(Gustavia Harbor, St Barths)- The tenth edition of the Voiles de Saint Barth started on Monday this past week. A fleet of fifty-five offshore racing thoroughbreds has enjoyed the spectacular aquamarine waters around St Barths for the past three days. Thursday is the infamous “Nikki Beach Club” day-off, where teams party and play, eat lots of “sushi boats” and consume copious quantities of the famous “pink rose’” wine from jeroboam bottles. Racing continues on Friday and Saturday.
The third day of racing at Les Voiles de St. Barth sent the fleets on the Round the Island race in which local knowledge paid off with few surprises in the results.
The race veterans knew how to successfully navigate the challenges and opportunities on the 24–32 nautical mile courses around St. Barth’s rocky cliffs and surrounding volcanic rock landmarks. The 12 to 15 knots and northeast direction also provided 30-degree wind shifts to further challenge the nine classes.
“Sailing in St. Barth’s is never easy,” said Luc Poupon, Race Organizer. “There is much to navigate around with the rocks and it’s not as simple as it seems to negotiate. Clearly, knowing the nuances of sailing around St. Barth helps, and today is a perfect example, especially, as competitors had to deal with the large wind shifts.”
After posting a 2-1-1, Pamala Baldwin’s J/122 LIQUID from Antigua holds a strong lead in CSA 4 Racing class. Meanwhile, Chris Body’s United Kingdom team has posted a 3-5-3 and is now sitting in 4th place and is within striking distance of a podium finish for both J/122s! For more Les Voiles de Saint Barth sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.
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