St Barth Cata Cup - New winners on the Island

by Dominique Ladouceur on 25 Nov 2014 Everyone was expecting a battle between Besson and Cammas. In the end, Morgan Lagravière took the Champion’s title of the seventh edition of the St-Barth Cata Cup with a near-perfect journey. The Marché U day ended with a friendly race to Public.

Consistency paid off for the one who will be leading the Safran sailing team at the next Vendée Globe. The Champion of France of the Course au Large en Solitaire 2012 really enjoyed himself on board his F18 with partner and friend Arnaud Jarlegan. 'It was tight up until the last race and it’s even more fun to win an event when you need to battle until the very end. Once again, Arnaud and I had a lot of fun since we are buddies before being teammates. When you enjoy yourself while doing something you love, it’s double the fun,' explained Morgan.

By winning, the Lagravière-Jarlegan duo took the title from Cammas and Vandame, champions of the last edition. 'It was very close, and the closest it is, the happier we are in the end. The last time I raced against Franck in a raid, I had the chance to beat him so it’s somewhat of a revenge,' said the one who spent most of the year working on his monohull.

The final standing of the 2014 edition of the St-Barth Cata Cup

1- FRA 124 (Architectonik) Morgan Lagravière and Arnaud Jarlegan
2- AUS (ODP1) Franck Cammas and Matthieu Vandame
3- 17 (Nikki Beach) Billy Besson and Marie Riou
4- USA 80 (St Barth Properties) John Casey and Colin Page
5- FRA 901 (Diamond Genesis) Emmanuel Boulogne and Vincent Boulogne

As expected, the weather conditions were rather rough for the racers. The b winds caused some delays and even race cancellations to ensure maximum security for the participants. However, the variable sea conditions lead to interesting strategic choices from the racers, especially amongst the leaders.

James Baeckler, President of the F18 class is delighted with the seventh edition and the way the event showcases F18. 'It’s a wonderful event and the one which generates the most media coverage. The racing level is interesting but the magic of F18 is that we can organize events with amateurs and champions alike, and that is Event website