The Boulogne Brothers Prevail

      Two races around the island of Saint Barthélemy were on the schedule for this third day of the 2013 Cata Cup. The Boulogne brothers, after some serious battling out on the water, were the winners of the RE-MAX Prize.

      The competitors had a little hors d’oeuvre before the main course: they had a warm-up race in the bay of Saint Jean, before the primary event of the day, the much-anticipated tour around the island of Saint Barthélemy.

      There were winds from the East/North at 15 knots most of the day. The waves were consistent, allowing the sailors to achieve steady speeds and to put their boats to the task in weather conditions perfectly adapted to these sports cats.

      The procedures for the start of the first regatta got underway at about 10am, after an issue that obliged the committee to recalibrate the line. The buoys were placed respectively at Pointe Milou, at the level of Toc Vert, and at Frégate.

       Bundock/Van Leeuwen (Guanahani 1) crossed the finish line first after a half hour of sailing during which they were the uncontested leaders from start to finish. The Bundock/Van Leeuwen duo was able to sail slightly faster than the others. “The first regatta was fantastic,” declared the Australian. “We had the best start and remained at the head of the fleet throughout the race.” At the end of the race, they had a very comfortable lead over the Boulogne brothers (ALLIANZ-St Barth Assurances 1) and Martin/Gate (ALLIANZ-St Barth Assurances 4), who came in second and third.

       Emmanuel and Vincent Boulogne were the winners of the legendary around-the-island race. Emmanuel notes upon arrival: “We decided not to take too many risks during this event. We got a lot of advice from the locals. And we were in a good spot from the top of the race.” The regatta started at Pointe Milou, with the sailors heading east, toward the Grenadines, to sail between the little islands of Ile Coco and Roche Roube. They then headed past Saline and the marker at Gouverneur, before sailing past Pain Sucre and the Baleines and into the bay of Gustavia, by Bœuf and Colombier to cross the finish line.

       The views were spectacular but the sailors cannot enjoy them at 100%, as indicates Canadian Patrick Laroche, teammate of Anthony Boueilh (Filles des îles): “It is a true paradise here…! But I couldn’t admire the beauty of the island very much as there was so much to do aboard. The conditions were not simple, as the winds were variable.”

        On the competitive level, the race played out around Saline. Cammas/Vandame , Bundock/Van Leeuwen, Martin/Gate, and Boulogne brothers rapidly sailed away from the rest of the fleet. The two winners who were pressing from behind when reaching Saline were able to take advantage of the situation that presented itself: “We made almost the entire tour of the island as a fleet of four boats, and at the entry to Gustavia, of the four boats we were the one to have the best luck. We were a little to the interior but were able to escape and take a lead of 100 meters over the others.”

       NIKKI BEACH hosted the sailors at the end of both races, and organized two meals right on the beach for lunch and dinner. The Boulogne brothers were the big winners of the day, taking home the RE/MAX Prize.

     Gustavo Caricote, the director of RE/MAX in the Caribbean, attended the soirée and the prize giving along with David VanderNoot, who has run the RE/MAX office in Saint Barthélemy for the past seven years. “The Saint Barthélemy branch is one of my favorites,” affirms Caricote. “I am a good friend of the manager, David VanderNoot. I don’t sail—I love to ski in Colorado—but I am happy to be able to support an event of this type and help develop the sport on the island.” The international RE/MAX real estate agency, founded in 1973 in Denver, Colorado, is represented in 90 countries around the world.