After winning last year’s edition, Henri Demesmaeker and Rasmus Rosengren will naturally be among the teams to watch. Even more so as the Belgian-Swedish duo returns to St. Barth fresh from claiming the F18 European Championship title in Italy this summer.
It is a status the Belgian sailor is taking in stride: “Honestly, we’re not putting any extra pressure on ourselves! We’re going to try to stay focused on the racing and enjoy it. At the last European Championships, our sponsor told us to ‘above all, have fun.’ That worked out pretty well for us, so we’re going into this event with the same mindset.”
Last year, the pair built their victory on consistency and solid results throughout the week. It is an approach they fully intend to use again: “The Cata Cup really is all about consistency. You have to sail well in the Round the Island Race and put together strong finishes. Sometimes that means sailing conservatively when needed and avoiding big scores in the coastal races, which can be tricky.”
On paper, the duo looks formidable. But at the Cata Cup, one tactical call, a technical issue or a few seconds lost on the racecourse can quickly reshuffle the standings. In other words, don’t count the Belgian out until you’ve actually beaten him
Among the 42 teams entered, plenty have the credentials to challenge for the title - or shake up the podium.
Patrick Demesmaeker, Henri’s father and the recent winner of the F18 European Tour, will once again be on the starting line alongside his longtime crew Olivier Gagliani, aka “3 Pommes.” Having competed in nearly every edition of the Cata Cup, the pair knows the local waters inside out.
“They know exactly where to go. They can be great reference boats for us up ahead,” Henri explains. “When they make a tactical call, you can usually assume it’s a pretty good one!”
The Americans will also bring plenty of firepower. The Froeb father-and-son team, Dalton Tebo and Matthieu Marfaing certainly aren’t making the trip to St. Barth just to enjoy the scenery!
On the French side, Victorien Erussard will reunite with his longtime sailing partner Fred Moreau. The experienced duo knows the Cata Cup well and fully intends to be in the mix at the front of the fleet.
“It may sound like a cliché, but getting to sail somewhere warm at the start of winter and having fun on the water with — and against — friends is always great! We’ll need a little time to get back into the groove, but we definitely hope to be fighting at the front and finishing as high as possible. We’re coming into the event in a good place, and we’ll also be sailing a boat we know well. It’s a stacked fleet, though, and Top 10 spots are going to be hard-earned. It’s going to be tough racing!”
Gurvan Bontemps will team up again this year with Arnaud Jerlegan, forming another crew that is sure to have a say on St. Barth’s technical and demanding racecourses.
The Boulogne brothers will also be ones to watch. Sailing the latest boat to come out of the Boulogne yard, the Cirrus 3, they certainly won’t be content with simply holding onto their title as kings of apple pie!
This year, the Argentine contingent will feature six teams including Federico Reim and Pablo Völker (the 2024 F18 World Champions width Fédérico Polimeni).
For Federico, it will be a first trip to St. Barth, and expectations are understandably high: “Everyone who has already been here keeps saying this is THE championship you have to do, so naturally our expectations are very high!”
The pair has been sailing together since the beginning of the year and is still developing as a team. Their goal is simple: enjoy the event, learn, and “try to break into the Top 10. And if we can fight for a Top 5 finish, even better!”
The Cata Cup will also welcome Mathilde Lovadina, who is currently campaigning toward the Los Angeles Olympic Games in the 49erFX.
Making her third appearance in St. Barth, this return to the F18 gives her a welcome change of pace in the middle of an intense winter training program:
“This regatta gives me a breath of fresh air and a chance to experience some different sensations on the water. And let’s be honest, getting to sail somewhere warm in November is always pretty awesome!”
Switching classes also gives her a different tactical playground, with long-distance races and race formats that differ from what she usually encounters in the 49erFX.
Mathilde will be one of four women competing in this 18th edition
Not everyone comes to St. Barth with the goal of winning the title. For some teams, the Cata Cup is first and foremost an opportunity to improve by racing alongside some of the best sailors in the class.
That is the case for Dutch sailor Karel Van der Poel, who finished 31st last year after an up-and-down series: “We’d really like to come back and see if we can do better as a team the second time around and put together more consistent results.”
That is also what the St Barth Cata Cup is all about: a regatta where the very best come to compete, but where every team can find its own challenge.
And while the battle on the water promises to be intense, the friendly atmosphere will, as always, remain at the heart of the event. Four days of racing to compete against the best, improve, share the experience and make the most of an exceptional sailing venue.
