On Monday, April 20, 2026, with a 5-6 knot north-easterly wind and calm seas, seven Class 40s, fifteen double IRC teams, twelve IRC crews and one multihull set off from Saint-Tropez for the PAPREC 600 Saint-Tropez, a non-stop offshore race in the Mediterranean.
The race committee headed by Georges Korhel and chaired by Alice Coquant launched the start for the IRC crew group at around 12 noon, followed by a second start for the IRC duo teams and the Class40s. Heading south to Corsica for the first gate of the course.
The Finnish yacht Tulikettu, an imposing and sporty infiniti 52 skippered by Arno Linnervuo, quickly took the lead in real time.
The day before, on Sunday April 19, at the skippers’ briefing at the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, the race committee, chaired by Georges Korhel, reminded competitors of all the rules of ocean racing and the instructions to be followed.
The 600-nautical non-stop course from St-Tropez takes participants to the most beautiful coasts of Corsica and Italy.
From Saint-Tropez, competitors head for the Bouches de Bonifacio, then round a number of Italian islands (Giglio, Gorgona, Montecristo) before reaching the Giraglia Passage and returning to Saint-Tropez.
Stopovers and possible repairs are authorized in accordance with Race Rule 45. A procedure will allow the boat to stop and return to the race.
If the wind holds out, the first competitors could reach the finish line in Saint-Tropez by Thursday, especially for the fastest.
Watch live at https://carto.oceantracking.fr/paprec600/carto
Regatta regular Stéphane Neve, Paprec Group’s Sailing Projects Manager (pictured right) attended the start aboard one of the organization’s semi-rigid boats:
“The conditions were light for the start of the Paprec 600, but under beautiful sunshine and in magnificent surroundings!
Having the boats and the village of Saint-Tropez in the background is always a beautiful sight! The forecast looks pretty good overall for the crews, with the westerly wind set to strengthen. This will enable them to make a fine reaching leg to the south of Corsica, with a slight transition at some point. Wind in the Bouches for the frontrunners, after which they’ll certainly have a few zones of light air.
After this little zigzag they’ll be making on the east coast of Corsica in Italy, the frontrunners could have a relatively strong easterly wind for the return trip between Giraglia and Saint-Tropez!
IF the Infinity 52 continues its race, it should therefore have great conditions and make a really fast return to Saint-Tropez, and why not – we hope – beat the race record in real time!
The competing crews regularly send in great images to the Media Group, and as this year there’s also a competition for the best image of the participants during the race – it would be a shame to miss out on the prize! We’re also planning some great images for the passage through Bonifacio, where a media team will be on hand to follow the boats and photograph them as they pass. ”
Royalty-free photos and video on request CLICK HERE
Gilles Martin Raget – Guilain Grenier
Press contact: Chloé de Brouwer
Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez
