Adela (Photo by Carlo Borlenghi / Studio Borlenghi)
A “Wrong Way Around” race wrapped up sailing today at the four-day St. Barths Bucket Regatta, and it was more colorful and full of goodies than a child’s Easter basket. Thirty six superyachts in four classes (Grandes Dames, Mademoiselles, Gazelles and J Boats) circumnavigated the French West Indies island of St. Barths, giving Bucket fans on shore and at sea an awe-inspiring view of some of the largest and most beautiful and technologically advanced yachts sailing in the world today.
The race course, which covered 21 to 26.4 nautical miles (depending on the class), reversed Friday’s “Around the Island” journey and put boat handling skills to the test right off the bat with a downwind start. All but the J Boat class adhered to a “pursuit-style” racing format, requiring each yacht to time its run to the gun for a separate pre-determined start time and hoist a spinnaker as soon as possible after crossing the starting line — the theory being that if all crews in each class sailed equally well, aboard their varied yachts of different speeds, they would meet at the finish line all together.
The theory worked especially well today in the 18-20 knot breezes, with yachts barreling down on the finish line, drawn again by their giant spinnakers, within minutes – sometimes seconds — of each other.
Adela Crew
In the Mademoiselles class, the 55 meter schooner Adela, built by Pendennis and helmed by Dennis Conner, maintained her regatta-long position at the top of the scoreboard with a second-place finish today. Adela was presented with the St. Barth’s Bucket trophy as the regatta’s overall winner. The 45 meter Dubois designed Salperton IV, skippered by Shirley Robertson with Cameron Appleton in the afterguard, won today’s race to claim second overall, while another Dubois design, the 50 meter Zefira, took third overall.
In the Grandes Dames class, the 48-meter Georgia, built by Alloy Yachts, claimed overall victory by crossing the finish line first in her class today. Georgia’s Captain Brent Daw said that his yacht, conceived as the ultimate family world cruiser, has seen many ocean miles since she splashed in 2000, thus she is going into the yard for a refit after the Bucket.
“We sailed steady and cautious like the hare and the turtle, and we were the steady turtle,” said Daw, who came aboard as skipper of the yacht only three months ago. He added that the crew had to sail intuitively, since the majority of them are new to the boat. “The team is more of an organic group, a mix, nationally, of South Africans and Kiwis,” he said explaining that Chris Dickson, of America’s Cup fame, is helming. “The owner lives on board and loves a great day on the water. He is thrilled!”
Claiming second place overall in this class, with a fourth today, was the 54 meter Perini Navi Parsifal III, while the 38 meter Axia, which was presented with both the All Star Crew Award and the Wolter Huisman Memorial Spirit of the Bucket Trophy at this regatta, finished third overall after posting a third for today. The winner of the Vitters Shipyard Seamanship Trophy was also from this class: the Perini Navi Zenji.
Perini Navi P2 (Photo by Carlo Borlenghi / Studio Borlenghi)
One of the biggest stories on the water today was in the Gazelles class, where the 45 meter Visione, the 38 meter Perini Navi P2, and the 30 meter Cape Arrow were all tied with six points going into today’s race. Trailing only one point behind was the Royal Huisman-built Unfurled, which won today’s race to upset the apple cart and claim overall victory in the class. P2, which took home the Perini Navi Cup, took second today to claim equal points (8) with Unfurled but conceded for a second-place finish overall, after tie-breaking rules were applied. Visione and Cape Arrow finished third and fourth overall, respectively.
LORO PIANA Cape Arrow (Photo by Carlo Borlenghi /Studio Borlenghi)
This was a historic event for the J Class, as it was the first time five of them have graced the same starting line since 1937. Hanuman, built by Royal Huisman, proved unbeatable throughout the three days, winning handily over the line and on corrected time in the first two of three races held here. Today, Lionheart edged out Hanuman by just two seconds at the line, but Hanuman still prevailed on corrected time to leave Lionheart in second overall. Velsheda, Ranger and the Holland Jachtbouw built Rainbow followed in third through fifth places, respectively.
Winning the King’s 100 Guinea Cup for Thursday’s “extra day” race for J Boats at the Bucket was Hanuman. The top Corinthian J with an amateur owner/helmsman to win the Corinthian King’s Cup was Lionheart.
“The owner was thrilled,” said Bouwwe Bekking, who called tactics on Lionheart. “This was his fourth regatta ever, and he has done remarkably well. For today’s race, it was neck-and-neck with Hanuman after 26 miles. We knew that with them that close to us they would win, but we had to get our nose out there to win line honors. We loved that we got the gun.”
Bekking said that having the J Boats sailing fleet-style in their own group in the same regatta as the superyachts, which were sailing pursuit-style, worked perfectly. “It was great that we had our own start procession, it wouldn’t have worked any other way. To maneuver these boats is way harder, so the emphasis on safety is good. It was really incredible, and we owe a great thanks to the Bucket Committee and the J Class organization.”
Every year the Bucket Organization devotes a portion of its entry fees for a worthy cause in St. Barths. This year, a donation in the amount of 18,000 euros was made to the St. Barths Yacht Club Youth Sailing Program.
Next year’s event is scheduled for 27 – 30, March 2014
Results, Photos, Barby’s Blog and more http://www.bucketregattas.com
Media Pro International’s Barby MacGowan is reporting daily from St. Barths.
Complete results, photos, Barby’s recaps and more: bucketregattas.com/stbarths/
Special Awards
OVERALL WINNER of the 2013 ST BARTHS BUCKET ADELA
SKULLDUGGERY CRAVAT WILD HORSES
ALLOY YACHTS TROPHY GEORGIA
ALL STAR CREW AWARD presented by Holland Jachtbouw AXIA
WOLTER HUISMAN MEMORIAL SPIRIT OF THE BUCKET TROPHY AXIA
PERINI NAVI CUP P2
VITTER’S SHIPYARD SEAMANSHIP TROPHY ZENJI
Athos (Photo by Carlo Borlenghi / Studio Borlenghi)
“Main-mast staysail up. Do not unfurl. Raise your hands if you hear me.” Captain Tony Brookes calmly called his instructions into a hand-held from one of his dual on-deck navigation stations near the aft quarter of Athos, the 62 meter Hoek-designed Holland Jachtbouw that he commands. His crew with headsets faithfully obeyed, shooting their hands in the air before quickly jumping into action. So went the day that started with pouring rain and segued into one of the windiest here yet, taking the wind gauge to 28 knots and Athos to speeds as high as 15.8.
The owner and his rep Gary Veenman from Holland alternated at the helm, giving each other much-needed breaks from the giant wheel that played tug of war with them. Three trimmers scooted among the 40-some-odd crew, working the joy sticks on their remote control “God boxes” that controlled the hydraulic operations of winches for hoisting and dropping sails as well as sheeting them in and letting them out. For someone who normally sails 40-footers, it surely would have been something strange and wonderful to behold, but for those who regularly sail in this rarified world of superyachts it was just another approach to racing one of the most magnificent sailing yachts on the oceans today.
Athos’s closest competitor today in the Mademoiselles class at the annual St. Barths Bucket was the 55 metre twin-masted Adela, the steel hulled Dykstra designed Pendennis build that represents a historically significant salvage and rebuild of the 1903 original. Adela had won this 10-boat class yesterday, the first day of racing, and won again today, crossing the finish line first, after the traditional pursuit start had the smallest and slowest boats starting first and the larger and faster boats starting at specific time intervals afterward to try and catch up. Athos, which had finished seventh yesterday, was quite pleased with a second-place finish after being fifth in the pursuit-start lineup. That moved them to fifth overall behind Zefira, Salperton, and Lady B.
“No one caught us from behind and we passed two others, so we must be doing something right,” said Athos’s Brookes. “It was a hard-work race today. Windy and wet, and everyone’s uncomfortable but they still have to concentrate on the job they are doing. We had some problems (with the spinnaker hoist) but we dealt with them. It was more like the North Sea instead of the Caribbean there for a while.”
Adela (Photo by Carlo Borlenghi / Studio Borlenghi)
Aboard Adela, Kim “Shags” Morten conceded that the Adela team can sail well in any direction and in any conditions because they have the choice of sails to make the right calls in any given situation. “Our biggest competition is Athos; we think it comes down to the crew performance,” said Morten, adding that he has competed in every Bucket to date, the last three on Adela. “We now have top-of-the-line sails, a carbon fiber mast and a team that has sailed together in the last three superyacht regattas.”
In Grand Dames class, Georgia rose to the top of the scoreboard after taking today’s race. Blue Too, which was leading going into today, retired after a crew was injured and fell to seventh with a finish score today of 13.
Cape Arrow in the 2013 St. Barths Bucket (Photo by Carlo Borlenghi / Studio Borllenghi)
In the Gazelle class, Visione maintained its first position overall with a fifth-place finish today. However, they are tied on point score (6) with both P2 and Cape Arrow, with Unfurled only one point behind.
Hanuman claimed another bullet, its third, in the J Boat class today. When asked what was different about today, tactician Kevin Burnham joked, “Nothing, we won the race!” But in all honesty, the win didn’t come easy. “The biggest challenge in pushing that type of machine around the race course (in today’s conditions) is that stuff gets shocked-waved,” said Burnham. “We blew up a kite — it just exploded into a million pieces.”
The crews on all 36 Bucket boats are glad to be back on terra firma for tonight’s pirate-themed “Bucket Bash.” The party should do its part to prepare them for tomorrow’s Wrong-Way Around (the island) Course.
Results as of Saturday
PRELIMINARY PURSUIT as of 30 March, 2013 – UPDATED MARCH 31 0800
Race 2: Not So Wiggley Course
Saturday 30-Mar-13 PRELIMINARY
Start Sequence: B
Results: Race 2 Results: Cumulative
GRAND DAMES (Long Course 27.2 nm)
Race 2 FINISH TIME Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 Total
Points TIME Delta Points Points Points Points Rank
GEORGIA 1 2:36:58 PM 0:00:00 GEORGIA 3 1 4 1
PARSIFAL III* 2 2:39:25 PM 0:02:27 PARSIFAL III 4 2 6 2
AXIA 3 2:46:15 PM 0:09:17 PANTHALASSA 2 8 10 3
ZENJI 4 2:48:42 PM 0:11:44 AXIA 7 3 10 4
ANDROMEDA LA DEA 5 2:51:48 PM 0:14:50 ZENJI 8 4 12 5
PANTHALASSA* ** 8 2:54:09 PM 0:17:11 SALUTE 6 7 13 6
SALUTE 7 3:13:48 PM 0:36:50 BLUE TOO 1 13 14 7
LUNA 8 3:15:05 PM 0:38:07 ANDROMEDA LA DEA 9 5 14 8
ROSEHEARTY 9 3:15:51 PM 0:38:53 SILENCIO 5 13 18 9
MALTESE FALCON 10 3:22:00 PM 0:45:02 LUNA 10 8 18 10
BLUE TOO 13 DNF N/A MALTESE FALCON 11 10 21 11
SILENCIO 13 DNF N/A ROSEHEARTY 13 9 22 12
MADEMOISELLES (Long Course 27.2 nm)
Race 2 FINISH TIME Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 Total
Points TIME Delta Points Points Points Points Rank
ADELA 1 2:46:45 PM 0:00:00 ADELA 1 1 2 1
ATHOS 2 2:51:57 PM 0:05:12 ZEFIRA 4 3 7 2
ZEFIRA 3 2:54:32 PM 0:07:47 SALPERTON 2 6 8 3
KOO 4 2:56:12 PM 0:09:27 LADY B 3 5 8 4
LADY B 5 2:57:36 PM 0:10:51 ATHOS 7 2 9 5
SALPERTON 6 3:04:39 PM 0:17:54 KOO 10 4 14 6
WILD HORSES 7 3:08:22 PM 0:21:37 SARAFIN’ 6 8 14 7
SARAFIN’ 8 3:08:40 PM 0:21:55 PRANA 5 10 15 8
SYMMETRY 9 3:11:55 PM 0:25:10 WILD HORSES 8 7 15 9
PRANA 10 3:21:03 PM 0:34:18 SYMMETRY 9 9 18 10
GAZELLES (Long Course 27.2 nm)
Race 2 FINISH TIME Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 Total
Points TIME Delta Points Points Points Points Rank
UNFURLED 1 3:03:21 PM 0:00:00 VISIONE 1 5 6 1
REBECCA 2 3:05:24 PM 0:02:03 P2 2 4 6 2
CAPE ARROW 3 3:06:24 PM 0:03:03 CAPE ARROW 3 3 6 3
P2 4 3:07:13 PM 0:03:52 UNFURLED 6 1 7 4
VISIONE 5 3:10:12 PM 0:06:51 REBECCA 8 2 10 5
INDIO 6 3:11:44 PM 0:08:23 INDIO 4 6 10 6
LEOPARD3 7 3:16:27 PM 0:13:06 CHRISCO 5 8 13 7
CHRISCO 8 3:16:42 PM 0:13:21 LEOPARD3 7 7 14 8
BAIURDO VI 10 DNS N/A BAIURDO VI 9 10 19 9
* 5 MINUTE PENALTY FOR OVER THE LINE EARLY
** PANTHALASSA TOOK A 20% SCORING PENALTY IN ACCORDANCE WITH SI 18.2
Race 1: Around the Island
Friday 29-Mar-13
Start Sequence: C
Results: Race 1
GRAND DAMES (Short Course 17.0 nm)
Race 1 FINISH TIME
Points TIME Delta
BLUE TOO 1 2:06:51 PM 0:00:00
PANTHALASSA 2 2:17:46 PM 0:10:55
GEORGIA 3 2:18:20 PM 0:11:29
PARSIFAL III 4 2:22:08 PM 0:15:17
SILENCIO 5 2:22:25 PM 0:15:34
SALUTE 6 2:24:35 PM 0:17:44
AXIA 7 2:24:48 PM 0:17:57
ZENJI 8 2:31:45 PM 0:24:54
ANDROMEDA LA DEA 9 2:33:55 PM 0:27:04
LUNA 10 2:38:20 PM 0:31:29
MALTESE FALCON 11 2:42:43 PM 0:35:52
ROSEHEARTY 13 DNS N/A
MADEMOISELLES
(Medium Course 20.8 nm)
Race 1 FINISH TIME
Points TIME Delta
ADELA 1 2:15:18 PM 0:00:00
SALPERTON 2 2:18:07 PM 0:02:49
LADY B 3 2:23:35 PM 0:08:17
ZEFIRA 4 2:27:51 PM 0:12:33
PRANA 5 2:28:10 PM 0:12:52
SARAFIN’ 6 2:29:28 PM 0:14:10
ATHOS 7 2:31:01 PM 0:15:43
WILD HORSES 8 2:33:05 PM 0:17:47
SYMMETRY 9 2:35:40 PM 0:20:22
KOO 10 2:37:35 PM 0:22:17
GAZELLES
(Medium Course 20.8 nm)
Race 1 FINISH TIME
Points TIME Delta
VISIONE 1 2:29:51 PM 0:00:00
P2 2 2:31:55 PM 0:02:04
CAPE ARROW 3 2:32:04 PM 0:02:13
INDIO 4 2:34:02 PM 0:04:11
CHRISCO 5 2:34:29 PM 0:04:38
UNFURLED 6 2:36:47 PM 0:06:56
LEOPARD3 7 2:37:43 PM 0:07:52
REBECCA 8 2:39:32 PM 0:09:41
BAIURDO VI 9 2:41:04 PM 0:11:13
FOLLOW THE J CLASS ON THE WATER: tractrac.com
J Class – PROVISIONAL as of Saturday 30 March
Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 Race 4 Total
Points Points Points Points Points Rank
HANUMAN 1 1 1 3 1
LIONHEART 2 2 4 8 2
VELSHEDA 5 3 2 10 3
RANGER 4 5 3 12 4
RAINBOW 3 4 6 13 5
Saturday 30-Mar-13
Results: Race 3 Course Type: CR
Wind Range: Heavy
Start Time: 11:00:00 AM Approx Dist: 29.4 nm
FINISH ELAPSED CORRECTED
Rating TIME TIME TIME Rank
HANUMAN 1.017 2:01:44 PM 3:01:44 3:04:49 1
VELSHEDA 1.013 2:05:22 PM 3:05:22 3:07:47 2
RANGER 1.018 2:04:59 PM 3:04:59 3:08:19 3
LIONHEART 1.021 2:09:03 PM 3:09:03 3:13:01 4
RAINBOW 1.018 8:00:00 PM 9:00:00 DNF 6
Friday 29-Mar-13
Results: Race 2
Course Type: CR
FINISH ELAPSED CORRECTED
Rating TIME TIME TIME
HANUMAN 1.018 1:31:04 PM 2:31:04 2:33:47
LIONHEART 1.020 1:31:48 PM 2:31:48 2:34:50
VELSHEDA 1.014 1:32:50 PM 2:32:50 2:34:58
RAINBOW 1.020 1:34:24 PM 2:34:24 2:37:29
RANGER 1.015 1:35:14 PM 2:35:14 2:37:34
Thursday 28-Mar-13
Results: Race 1
Course Type: WL
Wind Range: Light
Start Time: 12:10:00 PM Approx Dist: 12NM
FINISH ELAPSED CORRECTED
Rating TIME TIME TIME
HANUMAN 1.028 2:21:59 PM 2:11:59 2:15:41
LIONHEART 1.029 2:24:42 PM 2:14:42 2:18:36
RAINBOW 1.034 2:28:09 PM 2:18:09 2:22:51
RANGER 1.012 2:31:38 PM 2:21:38 2:23:20
VELSHEDA 1.018 2:31:39 PM 2:21:39 2:24:12y
Rebecca in 2013 St. Barths Bucket Day 3( Photo by Carlo Borlenghi / Studio Borlenghi )
St. Barths Bucket Regatta 2012 (Photo © 2012 by Tim Wright / www.photoaction.com)
The 2013 St Barths Bucket Regatta action starts on March 28. This annual yachting spectacular will feature the latest in superyacht designs along with true classics. Thirty-five yachts are ready to join the festivities and racing.
Racing begins on Thursday March 28 when five J Class yachts head for the starting line. This will be the first gathering of five or more J’s since 1937!
Three more races are planned, with all yachts racing in four separate classes -Les Mademoiselles des Mers, Les Grandes Dames des Mers, Les Gazelles des Mers, and the J Class.
The largest yacht is the 88m Perini Navi built schooner Maltese Falcon. Eleven of the current entries are 50 meters or larger. Among new boats to the St Barths Bucket is the 31m Dubois Naval Architects designed Sarafin and the 31m Newport Bucket winner Indio.
Newport Bucket Regatta Overall wWnner Indio (Photo by George Bekris)
The around the island courses create spectacular opportunities to view these breathtaking vessels under sail. The racing format has been modified somewhat, with the start times set so that the classes should finish together. This change is designed to make the racing both more competitive and safer.
Now in their 27th year, the Bucket regattas attract the crème de la crème of yacht builders from every sailing nation, with several builders boasting multiple entries. The “Big Five” sailing yacht builders (Perini Navi, Royal Huisman, Holland Jachtbouw, Alloy Yachts and Vitters) have for many years supported the Bucket Regattas, playing a meaningful role in growing the Bucket and helping maintain the non-commercial atmosphere, another significant hallmark of Bucket races.
Parsifal III (Photo by George Bekris / www.georgebekris. com)
One of Executive Director Tim Laughridge’s goals is to ensure that the renowned Spirit of the Bucket is retained while providing participants with great class racing. He’ll be helming Parsifal III and racing to win, but reminds everyone that the overriding theme is to sail safe and win the party!
The four class winners of the 2013 St Barths Bucket will each receive a Ship’s Bell Clock from Chelsea Clock.
St. Barths Bucket Regatta 2012 rounding the island. (Photo © 2012 by Tim Wright / www.photoaction.com)
| J Class | ||||
| Yachts (5) | LOA(m) | Type | Builder | Designer |
| Hanuman | 42m | sloop | Royal Huisman | Dykstra Naval Architects |
| Lionheart | 43m | sloop | Bloemsma/Claasen Jachtbouw | Hoek Design |
| Rainbow | 40m | sloop | Holland Jachtbouw | Dykstra Naval Architects |
| Ranger | 41m | sloop | Danish Yacht | Sparkman & Stephens |
| Velsheda | 40m | sloop | Camper & Nicholson | Nicholson |
| les Gazelles des Mers | ||||
| Yachts (9) | LOA(m) | Type | Builder | Designer |
| Baiurdo VI | 35m | sloop | Abeking & Rasmussen | Gilles Vaton |
| Cape Arrow | 30m | sloop | Southern Wind | Farr – Nauta |
| Chrisco | 31m | sloop | CNB | Luca Brenta |
| Indio | 30m | sloop | Wally Yachts | Frers Naval Architecture |
| Leopard3 | 30m | sloop | McConaghy | Farr Yacht Design |
| P2 | 38m | sloop | Perini Navi | Philippe Briand |
| Rebecca | 43m | ketch | Pendennis | Frers Naval Architecture |
| Unfurled | 34m | sloop | Royal Huisman | Frers Naval Architecture |
| Visione | 45m | sloop | Baltic Yachts | Reichel/Pugh Yacht Design |
| les Mademoiselles des Mers | ||||
| Yachts (10) | LOA(m) | Type | Builder | Designer |
| Adela | 55m | schooner | Pendennis | Dykstra Naval Architects |
| Athos | 62m | schooner | Holland Jachtbouw | Hoek Design |
| Koo (non spin) | 43m | sloop | Vitters Shipyard | Dubois Naval Architects |
| Lady B | 45m | sloop | Vitters Shipyard | Dubois Naval Architects |
| Prana | 52m | sloop | Alloy Yachts | Dubois Naval Architects |
| Salperton IV | 45m | sloop | Fitzroy Yachts | Dubois Naval Architects |
| Sarafin’ | 31m | sloop | Oyster/RMK Marine | Dubois Naval Architects |
| Symmetry | 29m | sloop | Yachting Developments | Frers Naval Architecture |
| Wild Horses | 24m | sloop | Brooklin Boat Yard | Joel White |
| Zefira | 50m | sloop | Fitzroy Yachts | Dubois Naval Architects |
| les Grandes Dames des Mers | ||||
| Yachts (12) | LOA(m) | Type | Builder | Designer |
| Andromeda La Dea | 48m | ketch | Perini Navi | Perini Navi |
| Axia | 38m | ketch | Palmer Johnson | Sparkman & Stephens |
| Blue Too | 34m | ketch | Alloy Yachts | Ron Holland Design |
| Georgia | 48m | sloop | Alloy Yachts | Studio Scanu Sri Butch |
| Luna | 52m | sloop | Perini Navi | Perini Navi |
| Maltese Falcon | 88m | schooner | Perini Istanbul | Dykstra Naval Architects |
| Panthalassa | 56m | ketch | Perini Navi | Ron Holland Design |
| Parsifal III | 54m | ketch | Perini Navi | Ron Holland Design |
| Rosehearty | 56m | ketch | Perini Navi | Ron Holland Design |
| Salute | 56m | sloop | Perini Navi | Ron Holland Design |
| Silencio | 50m | ketch | Perini Navi | Perini Navi |
| Zenji | 56m | ketch | Perini Navi | Ron Holland Des |
.
St. Barths Bucket Regatta 2012 (Photo © 2012 by Tim Wright / www.photoaction.com)
Atmosphere on the dockside at Les Voiles de Saint Barth © Christophe Jouany / Les Voiles de St. Barth
On the eve of the third running of Les Voiles de St. Barth, April 2-7, the palm-fringed port of Gustavia, St.Barthlemy quickly filled with an impressive array of race boats: ocean-racing maxis including the 90-foot Rambler and the Swan 112, Highland Breeze; classic beauties such the Olin Stephen-designed Dorade and the Fife-built yawl Mariella; a trio of IRC 52s, multi-hulls including the 66 Gunboat Phaedo, and two large racing classes with a mix of Melges, J/boats, and a mix of 40-footers, including the hot-off-the-press Carkeek 40, Decision.
Over 60 boats are registered for this years edition, up fromwith a large number of returning entries, proof that the regatta has filled the need for spirited competition towards the end of the winter season a time when tourism typically begins to wind down in the Caribbean. Though that was hard to tell yesterday, at the islands tiny airport, as the steady stream of small commuter planes landing were filled with a duffle bag-wielding collection of sailors from the ranks of the Americas Cup, round-the-world-ocean races, and Olympic competition, that included Gavin Brady (Vesper), Scott Vogel (Rambler), Bouwe Bekking (Nilaya), Cam Lewis (Paradox), Charlie McKee and Ross MacDonald (Mayhem), Tony Rey, Jeff Madrigali, and Nacho Postigo (Powerplay), and Dee Smith (Decision).
But its not just the professionals that flock to Les Voiles de St. Barth, the regattas program and mix of courses also appeals to a competitive group of amateur and family racers that hone their skills on the growing circuit of Caribbean regattas that take advantage of this sailing paradise.
Nilaya heads out for practice prior to the start of Les Voiles de St Barth © Christophe Jouany / Les Voiles de St. Barth
While not the easiest of destinations to reach some U.S. west coast sailors logged 16+ hours in transit, while others from Europe only slightly less the island of St Barths itself is a welcome reward at the end of the road: a turquoise blue, crystal-clear sea, pristine white sand beaches, and an array of fabulous restaurants just payoff for a long days journey.
Francesco Mongelli, navigator onboard Jim Swartz IRC52 Vesper, is here racing in St Barths for the first time. The Italian sailor, who sails primarily in Europe, has been racing with the Vesper crew since last October, and was clearly keen to have touched down in this French paradise, Its a mix of all the best sailing places, together with perfect weather and good food. Having spent the afternoon in a tender carefully checking out the coastline and charted (and uncharted) rock outcroppings, Mongelli added, Its pretty similar to Porto Cervo, the difference is that there you more or less know where everything is, and the charts are accurate. You cannot take the same risk here that wed take in Porto Cervo.
Racing will run from Tuesday, April 3 Saturday, April 7 and will feature a mix of Olympic triangles, short coastal courses, and a 20-30 nautical mile round-the island race. The fleet will be split into seven classes: Maxi (> 21 meters), IRC52 (former TP52s that have been optimized for the IRC rule), Spinnaker I + II, Non-Spinnaker (racer/cruiser), Classic (vintage/traditional), and Multihull. Thursday is a layday at Nikki Beach, with lunch and a full afternoon of activities, including a paddleboard competition.
New this year, Les Voiles will offer real-time race tracking with 2D visualization via the internet. Waypoint-Tracking (www.waypoint-tracking.com) developed the system in close collaboration with ISAF. The site will allow enthusiasts to follow the daily racing action live or to replay at a later time.
Many of the competing boats are moored stern-to at the Quai General de Gaulle, site of the Race Village, where all of the daily breakfast and post-race activities and music take place. This evening, skippers and tacticians were on hand for the Skippers Briefing led by Loic Ponceau, Race Committee Chairman, and organizers Francois Tolede, Luc Poupon, and Annelisa Gee. Following that was Les Voiles St. Barth Opening Ceremony, where Bruno Magras, President of the Collectivit of St. Barth, welcomed more than 500 sailors to the weeklong event.
Whisper heads out to practice for Les Voiles de Saint Barth © Christophe Jouany / Les Voiles de St. Barth
A regular and enthusiastic competitor in the Caribbean, Sir Peter Harrison was named the godfather or patron of this years Les Voiles. Harrison, owner of the 115-foot Farr-designed Sojana, told the crowd, As a visitor from England to this beautiful French island, one of the most beautiful in the West Indies, Im thrilled to be asked to the patron of Les Voiles. Bon vent Les Voiles de St. Barth, and good luck, everyone!
Also sailing on Sojana is Lionel Pan, who is also back for his third Les Voiles. He said, Obviously there are plenty of good reasons to be here, and to come back every year with the same enthusiasm: this place is made for sailing. In a very short time, Les Voiles de St. Barth has become the place to be, very much like Saint Tropez in the Mediterranean. And the word is spreading around. Shortly there will be a waiting list to be a part of the event!
The weather forecast for the next few days calls for light winds, though the breeze is expected to increase throughout the week. Racing is scheduled to start tomorrow, Tuesday, April 3, two miles northwest of Sugarloaf Rock off Gustavia; one race is scheduled with a start time of 12noon.
Gustavia Harbour on the eve of the start of Les Voiles de St Barth © Christophe Jouany / Les Voiles de St. Barth
