The Rolex Giraglia is one of the most famous sailing races and the oldest offshore race in the Mediterranean. The story goes that it was conceived one evening in December 1952, when Beppe Croce, Chairman of the Yacht Club Italiano, René Levainville, Chairman of the Yacht Club de France, and Franco Gavagnin, Director of Portosole, met for dinner in a Parisian bistro. That evening, the dream of a regatta with the noble intent of rebuilding the spirit of fair and sporting friendship between Italy and France in the wake of the dramatic events of the Second World War came to life.
The first edition of the Giraglia was held in 1953, with 22 boats. Since then, always maintaining a Franco-Italian spirit, the regatta has grown in terms of interest and reputation, attracting an international fleet of over 240 yachts from over 25 countries and almost 3,000 participants.
Rolex, title partner since 1998, has always appreciated the tradition and the noble values of friendship and fraternity of this regatta, along with the fair-play and bonheur of its participants. The event is organised by Rolex’s long-standing partners, the Yacht Club Italiano (YCI), supported by the Yacht Club Sanremo, and the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, all of which are fully committed to cultivating the spirit and charm of this historic competition.
The event will kick off on Friday the 9th of June 2023 from the San Remo Yacht Club, with three cannon shots at the stroke of midnight, at the end of the evening dedicated to the crews. Destination Saint-Tropez. This will be followed by three days of inshore racing in the French Gulf, from 11 to 13 June, with courses not exceeding 35 nautical miles.
The main attraction is the last regatta, the so-called “long” regatta, a race covering almost 242 nautical miles, equivalent to around 450 km, which will start on Wednesday the 14th from Saint-Tropez, heading for the island of Giraglia, north of Corsica, and will then continue towards the finish, in Genoa. The final prize-giving ceremony will be held here, at the Yacht Club, on the 17th of June.
Some numbers? The Rolex Giraglia record, set over the total distance of 241 miles from Saint-Tropez to San Remo in 2012, is held by Esimit Europa 2, which completed the race in 14 hours, 56 minutes and 16 seconds.
Anna Maria Castellana
