Every September, Cannes trades film stars for sailboats. For one week, more than 150 classic and vintage yachts race in the bay, and this year we spent a full day out on the water with them.

Couple on the deck of a sailing catamaran during the Régates Royales in Cannes, with classic yachts and the French Riviera coastline behind them — Mike and me aboard our Rivage Croisière catamaran, with the classic yachts racing behind us.

First, what is the Régates Royales?

Les Régates Royales is one of the great classic-yacht regattas in the Mediterranean. Wooden hulls, towering canvas sails and crews dressed head to toe in white race alongside historic sailing ships and the metric classes, from the small Dragons up to the 12 Metres. It runs the last week of September, and the whole town gets into it. The Vieux-Port fills with boats, and the Village des Régates on Quai Saint-Pierre is open to anyone who wants to wander.

You can watch for free from the port and the seafront. But if you want to feel like part of the race, you need to be on the water.

Woman smiling next to a giant AIX rosé bottle display on the Vieux-Port in Cannes, France — A quick stop on the Vieux-Port before boarding, where even the rosé is oversized.

Our day with Rivage Croisière

We booked a full-day sailing catamaran with Rivage Croisière (you may also see it listed as Riviera Lines on the booking). We checked in at the Vieux-Port on Quai Saint-Pierre, and before boarding we took a slow lap of the port, where even the rosé bottles are oversized.

This is not your typical boat day with a swim stop and a lot of floating around. We sailed the entire time. The catamaran followed the racing all day, so the yachts were right there beside us: tacking past the Croisette, rounding the Lérins Islands, and popping their spinnakers open on the downwind legs.

Classic racing yacht with tall white sails and a British red ensign competing in the Régates Royales in the Bay of Cannes — A classic British yacht under full sail, red ensign flying

View from a catamaran deck of two classic yachts with spinnakers racing near the Lérins Islands off Cannes — Two classics chasing each other downwind, seen from our spot at the rail

A few boats stole the show. NY 49 and NY 50 came close enough to see every seam in the sails. A three-masted schooner sat backlit against the sun near the islands, and it ended up being our favorite photo of the day.

Vintage sailing yacht leaning into the wind as it races past the Cannes seafront and Le Suquet hill during the Régates Royales — Heeled over and racing past the Croisette

What was included

Honestly, the food and wine were a highlight on their own:

- A champagne toast as we set sail

- Appetizers

- A delicious chicken lunch, served with rosé from the south of France

- Dessert

Eating lunch on deck with racing yachts sliding past is a very specific kind of happy. We would do it again in a heartbeat.

Classic yacht number 449 flying a black spinnaker as it races past the Cannes coastline during the Régates Royales — Up close with the black spinnaker, the Cannes hills right behind

If you want to go

Timing: The regatta runs the last week of September. Check the official Régates Royales dates when planning, since they shift slightly each year.

Book early: Spectator boats that sail with the fleet fill up, especially the full-day options.

Choose a boat that actually sails: Ask whether the trip follows the racing all day or stops to swim. For this event, you want to be out with the fleet.

Pack a layer: It gets breezy on the water, even on a warm Riviera day.

Stay nearby: Cannes is easy to pair with Antibes, Nice or a few nights in Provence, so the regatta can be one great day inside a longer trip.

Build a Riviera week around it

The Régates Royales is the kind of day that makes a trip. If you would love to see it next September, we can plan the whole week around it: where to stay in Cannes or Antibes, the right boat for race day, and the long lunches in between.

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A Day Inside the Régates Royales in Cannes