Press Release 2024 #1
In just one week, the starting signal for the 16th edition of the St. Barth Cata Cup will be given. As of now, no fewer than 54 teams are registered for the competition, including Pablo Völker and Federico Polimeni, the Spanish sailors who won gold at the Formula 18 World Championships last July. Participating together in the event for the very first time, they will face the top specialists of the class, most of whom are seasoned veterans of the event. In this context, will they manage to display the same dominance on the Caribbean waters from November 21 to 24 as they did on the Costa Brava last summer? That remains to be seen. Firstly, because the race format—characterized by long-distance courses—is quite unique; secondly, because the sailing area around Saint-Barthélemy is extremely technical and full of pitfalls; and finally, because there are many competitors aiming to succeed the Americans Ravi Parent and Nicholas Lovisa, starting with Parent and Lovisa themselves!
“This edition promises to be exceptional once again! Each year, there are even more top competitors than the previous one!” notes Gurvan Bontemps who, alongside Benjamin Amiot, continues to chase victory after five second-place finishes in 2016, 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023. “First place continues to elude us for now, but given the remarkable level of competition, we’re already very happy to finish on the podium each time,” adds the sailor from Côtes-d’Armor, whose consistency at this level is truly exceptional. “The St. Barth Cata Cup remains a unique event in our calendar. We take it very seriously—we’re clearly sailing with a knife between our teeth—but we also come to enjoy this unique break it offers each of us in an idyllic setting with a very festive atmosphere,” assures the helmsman, who hasn’t raced on this platform since the last edition a year ago but can rely on his knowledge of the event and the venue, which is full of traps and ripe for surprises, especially for those experiencing it for the first time.