2024 12mR World championship:
Nous sommes prêts!

PORQUEROLLES, FRANCE (June 14, 2024) – Sixteen of the most beautiful and storied International 12Metre Class yachts are now assembled in the harbor at the Yacht Club Porquerolles. Fourteen are ready to race at the 12 Metre World Championship organized by the Yacht Club de Porquerolles on an island just south of Hyères, France, from June 17-23, 2024.

The “rockstar” roll call of 2024 competitors includes previous and reigning World and European Champions, Olympic Medalists and America’s Cup sailors. The yachts themselves, each with a distinctive pedigree, are sailing legends in their own right.

Aurélie Lhuillier, Director of the Yacht Club de Porquerolles said, “It is a great pride for the Yacht Club de Porquerolles to host the 12m JI World Championship. We look forward to seeing all these exceptional boats moored in the port and then watching them race for five days in the Hyères harbor. For over a year, all the Yacht Club teams have been mobilized for this event which will be the highlight of the 2024 season.”

Because of the diversity in age and design of 100+ 12mR yachts built to the International Rule since 1907, the 12mR Class designates a separate World Champion in each of four 12mR Divisions. At this event World Champions will be named in the Grand Prix and Vintage Divisions with trophies awarded to the top 3 finishers in each group.

The 2024 12mR World Championship Competitors in the VINTAGE Division are:

• Flica II (K-14), Christopher Bunning, BVI
• Jenetta (K-1), Thomas Müller, DE
• La Spina (I-1), Michael Creach, IT
• Nini Anker (N-15), Christopher Avenarius, DE
• Northern Light (US-14), Hans Eliasson, SW
• Thea (D-1), Robert de Haer, DE
• Vim (US-15), Patrick Howaldt, DN & Helmuth Henning, HK

With a number of exceptions, the VINTAGE Division yachts are centered primarily in ITMA’s Northern European region where they are frequent rivals on the 12mR race course. Over the past two decades, this fleet has enjoyed a renaissance in the Baltic Sea. Despite their ages –the eldest, D-1 is 106 years old– these yachts are in top racing trim in addition to being beautiful to behold. Vim (US-15) is the reigning World Champion (Finland, 2021) in this division but will be met with fierce opposition in a fleet stacked with very competitive teams.

“The waters of the Bay of Hyeres in Southern France will see 6 Grand Prix 12 Metres racing for their Divisional World Championship. This is the largest group of Grand Prix boats racing in many years. The resurgence of the class racing in the Med is truly spectacular. The Grand Prix boats will be joined by one Modern 12 and a highly motivated and competitive fleet of Vintage boats. Sunny skies, great 12 Metre racing and island life on Porquerolles sound good to me.” Chris Winter, President, International 12mR Association

The 2024 12mR World Championship Competitors in the GRAND PRIX Division are:

• Crusader (K-24), Richard Matthews, UK
• France (F-1)*, Marc Bonduelle, FR
• French Kiss (F-7), Christophe Babule, FR
• Kiwi Magic (KZ-7), Christoffer Blach Petersen, DN
• Kookaburra II (KA-12), Patrizio Bertelli, IT & Torben Grael, BR
• Kookaburra III (KA-15), Jesper Banks, DN
• South Australia (KA-8), Yann DelPlace, FR

*Being built for the 1970 America’s Cup, the national racing yacht of our host country France (F-1) is technically a member of the MODERN 12mR Division but as there are no other entries in this division, F-1 will sail with the GRAND PRIX Division on this auspicious occasion.

Although Legacy (KZ-5), the reigning World Champion in the GP Division will not be competing, the Olympian sailor that helmed KZ-5 to victory– Jesper Banks (DN) will be. He is skippering another 12mR– Kookaburra III (KA-15) to defend his own GP champion title in a group stacked with world-class sailors including Patrizio Bertelli’s (IT) Kookaburra II (KA-12), skippered by Torben Grael, who sailed a perfect regatta sweeping all five races at the recent Pre-Worlds at St. Tropez. We expect “feathers to fly” when the two Kooka’s— KA-12 and KA-15, former Aussie stablemates — meet at Porquerolles. Watch for the the most closely contested 12mR Grand Prix World Championship in recent history.

Click for a complete list of 2024 12mR World Championship Competitor profiles.

In the 2-year Coupe de France Series the first 2 regattas of the 2024 season are now in the books and reflected in the updated standings below.

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