– TULIKETTU grand winner 2026,1st crew and speed record in 2 days 23 hours 18 minutes and 9 seconds!
– PHARE 40, first Class40
– TELEMAQUE 2, first IRC duo
The Paprec 600 Saint-Tropez drew to a close on Saturday, April 25, marking the end of an edition where strategy and sport took center stage. Once again, the weather conditions were perfect on one of the most beautiful courses in the Mediterranean. Thirty-five boats were competing, divided into 4 groups: Duo IRC, Crew IRC, Class40 and Multi.
It’s a demanding but fascinating race, as all the participants confirm. As soon as they return home, some share their best memories and anecdotes, while others quickly fall asleep, exhausted by the adventure. At the prize-giving ceremony, Pierre Roinson, President of the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, thanked all the participants, as well as the volunteers, including the race committee headed by Georges Korhel and presided over by Alice Coquant, who were on watch 24 hours a day. And let’s not forget Paprec, title partner of this event, and the Club’s annual partners, who make the organization of this ocean race possible.
Competitors are already looking forward to the Paprec 600 in 2027.
The highlight of 2026 is the real-time race record set by the Finnish crew on TULIKETTU in just 2 days 23 hours 18 minutes, almost fifteen hours less than the previous record set by Mikael Mergui in 2025.
TULIKETTU not only took first place on the podium in real time, but also in compensated time in its IRC Crew group, ahead of LECLERC HENNEBONT COCODY skippered by Richard Fromentin. In third place, the RAGING BEE crew with Jean-Luc HAMON.
In the Class 40 group, after a hard-fought and persevering battle, Mathieu Claveau and François Verdier on the Class 40 FRA 142 PHARE40 won ahead of Chris Kerl and Benoit Tuduri’s GER135 AQUAMARIN and the SUI 134 STELLA NOVA sailed by Omar Nass and Louis Toreilles.
In the Duo IRC category, JPK 1010 TELEMAQUE 2 with Eric Merlier and Bernard Mallaret won on corrected time, ahead of SAKIFO with Luca and Philippe MAO and BLUE 007 with Michel SASTRE and Jonathan FREZE.
The only Multi in the race, ELEVEN, with Hugues de Saint-Germain and Nicolas Rose, also put in a fine performance, finishing with the Class40 group!
A prize was awarded by Lionel Péan to the youngest crew member in the fleet: Arthur Piekarec, 16, on K MENA TEAM YACHT CLUB DE MONACO.
A special Media prize for the best image transmitted during the race went to Pierre Mulot’s boat TCHOUK TCHOUK NOUGAT, first ahead of XANTUS and ALWENA. And the video “Coup de Coeur” prize went to the PHARE40 team.
What they say:
Arto Linnervuo on TULIKETTU wins IRC crew and real time record
“Magnificent! We really enjoyed the race and the course is very beautiful with very different conditions in the various parts of the course.
We used all our sails, which was great. We got off to a light start, but then we had to do some heavy reaching!
It’s a perfect race course and I think it has a lot of potential!
I invite the competitors to do it! There are all sorts of conditions and beautiful views and of course the organising committee from the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez is one of the friendliest and warmest we’ve seen! We are extremely well received!
I don’t know yet whether we’ll be able to come next year, but records have to be defended and we want to keep them for a long time. So yes, we’ll definitely be back, and let’s hope it happens soon! ”
Richard Fromentin LECLERC HENNEBONT COCODY, second in IRC crew:
“We experienced the race intensely and with a lot of pleasure – there were times when there was a lack of wind – the others came back and we had to get out of it every time – so we had two starts on the two gates, that of the Bouches de Bonifacio and that of the Giraglia, and we took advantage of the slightest breeze to set off again.
It’s the joy of the Mediterranean, and sailing in the Atlantic, we’re not used to it, but it’s a good exercise and we’re getting through it! apart from the first boat which was much faster than us – not the same size either
The course is very pretty and quite difficult – there’s a lot of weather work to be done – the race is never over until the end – there are always ups and downs.
I had already taken part in the Paprec 600 on Philippe Frantz’s boat on Albator – this time I did it with my own boat.
After the Middle Sea, the boat heads back to Brittany for the English championship
And after that, we’re thinking of doing the Cross Med, so if we come back it will be with a new boat, but after the Fastnet 2027. ”
PHARE 40, Matthieu Claveau and François Verdier,1st Class40
“As always in the Mediterranean, conditions are very changeable,” explains Mathieu Claveau, “so the race was particularly intense. We started out in front and managed to stay in the leading pack by making good transitions and maintaining good speed. The race was decided precisely on one transition, between two reaching tacks, where we were the first to set the A5. That made all the difference!”
A small lead that the duo had to manage right up to the finish line.
“We managed to keep our cool on this race,” stresses François Verdier. Staying clear-headed and fresh is certainly one of the keys to success on this course. Knowing the course is certainly an advantage, but you also need to be stable in your performance. Not to mention that we had a lot of fun.
The Class40 fleet is superbly homogenous; it’s been a great battle! The training course we did a fortnight ago did everyone a world of good.
We’re delighted,” conclude the two sailors. As always, he’s got a great welcome and a great atmosphere here in St Tropez. This victory kicks off the season very well!”
Eric Merlier TELEMAQUE 2,1st IRC Duo
“I’d done the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez 400-nautical format solo at least four times, but this is the first time I’ve done 600 nautical miles, and this time as a duo.
The playground is sensational, it’s magnificent between snow-covered Corsica and the Italian islands, it’s sumptuous. So we had a great time in exceptional weather conditions, with a few light winds but not too many gales either! In short, everything was great fun, as usual, and the organization was sensational! Frankly, I don’t understand why there aren’t more people at this event!
The great thing about this race format is that you can segment the race. For example, stage 1, I leave the Gulf. Stage 2, I go to the mouths of Bonifacio, then stage 3, I go to the island of Giglio, I go up to Gorgona then I come back down, etc. You don’t see the time go by because it’s rhythmic and always different .
Our competitor was BLUE 007, we have almost the same rating. They had won a previous edition. It was really breathtaking because you can’t rest because the boats are going at the same speed, so if one goes left and one goes right, you can see at the end who’s right! ”
Hugues de Saint-Germain, ELEVEN,1st Multi
“For the last five years, our crew has been based in Hong Kong and we’ve been taking part in all the Asian offshore regattas. We were at the Rolex Middle Sea race, we finished second in the multihull and then we decided to come here on the Paprec 600. The course is absolutely magnificent and very tactical, which is very interesting for the skipper and the crew, the weather conditions are also very varied and the organization is extremely friendly. As someone who is used to racing in Asia, I have to say that the atmosphere here in Saint-Tropez is really top-notch. We’ve achieved our goal 100%, and we’re clearly keen to come back and race in Europe. We’re also planning to take part in the Caribbean 600 next year.
Race info rankings 👉 https://www.racingrulesofsailing.org/documents/14231/event
