Leopard of London Wins 2005 New Year's Eve Regatta
Zippy winds of 15 to 20 knots made for good racing conditions on Saturday, December 31, 2005, as a flotilla of 30 sailboats participated in the 11th annual St. Barth’s Regatta, an unofficial parade around the island open to boats of all sizes. From the two smallest (Soca and Baladin) at 29’ to Elenora, a 150’ traditional schooner that was the largest competitor, the fleet set sail under rainy skies with slightly rough seas. But the sun was shining for most of the day, and the overall winner, Leopard of London, a contemporary 97’ Reichel and Pugh sloop, clocked just 2 hours, 5 minutes, and 39 seconds for the fastest time of the day (the current record, set in 2004 by the 147’ Baltic yacht, Visione, stands at 1 hour, 32 minutes, 7 seconds).
One of the nice things about this just-for-fun event is the wide variety of boats that participate. In Class 3, for the 12 smallest boats, the winning entries, Soca (29’), Magic Carpet (a 30’ sloop), and Speedy Nemo (34’), allow local sailors to compete along side an international group of skippers and owners who spend the holiday season in St Barth. Other entries in Category 3 include Fritz Bus, a well-known figure in St Barth who sailed over from Sint Maarten on his 24’ Carib Melges (taking fourth place in this class) and Donald Tobias, owner of the wooden W-boats, with a new entry, the 46’ Equus (fifth place).
In Class 2, the winner was Carrera, a sleek Wally 77 luxury yacht that has dual draft settings, making it possible to have a 2.50 m (8’2") draft—ideal for entering shallow waters and getting close to the shore. She can also drop her draft down to 4.05 m (13’1") for stable performance sailing. With a time of 2 hours, fifteen minutes, 15 seconds, Carrera was just 10 minutes behind the overall winner, Leopard of London. Second place in Class 2 went to the 80’ Herreshoff wooden classic, Ticonderoga, a boat that spends all winter in Saint Barth. Skipper Tom Reardon was aboard along with David Ray, of Bannister’s Wharf fame, at the wheel for the race. Although its actual “time elapsed” was not the second fastest, Ticonderoga finished second in its class with the staggered times and handicaps taken into consideration. Third place in this class went to Blue Muse, a 70’ Hinckley.
Chris Sherlock, the Australian skipper of overall winner, Leopard of London, confirms that this was the first outing for this six-year-old yacht in the New Year’s Eve Regatta. “The sailing was fantastic,” he said, after the awards presentation on the dock following the race. “In my opinion, this is the best island to sail around. It’s so beautiful.” With staggered starts, Leopard of London was the last boat to leave the starting line at 11:45am. “It was a tough sail at times, as the wind kept shifting,” Sherlock notes. “But once we put the spi up, we started passing all the boats except a few, and made up for the time minute difference.” When Sherlock crossed the finish line at 1:51pm he had made the fastest tour around the island, adding Leopard of London, with its 141’-tall sloop rig, to the list of past winners, which includes the 147’ Mari-Cha III.
Organized by Mark Del Giudice, skipper of Trey Fitzgibbons’ 65’ sloop, Mischievous, in collaboration with the Port of Gustavia and the St Barth Yacht Club, the New Year’s Eve Regatta puts sailboats in the spotlight for the day, even though the docks and harbor are filled with some spectacular motor yachts, including Paul Allen’s Octopus, one of the world’s largest at over 400’, and Ronald Perelman’s Ultima III, a perennial visitor at the main dock (only yachts that fit the “Saint Barth Size” of 60’ or smaller can back up to the docks). A post-race champagne toast on the dock is the perfect start to the evening’s round of New Year’s Eve festivities, the high point of the winter season in Saint Barth.
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