The international appeal of the St Barth Cata Cup

2016 edition welcomes 17 different nations

There’s only one month to go until the ninth edition of the St Barth Cata Cup weighs anchor. On this occasion, competitors on boats such as the GC32, Tornado, Flying Phantom, Class 40 and Diam 24 will come together for the unique experience of the Formula 18 and the pleasure of sailing in the ideal conditions of Baie de St-Jean.

Each year, the organization prides itself on offering sailors around the world the opportunity to participate in the St Barth Cata Cup. This has worked so well that the ninth edition will see increased representation by Germany, Switzerland, Argentina and Canada in addition to returning teams from Italy and Greece.

“What I like about the St Barth Cata Cup is its friendly atmosphere, the warm welcome we receive and, obviously, the sailing conditions, which make this a unique race. St-Barth is one of those places where you can sail under all kinds of wind and sea conditions: waves, calm waters or powerful winds. This is why it attracts some of the world’s top catamaran racers,” explains Iordanis Paschalidis, triple Olympian on the Tornado, who will team up with crewman Gustaf Dryssen for this ninth edition.

Canadians love the St Barth Cata Cup

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 crewman John Cunning will be participating for the first time, while Luke Ramsay, Olympian on the Nacra17 (Rio) and the 470 (London), will be returning to St-Barth for his second race, 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.” Rounding out the list of Canadian sailors: Maxime Loiselle, Olivier Leduc, Olivier Pilon, Jean-Pierre Desrochers, Anthony Boueilh and Bastien Mony.

Over 100 sailors, four-day regatta

You don’t change a winning formula! The St Barth Cata Cup has established a reputation in the sailing world not only for offering ideal conditions, but for presenting an exciting program of activities on dry land. This is why a strong mood of camaraderie has prevailed for the past eight years. As explained by Jeff Lédée, one of the masterminds behind the St Barth Cata Cup: “Our concept is to combine the show on the water during the regattas with exciting evening events where everyone gets together, and it works! We also owe the success of the St Barth Cata Cup to all the volunteers and partners who put their trust in us, support us and help us make the regatta even better,” he says.