s PAPPES) and the German J/133 J-WOW, skippered by Andrej Tschirikow. What no one could’ve possibly expected was the brilliant sailing by the talented crew on Tschirikow’s J/133 J-WOW. Wowowow, indeed! They smoked the fleet! Their five-race tally of all podium finishes- 1-2-2-3-2- was good for 7 pts net after discarding a 3rd place! That was an impressive performance to win the highly competitive fleet! Mueller’s J/111 PAPPES sailed well, posting a 7-8-9-6-8 for 29 pts to take 7th place.
IRC 3 Division
In this large thirty-six-boat fleet were two J/112Es (the Kazakhstan’s Danat Abdrakhmanov’s JENIS & the Swiss Jean-David Estoppey’s NINOTCHKA IV), the French Gautier Normand’s J/122 NOISY OYSTER, and two J/99s (the Kazakhstan Maksim Bialkevich’s JEDI and the British Adrian Watt’s YAMS).
In the end, it was the French crew on Normand’s J/122 NOISY OYSTER setting the pace for J/Teams, posting a 4-5-4-8-2 scoreline for 15 pts net to take 4th place. Then, the Swiss team on Estoppey’s J/112E NINOTCHKA IV placed 8th with a 12-9-8-13-8 tally for 37 pts net. Then, the two J/99s completed the top 10, with the British crew on Watt’s YAMS taking 9th with a 19-12-11-10-6 record for 39 pts net and the Kazakhs on Bialkevich’s JEDI posted a 5-10-16-11-16 for 42 pts net.
IRC 4 Division
This twenty-two-boat fleet features the French Techen Holger’s J/92 BAGATELLE and the French Patrice D’Herbomez’s J/109 APHEA IV. The APHEA IV team posted a 7-8-8-6-8 for 29 pts net to finish 8th. Then, the BAGATELLE crew put up a 10-7-14-15-9 for 40 pts net to finish 10th place.
For more Les Voiles de Saint Tropez sailing information
https://www.lesvoilesdesaint-tropez.fr/en