Les Voiles De Saint-Tropez Regatta
FALL 2025
It was inevitable that while shooting the classics, I would run across the legendary Fifes. As we were finishing up a perfect week at the Opera House Cup Regatta on Nantucket, it was time to start planning the next shoot. I had heard many stories of the classics that race in Saint-Tropez, and with two days left on the island, I was directed to the Nantucket Atheneum Library to learn more. As I combed through several great books on classics and their histories, my introduction to the Fifes was confirmed.
William Fife and his son’s pursuit of fast and beautiful yachts defined the golden age of racing classics.
The Fifes were some of the most iconic designs of their time, and over a century later, their famed yachts still race throughout Europe and the Mediterranean. When the hulls of these beauties are under full sail, the amount of power as the leeward rails submerge and the bow plow begins is immense. This is a level of energy that only the privileged sailor gets to experience.
That evening, I was still on the fence about the last leg of shooting in Saint-Tropez. I opened the race website to check the scratch sheet, and when I saw twelve Fifes on the long list of competing classics, my decision was made. I would shoot the renowned 2025 Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez.
For this event, I needed a Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB), an apartment, and, most importantly, a good driver. It did not take long to convince Captain Nick Watts from Camden, Maine, to join me on what would be the perfect grand finale to the 2025 classics races.
It’s day one of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez Regatta. The view from the rooftop of my apartment is storybook. Between large old-growth palms and the surrounding Provençal architecture, I spy a long row of tall wooden masts lined up at the dock. As it is time for an early morning espresso, I go in search of Hotel Sube, whose bar I was told overlooks the harbor. My first walk into town is filled with layers of wow as I am surrounded by visuals that bring to life everything I have heard about Saint-Tropez, its parks, shops, restaurants, and especially its people. This place simply oozes style and class. Every picture-worthy sight elevates my anticipation of the days ahead. Now I understand why this is such an acclaimed event.
Going up the entrance stairs to the bar, I am in awe as I scan walls filled with yacht racing photos and check out displays of half and full yacht models and other maritime antiques. This place, rich with racing history, trumpets stories from the past. It is from the bar’s balcony that I see the classics lined up transom to dock. Each is dressed in its racing best—bright work shining, winches and hardware glowing, rigging and tackle ready to compete for glory and honor. One logo in particular catches my eye: a dragon’s head at the bow, its tail at the stern. I finally meet the Fifes I heard about in Antigua and read of on Nantucket.
