Les Voiles de Saint Barth / A Week of Rigorous Competition Ahead

The energy is high in the Port of Gustavia and its docks bustling as Les Voiles de St. Barth sailors put the finishing touches and updates on their respective race yachts in preparation for the first day of racing, which starts tomorrow, April 11. The regatta, which runs through Saturday, April 15, attracts international attention in the sport of sailing, bringing some of the top competitors and boats from far and wide to compete for four days of rigorous racing coupled with a week of fun onshore entertainment. Set on the beautiful and exclusive French West Indies island of St. Barth, the regatta celebrates its eighth edition this year with over 1000 sailors racing on 65 boats.

Crédit :  GRAMM Michael

Rambler 88 wins "Les Voiles de Saint Barth" overall, Juan K. :"Amazing that they matched Comanche's performance"

Juan Yacht Design's Rambler 88 wins the 6th edition of famous Caribbean regatta "Les Voiles de St. Barth", after a four-race series that took place from Tuesday 14th to Saturday 18th April. Rambler 88 raced in the Maxi 1 Class along the other event's largest and fastest boats, such as Comanche and Bella Mente, where some of the most technologically advanced racing yachts in the world offered great racing and exciting competition as expected during the whole week.

Credit : Ch.Jouanny

MOD70 / Phaedo3 finished Les Voiles de Saint Barth in spectacular form

Lloyd Thornburg’s U.S. entry in Multihull class, Phaedo3, spent its regatta leaving the seven other Multihull class entries in its wake and won again today for a fourth time over four races. 

Credit : Richard and Rachel / www.teamphaedo.com

Regatta / Peyron, Guillemot, Hutchinson, Read, A Galaxy Of Stars during Les Voiles de Saint Barth

Even though the race village for Les Voiles de St. Barth officially opens on Monday, April 13 at 6 p.m., a sense of excitement is already palpable on the dock in Gustavia. While they won't be racing until Tuesday morning starting at 11 a.m., the participating crews are hard at work getting every last detail ready aboard their boats. The same is true for the organizational team that has finalized the number of classes in which the boats will race this week: a total of 10 classes, each of which features stars of the French and international sailing scene. Here's a look at what to expect.

Image : Ch Jouany

ITW / Bella Mente tuns focus to Les Voiles de Saint Barth !

Bella Mente Racing turns focus to Les Voiles de St. Barth, the last event for the team before heading across the Atlantic to race in the UK and Europe.

Voiles de St Barth / Comanche vs Rambler 88, Read : “The general concepts of the two yachts are very similar"

When it comes to regatta headlines, nothing beats having Comanche and Rambler 88, the yachting world’s two newest and most sophisticated (a.k.a. mind blowing) racing machines, compete head-to-head for the first time ever.

Regatta / Les Voiles de Saint Barth, racing begins tomorrow Tuesday

It may well be near the end of the Caribbean sailing season, but the sailors on 70 boats registered for this fifth edition of Les Voiles de St. Barth are freshly fired up for friendly battles against some top competitors before they head north to the U.S. and across the 'pond' to the UK and Europe to chase an endless sailing season.

Regatta / Les voiles de Saint Barth : last chances (video)

No one said racing in paradise was easy, and on Saturday, the final race day at Les Voiles de St. Barth, crews were again tested with light and variable winds. Tacticians and navigators found it challenging – as did helmsman and trimmers who were looking for any advantage in the changeable conditions.

Les Voiles de St. Barth round the island race

A favorite staple of racing in St Barth’s is the round-the-island race, and today the Les Voiles de St. Barth competitors had their turn. The fleet was sent anti-clockwise on either a 23- or 17-nautical mile course, that included the island itself, as well as neighboring Ile Fourchue. A land-based spectator could easily follow the fleet around – as easily as they could navigate a car along the island’s windy and narrow roads. The volcanic French island offers some impressive views: the start from historic Fort Oscar, midway around at the beachside village of Lorient, and finally from the overlook near Colombier, several hundred feet above the passage to Ile Chevreau, with the fleet by then on a downwind leg, spinnakers and staysails flying.

Credit : Les Voiles De Saint Barth 

The popularity of Les Voiles de Saint-Barth confirmed

As we enter the New Year, the countdown has begun for all of those involved in organising the third Les Voiles de Saint-Barth, which is once again inviting yachtsmen, skippers and sailors from all sorts of backgrounds to come along between 2nd and 7th April for a week of enjoyable, friendly racing at one of the world’s finest sailing venues. Although the Voiles is only entering its third year of existence, the event set up by François Tolède, Luc Poupon and the Saint-Barth Yacht Club continues to show signs of healthy growth, offering all those, who enjoy fine racing, an increasingly competitive line-up and a well-judged programme bringing together racing and festivities back on dry land and out on the water.

Credit : Ch. Jouany / Les Voiles de St Barth