Press releases
The Battle Is About To Begin!
After a day devoted to assembling the boats, confirming entries, and final training sessions, the 56 duos taking part in the 15th edition of the St.Barth Cata Cup are getting ready to hit the waves. On Thursday, starting at 9:30 am, they will start the first race of the event, which promises to be lively, with between 15 and 20 knots of east-southeasterly wind forecast for the entire weekend. This promises to be a high-flying regatta, which will certainly not displease the big guns in the series, starting with title holders Tim Mourniac and Pierre-Yves Durand (Segeco), who left nothing but crumbs for their opponents last year, but whom their rivals intend to upset this year!
Argentinians Cruz Gonzales Smith and Mariano Heuser (Woodstekke), Australians Mitch and Ruben Booth (Saint Barth Assurances), Belgians Patrick Demesmaeker and Olivier Gagliani (Les Perles de Saint-Barth - Bativrd), Henri Demesmaeker and Jeroen Van Leeuwen (Ohana), Sweden's Peter Busck and Rasmus Rosengren (Villa Taniko), Americans Ravi Parent and Nick Lovisa (Maxwell & Co for man and woman), Gurvan Bontemps and Benjamin Amiot (Pixail), Emmanuel Boulogne and Mathieu Marfaing (Avant Toi), and Orion Martin and Charles Gate (Helmet Plus) are all among the favorites. What do they have in common? They're all determined not to let Tim Mourniac and Pierre-Yves Durand (Segeco) dominate proceedings, as they did last year. "At the end of the day, of all of us, they're the ones with the most pressure on them!" assures Gurvan Bontemps, who is looking forward to the upcoming races. "We should enjoy great conditions all week, with between 15 and 20 knots of wind. It promises to be a great battle: while every year there's a very high level of competition in the St.Barth Cata Cup, this year's field is especially strong, with the presence of some true legends of sport catamarans," continues the Morbihan native who, with Benjamin Amiot, continues to chase victory after four second-place finishes in 2016, 2019, 2021 and 2022. Will the 2023 edition be the charm? "Every year, we fight for it, but for the moment it still eludes us, and it’s almost as if we bought our second place finishes even before the start. Finishing on the podium again this time will be a great performance, in any case", says the helmsman, who will be joined by other great regulars of the Cata Cup, as well as "newcomers" such as Henri Demesmaeker and Jeroen Van Leeuwen (Ohana).
The first test tomorrow
"We're hoping to measure ourselves against the people sailing ahead of us, and do some good moves to make sure we have nothing to regret at the end," explains Henri Demesmaeker, F16 world champion in 2012 with his acolyte . "We haven't sailed together for several years now, but we've both had a lot of experience on other types of boat, and we're delighted to be back together for this regatta. We don't know where we'll stand, or which places we'll be able to compete for. We'll know better tomorrow evening, at the end of the first day. As for me, I'm used to rubbing shoulders with Tim and especially Pierre-Yves on the ETF26 circuit. With Jeroen, we hope to give them a hard time, or at least tickle them a bit, but we know it won't be easy if they're as fit as last year!" adds Henri Demesmaeker, who will be up against his father Patrick, one of the event's loyal followers. "My dad and Olivier (Gagliani) have already taken part in the race 14 times. This experience is bound to be to their advantage", says the young Belgian, eager to get to grips with the race and discover the water, which is as magical as it is technical. "The conditions promise to be idyllic. We can't wait to surf the Caribbean waves and race between the many islets. It promises to be very tactical. So, will the defending winners be able to win again? Or will certain duos pull off a surprise? Or, as is often the case, will the match be decided on the last tack of the last race? With the competition about to kick off, all bets are off!
Thursday, November 16, schedule:
- 9:30am: Race - “DESIGN AFFAIRS-OO1” Prize
- 7pm: Opening ceremony at Gypsea Beach by invitation
- Announcement of the results for the “DESIGN AFFAIRS-OO1” Prize
- Cocktail reception
Select another release
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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