For Taty Frans the 2015 Saint Barth Fun Cup was a thrill. The freestyle champion from the island of Bonaire took first place, beating French competitors Antoine Questel (a St Barth native who won the Fun Cup in 2013 and 2014) and Cyril Moussilmani, who finished second and third respectively.
“This is the fourth time I have participated in the Saint Barth Fun Cup and I have finally won,” says Frans. “It is an incredible feeling and Antoine and Cyril are very serious competitors, but this time I was faster.”
The competition, which was scheduled to take place on the weekend of January 30-February 1, was curtailed due to lack of wind, leaving the racers stranded on the beach all of Friday and Saturday. It wasn’t until Sunday that the wind finally averaged 15 to 20 knots, giving the 90 competitors one day of good racing on the bay of St Jean, in this the fourth annual Saint Barth Fun Cup.
As of 6:30 on Sunday morning, the beach in St Jean was jumping as preparations got underway, the racers anxious to hit the waves. The conditions were almost ideal throughout the day, allowing for a total of four races plus a special race that did not count in the ratings for the pro riders.
A freestyle demonstration by Taty Frans and prodigies of the next generation, Amado Vrieswijk and Aron Etmon, treated the spectators to quite a show at the close of the event.
For more information, visit: www.saintbarthfuncup.com
Ellen Lampert-Gréaux lives in Saint Barthélemy where she is editor-in-chief of Harbour Magazine.
