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Not Much Wind But Lots Of Fun!
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!
“All things considered, we could have very well been playing pétanque today!” says Olivier Gagliani. In fact, with the morning weather forecast, it was far from certain that even one race was possible, but light winds from the East finally allowed the 53 competing teams to complete that one race. Setting out mid-morning, and propelled by 6 to 7 knots of wind, the boats were elbow-to-elbow on a course to the north of the island. With an excellent start to their credit, Pablo Völker and Federico Polimeni lived up to their ambitions. Ahead at the first mark with a comfortable lead, they later ceded a little of that advance to the competition, to the point of having a little scare on the very last tack before the finish line. “Patrick and Olivier came very close to us. We were able to stay in control until the end, but it came down to a nose! Almost a photo finish!” commented the Spanish skipper, who had almost forgotten what it was like to be under pressure, as he had really dominated the Worlds this summer on the Costa Brava. “It was really a great race, but it wasn’t easy. The wind was very light, and we had to really focus in order to take advantage of every ripple or tilt over,” added Pablo Völker, winner of the “Design Affairs-001” Prize.
Down To The Wire
Same point of view for the Spaniard’s principal rival. “The buzzword of the day was finesse, finesse, finesse! Concentration was super important to maintain speed. The slightest lack of attention and we quickly lost the flow of the boat. With “Trois Pommes,” that happened a few times but we managed not to get upset. At the finish line, we were right there, just a hair away!” points out Patrick Demesmaeker, with his usual good humor, and determined to challenge the new class leaders as much as possible this week. “Frankly, our nerves were really put to the test today. At the end of the day, it wasn’t a matter of centimeters, but only a few millimeters,” adds his teammate, clearly a bit rusty after a year not sailing on the F18. “We did well. After battling for a while with Charles Tomeo and Dalton Tebo (Avant Toi), who finally made a small mistake by pushing a little too hard into the Bay of Saint Jean, we managed to catch up with the leaders. We probably should have stayed more in line with them on the last spinnaker tack, so as not to be covered by them in order to win, but we're happy with our race all the same,” adds Olivier Gagliani, who was certainly not the only one smiling on his return to shore on Thursday.
A Lucky Finish
Australian Gavin Colby, a true legend on the F18 circuit, was also happy that they were able to complete one race, as well as get his bearings in West Indian waters. “We were lucky to finally be able to sail as the weather was being capricious, but we had a great race. We really had to keep our eyes open for every little ripple on the water and every little wave, as the slightest little mistake was costly, especially at the end, when the wind really started to drop. As a result, it turned out to be very interesting, as it often is in light wind. We're hoping that tomorrow, luck will be on our side once more, as conditions are predicted to be very erratic again,” concludes Gavin Colby. Indeed, it promises to be a tricky day, but as the race committee has proven, even when all the elements are not perfectly in sync, they are capable of working miracles!
Friday, November 22, Schedule :
- 9:30am - Race “EDEN ROCK VILLA RENTAL” Prize
- 7:30pm – Results of “EDEN ROCK VILLA RENTAL” Prize
- Dinner at Gypsea Beach restaurant
- 9:30pm – Free concert open to the public at Gypsea Beach with the band NIB
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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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