There’s no doubt Canadians have embraced the St Barth Cata Cup, with no fewer than eight sailors from Canada taking part in the ninth edition.

Nedim Alca and his teammate John Cunning will be competing for the first time, while Luke Ramsay, Olympian in the Nacra17 (Rio) and 470 (London), will be back in St-Barth for a second time, and he’s very enthusiastic about it. 

“After the Rio Olympics, I took a couple of weeks off to rest and had fun taking part in a few regattas, including the US F18 Nationals. That’s where I ran into Matthew Whitehead, who was looking for a crew member. I jumped at the chance!”

Nedim Alca (helmsman) and John Cunning (crewman), part of a group of F18 enthusiasts on Canada’s West Coast, are in their second season on the craft. They have sailed together on a wide variety of boats, from 40-foot single hulls to catamarans. For the record, Nedim purchased Ken Marshack’s C2 in 2015, and they went from the Nacra 580 to the F18. They were instantly hooked! Regulars on the waters off the British Columbia coast and a little farther south of the US border, Nedim and John will be sailing the Caribbean for the first time. They got a taste for the St Barth Cata Cup by following Ken Marshack and Brian Hunt’s progress last year, via live tracking and reporting on the event. With a little luck, they’ll be experiencing the race firsthand this year and hope to hone their skills alongside the best in the class. And proof that Canadians are crazy about the F18: they will be accompanied by two of their friends, also sailors, on this trip to the island.

Maxime Loiselle is another Canadian who is returning to St-Barth, after a very busy year. He came first in the F18 class in Canada and set a record by navigating the 140 nautical miles (259 km) between Montreal and Quebec City in 11 hours and 48 minutes on the Nacra 17 Max Marine, along with Olivier Leduc (also at the St Barth Cata Cup). They broke a new record in sport sailing, which was certified by the Fédération de voile du Québec. In addition, Maxime and Olivier Pilon will be competing in the 2017 Little Cup on the Rafale II, which was built by students in the Projet Classe-C at the École de technologie supérieure (ETS) in Montreal. Pilon, who finished second in the F18 class this season, will be teaming up with his good friend Jean-Pierre Desrochers this year. Rounding out the list of Canadian sailors are Anthony Boueilh and Bastien Mony.