The ninth annual St Barth Cata Cup took place in November. Jeff Ledée, Vincent Jordil, and Thierry Lhinares launched this regatta in 2008 and it has developed into a premier event on the calendar for top Formula 18 catamaran racers. Based on the beach in St Jean with meals, parties, and the awards ceremony at Nikki Beach, the Cata Cup is a locally organized event that attracts international attention. With 52 boats—teams of two sailors—competing this year, the roster included over ten different nationalities, world champions, Olympic medalists, and residents of St Barth.
Top honors in 2016 went to young French sailors Pierre Le Clainche and Antoine Joubert, who sailed to victory, starting strong and remaining at the top of the rankings over four days of racing. “We are over the top happy. We had never been to St Barth before but we had heard about the event. It is perfect on all levels. We were far from imagining that it would be this beautiful. The conditions are just perfect,” said Moh’s Places.com helmsman Pierre Le Clainche.
Second place went to another French team, Gruvan Bontemps and Benjamin Amiot (Eden Rock), who also won Thursday’s around-the-island race, while Belgians Patrick Demesmaeker and Olivier Gagliani, last year’s winners of the Cata Cup, came in third (Les Perles de St Barth). The first mixed team winners were Sam Goodchild from the UK and Milena Schoenahl from France (GSL Import Export), while top honors for a local team went to brothers Turenne and Patrick Laplace, whose boat was sponsored by the restaurant O’Corail.
For additional information, visit: www.stbarthcatacup.com
