(Gustavia Harbor, St Barthelemy)- The IX edition of the Voiles de Saint
Barth is about to start this coming weekend. A fleet of forty-four
offshore racing thoroughbreds and a dozen cruising multihulls will be
plying the spectacular aquamarine waters around St Barths for a week of
fun in the sun and fabulous sailing. And, to be sure, the après’
sailing is simply outstanding and considered some of the best in the
Caribbean.
After
Hurricane Irma in September 2017, the island community and friends from
around the world answered the call for help and the island has been
completely cleaned up. Amazingly, most of the villas and hotels
survived in great shape because building codes on St Barth are by far
the strictest in all the Caribbean. It was primarily the north facing
beaches and waterfront villas that literally took a pounding, but were
repairable. As such, even the famous Nikki Beach Saint Barth
beach club re-opened over the Easter Holiday weekend- Praise the Lord!
Just in time for the throngs of sailors to enjoy their annual ritual, a
rite of passage for many, to enjoy their lay-day at Nikki Beach with
jeroboams of rose’ wine, enormous “boats” of mouth-watering sushi, and
fun & games in the water!International support has also come in the form of the regatta’s “Ambassadors”, famous personalities in Europe, the Caribbean, the Americas, or in yachting that are present both on the water and ashore to add even more cachet to the overall experience.
French
TV and Radio personality- Alessandra Sublet- has been named as the
French ambassador for the ninth edition of Les Voiles de Saint-Barth.
She says, “I take this opportunity to salute the courage of the
population and organizers who are what make this event and the island
come to life”, said Sublet who has parents that live on the island. “It
was natural for me to be in solidarity with the island and the regatta,
and I am very proud to be an ambassador to the event for its ninth
edition. I have always loved sailing and sailing in Saint-Barth is a
dream! The sight of these boats in this beautiful setting is an
unforgettable experience.”
The
LVSB Regatta also welcomes back legendary musician and sailor Jimmy
Buffett as the regatta’s official U.S. ambassador. “We all love our
special island and we’re moving on from the wrath that Irma brought, and
nothing signifies the recovery to me more than the return of Les Voiles
de Saint-Barth,” said Buffett who owns a villa on Saint-Barth and last
held this honorary position back in 2011. “All the boats and teams
return this year to support the rebuilding of our island and have a
little fun as well.” The American singer’s relationship with the island
spans many decades and some of his most legendary songs were inspired by
Saint-Barth. He is an active participant in the recovery of the island
post Hurricane Irma!
Les
Voiles has been a bucket list event for sailors since its inception in
2010, and for its ninth edition, scheduled from April 8th to 14th, the
sailors will be enjoying an extra (5th) day of racing! Regatta Director
François Tolède commented, “The extra day of racing will bring even more
competitiveness and fun to the regatta, which we know is exactly what
our participants are interested in! We look forward to the regatta kick
off on Sunday, April 8 and wrap up Saturday, April 14, with racing
scheduled for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Still,
the official “Day Off” is scheduled for Thursday and we hope to see you
at Nikki Beach to celebrate!”
Answering
the call to participate and support the event are also a half-dozen
J/sailors from around the world. Sailing in CSA 3 Spinnaker class will
be the J/122 LIQUID sailed by owner Pamala Baldwin with skipper Julian
White. They are fresh off recent battles “down island” at St Thomas,
Tortola, and nearby St Maarten. They will be up against two J/120s;
PAULISTA sailed by Sacha DAUNAR from France and JAGUAR skippered by Ben
Jelic from Saint Maarten.Then, in CSA 4 Spinnaker class will be two veterans of the Caribbean racing circuit; the J/109 LES VOILES AU FEMININ sailed by owner Sophie Olivaud from St Barthelemy and the J/105 WHISTLER skippered by her owner Peter Lewis from Barbados. For more Voiles de St Barth Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.
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