Rambler 100 ,Skippered by Ken Read (Photo by Christophe Jouany / Les Voiles de Saint-Barth )
The first day of racing at the 2nd edition of Les Voiles de St. Barth dawned with 25 knots of tropical tradewind breeze and showers sweeping over the picturesque French island located midway down the Caribbean chain. The regatta’s fleet of maxis, racing and cruising yachts, multi-hulls and classics – 48 confirmed on race day – set off on a race course around the nearby archipelago, and met with plenty of wind and bumpy seas, especially on the islands’ exposed eastern side.
You certainly couldn’t have asked for a prettier race course, which today sent fleets on jaunts of either 16-, 22-, or 25-nautical mile jaunts. Most intriguing was the trip around the northern tip of St. Barth and through the nearby archipelago, which in a typically French way makes one ready for a meal with names such as Ile Chevreau (baby goat), Ile Fregate (bird), Ile le Boulanger (the baker), Ile Fourchue (fork), Grouper et Petite Groupers (fish), Le Boeuf (beef), and Le Pain du Sucre (sugarloaf).
Today’s later start at 1300 did nothing to diminish the wind and sea, as the first two classes off – Maxis and Multihulls – with eleven boats, started in 22 knots and encountered two meter seas and were sent on a 25-nautical mile course. George David’s Rambler 100 with Ken Read as skipper, got away at the pin end of the starting line and lead Hugo Stenbeck on Genuine Risk up into the outer harbor to an offset turning mark. Once around, Rambler set a huge asymmetric spinnaker and was on her way for the day.
Genuine Risk (Photo by Christophe Jouany / Les Voiles de Saint-Barth )
On the eastern, and windward, side of the island the big boats reveled in the conditions which eventually topped out above 30 knots – Genuine Risk, with their combined crew Swedish/ American crew, recorded 30 knots of boat speed surfing downwind through the islands.
Also racing in the Maxi class was the 86’ CNB sloop Spiip, owned by Robin de Jong, who is making his way westward to Tahiti with the boat. Onboard Spiip is Bruno Trouble, well known for creating and overseeing the Louis Vuitton Challenger Series (for the America’s Cup) that originated in 1983. Trouble is racing at the regatta for the first time, and he said, “Les Voiles de St. Barth reminds me a lot of the early days of the Nioulargue with boats from all over the place taking part. Things are going to really build and it is just great, it really reminds me of the first Nioulargue!”
In the Racing Class, the crew work aboard Jim Swartz’s Vesper looked well-honed as the team traded tacks with Peter Cunningham’s Farr 60 Venomous (CAY) up the first short beat. Back on the quay, Venomous’ tactician Tony Rey recounted the day, “We had some great sailing – St. Barth’s is such an awesome place to sail, every time you turn around an island, or a piece of land, the view just gets better and better. It’s just that the race course is a minefield because the wind twists and turns up the corners and the crevices – but it’s a fascinating place to sail! We also had the added challenge that our instruments went down, so we were guessing on our wind speed and direction, and guessing at our boat speed for part of it too, which turned us into good seat-of-the-pants sailors.”
Vesper (Photo by Christophe Jouany / Les Voiles de Saint-Barth )
Before scores were tabulated, though Rey suspects, “We think we were probably 2nd or 3rd, we’re pretty sure Vesper beat us handily, because downwind you just can’t stay with a boat like that. We could have sailed better for sure, we left a few seconds on the race track, but generally we’re thrilled, it was a great day of sailing!”
In the 24-boat Racing Cruising class, the Swan 60 Fenix closely led Jereon Hin’s First 50 Black Hole (NED) after the first upwind beat. This class has a gamut of boats including two all-women entries, Annie O’Sullivan’s Diamonds Are Forever (UK), and Henneke Stegweg’s iLost (NED). As well, there are two Moorings 50.5 charter boats with two crews from Oakville, Ontario, Canada, headed up by Andre Beese and Patrick Festing. Both crews are comprised of friends and fellow Etchells sailors, who were originally headed to Antigua to race when a friend suggested they race at Les Voiles de St. Barth.
The Classics class, while low on numbers with just five boats, were high on style points with the 76’ W-class White Wings, the 80’ Fife yawl, Mariella, the 60’ dark-hulled gaff-rigged yawl Kate from St Kitt’s, and the 26’ Friendship sloop La Sirene, gracing the line.
Carlo Falcone, from Antigua, is a frequent competitor with Mariella in both classic and offshore races around the world, which he, more often than not, wins. He enjoys sailing in St. Barth because it has, he says, “more European style than other parts of the Caribbean.”
The yacht was designed by American naval architect Alfred Mylne, and built by Fife in Scotland in 1938. As Falcone says, “The beauty of this boat is the mix of the two. Mariella is well sailed and immaculately maintained, and Falcone says, “I believe the more you use the boat the better it is. But it’s never-ending work – not buying the boat, but keeping it. They say, ‘the owners are just taking care of the boat until the next one.’” His regular crew is a mix of family and friends including his daughter Sylvia, his long-time navigator, 89-year old Henry Pepper (Marblehead, Mass), and crew from Italy, Australia and Dominica. Les Voiles de St.Barth is a way to prepare the boat for this summer’s classic yacht series in New England.
With a relatively new event, one may wonder what goes into the thinking for the course on day one. Following this morning’s skipper’s briefing, the, Les Voiles Race Committee Principal Race Officer, Jean Coadou offered some insight, “There were three main elements: the weather forecast, looking at the strength and direction of the wind around all of the islands. Also it was important with such a large fleet to avoid any boats crossing paths. And first and foremost, the enjoyment of sailing was a key factor. We try to ensure that the competitors encounter all the different points of sail, upwind, downwind and reaching. The idea is to come up with three hours of exciting racing each day; that is why the courses are around 30 miles in length for the fastest boats and 16 miles for the smaller craft.”
Key information: Les Voiles de St. Barth is being hosted from April 4 – 9 2011 by the St. Barth Yacht Club
Les Voiles de Saint Barth (Photo by Les Voiles de Saint Barth)
Entries
Yacht Name Sail Design LOA Skipper Status
SOJANA
GBR 115 FARR 115 Peter HARRISON /Marc FIDZGERALD
HIGHLAND BREEZE
888 SWAN 112 RS/GPR 112′ ALBERT KEULARTS
SPIIP
FRA 8686 CNB 86 86′ ROBIN DE JONG
RAMBLER 100 USA 25555 READ Ken
GENUINE RISK
8390 DUBOIS/MC CONAUGHY 97′ HUGO STENBECK
ICARUS
JONGERT 90′
PANIC ATTACK
750 OPEN 750 24′ JAN VANDEN EYNDE
TECHNOMARINE
FRA 27917 Farr 36,7 DEREDEC Christian
PUFFY
USA 45454 Farr 45 DEMARCHELLIER Patrick
ANTILOPE
GRB 1513L GRAND SOLEIL 43′ WILLEM WESTER
SPEEDY NEMO SBH 26 MAGRAS Raymond
VESPER
TP 52 54′ JAMES SWARTZ
VENOMOUS
GBR 60006 FARR DESIGN 60′ PETER CUNNINGHAM
MAE-LIA MAGRAS Raphael
SOLANO FRA 34625
Classic
Yacht Name Sail Design LOA Skipper Status
WHITE WINGS
US2 W CLASS 76′ DONALD TOFIAS
KATE
ES5 MYLNE 60′ Walwyn
LA SIRÈNE
3 FRIEND SHIP SLOOP R WILSON 26′ DAVID PERTEL
MARIELLA
464 YAWL/FIFE 80′ CARLO FALCONE Pre-entry
Racing Cruising
Yacht Name Sail Design LOA Skipper Status
FENIX
GBR 9660R SWAN 60′ MORITZ BURMESTER
L’ESPERANCE
123 Beneteau 45 VELASQUEZ Robert
BLACK HOLE
GER 150L FIRST 50 50′ JEROEN HIN
COSTA MESA
88 DUFOUR 425 GL 43′ REY PASCAL
ORMEAU
FINOT BENETEAU 47.3 ALAIN CHARLOT
MR. WALKER
FRA 491 REQUIN 33 MELISSA RIMBAUD
LIL’E
FRA 479 REQUIN 33 FOX MOWGLI
SUGAR CANE
BERRET 50.5 ANDRE BEESE
MAE-LIA
X-YACHT 34 MAGRAS Raphael
TRITON
BERRET 50.5 PATRICK SMITH
SPEEDY NEMO
DUFOUR 34′ RAYMOND MAGRAS
THULA
51952 BALTIC 39 39′ MAX IMRIE
TARA II
SUN ODYSSEY 54 DS 54′ HENRY ALBERT
SPLENDIDO
FRA37407 GRAND SOLEIL 40′ PHILIPPE HERVOUET
NIX
IVB 612 X-YACHT 60′ NICO CORTLEVER
AFFINITY
US 50007 SWAN 48′ JACK DESMOND
SOLANO
FRA 34625 LATINI 52 FELCI 52′ FREDERIC RIALLAND
DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
GRB 1007L ELAN 37′ ANNIE O’SULLIVAN
COYOTE 2
GBR 9949 T FIRST 40.7 41′ KEN ACOTT
iLOST
HARMONY 42 42′ HANNEKE STEGWEG
SHAMROCK VII
USA 1 J 95 31′ THOMAS MULLEN
WILD DEVIL ISLAND WATER WORLD
NM 1993 KIWI 35 35′ BEN JELIC
TANGRA 413 REQUIN 35′ QUERE Pre-entry
Racing Multihull
Yacht Name Sail Design LOA Skipper Status
PHAEDO
399BC GUNBOAT 66′ PAUL HAND
DAUPHIN TELECOM
COULOMBEL 40′ ERICK CLEMENT
BLANCA
SEACART 30′ HERVE DE MARJOLIE
SPIRIT
GBR 565 40′ JASON GARD
BLUE CAT VAN PETEGHEM 40′ CHAYER
CARIB CAT
CATAMARAN MY CAT 26′ CONSIDERE CLAUDE
Sojana (Photo by Christophe Launay / Les Voiles de Saint-Barth)
An enthusiastic Ken Read (Newport, R.I.) got the 2011 sailing season off to a resounding start on board the new Maxi Yacht Rambler 100 in the Caribbean 600. The American skipper, who leads the Puma Ocean Racing project, has just won the event, leaving his rival Leopard 3 a long way behind and in so doing also grabbing the race record. Winner of last year’s inaugural running of the Les Voiles de St. Barth as skipper of George David’s (Hartford, Conn.) 90-footRambler, Read was naturally entrusted with the helm of Rambler 100 (the former Speedboat) when David took command of it earlier this year. Very excited by Rambler 100’s performance so far, Read is looking forward to the race program that lies ahead in the coming weeks. The second edition of the Les Voiles de St. Barth is next on the schedule (April 4-9), and with a mere mention of Read’s victory at the 2010 event, he admits without hesitation that he took advantage of “the best conditions ever experienced in my whole career….”
The prospect of once again facing their main rival Leopard 3 (owned by Great Britain’s Mike Slade) at Les Voiles de St. Barth–in closely fought contests on a variety of windy courses–is something that Read and David are extremely happy about. The Americans will bring along the whole of Read’s Puma Ocean Racing team, comprised of 15 top class professional sailors that will join seven other experienced crewmen to sail the powerful carbon Maxi Yacht.
“Don’t change a thing!,” said Read about the Les Voiles des St. Barth format, which features short daytime race courses that will have Rambler 100 and Leopard 3 facing off for the first time with that type of racing. “Rambler 100 and Leopard 3 are two huge monsters,” he said, explaining that both boats are entered in the Atlantic Ocean Racing Series, which reaches its climax in June with the 2011 Transatlantic Race from Newport, Rhode Island to The Lizard (UK). “They are record-breaking boats designed for long ocean races and major offshore courses; however, for our crew, it is vital to be able to compete in inshore races like those that will be held in St. Barth. Our battle against Leopard 3 will be very demanding for the crews and fascinating to watch, as we will be alongside each other for a lot of the time and it is bound to offer a maximum level of excitement.”
The Caribbean 600 represented an intermediate format for Ken Read and his crew, and it very quickly turned to the advantage of Rambler 100, which led the way from start to finish in what were typically Caribbean conditions, with strong trade winds windward of the islands and tricky currents, particularly at night. “Sailing along at 26 knots under the stars, we had some great moments aboard Rambler 100, a boat that offers a completely new dimension to racing,” concluded Read. Peter Harrison’s (Great Britain) 115-foot Farr-designed Sojana, which stood out in the Les Voiles de St. Barth last year and will be back again this year, also took part in the Caribbean 600 alongside Genuine Risk, the 90-foot Dubois design that has registered for the Les Voiles de St. Barth for the first time and may also thwart the favorites’ plans.
“In St. Barth, each day is different,” said Read. “The race committee has done an excellent job coming up with courses around the islands that are spectacular and at the same time very demanding from a tactical perspective, as they mean we have to sail at every point of sail. The Les Voiles de St. Barth is also physically very tiring, as the strong regular winds that sweep across the islands at this time of year allow us to get the most out of the boat, implying frequent sail changes with each change of tack. Technically, this is a really interesting event, which is a fantastic complement to the Atlantic Ocean Racing Series.”
Key information:
With one month to go until the start of racing, the Les Voiles de St. Barth has registered no fewer than 49 yachts, divided according to their size and class in the following five divisions:
SUPER / MAXI YACHT : A Maxi yacht refers to a prototype yacht or one that is produced in limited numbers measuring at least 69’ in length: 8 boats registered
CLASSIC: Classic Yachts or traditional boats are boats that are at least 35 years old and fit into various categories: 5 boats registered
RACING: This division brings together racing monohulls designed specifically for coastal or offshore races: 15 boats registered
RACING-CRUISING : The Racing Cruising division includes chiefly series boats, fitted out for cruising as well as for racing: 17 boats registered
RACING- MULTIHULLS: This division includes racing multihulls, be they trimarans or catamarans, with a length between 30 and 60 feet and which are very light and fast: 4 boats registered
The Les Voiles de St. Barth officially begins on Monday, April 4, 2011 with the traditional registration process and the opening of the Voiles Village, Quai du Général De Gaulle in Gustavia. At 1300 hrs (local time) the next day (Tuesday, April 5), the Race Directors, under the leadership of Luc Poupon, will signal the start of racing on some exciting and varied race courses set up according to the weather conditions. Racing continues Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, with Thursday, April 7 set aside as a lay day, with a full list of festive events lined up, allowing the crews to rest and enjoy themselves along with the people of St. Barths. The closing evening on Saturday, April 9 will include the prize-giving
ceremony.
Sojana and Moneypenny (Photo by Christophe Launay / Les Voiles de Saint-Barth)
Entries
LEOPARD 3
GBR 1R FARR 100′ MIKE SLADE Pre-entry
SOJANA
GBR 115 FARR 115 Peter HARRISON /Marc FIDZGERALD Pre-entry
BELLA PITA
US 53560 TRIPP DESIGN 75′ JIM GRUNDY Pre-entry
HIGHLAND BREEZE
888 SWAN 112 RS/GPR 112′ ALBERT KEULARTS Pre-entry
SPIIP
FRA 8686 CNB 86 86′ ROBIN DE JONG Pre-entry
RAMBLER 100
100′ GEORGE DAVID Pre-entry
MARAMA
100′ GERARD NAIGEON Pre-entry
GENUINE RISK
8390 DUBOIS/MC CONAUGHY 97′ HUGO STENBECK Pre-entry
Racing
Yacht Name Sail Design LOA Skipper Status
REGIS GUILLEMOT.COM
FRA 96 POGO 40 S2 40′ REGIS GUILLEMOT Pre-entry
PANIC ATTACK
750 OPEN 750 24′ JAN VANDEN EYNDE Pre-entry
NOVUS ACRA
GBR 150 L BENETEAU F 50 50′ TONY MACBRIDE Pre-entry
BLACK HOLE
SANTA CRUZ 37 37′ J. Hin Pre-entry
FIFI
FRA 2114 X55 55 G;MARTIN Pre-entry
LANCELOT
FRA 25597 BENETEAU 31.7 32 SERGE MAZARIO Pre-entry
TECHNOMARINE
FRA 27917 Farr 36,7 DEREDEC Christian Pre-entry
OCEAN WARRIOR
SA 3625 CLASS 40 40′ LENJOHN VAN DER WEL Pre-entry
PUFFY
USA 45454 Farr 45 DEMARCHELLIER Patrick Pre-entry
ANTILOPE
GRB 1513L GRAND SOLEIL 43′ WILLEM WESTER Pre-entry
LOST HORIZON
ANT 104 J 122 40′ JAMES DOBBS Pre-entry
MONNEYPENNY
TP 52 54′ JIM SWARTZ Pre-entry
VENOMOUS
GBR 60006 FARR DESIGN 60′ PETER CUNNINGHAM Pre-entry
SPIRIT OF JUNO
GBR 8653 R FARR 65 65′ RORY FAULKNER Pre-entry
SONIC OF AYR
GBR 370 L SANTA CRUZ 37 37 RYAN BROOKES Pre-entry
Classic
Yacht Name Sail Design LOA Skipper Status
WHITE WINGS
US2 W CLASS 76′ DAVID TOFIA Pre-entry
DUENDE
10200 Herreshoff 43 43 D.Randy West Pre-entry
KATE
ES5 MYLNE 60′ Walwyn Pre-entry
CARA MIA
SUI 4405 SWAN 41′ PATRICK NICHOLAS Pre-entry
Racing Cruising
Yacht Name Sail Design LOA Skipper Status
FENIX
GBR 9660R SWAN 60′ MORITZ BURMESTER Pre-entry
L’ESPERANCE
123 Beneteau 45 VELASQUEZ Robert Pre-entry
VANILLE
16286 FIRST 300 SPIRIT 30′ PHILIPPE HERVE Pre-entry
COSTA MESA
88 DUFOUR 425 GL 43′ REY PASCAL Pre-entry
ORMEAU
FINOT BENETEAU 47.3 ALAIN CHARLOT Pre-entry
MR. WALKER
FRA 491 REQUIN 33 MELISSA RIMBAUD Pre-entry
LIL’E
FRA 479 REQUIN 33 FOX MOWGLI Pre-entry
BEESE
BERRET 50.5 ANDRE BEESE Registered
MAE-LIA
X-YACHT 34 MAGRAS Raphael Pre-entry
FESTING
BERRET 50.5 PATRICK SMITH Registered
SPEEDY NEMO
DUFOUR 34′ RAYMOND MAGRAS Pre-entry
CORBAN
97133 SWAN 42 HARPER Daniel Pre-entry
TARA II
SUN ODYSSEY 54 DS 54′ HENRY ALBERT Pre-entry
SPLENDIDO
FRA37407 GRAND SOLEIL 40′ PHILIPPE HERVOUET Pre-entry
NIX
IVB 612 X-YACHT 60′ NICO CORTLEVER Pre-entry
AFFINITY
US 50007 SWAN 48′ JACK DESMOND Pre-entry
SOLANO
FRA 34625 LATINI 52 FELCI 52′ FREDERIC RIALLAND Pre-entry
DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
GRB 1007L ELAN 37′ ANNIE O’SULLIVAN Pre-entry
COYOTE 2
GBR 9949 T FIRST 40.7 41′ KEN ACOTT Pre-entry
iLOST
HARMONY 42 42′ HANNEKE STEGWEG Pre-entry
SHAMROCK VII
USA 1 J 95 31′ THOMAS MULLEN Pre-entry
Racing Multihull
Yacht Name Sail Design LOA Skipper Status
PHAEDO
399BC GUNBOAT 66′ PAUL HAND Pre-entry
KARIBUNI PINEL
COULOMBEL 40′ ERICK CLEMENT Pre-entry
BIANCA
SEACART 30′ HERVE DE MARJOLIE Pre-entry
SPIRIT
GBR 565 40′ JASON GARD Pre-entry
Genuine Risk At Start Of Bermuda Race (Photo by George Bekris )
