13/11/2012
The Girls of Saint Barth...
Fast facts:

 

• Competitors from the four corners of the globe
• Emptying of containers and assembling of the boats
• Navigation practice and final adjustments
• The first all-female racing crew

The sailors have been arriving in Saint Barth for the past 48 hours. At the port of Gustavia and at the airport, they are happy to see each other again, shouting greetings, toasting their friendship, and especially celebrating their return. Meeting up with old friends quickly erases the long hours of travel to get here.

As of yesterday, the 57 teams competing in the 5th edition of the Saint Barth Cata Cup were already hard at work. At 7am the containers were already open on the beach in Public and the day was dedicated to assembling the boats. Today, and again tomorrow, the teams adjust to the tropical climate and take advantage of the time to navigate as well as make final adjustments to their boats while enjoying the 80°F temperature of the air and the water, with breezes of up to 15 knots.

Passion, Not Pressure

And this year, women are in the spotlight, first with Dutch sailor Carolijn Brouwer, world champion and Olympic medalist, who is racing with Jeroen Van Leeuwen, usually the teammate of Darren Bundock. But for the first time this year, an all-feminine team will compete agains the best multi-hull specialists in the world.
The smiles of Sophie Olivaud and Soizic Medes will light up this edition of the Saint-Barth Cata Cup. These women, who both live in Saint Barth, are passionate about sailing. When they are not aboard a single-hull sailboat, they can be found out on the water with their Formule 18. A new duo, Sophie and Soizic are racing just for the personal pleasure. No pressure for Sophie, at the helm, or for Soizic, her teammate. Their goal is to play along with the local teams. "We are still at the stage where we are learning the boat," explains Sophie. "Since we have been sailing in the sport catamaran, we have discovered a super solidarity between the boats and the best local teams have been giving us advice, and helping us with the boat. It's an extraordinary solidarity and ambiance! But that does not stop us from playing with them out on the water. We have given ourselves small challenges for the Saint-Barth Cata Cup. Obviously we are not trying to win, but we hope to pass once or twice in front of Thierry Lhinares under spinnaker and try to do our best to sail with Yan Van Den Haute et Sylvie Pollien."

SWEDEN, GERMANY, CANADA, FINLAND, GREECE, ITALY, BELGUIM....

The rest of the field comprises the same mix of champions and passionate amateurs as in the past. A total of 57 teams from 18 countries or regions have joined forces in Saint-Barth.
At the head of the list once again this year are Dutchman Mischa Heemskerk—fourth in the last F18 world championships and Class A world champion—and Carolijn Brouwer—a leader in the world championships who finished 13th, as well as John Casey, Puerto Rican Enrique Figueroa, Iordanis Paschalidis, Greek world champion in the Tornado class, etc...
From France, Yvan Bourgnon, Kinou Mourniac, Manu Boulogne, Fred Moreau, and Gurvan Bontemps are all here. There is also a strong presence from Saint Barth, with 11 teams competing this year. Jeff Lédée and Vincent Jordil, 14th last year, are back with a burning desire to do better.
"If we can finish in the to 10, that's perfect! What is certain is that we are going to win the around the island race...we put traps everywhere," says Jordil, with a smile. "Seriously, we are starting this Cata Cup with a new boat we purchased during the last world championships in the United States. We have good sails, the boat is terrific, but what we are lacking are more hours of training. For the time being, we are busy with the organization of the race. We are almost ready and there is no more stress. All of the boats and and all of the teams have arrived and most importantly, everyone is happy. Now it's time for us to get out on the water!" The schedule includes races in the Bay of St Jean, and the highly anticipated annual race around the island.

Tomorrow the teams face the task of registration before getting out to discover or rediscover the waters around St Barth. The first race is at 2pm.

Formula 18

With strict design specifications, the Formula 18 boats are the kings of racing catamarans. Those who race them are also found on the America's Cup circuit and important multi-hull sea races. A sport that is high-speed, tactical, technical, and spectacular. The boats are built by various shipyards: in the 5th edition of the Saint Barth Cata Cup the boats include Hobie Wild Cat, Nacra Infusion MKII, Cirrus R, Phantom, and C2, representing all of the latest generation of F18.

Specifications: Length: 5.52 m; width: 2.60 m; Sails: 21.15 m²; Mainsail: 17.00 m²; Jib: 4.15 m²; Spinnaker: 21.00 m²; Weight: 180 kg; Price: approximately 20,000 euros.

Saint Barth Cata Cup 2012 Schedule:

Wednesday, November 14: Registration and free navigation
Thursday, November 15: 2pm, Prix Design Affairs
7pm: Daily winners announced at Nikki Beach
Friday, November 16: 10am, Prix St Barth Assurances/Allianz
Saturday, November 17: 10am, Prix Re/Max
8pm: Daily winners announced at Nikki Beach
Sunday, November 18: 10am, Prix Marché U, the new supermarket!
7pm: Awards ceremony at Tamarin