The organizing committee has finalized the list of registered crews and is already looking forward to welcoming you all on the island for another closely fought regatta. This will be a ninth lap for the organization that could not have imagined such enthusiasm for the event from its humble beginnings. Summary of a conversation with one of it’s three founders, Jeff Lédée.

Had you ever imagined that the St Barth Cata Cup would one day be one of the most longstanding events of the F18 Class ?

We initially wanted to attract the sailors from Europe and the USA that we had met on other regattas. Little by little, the pool of racers widened to the point where we now welcome racers from South America, Canada and even Australia. Every year, the event seems to grow in popularity and we now host both amateur and professional sailors. We are lucky to have many local partners support our event every year.

Does the popularity of the Cata Cup surprise you?

We are always happily surprised to see that even after 9 years, there is a lot of hype around the event. The registration period takes place 6 months before the event and there is still a high demand for the available spots.

We owe the success of the Cata Cup to the volunteers and partners who trust, support and help us continuously improve the event. Our concept is to match the excitement on the water during the regatta with the fun filled evenings where everyone can interact and it works!

The people of St-Barthelemy are known to be welcoming the magic of our island is unmissable : sailing in 28 degree celsius waters, turquoise water, white sand beaches. It doesn’t really get better than this!

And the years to come?

With the idea of sustainability and also to bring some new ideas we have recently integrated youger team members like Emilie Aubin, Thierry Berry and David Guiheneuc. Our hope is that they will be able to take over once it’s time for us to pass on the torch.

The St Barth Cata Cup will certainly be around for many more years to come!