The Beauty Of Yachting In St Tropez

In the heady days of midsummer, as superyachts converge on the ancient port and helicopters buzz above the grand villas and umbrella pines, the legend of Saint Tropez continues to grow. In glamorous St Tropez, the celebrity magic of years past still hangs on in the air, with tales of last season’s outrageous parties and lavish champagne wars soon eclipsed by this year’s explosion of decadence and wild excess. And, as everyone who’s anyone knows— there is no better way to experience the glamour of St Tropez than aboard a luxury yacht.

There’s a bewitching, glittering madness that descends on this town in the summertime, as the jet-set flock to St Tropez for another season of carefree hedonism under the Mediterranean sun. Movie stars in dark glasses step off superyachts, and heiresses come out of designer boutiques on pretty cobbled lanes, tiny dogs yapping excitedly from their Hermès handbags. Shock-yellow Lamborghinis and sleek grey Bugattis cruise along picturesque streets, and the stylish waterfront cafés.

By early evening, as the last glow of day paints the sky soft shades of pink and purple, anticipation fizzles in the air like electricity. The yachts out in the bay rock gently at anchor, their tenders buzzing in to the port with laughing, happy guests in glittering dresses; everyone excited to be alive, here, on a superyacht in Saint Tropez.

In Le Sénéquier and Bar du Port, St Tropez regulars greet old friends, exchanging gossip on who’s in town— Beyonce, Di Caprio, which Saudi Prince? Which yacht has Rihanna chartered this year?? And more importantly—who is throwing the biggest party?

When it’s time to dine, the terrace at three Michelin star restaurant La Pinède is the hottest table in town for gastronomy, while the charming Auberge des Maures has been dishing up Provençal classics to celebrities since the Second World War. Then it’s to the fabulously famous Café des Arts where the music gets louder and the energy level builds to fever pitch, before the A-list crowd heads into the heaving, sweaty debauchery of a late-night DJ set at Caves du Roy or the VIP Room, where royals and oligarchs compete in champagne-buying wars. Magnums of Cristal are shaken and sprayed around the room in an orgy of Saint Tropez excess, showering the dancing crowd in soft, sticky rain. This is Saint Tropez in the summertime, where everyone feels alive.

As you gather around the breakfast table the next morning, skin tingling from a morning swim off the island of Porquerolles, the talk and laughter will all be of the night before—the wild foolishness and celebrity gossip of the long, hot Saint Tropez nights.

Yet that’s far from all there is to a Saint Tropez yacht charter. All around you is pure Mediterranean beauty, fragrant pine forests, cicadas buzzing their summertime symphony, water lapping gently on the hull. This is the beauty of yachting in Saint Tropez—that the late nights and are washed away each morning by the beauty of the distant Maures, the sparkling water, the exhilaration of jumping on the Jet Ski and tracing great white patterns in the sea around the yacht.

Behind St Tropez in the quiet hills, polo ponies thunder across green fields to the cheers of a chic crowd, and rolling golf courses are set above breathtaking views of the Gulf of St Tropez. Medieval villages perch on hilltops, their cobblestone alleyways lined with art galleries and bougainvillea, their ramparts surrounded by vineyards and lemon groves that release their citrus scent in the sunshine. Those seeking tranquillity and relaxation will find heaven at La Réserve Spa in Ramatuelle, a celebrity-haven with a soaring, heart-stopping view.

Saint Tropez, too, has an ancient, Provençal heart, found in the tanned old men playing boules under the plane trees in Place des Lices, and the local bustle and clamour of the Saturday morning market. For all the glamour of the village in summer, there are echoes of a time when this corner of Provence was inhabited by fishermen and lonely shepherds, and when pirates and Saracen ships attacked the coastline. History speaks loudly here, if you only care to listen.

There is so much more to a Saint Tropez yacht charter than nightlife and parties. But yet, the party often has a way of finding you—as you will discover as your yacht drops anchor off Pampelonne Beach, where a young Brigitte Bardot cavorted in a skimpy bikini during the filming of And God Created Woman, rocketing sleepy Saint Tropez to global stardom. Today, some of the most famous beach clubs on earth line the sweep of white soft sand—the fabled Club 55, where it all began, hip Bagatelle, the coolest new addition to the Saint Trop' scene, and the infamous Nikki Beach, where supermodels and racing car drivers dance on tables around the pool. Long, lazy rosé lunches get steadily louder as the sun makes its way across the sky, and so the heat and excitement rises on another day in splendid Saint Tropez.

If the glitz and glamour get too much, step on board your charter yacht and float away to a secluded anchorage of pure serenity. That is the beauty of yachting – and that is the beauty of Saint Tropez.

For more information on booking a St Tropez yacht charter or boat rental, contact our team of charter specialists on mycharter@bluewateryachting.com or +33 493 343 34 13.

To follow our open casting call for this season's ‘Beauty of Yachting’, search for #beautyofyachting or visit @bluewaterlife on Instagram.