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Who Will Be On The Final Podium?
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.
EasyRide
With two races on the schedule, included the legendary tour around the island of Saint Barth, which counted double and not removable from the ratings, Saturday was sure to be an interesting day liable to upset the standings after Thursday and Friday, including the top spots. The day did not disappoint much to the delight of some and disappointment of others. Those who had the best day by far are Gurvan Bontemps and Benjamin Amiot from Brittany. As winners of both races on Saturday, they are now in an ideal position to stand on the final podium.
“Yesterday, we were not very happy with ourselves. We finished one race in 11th place and things were not great aboard the boat. So we played around with things on the boat when we got back on shore to try and improve the situation, and today we flew like an airplane,” commented Benjamin. If their speed was a definite advantage for them today, the two Eden Rock co-skippers also perfectly navigated all of the possible traps along the course and had two excellent starts.
Infinitesimal Differences
Michael Gramm
“During the two races, we started with a port-side tack, which allowed us to pass the first mark in just about one tack, and give us a good position at the front. After that, it all became a little easier as we were free to do what we wanted to do,” added Benjamin, who led the first race from start to finish, but had more of a battle in the second race, especially in terms of Jean-Christophe Mourniac and Antoine Rucard. “Out by Gouverneur, we started to catch them and we started a nice battle of jibes. We had to play on little differences and keep up the pressure and eventually in this little game we were a little more successful than they were. In addition, we frequently took a shorter route, which paid off at the finish. It’s cool and we are very happy,” says Benjamin. He and his teammate certainly have the right to be satisfied, as they not only won the ST BARTH ASSURANCES – ALLIANZ Prize, but they are also now in second place in the provisional standings, with a two point advance over Argentineans Cruz Gonzalez Smith and Mariano Heuser.
A Decisive Final Day
Pascal Alemany
“Honestly, it was a great day with superb conditions, but athletically speaking we were a little disappointed. We did very well in the first race (2nd) but performed less well in the second race. We had a bad start and were obliged to tack twice in order to catch the wind. We must have passed the clearance buoy in 15th or 20th position and then had to really fight to get back in position and limit our losses. We managed to finish in sixth place. That is not a bad performance in and of itself, but terrible for our overall regatta. We lost a lot of points in this race that counted double, and we paid for it in the overall ratings,” notes Cruz Gonzalez Smith, who hoped to confirm his place as leader on Saturday, but who eventually lost two places and now has the duo of Orion and Antoine Martin (Mext Cardios) snapping at their heels by just one point. “The final battle will be incredible,” anticipates the bronze medal winner from the most recent Formula 18 world championship. “Everything will play out tomorrow,” confirms Antoine Rucard, the new leader, who, in spite of his six-point advantage over his closest competitor, does not have much room for error on Sunday, if he wants to take home the trophy for the St.Barth Cata Cup. Stay tuned…
Sunday, November 24, 2019: Schedule
9am Briefing MARCHE U Prize
1pm Arrival of the boats in Public, picnic and “Lorraine” beer at the SAINT BARTH YACHT CLUB
7:30pm Announcement of the winners of the MARCHE U Prize
ST BARTH CATA CUP 2019 Awards Ceremony
Cocktails and dinner at TI ST BARTH
Michael Gramm
Pascal Alemany
EasyRide
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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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