Gstaad Yacht Club Centenary Trophy 2024

Gstaad Yacht Club Centenary Trophy 2024 – Preview

by Gstaad Yacht Club 21 July 02:38 HKT
October 3, 2024

Join us on Thursday, October 3, 2024, in Saint-Tropez for the 13th edition of the Gstaad Yacht Club Centenary Trophy. Once again, the Centenary Trophy is the must-attend event for century yachts during the traditional Challenge Day of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez.

On land, the Gstaad Yacht Club will honor Switzerland with the “Swiss Night” on Wednesday, October 2, on the Place des Lices.

The Centenary Regatta

While the event shines with the elegance and class of its sailing yachts, it is above all a sporting event that attracts more and more participants every year. Over the years, the Gstaad Yacht Club Centenary Trophy has become “the race” to watch for all crews sailing on these magnificent century yachts. Its unique “chase race” format – boats start according to their rating and the first to cross the finish line is the winner – is much appreciated by all owners, who return with great joy every year to take part in the Centenary Trophy. For these legendary century boats, the Gstaad Yacht Club Centenary Trophy is the highlight of this week in Saint-Tropez.

“We are delighted to welcome the Gstaad Yacht Club to the Voiles de Saint-Tropez for the 13th time. The Centenary Trophy is organised jointly with the racing committee of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez and brings together boats that are over 100 years old every year. This event on Challenge Day is always a very nice regatta on the water,” said Pierre Roinson, President of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez.

“The crew of the 12m JI Thea is international, the majority are Scandinavians, who are excited to be taking part in the Centenary Trophy again. We really enjoyed the event last year; it was our first time participating and it was truly incredible to sail with all the century yachts. We are looking forward to taking part again this year and eagerly await this memorable day of the 13th edition of the Centenary Trophy in Saint-Tropez.” – Robert de Haer, representative of the owner of Thea.

Swiss crew night!

For the second year, the Gstaad Yacht Club is also offering festive and fun activities on land for all participants to make the Centenary Trophy an experience. The programme includes a Swiss evening on Wednesday at the Place des Lices in Saint-Tropez, where all sailors will have the opportunity to taste alpine specialities and take part in typical Swiss activities, including a “cow milking” competition, which will put two sailors from each participating team to the test, and a unique roller ski race.

The Centenary Prize

This year’s Centenarian Award, organized by Classic Boat magazine and the Gstaad Yacht Club, was launched in 2017. All boats 100 years or older and still sailing are eligible. Each boat must have achieved something significant in the past year, such as a long cruise, race win, major restoration or other notable event. The winner is announced at the annual Classic Boat Awards ceremony held at the Royal Thames Yacht Club in London. The winner receives a sterling silver trophy donated by Robbe & Berking. Crafted in the Bauhaus style (1919-1933), the trophy embodies simplicity expressed through precious materials with a clean and modern aesthetic. The 2023 winner is Barbara (1923), designed by Charles Ernest Nicholson in 1923 and built at the Camper & Nicholsons shipyard in Gosport, UK, and currently sailing under the Italian flag.

To see all nominees for the Centenarian Award, visit: Classic Boat Awards.

The Centenary Trophy, which is awarded every year at the Trophy Giving Owners Dinner, is also a centenary award: it was founded in 1911 by Wakely and Wheeler in London, exactly 100 years before the first edition of the regatta.

For more information and a gallery of stunning photos from previous editions, visit the Centenary Trophy website: GYC Centenary Trophy.

Winners of the Centenary Trophy:

2011: Bonafide (1899)
2012: Marigold (1892)
2013: The race was cancelled due to adverse weather conditions and the trophy was not awarded
2014: Olympic participant (1913)
2015: Oriole (1905)
2016: Spartans (1913)
2017: Tilly XV (1912)
2018: Tilly XV (1912)
2019: Olympic participant (1913)
2021: Olympic participant (1913)
2022: The Last Supper (1902)
2023: Spartans (1913)