39th Regates Royal in Cannes.

Peaceful settings in the beautiful Old Port of Cannes as the 44 Dragons wait for wind.

The 39th Regates Royal is underway in Cannes with 44 Dragons participating over 5 days. So far 3 races have been completed in extremely light winds in the east bay whilst the Classic Yachts enjoy their traditional racing to the west.

Each year the many elegant and superbly maintained Classics grace the deep blue Mediterranean waters of Cannes as the town is filled with sailors from all over the world.

Holding the overall lead after 3 races is Denmark’s Lars Hendriksen who is helming Ivan Bradbury’s “Blue Haze” a Pedersen & Thuessen from 1957. With his crew of George Leonchuk & Ulrik Sanders, Lars has put together a 1st, 2nd & 4th to head the fleet on 7pts.  In second place overall is RUS 27 “Annapurna” (PCT Dragon) helmed by Anatoly Loginov, crewed by Vadim Statsenko & Alexander Shalagin. With two race wins and a 14th place, the 2016 European Champions hold a great position particularly after the discard kicks in after today’s races.

Close racing on day 1 of the Regates Royal in Cannes. Photo taken by Ali Tezdiker 🙂

In 3rd place overall is our current European Champion Pedro Andrade helming a new Petticrow V6 (with GER 1177 sail number for this event). So far Pedro, crewed by Charles Nankin & Oswaldt Joaquim, have recorded a 6th, 7th & 14th in this competitive fleet.

With light winds forecast again today the fleet will probably be held ashore until the breeze picks up later in the day. Giving the sailors time to relax and take life easy enjoying the regatta ambience and maybe purchasing gifts from one of the many market stalls surrounding the old port arena…

It’s a tough life knowing what to photograph whilst waiting for the breeze to arrive 🙂

Higher, Faster, Longer………      Stavros.   (GBR 789).