Press releases
Pablo Volkër & Federico Polimeni: A Winning Duo!
After literally crushing the competition at the F18 World Championships on the Costa Brava last summer, Pablo Volkër & Federico Polimeni (Saint-Barth Assurances) were naturally among the top contenders at 16th édition of the St.Barth Cata Cup. While they lived up to their reputation by winning the first race of this regatta, they met with some stiff competition from their adversaries, in particular Patrick Demesmaeker & Olivier Gagliani (Les Perles de St Barth – Bativrd). Behind the Belgians by three slim points at the dawn of the day of the final race, the Spaniards prevailed and sailed to victory, succeeding Ravi Parent & Nicolas Lovisa as winners of this regatta!
“It was close, but not meant to be,” laments Patrick Demesmaeker. In fact, he was hoping that he and Olivier Gagliani would succeed in their quest to be the first team to add their names to the list of Cata Cup winners for the third time, having already won in 2015 and again in 2018. “The tour around the island, which the race committee saved for today, started out well enough for us. We were feeling good and moved up to fourth place, in front of our direct adversaries, but sadly, going downwind, our spinnaker tack line broke. That cost us time as we tried to fix it, but we never really succeeded,” explains the Belgian skipper, who fell back four places in the fight to the finish, losing the chance for victory in the overall ratings by three small points. “Of course, we would have liked to have finished in first place, but we are happy in spite of everything. Before the start of the compétition, we’d have been thrilled if they told us we’d finish in second place. But it’s a shame as we came so close to achieving a hat-trick,” notes the helmsman of Les Perles de St Barth – Bativdr, who was able to control his principal rivals and keep them in his rearview mirror until the breakage occurred. But even their top competitors did not rest easy during this highly technical final race, whose results cannot be subtracted from the overall standings.
Kept In Suspense
“There were little problems all day today. On the windward side of the island, one of our trapezes gave way and Federico found himself in the water, which cost us 5 or 6 places. After that, we were able to quickly remobilize and catch up with the leaders but we once again lost ground after catching a fishing trap in one of our daggerboards. Luckily, it freed itself so that we didn’t have to cut it loose, but it gave us a little scare, which lasted right up to the end as once we crossed the finish line, we had to with a few seconds to see the results Patrick and Trois Pommes, and be assured of our victory. In this sense, it was satisfying for us to see them arrive only in eighth position,” relates Pablo, who closes out an already successful season with this victory. ”This year was really exceptional for Federico and me, and this victory at the St.Barth Cata Cup is the cherry on the cake!,” says the current F18 World Champion, who already experienced the podium in this event in 2018 (third place) along with Sergio Mehl.
A Good Fight But Also Fun!u
Also happy about the results is Charles Tomeo (Avant Toi). Sailing with Dalton Tebo, who was already on the Cata Cup podium three times in past years (2010, 2011, and 2012 with John Casey), Charles Tomeo is very proud to have finished in the Top 3 for the first time, after nine outings at the regatta. “This is immensely satisfying for me. Saint-Barth is like my second home and the St.Barth Cata Cup is really special for me. The ambiance, the organization, the battle out on the water… it’s all exceptional here,” says the American sailor who didn’t let go from one race to the next, even after receiving a penalty at the end of the hotly contested final race. “The battle amongst the leaders was very intense right to the final stretch. The lead transferred between the top five. We really had a great time from the beginning to the end,” exclaims Charles. Same story for the duo of Arthur Boc-Ho & Laëtitia Lefevre (Gypsea), the top French team in this 16th edition (14th place). “We really enjoyed sailing this week, and especially on Sunday, as there was a bit more wind than on the previous days (between 12 and 15 knots, editor’s note). There was some great match racing with other two mixed French teams: Mich & Rita Booth (Akaztiyag) and Matthieu Marfaing & Lena Marie Weisskichel (King Ocean). Once again Saint Barth provided us with incredible experiences on the water as well as on the shore!,” concludes the 2019 winner of the F18 Costarmoricaine Raid (also with Arthur Boc-Ho).
All videos, photos and results on stbarthcatacup.com
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24/11/2024
After literally crushing the competition at the F18 World Championships on the Costa Brava last summer, Pablo Volkër & Federico Polimeni (Saint-Barth Assurances) were naturally among the top contenders at 16th édition of the St.Barth Cata Cup. While they lived up to their reputation by winning the first race of this regatta, they met with some stiff competition from their adversaries, in particular Patrick Demesmaeker & Olivier Gagliani (Les Perles de St Barth – Bativrd). Behind the Belgians by three slim points at the dawn of the day of the final race, the Spaniards prevailed and sailed to victory, succeeding Ravi Parent & Nicolas Lovisa as winners of this regatta!
23/11/2024
This week, it has been impossible to predict what might happen in terms of the weather conditions in Saint Barthélemy. Actually, there was more wind than predicted on Thursday and Friday, which allowed the race committee for the St.Barth Cata Cup to validate four races, against all odds, but the reverse played out on Saturday. Even if the wind was less constant than expected, it was possible for the 53 duos in competition to sail one good race between the Bay of Saint Jean and the small islands of Pelé and Le Boulanger. A race whose results tightened the difference between the leaders in the overall standings. Case in point, in the lead, Patrick Demesmaeker and Olivier Gagliani (Les Perles de St. Barth – Bativrd) are now only three small points in advance of Pablo Volkër and Federico Polimeni (Saint-Barth Assurances), winners of the “ St Barth Assurances Allianz” Prize. To win their bet of being the first team to add their names to the winners list of the regatta for the third time, the Belgians do not have the slightest room for error on Sunday!
22/11/2024
“If you listen to the weather forecast, you’ll spend your life in the bistro,” as the famous French saying goes. The organizers of the St.Barth Cata Cup once again proved that one shouldn’t depend the previsions. Cautious this morning, they sent out the first race, followed by a second identical one, and finally a third, longer course, in the afternoon, taking the best advantage of every light wind available. Like yesterday, the conditions forced the sailors to display a great deal of concentration and finesse. A little consistency as well, as the rather unstable wind dealt some interesting hands. In this context, Australians Ruben Booth and Joan Costa (Kiton) proved the most constant, taking home “EDEN ROCK VILLA RENTAL” Prize, but in the previsionary standings, Belgians Patrick Demesmaeker and Olivier Gagliani (Les Perles de St-Barth) have the advantage, having sailing to victory in two of the three races.
21/11/2024
In spite of rather pessimistic weather predictions for Thursday, November 21, the organizers of the 16th edition of the St.Barth Cata Cup did everything possible to make the best of light wind. As a result, they didn't miss the only small window of opportunity of the day, enabling the 53 crews in the competition to complete their first race between Saint Jean Bay and Roche Le Boeuf. It was a particularly tactical leg, which did not rattle the favorites. As proof, Spaniards Pablo Völker and Federico Polimeni (Saint-Barth Assurances) sailed to victory. However, these reigning Formula 18 world champions had their work cut out for them. Under pressure in the final lengths by Belgians Patrick Demesmaeker and Olivier Gagliani (Les Perles de St-Barth), they won by a nose!
20/11/2024
After the final day of training on Wednesday, the 54 duos registered for the 16th edition of the St.Barth Cata Cup are anxious to enter into the action, yet it seems as if the first races could be extremely tactical. If we are to believe the weather forecast, it is probable that the first confrontations will take place with very light wind, requiring a great deal of finesse on the part of the sailors. One hopes this does not mean that the first races must be postponed due to an insufficient amount of wind to ensure good racing conditions. It that scenario were to play out, it was be a first since the debut of the regatta in 2008. At the moment, the competitors are not too worried and are hoping for a pleasant surprise as the weather forecast has been far from reality most of the past week!
15/11/2024
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!
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