More than 1,000 sailors and 80 boats converge on the Caribbean paradise isle of St Barth, along with some of the leading names in the boating world, to participate in an annual week-long regatta. Baroque Yachts finds out all the details
This year, the eighth edition of the annual Les Voiles de St Barth takes place from 10 to 15 April. This is the time when visitors flock to this jetset Caribbean island to enjoy not only the boat racing, but also take part in what makes St Barth such a stunning beach getaway, with plenty of activities and concerts held on the beach.
Each year, the regatta has become more popular, and it’s expected that 2017 will be even more packed than usual. Training day is on the 10th April, and the regatta itself, including all the accompanying activities, will be held between 11 and 15 April 2017.
Originally created in 2010 by old pals François Tolède, the regatta’s organizing director, and Luc Poupon, who is its race director, the race has grown from just 27 boats initially to 80 in 2017. That first regatta featured legendary photographer Patrick Demarchelier as its ambassador. Each year more and more sailing fans have been drawn to the event, which has a simple, but straightforward goal: “competition on the water and conviviality on the shore”.
Many famous boating enthusiasts have taken part, including Frenchmen Lionel Péan, Loic Peyron, Marc Guillemot, and Bertrand De Broc. From around the world, sailors such as Ken Read, Cam Lewis, Terry Hutchinson and more have also become part of this famous event. In fact, more than 1,200 sailors from more than 20 different countries now gather every year to enjoy four days of intense competition, with the breathtaking scenery of St Barth as the backdrop.
The primary sponsor for the regatta will once again be watchmaker Richard Mille, who will present the winner of the 2017 race with the RM 60-01 Regatta Flyback Chronograph. This masterpiece of horology is powered by the grade 5 titanium RMAC2 caliber that offers 55 hours of power reserve, a variable inertia balance as well as complete flyback chronograph functionality. There’salso an annual calendar and oversized date and UTC function. In addition, the timepiece features navigational capabilities because of its special rotating bezel, which features indications of the four cardinal points as well as a graduated 360-degree and a 24-hour scale disk.
For those who are planning to attend this prestigious regatta, we include the race schedule below.
Race Schedule for St Barth Regatta 2017
Saturday 8 April 08
5pm Opening of the race village
Sunday 9 April
1pm Registration opens
5pm Opening of the race village
Monday, 10 April
9am Registration opens
3.30pm Race village opens
4pm Registrations close
5pm Skippers’ briefing
Tuesday 11 April
11am Racing
5.30pm Daily prize-giving
Wednesday 12 April
10am Racing
5.30pm Daily prize-giving
Thursday 13 April
No events
Friday 14 April
10am Racing
5.30pm Daily prize-giving
Saturday 15 April
10am Racing
6pm Final prize-giving