! GIRAGLIA ROLEX CUP: THE INSHORE RACES BEGIN TOMORROW ROLEX PRESS ROOM Media, click here to view, select and download copyright-free high resolution images. Saint-Tropez, June 10th, 2017 A varied and colorful fleet of 250 yachts ranging from Maxis like Leonardo Ferragamo’s Solleone and Sir Peter Ogden’s Jethou to a group of Mini 650s has gathered in the port of Saint-Tropez in anticipation of the inshore races that will start tomorrow at the Giraglia Rolex Cup. The yachts competing in the Sanremo and Marseilles races arrived in the afternoon and quickly filled the port with their tired but happy crews. Calm conditions with flat seas and breezes from the southeast that peaked at about 8 knots meant that the feeder races from Sanremo and Marseilles were long and slow saunters that started under the full moon and ended under the blazing sun. Endelssgame finished first in IRC Class in real time while Meltemi was the first boat in ORC in the fleet from Sanremo. The fastest boat from Marseilles was Arobas2 with an elapsed time of 17h 52’. Tomorrow will be the first of three days of inshore races organised by the Yacht Club Italiano in collaboration with the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez and conditions are predicted to be similar to today’s. An impressive fleet of 250 boats from over fifteen nations will be divided into IRC Classes O, A and B and ORC Classes O, A and B. There will also be Swan 50 and 42 Classes competing in the inshore races. Boats should be ready to race at 10:00 with the various Classes’ starts called at intervals. ABOUT THE GIRAGLIA ROLEX CUP The Giraglia Rolex Cup was created in 1953 as a 241nm offshore challenge. 2017 marks the 65th edition of this 241nm Mediterranean classic that has grown to include feeder races from Sanremo and Marseille, inshore races in the Bay of Saint-Tropez and the famous offshore race from St Tropez to Genoa. The GRC is organised by the Yacht Club Italiano and the Société Nautique de Saint- Tropez, with support from the Yacht Club Sanremo, the Yacht Club de France, and the Cercle Nautique et Touristique du Lacydon. The Giraglia Rolex Cup has been partnered by Rolex since 1998. ABOUT YACHT CLUB ITALIANO Founded in Genoa in 1879, the Yacht Club Italiano is the oldest yacht club in the Med. With its main clubhouse in Porticciolo Duca degli Abruzzi in Genoa, YCI has always had the primary objectives of spreading yachting culture and organising regattas. The Rolex Capri Sailing Week, the Giraglia Rolex Cup and the Rolex MBA’s Conference & Regatta are just a few of the international regattas that the YCI organises. The Coppa Carlo Negri, the Trofeo SIAD Bombola d’oro and the Millevele are all events that characterise the YCI’s present and show the way towards its future, a future of fun and friendly sportsmanship on the water. MEDIA CONTACTS YACHT CLUB ITALIANO ROLEX Clare Mahon Giles Pearman [email protected] [email protected] +39 348 4943675 +41 79 763 37 34 .