The 7th edition of the St-Barth Cata Cup has their new champions. Morgan Lagraviere and Arnaud Jarlegan won this edition with a near-perfect regatta. There were only two points between the mand the previous winners Franck Cammas/Matthieu Vandame. Billy Besson and Marie Riou have been in the top 5 all week and ended in 3rdplace overal.
A lot of sailors expected a battle between Besson and Cammas, but that didn’t happen.
Lagraviere/Jarlegan had consistent results during the whole regatta. Morgan smiles while he explains: “Tensions were high until the last race. It’s so much fun to win an event when you need to battle until the very end. Arnaud and I had a lot of fun since we are buddies before being teammates. So we’re not only a solid team, but both also really enjoy what we’re doing together… catsailing. But Franck and Matthieu did a really good job, it was really close. The last time I raced against Franck in a raid, I had the chance to beat him. So it’s somekind of a revenge.”
Wind and waves
As expected, the weather conditions were pretty rough for the sailors. The first race on Sunday was cancelled during the downwind course. About 30 knots of wind downwind was too much. A wise decision from the Race Committee to cancel the first to ensure maximum security for the participants. However, the variable sea conditions lead to interesting strategic choices from the racers, especially amongst the leaders.
St Barth Cata Cup: a development tool for the F18 class
James Baeckler, president of the French F18 class, is delighted with the 7th edition and the way the event showcases F18. “It’s a wonderful event and the one which generates a lot of media coverage. The level is very interesting, the magic of Formula 18 sailing is that we can organize events with amateurs and champions all together. That’s really great!”
Overall results:
1. Morgan LAGRAVIERE/Arnaud JARLEGAN (6 point)
2. Franck CAMMAS/Matthieu VANDAME (8 points)
3. Billy BESSON/Marie RIOU (21 points)
4. John CASEY/Colin PAGE (31 points)
5. Emmanuel BOULOGNE/Vincent BOULOGNE (35 points)
6. Erik MARIS/Jean-Christophe MOURNIAC (36 points)
7. Patrick DEMESMAEKER/Olivier GAGLIANI (37 points)
8. James BAECKLER/Benjamin AMIOT (38 points)
9. Frederic DUTHIL/Frederic MOREAU (40 points)
10. Anthony BOUEILH/Maxime LOISELLE (47 points)
DAY 3- St Barth Cata Cup 2014-DAY 1 from St Barth Cata Cup on Vimeo.
Full results can be found here. Follow the St. Barth Cata Cup 2014 on the website or Facebook eventpage.
Photo credits: Pascal Alemany