All aboard for the inaugural Richard Mille Cup
Everything to know about the first edition of the vintage yacht race, a modern take on pre-war regatta circuits.
Avant-garde watchmaking brand Richard Mille sets sail on a new adventure this summer with the inauguration of a vintage yacht race, featuring beautifully restored and authentic racing boats.
The first edition of the Richard Mille Cup, a contemporary take on pre-war regatta circuits, will be held between June 10 to 25. Aficionados and collectors of historical yachts will compete as they voyage between Falmouth, Great Britain, to Le Havre, France, stopping over at sailing destinations Dartmouth and Cowes in a series of inshore and offshore races.
“Classic yachts bear a living, breathing testimony to the highest values of workmanship, heritage and tradition passed on to us through centuries. By creating this challenge, we aim to set sail through history and to bring this high-end craft very much back to life” says founder Richard Mille. “Restoration alone isn’t enough, though. These yachts need an environment in which they can thrive, and that’s why it’s so important to involve the Yacht Clubs allowing competitors to mingle in an atmosphere redolent of the true spirit of the pre-War era.”
Partnering with William Collier, expert historical yacht restorer and organiser of Fife Regatta since 1998, the inaugural regatta is anchored in the authenticity of promoting the beauty and pageantry of iconic handcrafted vessels. “The Richard Mille Cup strives to recapture the spirit of the pre-war British racing circuit. We see these yachts as important cultural artefacts,” Collier explains.
On both sides of the French and English Channel, hallowed institutions Royal Cornwall and Royal Dart Yacht Clubs, Royal Yacht Squadron and Société des Régates du Havre will lend their centuries-old heritage to race participants till the final line is crossed.
Monegasque royal and sailor Pierre Casiraghi, a Richard Mille family member since 2018, will be joining the race on Tuiga, the Yacht Club de Monaco’s legendary flagship vessel. Team Fife has also been founded to galvanise a fleet of legendary William Fife yachts on the Atlantic Coast to compete and share experience and savoir-faire. The Richard Mille Cup has attracted 15 yachts dating from the end of the 19th century to the late 1930s in the Schooner and Cutter categories, alongside two spectacular 60 m-long three-masters.
Specially commissioned to and designed by Garrard, a British Royal Family jeweller for the last 300 years and creator of prestigious sports trophies such as the first America’s Cup 170 years ago, the Richard Mille Cup trophy is crafted in sterling silver and stands a metre high. It sports a dramatic windswept structure in a homage to elegant sails in the wind. Each regatta winner will receive a 40cm replica of the perpetual trophy, also handcrafted by Garrard.
