The first day of the Giraglia Rolex Cup finished with a beautiful real time victory for Alfa Romeo. Wild Oats tried but could not compete with the Kiwi boat's supremacy on the course. It was Pieper Roel's Swann 80, Favonius (ITA), that moved in to take the lead on corrected time in the IRC Class just ahead of Magic Carpet Squared and K2 Wind.
It may have been the first time that Wild Oats XI has appeared here in the waters of St. Tropez, but she did not disappoint. Wild Oats, face-to-face with all of her challengers, headed for the start line out of the harbour, no easy task with a draft of 4m50. In 2006, Alfa Romeo attempted this exact same manoeuvre and found herself stuck in the channel when the hull scraped ground.
After an initial delay, the wind finally stabilized in a south south-easterly direction and the race committee could go ahead with the two first starts of the 2007 Giraglia Rolex Cup just after 12:00 noon. Situated at the entrance of the Pointe des Sardinaux and west of Saint-Raphaël and Sainte-Maxime, the start line was the site of the first duel between the two super maxis, a confrontation that quickly turned to favour Alfa Romeo. The New Zealanders set the rhythm from the start, a rhythm that was only accentuated with every advancing meter. Only with the last few tacks was Wild Oats able to catch up to the leader and finally finish 46 seconds behind in real time. It was Favonius who finished this 29.5 mile course in first place for the IRC Class, just 2 minutes and 11 seconds ahead of Lindsay Owen Jones and his Magic Carpet Squared. Alfa Romeo and Wild Oats XI finished in 4th and 5th place respectively on corrected time. This year's edition of the Giraglia Rolex Cup is said to be characterized by the battle between the two super maxis Alfa Romeo and Wild Oats
