John Steven Dews (b. 1941)

Formerly known as La Nioulargue, Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez began as a challenge between Jean Laurain, the owner of the 12-metre Ikra, and Dick Jason, the American owner of Pride (Swan 44). In 1981 they agreed to race between Saint-Tropez and the restaurant Club 55 at Pampelonne, using as a turning mark La Nioulargue, a buoy marking the Nioulargo shallows some five nautical miles east-north-east off Cap Camarat. After a tragic accident in 1995, the regatta was renamed Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez and now attracts modern high performance racing yachts as well as the finest collection of traditional yachts worldwide.