Press releases
Suspense Reigns High
On Saturday, the third day of competition of the St. Barth Cata-Cup, light winds were dancing on the water. Yet the race committee was successful in holding two good races: a raid between Toc Vert, Fourchue, and Bœuf; then a smaller loop between Toc Vert and Les Grenadins. In spite of very uncertain conditions, some of the sailors kept up a steady pace, starting with Franck Cammas and Matthieu Vandame. Placing third and first in the day’s two races the ODP 1 duo had a superb day. They not only won the Prix St Barth Assurances – Allianz, but they also seized the top spot in the overall provisional ratings, by a hair in front of the Greeks Iordanis Pachalidis – Kontantinos Trigonis (Relwen), who had been in the leader’s seat since the start of the regatta. The lead is so small that tomorrow’s races will be decisive
Those born in Saint Barth will tell you that wind from the southwest is rather rare on the island. Yet that’s exactly what happened on Saturday in the West Indies, with erratic light winds (very instable from five to eight knots). In spite of that, both races were official. The first, a long raid of 18 miles, was launched at 10am. A little two anxious to get racing, Franck Cammas and Matthieu Vandame (ODP 1) were too quick to break the starting line and had to come back and got started at the tail of the fleet. “We can’t say that we got started in the best conditions,” commented the skipper, who managed to progressively get back to finish in third place. “Luckily the course was long,” admits the winner of the 2013 edition of the St. Barth Cata-Cup, who gobbled the maximum of places on the long run between Fourchue and Bœuf, thanks to sustained speed. “At that moment, we were going rather but we also able to adjust to the difficult passages around the various little island, with real sightlines, as opposed to those up front,” noted Cammas. Enrique Figueroa (Off Course Management) has a similar comment: “By observing those in the lead, we were able to see their errors, and avoid doing the same things,” declared the Puerto Rican, who won the race with his old Nacra (2013) with a comfortable advance. “Finally, we won one! We are happy,” said the winner of the 2012 edition who moved from seventh to fifth place in the general standings this evening. “Once again things were shuffled in the middle of the fleet. We saw new faces at the front. That’s a pleasure to see, but that adds a little spice to the next to last day of racing,” adds Figueroa.
The Game Continues To Change
No matter what happens—you can never tell what’s going to happen! Among those who have seen their fortunes fall and rise this week are Emmanuel Boulogne and Tanguy Kervyn (St Barth Assurances). Having lost their spinnaker in the first race, they were forced to abandon and they plummeted in the ratings. Yet these talented young men have taken care of business and had a pretty good day (finishing in eighth and second place) “This morning, we had a hard time, but this afternoon we were really in touch with what has happening out on the water,” points out Emmanuel, who is getting back in the groove with his teammate (as they hadn’t sailed together in six years), and who is mastering the new Deck-Sweeper sails little by little. “We have started to find little tricks, it’s great,” adds the winner of the very first St. Barth Cata-Cup, and who let the last race almost from beginning to end before falling behind Franck Cammas and Matthieu Vandame, while sailing full out with their spinnaker unfurled. “We didn’t think we would pass them. We had tried once without success. But then in a calmer zone we took a risk and it paid off,” explains Cammas, who is pleased with his action. And he should be, as it allowed him to kill two birds with one stone: first to win the Prix St-Barth Assurances – Allianz, and secondly, to move up to first place in the provisional standings after four races. “Nothing is won yet. The Greeks are just two points behind us. We need to keep an eye on them. We know they sail fast, they don’t make many errors, and it won’t be easy to stay ahead in light winds,” warns the helmsman of ODP 1. “At least three or four boats can still win. It will be very close. The battle will be intense, but that’s good, as that’s why we are here,” concludes Iordanis Paschalidis.
Quotes:
Maxime Loiselle, Marché U teammate: “When there isn’t much wind, it’s often very difficult, especially for us, as in Quebec we aren’t used to air that is so warm. The density isn’t the same. You have to get used to it. Yet we are doing okay. The first race, this morning, was long. We expected a shorter course this afternoon but that wasn’t the case. But we have been having a good time. We are relatively satisfied with our day. We succeeded to correct a few things and we have started to be where we think we should be in the overall classification, which is to say between 10th and 12th place. We always manage to get a good start, but after we fall back a bit. We hope to do a little better.
François Carro, Gill teammate: “In the first race, we were seventh or eighth for the first hour of the race, but at the moment we had to jibe at Fourchue, we lost some ground as we had absolutely no wind. Those ahead kept going and we found ourselves behind, which was tough for our moral, especially as the run as far as Bœuf was then very long and slow. This afternoon, there were barely six or seven knots and that was terrible for us because we finished last. In the end, the results for the day were mixed.”
Pierre Arbona, teammate for AMC: “The day was hard. We had a bad start and after, it was hard to catch up. In the first race, we were able to limit our losses but in the second race, it was catastrophic becase we were never able to really be in the action. Of course this evening we are a little disappointed but we hope we can move up a few places tomorrow. That will be possible if there is more wind, but will remain complicated if there is no wind because we have an old boat and we are heavy.”
Find all rankings on the St.Barth Cata-Cup website : www.stbarthcatacup.com
Schedule for Sunday, November 19
- 9:30am Prix Marché U
- 2pm Prix Marché U
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19/11/2017
What suspense, what surprises! This fourth day of sailing and the final day of the St. Barth Cata-Cup, which should have identified the leaders and defined the podium, actually played out with an improbable scenario, which was peppered with many comebacks. At one point it seems as if the glory of victory would go to Franck Cammas and Matthieu Vandame (ODP 1), who were at the top of the general classification on the morning of the last two races. Yet the glory finally went to winners Iordanis Paschalidis and Konstantinos Trigonis (Relwen), as their competitors made an error on the course. The Greeks are however far from having stolen their victory. These two sailors were consistently at the front of the pack and turned in a remarkably steady performance in spite of highly variable wind conditions. At the end of the day, they finished with a healthy lead, ahead of, in order, Argentineans Cruz Gonzales Smith – Mariano Heuser (Eden Rock Villa Rental) and Belgians Patrick Demesmaeker – Olivier Gagliani (Les Perles de Saint-Barth).
18/11/2017
On Saturday, the third day of competition of the St. Barth Cata-Cup, light winds were dancing on the water. Yet the race committee was successful in holding two good races: a raid between Toc Vert, Fourchue, and Bœuf; then a smaller loop between Toc Vert and Les Grenadins. In spite of very uncertain conditions, some of the sailors kept up a steady pace, starting with Franck Cammas and Matthieu Vandame. Placing third and first in the day’s two races the ODP 1 duo had a superb day. They not only won the Prix St Barth Assurances – Allianz, but they also seized the top spot in the overall provisional ratings, by a hair in front of the Greeks Iordanis Pachalidis – Kontantinos Trigonis (Relwen), who had been in the leader’s seat since the start of the regatta. The lead is so small that tomorrow’s races will be decisive
17/11/2017
A loop around Toc Vert and Bonhomme by way of Boulanger, then a run between Les Grenadins and Bonhomme with Frégate on the exterior: that was the itinerary of the day for the 47 teams in the St. Barth Cata-Cup, while their nerves were really put to the test on this Friday of sailing. And for good cause, as sailing on the leeward side of the island they had to make do with winds from the south-southeast of only six to 10 knots; winds that were unstable in terms of force and direction. And while the cards continued to fall randomly throughout the day, certain duos managed to perform quite regularly, which was certainly the case by Belgians Patrick Demesmaeker and Olivier Gagliani (Les Perles de Saint-Barth), who sailed two perfect races to victory and were the big winners of the Prix Eden Rock Villa Rental. In the general rating after three races, the lead remains with the Greek duo Iordanis Paschalidis – Konstantinos Trigonis (Relwen), who are continuing to make a strong impression.
16/11/2017
On Thursday, the 47 teams of the 10th annual St. Barth Cata-Cup set sail on a serious note for the first day of competition, as the race committee took advantage of winds of 8 to 12 knots from the south-southeast for a first tour of the island. As a result of the conditions, it was necessary to be highly observant and show finesse in these kinds of conditions and the favorites immediately proved excellence, confirming their status. The winning trifecta of the day? In order: Iordanis Paschalidis – Konstantinos Trigonis (Relwen), Pierre Le Clainche – Antoine Joubert (designaffairs – 001), and Franck Cammas – Matthieu Vandame (ODP 1).
15/11/2017
After three days of getting the boats ready to sail, training, and confirmation of registrations, the 47 two-person teams for the 10th annual St. Barth Cata-Cup into the spirit of the regatta. On Thursday, starting at 2pm, they will compete in the first races of the event (Prix Design Affairs – 001). The competition promises to be intense as this special anniversary features not only the six duos that have won this event in the past, and are back to compete again, but also a large number of the biggest names in the F18 class. Here’s a preview of what to expect:
18/10/2017
No one will soon forget that on the night of September 5 to 6, 2017, Hurricane Irma, one of the most devastating storms of the century, unleashed its full fury on the island of Saint Barthélemy. In the past weeks, with an enormous display of solidarity, the residents have been actively working toward the island’s reconstruction, with one common goal: that daily life should get back to normal. Motivated by that shared objective, as well as their energy and courage, the organizers of the Saint-Barth Cata Cup decided to maintain the 10th edition of the event on November 13-20, 2017. The challenge is huge, but with the support of the sponsors and encouragement from the racers, everyone felt it was important to bring such activities, as well as hope and joy back to Saint-Barth.
18 May 2017
The Saint-Barth Cata Cup will celebrate its 10th anniversary on November 13-20, 2017. To make it a truly great event, the organizers have decided to offer wild cards to all duos that have won this regatta since it was created. Intrigued by the idea to team up again with their winning partner—for some as many as nine years later—and one again compete in the waters of the Caribbean, the sailors who took first place between 2008 and 2016 will all be returning, with the exception of John Casey, who has been unable to confirm his participation. His former teammate, American sailor Dalton Tebo, will be present, partnering with Charles Tomeo, alongside such duos as Emmanuel Boulogne/Tanguy Kervyn, Mischa Heemskerk/Eduard Zanen, Enrique Figueroa/ Keki Figueroa, Franck Cammas/Matthieu Vandame, Morgan Lagravière/Arnaud Jarlegan, Patrick Demesmaeker/Olivier Gagliani, Pierre Le Clainche/ Antoine Joubert, and the 65 tandems selected at random from the 90 pre-registered. This 10th anniversary Cata Cup promises to put on a great show with serious battles for first place out on the waves!
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