A windy final to close the 9th edition of Les Voiles de Saint Barth

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A windy final to close the 9th edition of Les Voiles de Saint Barth - Richard Mille
Seven great winners sailed to glory.

In Saturday’s final act for Les Voiles de Saint-Barth Richard Mille, the 25-27 knot winds with gusts in the low 30s and big seas, took their place on center stage to create a spectacular finish for the 9th edition. The Maxi and Multihull classes raced 28 miles, while CSA 1 and 2 covered 22 miles, and CSA 3 fought it out over a course of 18 miles. These robust conditions were helpful to some and complicated life for others, resulting in some major changes in the standings. Yet at the end, there were seven great winners that sailed to glory. 

An incredible duel took place between Proteus and Sorcha in the Maxi 1 class. The advantage went to George Sakellaris and his crew aboard Proteus, adding their name for the third consecutive time to the winner’s circle for Les Voiles. Adding to the thrill of victory, Proteus also won the Richard Mille Maxi Cup. Rambler 88 finished the day’s race in third, and cemented their second place overall. 

In the OMA class, all of the boats were possible contenders for the podium as they left for the starting line. They had to wait for the last moment and the final calculations for the winner to be decided. Flow edged out R-Six, and Nala captured third place. 

In OMA, Guyader had the top spot locked up, with Phaedo and Morticia battling it out to determine second and third overall. Thanks to the Gunboat 66’s first place finish in the race, they edged out the modified Sea Cart 30 to take home the silver. 

The same scenario played out for the CSA 3 class where it was up to Crédit Mutuel-PTO and Team Island Water World to see who would finish on the top step of the podium. Despite a wrong turn on the course and a broken halyard, Credit Mutuel-PTO led by Claude Granel and Marc Emig took the advantage at the finish line. The end standings tied the two boats at 14 apiece, but their final bullet gave them the needed edge. 

The tension was considerably less palpable in the CSA 2 and CSA 1 classes where Ventarron and Conviction, respectively, had already confirmed their victory before the last round, and each ended the day cementing their string of first-place finishes. 

Looking Ahead to 2019 

Not surprisingly, all of the crews present this year are already talking about returning for the 10th edition of Les Voiles de Saint Barth Richard Mille. The organizers announced they moved the regatta one week later, April 14-20 so it takes place during the Caribbean low season. This decision will help our sailors in two ways: more availability to housing and in the marina, and most important, this means low-season rates, which reduce by 30 percent or more. See you next year! 

Photo: Christophe Jouany

 

 

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