Please select your home edition
Edition
A+T Instruments BFD 2024 Leaderboard

St. Barth Cata-Cup - The favorites on top

by Saint-Barh Cata-Cup on 18 Nov 2017
10th annual St. Barth Cata-Cup 2017 Pierrick Contin http://www.pierrickcontin.fr/
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 eight to twelve 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 Trigkonis (Relwen), Pierre Le Clainche – Antoine Joubert (designaffairs – 001), and Franck Cammas – Matthieu Vandame (ODP 1).



On day one, the competitors of the St. Barth Cata-Cup were ready for the first race as planned at 2:30pm, setting off for a 20-mile sail around the island of St Barthélemy. Positioned next to the committee boat and with perfect timing, Pierre Le Clainche and Antoine Joubert (designaffairs - 001) took an early lead in the fleet. Impeccably negotiating all of the traps on the course, and especially the tricky passage around Grenadin, they led the race for quite a while, until they were overtaken in the final 100 meters by the Greek duo, Iordanis Paschalidis and Konstantinos Trigkonis (Relwen). “It’s frustrating to have been ahead for 99% of the race, and to be passed at the very end,” noted the helmsman from Vanne once back on shore. “Leading at the point of St Jean, we found ourselves between the Greeks on one side, who took advantage of a little more wind further off the coast, and on the other side the Cammas- Vandame duo who were gaining speed, but we managed to control that attack. But for the Greeks, we should have been a little more aggressive and placed ourselves between them and the finish line. We did not do enough to protect our lead, but that’s easier to say with a little hindsight,” added his teammate, a little disappointed but aware that they have already established themselves as one of the teams to beat this week. “Pierre and Antoine really sailed well and we really worked hard to stay on their heels. Finally, we closed the gap in the last lengths, with pure speed. It was a great race and the conditions were great in the end. At the start, we were a little afraid of confronting large dead zones, yet the wind remains constant throughout,” commented Iordanis Paschalidis, who won the Prix designaffairs – 001 and confirmed his presence among the serious pretenders for the title.



Some favorites luckier than others

“We are not celebrating yet as we know the competition will be tough right up to the end, especially with all-around sailors as experienced as Franck Cammas and Matthieu Vandame, for example,” adds the Greek competitor. The winners of the 2013 edition of St. Barth Cata Cup also showed their stuff on the first afternoon, in spite of a slight lack of speed. “I think we sailed well, and were in good spots at the right time but when we were side by side with other boats we noticed we were not among the fastest. We got a good start but ran into some issues but at the end of the day we finished okay, in third place, especially as like some of the other boats, at the start we went after a buoy that wasn’t part of the race, and made our route a little longer,” explains the helmsman of ODP 1, who was lucky to only go a little out of his way, while others went a little father, such Emmanuel Boulogne and Tanguy Kervyn. In the confusion, the tandem sailing for St Barth Assurances, winners of the very first edition of the St. Barth Cata-Cup in 2008, actually lost their spinnaker, as it exploded before the race.

“This kind of accident is infuriating, especially when it happens ten minutes before the start. It’s hard to start the regatta with a forfeit. It will be complicated for us to catch up,” admits Emmanuel, who quickly replaced his sail to be ready to be on the starting line for the next race, today 9:30am.



Quotes:

Markku Harmala, helmsman for SBYC: “We are very happy to have finished among the first 15 boats, We come to race without any ambition to win, but it’s great to sail against the best racers for on the international F18 circuit, and we had great results as we usually finish in the middle of the roster. We hope that we continue to do as well! While waiting, this is great for our moral, especially after the passage of hurricane Irma on our island. We have been working so hard since the month of September to get the island back on its feet, and this race is a great source of oxygen for us. Is it an advantage to be a local team? Without a doubt but not today as the wind was mostly from the south, an orientation pretty rare, in Saint-Barth.”

Fredrik Karlsson, helmsman for Paraboot: “What a day! It was really fun and very interesting. We stated between Demesmaeker and Paschalidis, and evidently were quickly overtaken. After that we made several errors but at the end of the course, between Pain de Sucre and Colombier, we succeeded in passing 10 boats in order to finish in 16 th place, so that’s why we are smiling this evening. And I would like to say something, for us, the two best regattas in the world are the Stockholm Archipelago Raid, in our country of Sweden, and the St. Barth Cata-Cup. Everyone should know that!”

Charles Tomeo, helmsman for Marla: “Today, we had a great time out on the water. The start was very interesting. Many of the boats made a mistake and went toward a marker that they didn’t have to take into account. But not us. We made two good tacks to get to the first buoy, and that kept us in the race. Then, Dalton (Tebo) worked really hard, especially in the light, unstable wind on the leeward side of the island. In the end, we finished fifth. This was a great result and that give us confidence for the rest of the race.”

Olivia Beguelly, a partner at designaffairs – 001: “Design Affairs has been a partner of the St. Barth Cata-Cup since 2009. Johannes Zingerle, president of the firm, is a fanatic of sailing, and is happy to support an event such as this one. This is even more the case this year, as it is a special anniversary for the regatta, and also because in the context of after Irma, things are a little different. But this gives us the chance to share some good times together, including with the various partners, even if during this time of recovery we are extremely busy.

Rooster 2025Palm Beach Motor YachtsZhik 2024 December

Related Articles

WASZP Games 2025 Day 1
247 sailors across four fleets racing in Portland Harbour and Weymouth Bay "This race is live" — and with that, the 2025 WASZP Games were officially under way. With 247 sailors across four fleets, Portland Harbour and Weymouth Bay were transformed into a theatre of foiling.
Posted today at 4:56 am
Heartbreaker leads sunrise finishers
In 2025 Race to Mackinac In the early morning hours, the sleek fleet of Great Lakes 52s sailed under the Mackinac Bridge and past the iconic Round Island Lighthouse to finish at Mackinac Island, completing their 333-mile journey in the 116th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac.
Posted on 21 Jul
Eye on the Prize
The Contenders Chasing Admiral's Cup History For over half a century, the Admiral's Cup was considered the world championship of offshore racing. And then, in 2003, it was gone. Now, after a 22-year absence, the Cup is back.
Posted on 21 Jul
Paul Antrobus obituary
One of the outstanding figures of the era of great amateur sailors Sailors around the world will be sad to hear that British offshore sailing legend Paul Antrobus has crossed the bar. One of the "greats" of the IOR era of offshore racing, Paul had a distinguished career both afloat and ashore.
Posted on 21 Jul
Antigua launches high-energy racing spin-off
The Antigua Racing Cup is an event for racing purists The Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation and Investment is pleased to announce that a new vision for yachting in Antigua and Barbuda is beginning to take shape, building on the long-established brand of Antigua Sailing Week.
Posted on 21 Jul
Record MOCRA turn-out for the Rolex Fastnet Race
This year there are 20 multihulls racing for the Crystal Trophy While the four Ultims maxi-trimarans and nine Ocean Fiftys have their own classes in this Saturday's centenary Rolex Fastnet Race, the remaining multihulls convene in the MOCRA class.
Posted on 21 Jul
How to follow the Admiral's Cup inshore racing
Scheduled to start on Tuesday, concluding on Thursday The Admiral's Cup Inshore Racing is scheduled to start on Tuesday 22 July with three days of racing concluding on Thursday 24 July.
Posted on 21 Jul
Dutch deliver comeback thriller at Picasso Cup
In true M32 style, it all went down to the wire After a season away from the circuit, Team Leeloo stormed back onto the M32 scene with a stunning last-gasp victory at the Picasso Cup in Kristinehamn.
Posted on 21 Jul
2025 Albacore Ontario Championship
Held at the Buffalo Canoe Club on the north side of Lake Erie The Buffalo Canoe Club is a gem of a yacht club, sitting on the north side of Lake Erie where the sand is soft and clean, the water is warm, and the vibe is sunshine even if the sun isn't out.
Posted on 21 Jul
Rooster - Our Story, Our Passion, Our Purpose
Not here for trends; here to make kit that works, lasts, and performs At Rooster, everything we do starts on the water. We believe in doing things properly. We're a small team of passionate sailors and watersports enthusiasts who design, test, and wear the kit ourselves.
Posted on 21 Jul