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A Perfect Regatta For Tim Mourniac and Pierre-Yves Durand: A First At The Cata-Cup!
After winning the first six races, Tim Mourniac and Pierre-Yves Durand headed into the last day of sailing without any pressure, as they knew that whatever happened on the water, that they had already won the 14th edition of the St. Barth Cata Cup. The Segeco duo had but one goal: sail a perfect regatta. And the two sailors from Brittany won their bet on Sunday, November 20, by winning the last race of the regatta, from the bay of Saint Jean to Public, via Grande Pointe. And the icing on the cake: they are the first to turn in such a performance at this regatta. Until now, no other tandem has been able to put on such a show of force. But behind them, on the other hand, the teams fought hard and had to wait until the home stretch to know the winning trifecta. A trifecta completed by the duos of Gurvan Bontemps–Benjamin Amiot (Pixail) and Patrick Demesmaeker–Olivier Gagliani (Les Perles de Saint-Barth–Bativrd), respectively in second and third place.
Royalty, untouchable, dominating… there are not enough superlatives to describe Tim Mourniac and Pierre-Yves Durand. They sailed the perfect regatta, with seven wins in seven races, and the teammates literally sailed over the competition in the 14th edition of the St. Barth Cata Cup. “There are weeks like that, where everything works out. Where one has the impression of being perfectly in the groove and even succeeding in anticipating everything. It feels good and makes us happy!” comments the helmsman who won the 2022 regatta with panache, in spite of very high-level competition, technical races, and challenging physical conditions throughout the week. “The site is complex, with strong specificities that impact the itineraries to be honest. Once we understood all that, it was easier,” adds Tim, winner of the Tour de France for sailing in 2018, Nacra 15 Junior World Champion in 2016, and member of the Nacra 17 France team in mixed double with Lou Berthomieu. “The last race today was complicated, a sort of round-trip the length of the island with many zones without wind, and by ricochet, multiples zones of transition in which it was easy to get lost. With Pierre-Yves, we had a handicap right from the beginning of the race as we did not start very well. Yet we succeeded in passing the marker at Grande Pointe in second place, but with an enormous gap behind Ravi Parent and Nick Lovisa. We followed our instinct calmy, trying to apply ourselves technically. We knew that we potentially had the chance to make a comeback. Then they made a small error and we were able to pass them. We battled it out with them for several hundred meters then they made a fatal error,” explains the Frenchman. As improbable as unexpected, the Americans actually missed the last marker, right before the finish line. That was a painful mistake for the duo of Maxwell & Co for man and woman, who were disqualified and have to be happy with their eighth place in the general classifications. But a gift of gold for the Segeco team who now follow in the footsteps of Argentineans Cruz Gonzalez Smith and Mariano Heuser (SBDE) as winners of the regatta. A winner’s circle in which Jean-Christophe Mourniac, Tim’s father, already stood in 2019 alongside Antoine Rucard. “Proof that one Mourniac can hide another!” jokes Tim.
“A Good Excuse To Come Back”
Behind the winners, there was a lot of action for second and third place on the podium. At the start of this final race, four duos were still in the running to stand on this famous box: Gurvan Bontemps and Benjamin Amiot, Cruz Gonzales Smith and Mariano Heuser, as well as Patrick Demesmaeker and Olivier Gagliani, with only four small points separating them after the first six races. “Before starting out this morning, we made our calculations. To keep our second place, we had to make sure the Belgians did not win, and also that the Argentineans finished behind us. And that’s what happened. We are super happy because just two days ago we were disappointed with our performance in the tour around the island. But we didn’t give up. Yesterday and today, we had good days. We finished in second place for the fourth time at this event!” comments Benjamin, who already won silver with his teammate in 2016, 2019, and 2021. “We’ll have to try our luck again. We finish by saying that every year. I think, in the end, that gives us a good excuse to come back,” jokes the Pixail partner. “One thing is certain, there is nothing to say about the victory by Tim and Pierre-Yves. They were untouchable this time”
Belgians Patrick Demesmaeker and Olivier Gagliani agree:
They sailed a notch above the rest. As for us, we were not surprised. They were our favorites even before the start of the regatta. We are very happy to have finished on the podium once again,” relate the two sailors, the only double winners of the St. Barth Cata Cup to date (in 2015 and again in 2018). “It was close right to the end. We saved our third place at the last minute in the last race,” add the Belgians, who managed to finish the last race in third position in spite of some difficulty not far from the finish line in front of the beach in Public. “In a big gust, we almost capsized. I fell into the water. I just had time to grab onto something, which must have been the martingale and hop back on board. If we had really tipped over, the race would have been over.” Proof that even if Tim Mourniac and Pierre-Yves Durand sailed like extraterrestrials in this 14th edition of the Cata-Cup, racing in Saint-Barth is always lively, passionate, and frenetic!
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November 20,2022
After winning the first six races, Tim Mourniac and Pierre-Yves Durand headed into the last day of sailing without any pressure, as they knew that whatever happened on the water, that they had already won the 14th edition of the St. Barth Cata Cup. The Segeco duo had but one goal: sail a perfect regatta. And the two sailors from Brittany won their bet on Sunday, November 20, by winning the last race of the regatta, from the bay of Saint Jean to Public, via Grande Pointe. And the icing on the cake: they are the first to turn in such a performance at this regatta. Until now, no other tandem has been able to put on such a show of force. But behind them, on the other hand, the teams fought hard and had to wait until the home stretch to know the winning trifecta. A trifecta completed by the duos of Gurvan Bontemps–Benjamin Amiot (Pixail) and Patrick Demesmaeker–Olivier Gagliani (Les Perles de Saint-Barth–Bativrd), respectively in second and third place.
November 19, 2022
The races continue for the 57 teams of the St. Barth Cata Cup, as well as the victories for Tim Mourniac and Pierre-Yves Durand. The Segeco duo has done nothing but crush the competition with disconcerting ease. To such a point that the day before the end of the competition, they are already certain to be the winners of the 14th edition, no matter what happens. This has never happened in the history of the regatta, until this year the last tack of the last race was the decisive moment! And, of course, the winning duo does not intend to rest on their laurels, but to add more wins to their resume on the last day of racing. The battle is still very close for the second and third places. Three tandems are still competing for the remaining spots on the podium: Gurvan Bontemps–Benjamin Amiot (Pixail); Cruz Gonzalez Smith–Mariano Heuser and Patrick Demesmaeker Olivier Gagliani (Les Perles de Saint-Barth–Bativrd). A guarantee of suspense!
November 18, 2022
After competing in two great races yesterday, the 57 teams in the 14th St. Barth Cata Cup set out on a tour around the island, then a round-trip race between St Jean Bay and Ile Chevreau, on Friday, once again confronting challenging conditions. But conditions in which it seems that the duo of Tim Mourniac and Pierre-Yves Durand (Segeco) are literally untouchable. These two sailors, who totally dominated the day before. once again won the debate, clocking two new race victories and at the same time winning the special prize for the tour around the island as well as the EDEN ROCK VILLA RENTAL Prize. So it’s no surprise that they are in first place in the provisional overall standings. A list that has really been shaken up this evening, as the worst score for each team (excepting the tour around the island) has been eliminated after the first four regattas, as stipulated by the rules of the race.
November 17, 2022
The 14e edition of the St. Barth Cata-Cup got underway on Thursday, November 17. This first day of competition saw the 57 competing duos set out on an invigorating race between the islet of Toc Vers and Roche de Bœuf, before setting sail again in the afternoon between St Jean Bay and Pain de Sucre in slightly less difficult conditions, but with different zones of transition, which continually reshuffled the cards in the heart of the fleet. No real surprises at the end of the day, although the favorites made themselves known. In the provisional classification, Tim Mourniac and Pierre-Yves Durand (Segeco), sailed perfectly with two race victories, putting them in first place and winning the “Design Affairs-001” Prize. They are ahead of Gurvan Bontemps and Benjamin Amiot (Pixail) as well as Patrick Demesmaeker and Olivier Gagliani (Les Perles de Saint-Barth–Bativrd), big favorites at this regatta. The title holders, Argentineans Cruz Gonzalez Smith and Mariano Heuser (SBDE), also proved they were in good form, but already played their joker in the first round due to an accident with their jib sheet.
November 16, 2022
After a day spent assembling the boats, confirming registrations, and final training exercises, the 57 teams racing in the 14th edition of the St. Barth Cata Cup are ready to hit the waves. That will be on Thursday starting on 9:30am, when they set sail for the first race of the regatta. A race that promises to be challenging with between 15 and 20 knots of wind from the northwest sector expected throughout the week. This should make the regatta high-octane, which is good news for the top guns in the race, starting with the title holders, Argentineans Cruz Gonzales Smith and Mariano Heuser (SDBE) who as we know love the breeze. They will be facing such sharp competition as American Ravi Parent (Maxwell & Co for man and woman), 2022 F18 world champion, Belgians Patrick Demesmaeker and Olivier Gagliani (Les Perles de Saint-Barth – Bativrd), as well as Frenchmen Gurvan Bontemps and Benjamin Amiot (Pix Sail), Tim Mourniac and Pierre-Yves Jorand (Segeco), Emmanuel Boulogne and Mathieu Marfaing (PNF), and Pierre Le Clainche and Antoine Joubert (Wood Stekke), to name just a few.
November 4, 2022
If, in France, the world of offshore racing is all abuzz with the upcoming start of the legendary Route du Rhum, on the island of Saint Barthélemy, the members of the St Barth Multihulls Association, are also in full swing. And for good reason, as in less than two weeks the starting gun for the 14th edition of the St.Barth Cata-Cup will resound. Emilie Aubin, Vincent Jordil, Laurence Hourticq, Élodie Ghezzi, and the entire staff for the event, are ready to welcome the first containers filled with F18 catamarans, and put the finishing touches on the final details in order to perfectly host the 58 duos registered to race in the regatta this year. Several of these tandems feature family members who decided to race together, and enjoy the fabulous framework of the event, which has always sailed under the colors of conviviality!
16 octobre 2022
It’s just one more month until the starting gun for the 14th edition of the St. Barth Cata-Cup, and the organizers are busy getting ready to welcome the race teams in style. In Europe, the boats have already been loaded into containers that left from Hyères, Gravelines, and Le Havre to head toward the Caribbean. They are scheduled to arrive within the two weeks before the festivities begin in Gustavia. Perfect timing to allow the 55 duos registered as of today to get out on the waves before seriously attacking the races. And it already looks as if the battle will be glorious with a tasty mix of talented amateurs and seasoned professionals, including Argentinian title holders Cruz Gonzalez Smith and Mariano Heuser, who also placed third in the F18 World Championships last Sunday in Florida!
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