The authentic and timeless world of Ralph Lauren
April 2026
RL/Travel

Racing on the Riviera

In the summer of 1981, a Frenchman bet an American he could beat him in a boat race off the coast of Saint-Tropez. Their friendly little wager created what might be the world’s most beautiful regatta.
Come August under the famed crimson awnings of Sénéquier, amid a field of pastis glasses gently perspiring in the late summer sun, café gossip turns, inescapably, to Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez. A fixture of the Mediterranean yachting circuit for decades, Les Voiles is a regatta like no other, a multiclass mix of historic racing schooners, modern performance yachts, and cutting-edge carbon-fiber maxis each going boat-for-boat in pursuit of some of the most sought-after trophies in all of sailing. Here, unlike at the hypertechnical America’s Cup, the focus each September falls on the owner-skippers, those masters of the universe who arrive not only with wide berths and deep pockets but formidable seafaring skills; in the clubby, competitive world of elite yacht ownership, Les Voiles is the race where sailing reputations are made. It is, in other words, très tropézien. There may be no place on earth more indelibly tied to the ocean than Saint-Tropez, named for the Roman martyr Torpetius whose body and relics were said to have washed ashore here, undisturbed, after being set adrift in the Arno River during Nero’s reign. Centuries later, a different visionary arrived by boat in the late 1800s when avant-garde painter Paul Signac cruised into the harbor aboard his cutter Olympia. Astounded by the dazzling Mediterranean light, he quickly established the small fishing village as the southern epicenter of late Neo-Impressionism; soon, everyone from Henri Matisse to Albert Marquet were fixtures along the quay.
Unlike Ibiza or Monaco, this onetime fishing port remains proudly, stubbornly small-scale.
But it would be another 60 years before Saint-Tropez became the destination for the international jet set, with the arrival of And God Created Woman director Roger Vadim and the movie’s luminous breakout star, Brigitte Bardot, who transfixed global audiences with her barefoot elegance and languid sensuality—attributes that define St. Trop in the public imagination to this day. Fittingly, the origin of Les Voiles can be traced to an impromptu 1981 wager between two very different yachts: Cup-class 12-Meter Ikra skippered by a Frenchman, Jean Laurain; and American Dick Jayson’s Swan 44 cruiser-racer, Pride. Arranged on the fly by Patrice de Colmont, then-owner of the famous Club 55, the course was set from the Portalet tower, around the Nioulargue buoy, and terminating in front of the restaurant’s beach club, which would host both crews for a raucous post-race party. When a local reporter came upon the celebration and asked what had happened, de Colmont told him the “Club 55 Cup” had just been won, and to score the occasion he found a silver bowl from the French Navy’s crockery and gave it to Ikra’s winning skipper, Laurain. It was this gentleman’s bet that soon morphed into La Nioulargue—named for the rocky shoal off Pampelonne that marked the original race’s lone rounding—and which quickly drew an elite cross-section of owners and professional sailors. The famously freewheeling race would continue until 1995, when a fatal collision brought the regatta to a halt. Four years later it would be reborn as Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, now under the auspices of the historic local yacht club, with an emphasis on modern safety protocols, rules-based oversight, and race management, all while retaining the spirit and owner-driven élan of the original.
Today, spectators at Les Voiles might see a varnished 1930s cutter ghosting across the line followed by a knife-bowed J Class revival, followed by a carbon-rigged maxi throwing spray toward Pampelonne. The magic of the modern race lies in its mix of grand-prix thoroughbreds and golden-age racers, Wallys and cutters, canting-keel sloops and long-keel classics, crewed by a mix of professional and amateur sailors, many boats docked stern-to-quay during competition, all the better for fans looking to get up close and personal with some of the greatest racing vessels, and competitors, in the history of the sport.

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Patrice de Colmont awards the trophy for the inaugural race in 1981, with competitors Jean Laurain (left) and Dick Jayson. (Photo courtesy of Sylvie Bourgeois Harel.)
This is the romance of Les Voiles, and of Saint-Tropez, made intimate: respective offshore legends and America’s Cup helmsmen such as Loïck Peyron and Paul Cayard mingling over espressos at Sénéquier, the pale stone ramparts of the 17th-century Citadelle de Saint-Tropez rising above the terracotta roofline in the distance. Unlike the overstimulated pulse of Ibiza or the billionaire’s favela that is Monaco, this onetime fishing port remains—proudly, stubbornly—small-scale. Pure luxury for those who understand its warp and weft; fundamentally closed for those who don’t. First-time travelers here should be sure to take in the village over coffee or an aperitif from the upper balconies of Le Sube, the historic harborside hotel and café with the soul of an old sailboat that offers front-row views of Saint-Tropez’s daily rhythms and timeless salt-and-mahogany Riviera charm. Afternoons that spill into evenings and beyond belong to Club 55, the chic beachside refuge started by the parents of race cofounder Patrice de Colmont that specializes in grilled fish, rosé, and A-list guests wanting to relax outside of the paparazzi glare. Looking to take a piece of St. Trop home? La Vieille Mer offers curated nostalgia in the form of maritime antiques and curiosities. Or make time on a Sunday morning for Le Jas des Roberts, a Provençal brocante famed for its vintage linens, timeworn farm tables and cupboards, rustic ceramics, and provincial silver. Banc Bleu, meanwhile, embodies the seafaring soul of the Côte d’Azur with its hand-knit fisherman’s sweaters. Of course, as Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez instructs, the spirit of the village can never be bought. It’s a philosophy, a mindset, a way of living—très tropézien.
JOSH CONDON is a writer and editor based in Brooklyn, New York.
Openings

On the Place de Lices

Ralph Lauren’s newest store opens this summer just steps from Saint-Tropez’s public square, famous for its ancient plane trees that were so vividly depicted in the works of Paul Signac, who lived there. A handsome ramble of two overlapping buildings—one for menswear, the other for women and children—will offer bespoke services, styling, and wardrobe curation. An adjoining outdoor courtyard will host its own Ralph’s Coffee truck—which all sounds like a great opportunity for a round of pétanque.
28-30 Boulevard Vasserot
83990 Saint-Tropez, France
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