The Giraglia

The week, and the two races inside it

The 2026 edition runs from 12 to 20 June. On Friday the 12th the village opens and the boats come in. The Giraglia is really two events stuck together, and you have to decide which one you came for.

The coastal races take up 13, 14, 15 and 16 June, in the waters of the gulf. This is the spectator's race: courses laid a few hundred metres off the shore, bunched starts, tight tacking duels. Every day the fleet goes out and comes back, you see the manoeuvres up close, and four days running gives you time to find your spot.

The offshore race starts on Wednesday 17 June. This is the sailors' race: 241 miles from Saint-Tropez to the Giraglia rock, off the northern tip of Cap Corse, then the run to Genoa, with at least one night at sea. The public only sees the start, but that start is worth the trip: the whole fleet crosses the line together, heading south-east in late afternoon light.

The week closes on Saturday 20 June with the prize-giving at the Yacht Club Italiano in Genoa.

Reading a coastal race when you know nothing about sailing

The four days of racing in the gulf follow well from land, as long as you know what you are looking at. For the local wind patterns, our Sea, sail and sea wind page covers the ground.

The start. Boats do not leave from a fixed point, they cross an imaginary line between two marks on a signal. So they manoeuvre in a pack in the minutes beforehand, cutting across each other. It is the most impressive thing to watch up close.

Upwind. A sailboat cannot sail straight into the wind, it zigzags. When the whole fleet tacks at the same time, it has hit a course limit or is chasing a wind shift.

Downwind. Wind behind, the big coloured sails go up. That is the photogenic part, and the part where the gaps open.

The results. Boats of very different sizes race together on a time correction system: the first across the line is not always the winner. Do not be surprised to see results land an hour after the finish.

The rock, and the night you do not see

The point that gives the race its name is a rocky islet off the northern tip of Cap Corse, topped by a lighthouse. There is nothing welcoming about it, which is exactly what makes it a memorable mark: an isolated rock in open sea, to be rounded at night, often in established wind. Plenty of crews describe that passage as the moment the race turns.

Once the start has been given, the fleet vanishes to the south-east and the show stops for anyone left ashore. Unless you know where to look: the organisers publish live tracking of the competitors during the race. It is the best way to watch the fleet round the rock in the dark and then work north to Genoa, and over 241 miles the gap opening between the maxis and the smaller boats reads very clearly.

Insider advice

• Aim for the offshore start on the 17th. Two hundred boats crossing a line to head for Corsica is a different order of spectacle from the coastal racing.
• The môle Jean Réveille is still the best spot, as it is for Les Voiles: a clear view over the gulf and over the boats working out of the harbour.
• Walk the pontoons in the morning. On coastal race days the fleet is alongside until mid-morning. It is the only time you get really close to the boats.
• Watch 15 June. The Bravade des Espagnols often falls in the middle of Giraglia week. Two major events on the same day, in the same village.
• The beaches are still quiet. In June Pampelonne is twenty minutes away and l'Escalet stays wild. Afternoons are free anyway: the fleet only goes out late in the day.
• For the spare day, two safe bets twenty minutes from the harbour: the walk through the Gassin vines and the village of Ramatuelle.
• Get on the water. An introductory sailing trip is easy to book at this time of year, and watching a race is different afterwards.

Coming in mid-June

Mid-June is the best window of the year to arrive by car. The only roads into the village are two-lane departmental roads, and you have at least 45 kilometres of them from the A8: in August that is the trial of the trip, in June it flows.

On accommodation the Giraglia has a huge advantage over Les Voiles: it does not fill the village. You will find a room at mid-season rates, often within a few days. On the far side of the gulf, the shuttles from Sainte-Maxime take fifteen minutes, seven days a week.

Stations, airports and car parks are set out in our practical guide.