The Richard Mille Cup was won by the 1911 William Fife-designed and built gaff cutter Mariquita on 15 June, after a fortnight of no-holds-barred racing between the cream of the world’s classic yachts. Following the successful inaugural event last year, the Richard Mille Cup 2024 tested an invited fleet of competing yachts, all designed over a century ago, with 255-miles of offshore racing and eight days of shorter inshore courses in England and France.
•10 yachts engaged at the 2024 edition
•Two weeks in 4 steps of spectacular classic yacht racing
•Mariquita wins the Richard Mille Cup
The unique regatta celebrates the yachts as the high-performance racers they were designed to be. Richard Mille is a brand that combines technical innovation, architecture and fine watchmaking heritage.
The 2024 Richard Mille Cup started at the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club in Falmouth on 2 June, before visiting the Royal Dart Yacht Club in Dartmouth, the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes and finally the Société des Régates du Havre in Le Havre, each club renowned for its historic links to yacht racing. Shoreside events included an opening night party at the stunning Trelissick House in Cornwall, a reception on board the three-masted schooner Atlantic, as well as prize-giving ceremonies hosted by each yacht club.
Tim Malachard, Marketing Director of Richard Mille, said: ‘’We want to go one step further by offering vintage yachts the chance to gather together and compete on the same courses they raced in a century ago. This is not a parade, but a genuine regatta over two weeks. It involves four historic yacht clubs in England and France and, for the second year running, has brought together over ten classics accompagnied by authentic replicas. We bring back to life the early days of yachting and their illustrious participants with authenticity and passionate people.’’
The final prize-giving, at the Société des Régates du Havre, took place after a challenging day of racing off the Normandy coast that saw a breathtaking neck-and-neck dash to the line between the two giant gaff cutters Mariquita and Moonbeam IV.
It was a dramatic and fitting finale to the regatta after two weeks that brought many other highlights – a moonlit reach in strong winds past the notorious Portland Bill; an agonizing finish off the Royal Yacht Squadron in light winds and an adverse tide that saw several yachts dragged backwards as they approached the line; and the 100-mile race across the Channel where the tall gaff-riggers finished within minutes of each other in the grey light of dawn.
Yachts taking part in the regatta included three of the great designs by William Fife III – Mariquita (1911), Moonbeam III (1903) and Moonbeam IV (1920). The regatta’s oldest yacht was Thalia, dating from 1889. Also taking part were the giant schooners Atlantic and Elena, two legendary American designs from the early 1900s.
After just two years the Richard Mille Cup has established itself as the premiere event for serious classic yacht racing which renews the traditions which made the sport.
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