Dirk Oldenburg (Dragon FREE- SUI 313), holder of the magnificent and historic Marblehead Trophy in 2024 and member of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, was determined to respect the tradition which encourages the winner of the Trophy to organize the race in his Club the following year. Mission accomplished, with the help of his dragonist friends and the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez!
Over three days of racing, the first of which was cancelled due to a strong gale, the twenty-five crews of ten different nationalities were able to compete in five heats in tough conditions with wind and thundery showers. The competition was intense, and the podium was decided at every race, right up to the last race, when the English team on BLUEBOTTLE (GBR 192) with Graham BAILEY finished first, taking the famous trophy ahead of the German team on INGRID (GER 16). METEOR (GER 402) with Peter Cooke, who had been leading the event, finished third in the last race.
ISKAREEN (GER 1111) with Arnt Bruhns from the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez won the Corinthian Prize (amateur ranking).
Pierre Roinson, President of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, thanked the race committee and all the teams at sea and ashore, as well as the participants who had come from far and wide, not forgetting Dirk Oldenburg, without whom this event would not have been possible in Saint-Tropez, at the prize-giving ceremony held on Sunday November 16 at the SNST.
Each participant went home with a book on the history of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez since 1862, and the winner will naturally take the prestigious cup back to his Club in England; the Royal Yacht Squadron.
Dirk Oldenburg, winner of the Marblehead Cup in 2024
“Weldone! The weather was a real challenge! A day without racing because of too much wind, a beautiful day with wind in the afternoon and a very sporting last day of racing with strong wind and rain. The Dragon competitors were delighted to return to Saint-Tropez after several years (last in 2018), and had a great time sharing their experiences.
The race was very competitive, there were some top teams and the racing was very close. There were two of us from the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez in the race and I didn’t do as well as I’d hoped, but I’m happy and not disappointed with the result (6th). I congratulate ISKAREEN (GER 1111) with Arnt Bruhns, also from Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, who wins the Prix Corinthien. The race committee chaired by Jérôme Nutte did a great job.
Graham Bailey, winner of the Marblehead Trophy 2025
“We had a wonderful time. Many thanks to the Société Nautique de Siant-Tropez, we were very well received. The racing couldn’t have been better with the weather. Today (Sunday, Nov 16, 2025), we all passed a very difficult test (strong wind and rain). It was a challenge, so better than racing, we’re very happy to be back. I knew it was going to be a big day today, because Julia has become a grandmother. I never imagined we’d win the Marblehead Trophy. I was surprised because it was so close, but thanks to the great team we sailed with. Many thanks to the people at the Royal Yacht Britannia Trust who restored and cared for this magnificent boat. Many thanks to all. We have now seen the standards set by Dirk, the club, the organizers and everyone else as to the standards expected of the host of the next Marblehead Trophy. And we’ll try not to disappoint. We’ll do our best to insert the event at some point during next year’s Grand Prix, so that we can hopefully put on a great party for everyone. Thank you all very much!”
Podium :
🏆 BLUEBOTTLE (GBR 192) by Graham BAILEY wins the Marblehead Trophy 2025
🥈 INGRID (GER 16) – Dirk PRAMANN finishes 2nd
🥉METEOR (GBR 402) – Pete COOKE finishes 3rd
🏅ISKAREEN (GER1111) – Arnt BRUHNS of SNST wins Corinthian prize
Overall standings after 5 races :
