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Wednesday, November 20, 2019

In The Starting Blocks!


After a day dedicated to getting the boats ready, confirming registrations, and initial training, the 60 duos participating in the 12th edition of the Cata Cup are ready for some serious competition. In fact, the first race gets underway at 9.30am on Thursday. The races will get off to an easy start, with winds expected from the west-northwest at about 8-10 knots. These conditions for those not used to sailing around the island mean the regattas could be highly technical, with site-specific considerations. This could make things challenging even for the more experienced sailors such as current title holders Belgians Patrick Demesmaeker and Olivier Gagliani, Greek Konstantinos Trigonis, or Argentineans  Cruz Gonzales Smith and Mariano Heuser, respectively second and third in the last F18 world championships, who all need to keep their eyes wide open and prove their mettle to contain attacks from some pretty fierce competition

 

Prix EDEN ROCK Villa Rental © Pascal Alemany

© Pascal Alemany 

 

This 12th St.Barth Cata Cup is showing great promise, even if it gets off to a quiet start.  The first races will start with light winds on Thursday, but the good news is that the forecast calls for stronger winds on Friday and Saturday, with an estimated 15 knots, before getting light again on Sunday,” explains Gustave Honoré Lavaly, president of the race committee, who plans on launching the races with a 12-mile itinerary  between the bay of Saint Jean, and the islands of Frégate, Boulanger, and Toc Vert as a first taste.  “This will allow the racers to get their sea legs and for us to rate the fleet, adds Nono, Lavaly’s nickname. There are a large number of teams that are regulars at the event, while others are ready to discover the regatta for the first time. This is the case, for example, for Yannis Delvas and Brice Molina (SDBE). Delvas covered the first five editions of the event, providing drone images for the organizers, and has decided to get on the other side of the sails. Molina, a former Class8 and Laser racer, was tempted by this regatta for the past two or three years, so they decided to join forces for this year.  “We bought a Cirrus R two months ago, and started to train for F18 at that time,” explain the tandem. So what made them decide to embark on this adventure? “The ambiance, the joy of having a great time, but also the opportunity to challenge ourselves with two or three friends on the island,” add the St Barth-based sailors.  “We are clearly far from having the boat totally under control, so the regatta will be great training for us,” state Yannis and Boris, who are not unhappy about the light winds for the start of the race. “That could be difficult for the “big guys,” add the duo from Saint Barth, who hope they can finish with a fair number of boats behind them.

 

 

Last-Minute Yet Formidable Competition

 

SAINT-BARTH CATA-CUP  2018 © Michael Gramm © Michael Gramm

There are also such last-minute additions as Antoine Rucard and Antoine Martin, respectively associated with Jean-Christophe Mourniac and Orion Martin, who arrived with major ambitions for the 2019 St.Barth Cata Cup 2019. Rucard is the pure product of the emerging talent for sports catamarans  (SL15.5, SL16, Hobie Cat 16, and Nacra 17) and who has an impressive list of wins at age 24,  including first place for young racers at the Mondial Viper 2014, the title of young French champion in F18 in duo with Gildas Le Peutrec, as well as second place in the  Tour de France Voile 2019, without counting his experiences on the Young French Team in the  Red Bull Youth America’s Cup, as well as sailing with GC32 or Flying Phantom. Enough said because even if he just replaced Erik Maris aboard Eden Rock Villa Rental, he is not coming just to play the role of an extra. The same is true for Martin, who is replacing Charles Gate, who just became a father. He has a lot riding on his shoulders, as his brother has already stood out in this regatta a few times with his usual partner, most notably during the 2015 edition, where he took second place. To do as well, there is little room for error. And this is especially true this year, as many top names in the world are here to race, and at least ten teams are vying for the victory. Ready for the show?

 

 

Schedule: Thursday, November 21 

  • 9 am Briefing “DESIGN AFFAIRS-OO1” Prize
  • 12:30-2pm Picnic at the race village, on the beach in Saint Jean
  • 2:30pm “DESIGN AFFAIRS-OO1” Prize
  • 7pm Opening ceremony at PEARL BEACH with all sponsors
  • Announcement of “DESIGN AFFAIRS-OO1” Prize winners
  • Cocktail reception & DJ Franck Nh Briefing Prix «DESIGN AFFAIRS-OO1»

 

SAINT-BARTH CATA-CUP  2018 : Prix DESIGNaffairs : ODP : Pierre LE CLAINCHE, Antoine JOUBERT (AUS11) © Pascal Alemany

 @ Pascal Alemany



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Victory For Jean-Christophe Mourniac & Antoine Rucard
November 24

Sunday, November 24, the fourth and final day of the St. Barth Cata Cup, was decisive, with four boats still in contention for the top prize before the last two races. There was still a huge sense of suspense as the boats set sail, and even more so at the end of the first race when Gurvan Bontemps and Benjamin Amiot (Eden Rock St Barth) found themselves with the same number of points as Jean-Christophe Mourniac and Antoine Rucard (Eden Rock Villa Rental), after their victory in race n°6. The tension, already palpable, increased to the max after the start of the seventh and final race, with Argentineans Cruz Gonzalez Smith and Mariano Heuser (Architectonik) and the French duo of Orion and Antoine Martin (Mext Cardio) still on the attack. Under pressure, Mourniac & Rucard, who were in the leaders’ spot as of Saturday evening after the race around the island, did not waver, winning the last race, and as a result, the overall regatta.  

Who Will Be On The Final Podium?
November, 23

Today, Saturday, November 23, the third day of competition saw the 60 duos in the 12th edition of the St.Barth Cata Cup facing a first race in the bay of Saint Jean, then a tour around the island with a coefficient of two, and the possibility to topple the reigning hierarchy after the first three races. Which is exactly what happened. The biggest names impacted were certainly Cruz Gonzalez Smith and Mariano Heuser (Architectonik). Sixth in the last race of the day, the Argentineans lost the first place position they held since the first day, ceding it to Jean-Christophe Mourniac and Antoine Rucard (Eden Rock Villa Rental). And even more dramatic, they fell to third place overall behind Gurvan Bontemps and Benjamin Amiot (Eden Rock) who actually jumped from seventh to second place after a remarkable double victory. This perfect day of sailing allowed them to win the ST BARTH ASSURANCES – ALLIANZ Prize.  

Battles To The Finish
November, 22nd

On Friday, the second day of competition for the 12th annual St.Barth Cata Cup, the 60 competing teams set sail at 11 o’clock for a 15-mile race between the bay of Saint Jean and Coco, the small island off the coast of Saline. A race that was both tactical and physical due to unstable winds from the north-northwest (between 7 and 14 knots), and eventually won by Jean-Christophe Mourniac and Antoine Rucard. This duo battled it out for much of the race with current titleholders Patrick Demesmaeker and Olivier Gagliani, and perfectly negotiated the second half of the itinerary by sailing close to the cliffs. They ended up with a comfortable lead, winning the EDEN ROCK VILLA RENTAL Prize, which is perfect as they are sailing in the colors of EDEN ROCK VILLA RENTAL this week. They are now in second place in the overall ratings, inching closer to Argentineans Cruz Gonzalez Smith and Mariano Heuser (Architectonik) who have maintained their lead, thanks to their third-place performance today.  

Gonzalez Smith & Heuser Take Charge
Jeudi 21 novembre 2019

The 12e edition of St.Barth Cata Cup opened on Thursday, November 21. On this first day of racing, the 60 participating duos that expected to sail in light winds were finally able to enjoy winds of 8 to 15 knots. However, the conditions were rather unstable in terms of force and direction, making it hard for some but perfect for others, such as Argentineans Cruz Gonzalez Smith and Mariano Heuser, sailing in the colors of Architectonik, who proved the steadiness of their performance in spite of wind variations, winning the first race and placing fourth in the second. That put them first place in the overall standings for the day, as well as first place winners for the “Design Affairs-001” Prize, in front of Jean-Christophe Mourniac and Antoine Rucard (Eden-Rock Villa Rental) and John Tomko and Jonathan Atwood (Boglioni), respectively placing second and third.

In The Starting Blocks!
Wednesday, November 20, 2019

After a day dedicated to getting the boats ready, confirming registrations, and initial training, the 60 duos participating in the 12th edition of the Cata Cup are ready for some serious competition. In fact, the first race gets underway at 9.30am on Thursday. The races will get off to an easy start, with winds expected from the west-northwest at about 8-10 knots. These conditions for those not used to sailing around the island mean the regattas could be highly technical, with site-specific considerations. This could make things challenging even for the more experienced sailors such as current title holders Belgians Patrick Demesmaeker and Olivier Gagliani, Greek Konstantinos Trigonis, or Argentineans  Cruz Gonzales Smith and Mariano Heuser, respectively second and third in the last F18 world championships, who all need to keep their eyes wide open and prove their mettle to contain attacks from some pretty fierce competition

A Sold Out Regatta!
November 6th, 2019

The 12th edition of the St. Barth Cata Cup is right around the corner, and it’s a full house. As of today, with 60 duos registered, the regatta is, as they say, sold out! This of course makes the organizers extremely pleased, as the event gets bigger and better every year, from competitive battles on the waves to a roster that is more impressive in terms of quality, featuring many of the best international Formula 18 champions, as well as light sailboat experts, talented amateurs, and a few newcomers attracted by the format of the races. Here’s the scoop.

Getting Ready For The 12 th Edition!
October 1st 2019

The 12th edition of the St Barth Cata-Cup, organized by the St Barth Multihulls Association, takes place on November 20-24, 2019. There are already 59 racing duos, representing 11 nations, which have confirmed their participation in this competitive event reserved for Formula 18 catamarans. These include those who never miss this regatta no matter what, a handful of newcomers attracted by the concept and the extremely convivial ambiance of the event, as well as a few super stars who enjoy the high-level island racing, which is as technical as it is idyllic. Even if the roster seems somewhat diverse, excitement in the battle for the top spot is already mounting. Who will win the title this year? Will Belgians Patrick Demesmaeker and Olivier Gagliani, current champions, be the first team to win a triple play? Or Greek Konstantinos Trigonis, who missed a second victory by a hair in the last edition, will he be back to take top honors with his usual acolyte, Iordanis Paschalidis? Or how about Argentineans Cruz Gonzales Smith and Mariano Heuser, third in the class as the last world championships in July, will they succeed in their quest for the top step on the podium? Or will someone else swoop in for a surprise victory? It’s anyone’s race to win!  



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