Since 2010, the Mediterranean offshore race organized by the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez has been attracting a fine fleet of yachts, including some of the world’s most famous sailors, as well as amateur crews, some with families or friends.
Jean-Pierre Dickone of the giants of ocean racing with multiple victories and titles, will once again be taking part in the Paprec 600 Saint-Tropez, this year with a new objective: to pass on his experience to a young crew! ” As a business owner and ocean sailor, I want to share my passion and experience with non-professional sailors. My idea is to enable them to take part in a crewed race on the JP54 our Mediterranean. Competitive sailing allows us to get to know each other better, to pass on knowledge, to perform as a team and often to make a dream come true,” he says of his current program.
To date, there are thirty-four boats in the running, divided into several groups: Class40, IRC Duo, IRC Crew and Muticoques. For the time being, with just a few days to go before the start on April 20, 2026the competitors are fine-tuning the final adjustments and checking all the equipment on board, so as to ensure that nothing is overlooked, particularly in terms of safety.
The aim is to have fun at sea and win the race!
Like other international races, the Paprec 600 Saint-Tropez offers a perfect course for racers on the Mediterranean’s most beautiful coastline!
IRC-rated yachts, crewed or double-handed, will start the race in front of the town of Saint-Tropez on Monday April 20, 2026, conditions permitting.
Among them, seven Class 40s in the running so far – AQUAMARIN (GER 135) with Chris Kerl and Benoit Tuduri, FLAMINGO ROSSO (FRA155) with Gildwen Moriceau- Loquen and Raphael Maniglier
IMMAGIN ACT SOCOMEC (FRA207) with Marco Guerra and Lorenzo Bressani, QWANZA (FRA98) with Marie Goulven and Jean Pierre Coutayar, PHARE 40 HA PLUS PME (FRA 142) with Matthieu Claveau, STELLANOVA (SUI 134) with Omar Nass and Louis Toreilles, THE 3 BROS OCEAN CONNECT (FRA168) with Yves Courbon
Paprec 600 real time record holder Mikael Mergui will unfortunately not be able to defend his title this year, as he is in the middle of preparations for the Route du Rhum.
In the IRC duo class, we’ll be joined by the 2025 winner BLUE 007 with Michel Sastre, who will repeat his title among the twelve teams entered, including the Société des régates d’Antibes fleet with the event’s most loyal competitor, Richard Delpeut on his JPK WALILI (3rd in 2025), Gérard Guilluy on FURTIF and Laurent Buissart on HPLUS. TELEMAQUE 2 with Eric Merlier, who won the event solo several years ago.
In the crewed IRC class, we’ll find a very varied fleet, including Jean-Pierre Dick’s JP54 NOTRE MEDITERRANEE, regulars RAGING BEE with Jean-Luc Hamon (3rd in 2025), François Louis Guizouarn’s SRANTIBESSTERGANN, CHAAC with Emmanuel Unguran, XANTUS with Bastien de Brouwer (2017 winner), and more.
We’ll also see an international team, including Finns aboard TULIKETTU with Arto Linnervuo on an INFINITI 52, an incredible semi-custom racing yacht featuring a retractable transverse DSS foil!
” Our main goal is to set a new race record. The Mediterranean can be unpredictable, but the historic weather conditions of this race are a perfect match for our boat design. We’re looking forward to finding that ‘sweet spot’ where our hull shape, DSS foil and sail plan really come into their own.
Timing is everything in racing. The Paprec 600 comes at an ideal moment in the calendar to get the season off to a flying start. It’s the perfect opportunity to get back into the swing of things after the winter break, and to enable the crew to be synchronized and in top form from the very first gun,” says Michael Wahlroos on TULIKETTU,
Next up is the K’MENA TEAM YCM – a J99 with young members of the Yacht Club de Monaco’s sports section on board.
” The crew will be made up of Arthur and Paul, both minors, Armand, 18, and Nicola, who, although an adult, is a novice racer.
All have experience of light sailing, the J70 between 3 buoys. Two of them were crew members on the Giraglia, without playing a major role.
But it’s the first time they’ll have to fully manage a boat in a regatta.
My role will be limited to giving them a few tips, instilling passion and … keeping an eye on things 🙂
It seems that the most important thing is to take part… but we wouldn’t mind a good ranking,” says K’Mena skipper Eric Müller.
Some of our competitors talk about it:
QWANZA – Class40 with Goulven Marie and Jean Pierre Coutaya
Our duo is based on a beautiful complicity and an obvious complementarity:
– Goulven Marie (Skipper and owner): Breton by birth but from the Vençois region at heart for over 20 years, this 49-year-old sailor is a regular on the Class40 circuit in the Mediterranean. The father of a 6-year-old daughter, he has one clear goal in mind: the Route du Rhum, a childhood dream that he intends to make a reality.
– Jean Pierre Coutayar: Argentinian, 27 years old, living in France for 15 years. I started sailing at the age of 12, and have been involved in ocean racing for the past 4 years. In particular, I took the start of the Transat Jacques Vabre 2025 (unfortunately cut short by a technical breakdown) and took 2nd place in a Class40 (Sharp) in the Rolex Fastnet Race. This Paprec 600 will be a big first for me!
Our ambition: For this first race of the season, our priority is to validate the boat’s technical preparation and to have maximum fun at sea. Of course, we’re keeping our competitive spirit in mind: even if the field promises to be tough, we’ll be doing everything we can to play spoilsport at the top of the leaderboard!
Beyond our technical skills, our pairing works on instinct. Goulven is a bit like a modern-day Eric Tabarly: a quiet, efficient sailor. Sometimes we can go for hours without exchanging a word, each perfectly at his post. When tacking, there’s a natural choreography: you prepare, launch, adjust, and then everyone calms down.
We form a kind of “old couple” at sea, a dynamic that’s not only funny but also extremely fluid. Our only golden rule on board? Spread good cheerwhatever happens.
SR ANTIBES H PLUS Laurent Buissart with Mathieu Margoux
“This is our 3rd participation in the Paprec 600. In 2023, we didn’t manage to finish for lack of wind, and the second in 2024, which we completed, was to prepare for the Transquadra 2024-2025.
On the H plus boat (pogo 30), double-handed, I’ll be with Mathieu, so it’ll be the same team as in 2023 and 2024! Last year, we fulfilled our childhood dream by doing the Transquadra, which we brilliantly finished in 1st place in the Mediterranean fleet! So we’re back for the third time on the PAPREC 600, with enthusiasm and determination to do better than on previous occasions. ”
Program schedule :
– April 17: Reception of boats in Saint-Tropez
– April 18 – 19: boat checks and inspections
– April 19: Mandatory briefing
– April 20 at 12:00: Race start
– April 25 at 6:00 p.m.: Deadline for arrival and line closure
– April 25 at 6:30 p.m.: Awards ceremony
Online registration 👉 https://www.nvi-ins.fr/INS_REGATE?Manif=1851
Race information 👉 https://www.societe-nautique-saint-tropez.fr/fr/events/paprec-600-saint-tropez
Follow us on social networks:
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Organization:
Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez
Nouveau Port- BP 72
83992 Saint-Tropez
Tel : 0033(0)4 94 97 30 54
PAPREC 600 Saint-Tropez: a must for sailors past, present and future
Acknowledged by all, this event attracts all ocean-going enthusiasts! The attractive 600-nautical course in the Mediterranean offers racers the chance to measure themselves, set records, train and qualify.
It’s an ideal event for amateurs and professionals in offshore and IRC racing, most of whom take part in other major events such as the Vendée Globe, Transquadra, Figaro, Route du Rhum, Cap Martinique, major Mediterranean races, etc. Like Louis Burton, Alexia Barrier, Jean-Pierre Dick, Clément Giraud, Sebastien, Hugues and Jean-Guillem Destremau, Lionel Péan, Adrien and Robin Follin, Kito de Pavant, Mikael Mergui, Mathieu Claveau and so many others who have taken part in this ocean race organized by the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez since 2010…
The event counts towards the Yacht Club de France’s Mediterranean IRC Championship and is also part of the Class40 Mediterranean Trophy circuit.
The non-stop route from Saint-Tropez will take in the Bouches de Bonifacio, then round a number of Italian islands (Giglio, Gorgona, Montecristo) before reaching the Giraglia Passage and returning to Saint-Tropez.
With all its nautical adventures, everyone will be able to follow the race live on the link that will be broadcast on the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez website and social networks!
