The 16th Edition is on the Horizon!

In just one week, the starting signal for the 16th edition of the St. Barth Cata Cup will be given. As of now, no fewer than 54 teams are registered for the competition, including Pablo Völker and Federico Polimeni, the Spanish sailors who won gold at the Formula 18 World Championships last July. Participating together in the event for the very first time, they will face the top specialists of the class, most of whom are seasoned veterans of the event. In this context, will they manage to display the same dominance on the Caribbean waters from November 21 to 24 as they did on the Costa Brava last summer? That remains to be seen. Firstly, because the race format—characterized by long-distance courses—is quite unique; secondly, because the sailing area around Saint-Barthélemy is extremely technical and full of pitfalls; and finally, because there are many competitors aiming to succeed the Americans Ravi Parent and Nicholas Lovisa, starting with Parent and Lovisa themselves!

"This edition promises to be exceptional once again! Each year, there are even more top competitors than the previous one!" notes Gurvan Bontemps who, alongside Benjamin Amiot, continues to chase victory after five second-place finishes in 2016, 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023. "First place continues to elude us for now, but given the remarkable level of competition, we're already very happy to finish on the podium each time," adds the sailor from Côtes-d'Armor, whose consistency at this level is truly exceptional. "The St. Barth Cata Cup remains a unique event in our calendar. We take it very seriously—we're clearly sailing with a knife between our teeth—but we also come to enjoy this unique break it offers each of us in an idyllic setting with a very festive atmosphere," assures the helmsman, who hasn't raced on this platform since the last edition a year ago but can rely on his knowledge of the event and the venue, which is full of traps and ripe for surprises, especially for those experiencing it for the first time.

A Great and Impressive Field

"The St. Barth Cata Cup is always a great challenge. To win or to make the podium, you have to avoid the many traps that line the courses, including equipment breakage. We know that race incidents are always numerous!" says Gurvan, who narrowly missed the title by just one point in 2023 and knows better than anyone the importance of endurance in an event that is physically demanding, with one or two long-distance races scheduled daily around the island and its numerous natural markers. "The sea and wind conditions are always exceptional in Saint-Barth, but they require a certain level of commitment, especially since the competition is very tough," confirms Ravi Parent, the defending champion with Nicholas Lovisa, who had finished 8th in his first participation in 2022 before clinching the win last year. His goal? Achieve back-to-back victories—a feat so far only accomplished by the Belgians Patrick Demesmaeker and Olivier Gagliani (in 2015 and then in 2018). These two, among the most loyal participants since they are about to take part for the 15th time since the event's inception in 2008, will once again be serious contenders. The same goes for the Argentinians Cruz Gonzales Smith and Mariano Heuser, winners in 2021 and fifth in the last world championship with a new boat that they're mastering more each day.

A Crowd of Favorites and Just as Many Dark Horses

Other competitors to watch? The South Americans Agustín Krevisky and Juan Martín Benítez, regularly in the international Top 10; the French sailors Yvan Bourgnon and Jean Boulogne; the Belgians Henri Demesmaeker and Jeroen Van Leeuwen; and Australian Gavin Colby, one of the iconic figures of the circuit who is returning to F18 and will be teamed up with Kai Colman for the occasion. Additionally, Charles Froeb and Matthieu Marfaing, crowned U.S. champions together at the end of September but competing separately this time. "On paper, the Spaniards Pablo Völker (who has already participated in the event and finished 3rd with Sergio Mehl in 2018) and Federico Polimeni are the favorites because they won the world championship in Spain hands down in July. They are formidable around the buoys. It remains to be seen if they'll be as effective in a long-distance race format, with more off-the-wind sailing and double trapeze spinnaker runs," says Matthieu Marfaing, who intends to shake things up at the front of the fleet but also make the most of the event's unique atmosphere. Once again, the event is sold out and features a small novelty: the race village will be located at Émeraude Plage on Grand Saint-Jean (airport side).