PHOTOS Here’s why we all wish we had been to Les Voiles de Saint Barth

It was a real party at Les Voiles de Saint Barth Richard Mille, the great Caribbean sailing classic now in its 11th year that involves some of the world’s finest boats each year. Five days of racing (the fourth characterized by nice breeze, as perceived by the photo above and below), five days of spectacle. A party we all would have liked to attend!

All the winners of Les Voiles de Saint Barth Richard Mille

We said, the most beautiful boats in the world. Like George David’s Maxi Rambler 88 (tactician: Brad Butterworth) who tried unsuccessfully to better his record at the Richard Mille Record Trophy: 47 miles from St. Barth to St. Martin, which he covered in 3 hours, one minute and 58 seconds in 2018. This year it took 16 minutes longer).

Or like Hap Fauth’s Jv74 Beautiful Mind, Wendy Smith’s Botin 85 Deep Blue, or JV72 Vesper by Jim Swartz winner, indeed, among the Maxi. About 60 boats participated this year.

In CSA Class 1, he won the Botin 52 Caro, in CSA 2 the Melges 32 Lazy Dog, in CSA 3 lo Swan 601 Stark Raving Mad VII (with the excellent third place of Italian Luigi Sala’s Vismara 62 Yoru ), in CSA 4 the Summit 40 Blitz, in CSA 5 the Lombard 46 Pata Negra, in CSA 6 the JPK 10/30 Blue Skies. Among the Offshore multihulls, victory for the Gunboat 62 Mach Schnell, while the Racing multihull division was won by the TS5 Addictive Sailing. One Design Diam 24 trimarans saw Pierre Altier’s Crybaby triumph.

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In St. Barth was Maurizia Falone Percivale who, after telling us the behind-the-scenes story of the Antigua Superyacht Challenge, the secrets of Ranger, the J-Class that won a at the St. Barths Bucket Regatta, and the stars of the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta, takes us to meet stories and “worldly” protagonists of Les Voiles de Saint Barth. Here is his report.

Les Voiles de St. Barth, only for dreamers

Friday, April 22. Evening.

Reggae music weaves the thoughts of sailors in the spacious Regatta Village.

At this time tomorrow, fireworks will greet the 11th edition of Les Voiles de Saint Barth Richard Mille 2022. A gentle wind accompanied the days, and the manicured and relaxed environment produced a small masterpiece.

Where we are. On the island of Saint Barthélemy, French West Indies, 17°53’52” North/62°50’03” West.

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What we find at Les Voiles de Saint Barth Richard Mille

Imagine an aquamarine Sky and a sky-blue Sea suddenly turning deep blue. Onshore banana trees, coconut palms, amandiers (what little remains after the devastation of Hurricane Irma on Sept. 6, 2017). Add the sails of some 60 boats from 14 different nations, more than 800 sailors, 120 local volunteers, international music from morning at 8 a.m. until night. Year-round warming sunshine fluctuates between 24 and 30 degrees. The wind? Warm trade winds blowing steadily between 15 and 25 knots.

Who brought the party to St. Barth’s

If Someone created this Paradise, the organizers of Les Voiles de Saint Barth know how to preserve it and even improve it.

François Tolède and Luc Poupon, dreamed it up in 2009 and after a year, voila, here it is.

After 11 editions, the success of Les Voiles de Saint Barth Richard Mille is unequivocal.

They relate, “We built this regatta aware of the absence of a competition dedicated to boats of a certain quality, with a broad international scope. We were faced with two problems: the first was the size of the island (21 square kilometers) and the relative impossibility of accommodating a large number of boats; the second was to respect the particularity of the high-end clientele living on the island. We have therefore come to conceive of Les Voiles (a name that has allowed us to maintain an all-French connection with Saint Tropez) as an extremely technical regatta on the water and lovely on land“.

A replicable format: “The model is entirely replicable. Keeping in mind also what had been learned with the move into the winter season of Bucket Nantucket. Repeating the words of the late Alessandro Vitelli-who I had met here already during my first Bucket, in 2005: ‘If we want to be accepted something we have to leave to the community.'”

“Therefore,” concludes François Tolède-creative shore hospitality organizer-“at the end of the regatta each boat is given an enveloppe (an envelope) to be filled out, at their discretion.”

A project that works

That the French are masters in the fight against corruption can be seen in the results: donations have financed the Film Festival (scheduled for May 4-7), the Book Festival, and so on, in a crescendo that has transformed a “pebble in the sea” into one of the most coveted artistic and cultural centers in the West Indies. It is no coincidence that one of the nicknames is, indeed, Saint B’Art.

In a handkerchief of land, which Gustavia is, you can find a concentration of prestigious Art Galleries (without neglecting the splendid Hotellerie and catering throughout the island).

Five days of tough racing

But now we go down to the sea. Organizational reign of Luis Poupon.

Five days of racing. Tough, long – the last is between 24 and 36 miles around the island-among the wedges of islets that have long kept the many pirates alive, adept at turning them into safe hiding places for their dreaded sailing ships.

10 classes.

There are five U.S. boats in the Maxi category: Vesper (Jim Swartz’s JV72) is in the lead. He is tailed by Bella Mente (Hap Fauth’s JV74) followed by Rambler 88 (George David’s Juan K88). Finally, Deep Blue (Wendy Schmidt’s Botin 85) and Prospector.

Jim Swartz, a champion American football player, thanks to the (all-American) habit of universities to go out and seek out, pamper, and support the best high school minds and athletes, making them first fearful freshmen and then brilliant minds, attended Harvard in the fruitful years of the invention of the Internet. Thanks to old schoolmates, as in an old Viennese drawing room, he was able to create and maintain a network of thinkers and developers of the U.S. Economy that changed the way the World thinks.

He is excited on the night of the award ceremony. A five-time winner of this regatta with his Vesper, -which also came first in the class this year- (“furnished by my wife,” he proudly points out) reprises the James Bond saga. His previous boat (beloved, he shows me the belt with his name on it) was the famous Moneypenny. Now it is time to show Mr. Bond’s true love: Vesper (Lynd).

Undoubtedly Ian Fleming will be pleased.

The great work of the IMA

You may wonder… “but all these Maxi’s, there, how come?”

The secret weapon is called IMA, an acronym for International Maxi Association, the organization that has its operational headquarters at our Yacht Club Costa Smeralda and has defied Covid-19, ugly international tensions and so on with the first edition of the Caribbean Maxi Challenge 2022.

Benoit de Froidmont, IMA president for no less than four years, presided over the entire regatta, showing remarkable care and skill in handling this event as well.

They have four events on the islands: the RORC Caribbean 600 starting in Antigua, the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, Les Voiles de St. Barth Richard Mille, and finally the Antigua Sailing Week at which we will also be present.

CSA Class 3, we speak (also) Italian

What about in the other classes? This time I chose for you the owners of the CSA3 Class (perhaps because there were fine examples of shipyards made in Italy or led by Italians? The answer is … affirmative!).

We begin with the winner of the Class: Jim Madden on the Nautor Swan 601, Stark Raving Mad. A boat you see sliding past you as if it were toast coming out of the toaster. Crazy.

Like the name of the boat, borrowed from an exclamation (perhaps not quite of joy) of the wife at the news of the purchase of a new boat. It means, more or less, it drives me mad. “Myname is Madden, so Mad fits me well,” he says with a cheerful grin. “For me, participating in a regatta consists of a difficult and complex game of chess. I am forced to expand my mental faculties, I would say to become smarter each time. If you want to win (and he has collected many victories, as early as the 2007 Acura Key West where I first met him) you must be able to foresee difficulties, understand what actions are needed to overcome them, and put them into practice quickly. Always keeping the role of your crew at the forefront. You have to motivate them, make them a close-knit group determined to win“. In this regatta, too, the goal was largely achieved. They are always the first to return to the dock. Long before the others.

Then I introduce you to another shipowner, from London. He is Shahid Hamid. His Swan 58 smells new. And he exudes joy and satisfaction: “The boat is brand new. It is a design by German Frers. Row during regattas and the interiors are immaculately cared for, by Ferragamo. So I was able to please my 3 children with whom we enjoy competitions and my wife who appreciates its elegance and comfort“. Mr. Hamid is a teacher, a master. And he named his white steed
OM II
, an acronym of a work by our famous pedagogist Maria Montessori. She confides to me that she has just sold her 400 schools based on the Montessori educational method spread all over the world. “Now I just want to sail,” he concludes happily. Well!

With his second place ranking, I would definitely say he deserves it.

But we are not finished.

We meet Luigi Sala, co-owner of Yoru, a Vismara 62 with which he and his partner and co-owner crossed the Atlantic Ocean on the ARC. If you have relationship restlessness…copy them. Happy, joyful, satisfied boat and crew.

Finally, Milan Markovic on his CNB 60, Nina. He finished fourth.

Thick white boat, relaxed, works on board dealing with finance. “Boating teaches me to go with the flow, to avoid unnecessary problems, to follow the general mood peacefully. I started to love the boat when I started to fall in love. I would say, simultaneously. The boat is woman and I love women. I chose the CNB shipyard because it is based in Bordeaux. So I can also drink good wine and taste delicious cheese“. Well! Undoubtedly he knows what he wants.

Gallery – Cristophe Jouany’s photos at Les Voiles de Saint Barth

Good. For now I would say let’s end here with Les Voiles de Saint Barth. Also sending greetings from the newly elected President of the Collectivité territoriale de Saint-Barthélemy, 42-year-old Xavier Lédée. He cordially received me in his new office and told me that this event is much loved as it is an annual event-which includes a week of highly qualified regattas attended by top competitors-and allows for excellent visibility for the island particularly after the two tiring years of restrictions from Covid 19 and the current international situation: “We want to maintain the high standard of this event and will be happy to support it in future editions as well,” he concludes in a strong and determined tone.

Meanwhile, the music continues to lull us. All clear? Are you preparing sails and hulls? Next winter will come soon. Here at Saint Barthélemy’s, that’s it.

But we will see you again in Antigua in the coming days for the famous Sailing Week. Don’t miss the finale!!!

Maurizia Falone Percivale

Gallery – Maurizia Falone Percivale’s photos at Les Voiles de Saint Barth

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