The St-Barth Cata Cup organisation has validated up to thirty racing formats for 2016 edition. Besides the inevitable Round the Island, the Race Committee will only reveal the other race formats at the pre-race briefing each day. More than 50 crews will be on the starting line of the F18 international regatta which starts this Thursday, November 17 in St-Jean Bay.
Didier Flamme, President of the Race Committee for the St Barth Cata Cup. « There is a smal change in the preparation of the competition this year. We have predetermined a number of racing formats but we will maintain the raids and long distance formats because the St-Barth is the perfect location for it. The uniqueness of St-Barth are all of the small islands around and we can do realy cool things in terms of sailing. I was looking through the list of 52 registered boats and the level seems very homogenous so I am confident we will have a great regatta. »
Some racers had the chance to enjoy some early sailing in perfect conditions at the beginning of the week. One of them was Mitch Booth, double olympic medallist in Tornado, who is racing in the landmark event for the first time: « I have been here 7 times for the Bucket Race on the super yachts and I always wish that I could sail a small boat in this beautiful water so now I get the chance for the first time », said Booth. « I am here to have fun, to have fun and to have fun and enjoy the sailing conditions and it looks like it will be a great fleet. » Mitch Booth had the choice to go to World Championships or attend the St-Barth Cata Cup and opted for St-Barth. « I have done so many World Championships in my life and this time it was about enjoying the beach cat environment. This is a unique event that I have never done before so it was an easy choice. »
The organisation has the pleasure to welcome three new boat partners this year. The Eden Rock St-Barth Hotel and Eden Rock Villa Rental, whose magistic location allows a breathtaking view on the turquoise waters of St-Jean Bay, become the boat partners of Argentinians Juan Faustin / Nicolas Aragones and French sailors Gurvan Bontemps / Benjamin Amiot. The Eden Rock has always had a strong connection with the nautical world and some of the hotel’s clients come especially for the St Barth Cata Cup. « This year we have the opportunity to be involved in sailing sports on the island and this partnership with the St Barth Cata Cup seemed like the obvious choice», explained Charlotte Danaud, Communication Manager.
The Chef’s Market, a local business that supplies restaurants in fresh produce, will see it’s logo on the sail of World Championship silver medal winners Cruz Smith Gonzales and Mariano Heuser while Marla Villas, a real estate agency specialized in the rental of villas in St-Barth, will be partner to Canadians Olivier Pilon and Jean-Pierre Desrochers.
This year, fans will be able to follow all of the races in the ninth edition in 2D on the Web and digitally via GeoRacing. Developed by Trimaran, GeoRacing is a unique GPS tracking solution for watching outdoor sporting events. Each boat will be identified by name and country, all you have to do is click on the icon to see the position, speed and ranking. For those who have missed the live, you can also go back to see the races This technology is being used by many other nautical sports events, including the Tour de France à la Voile, GC32 Racing Tour, the Transat AG2R La Mondiale and now, the St Barth Cata Cup! To follow us, visit us at www.stbarthcatacup.com
