ST. BARTHS-- Sixty teams have already confirmed they will compete in the ninth edition of the St. Barth Cata Cup November 16 to 20.
Belgians Patrick Demesmaecker and Olivier Gagliani were the victors in last year. Organizers expect another hotly contested regatta in St. Jean Bay this year. The participation of the legendary Mitch Booth will definitely ramp up the excitement on the water! Booth has an impressive track record. He has sailed on just about every type of craft and won dozens of world and national championships and two Olympic medals on Tornado in 1992 and 1996. In 40 years of sailing, Booth has never had the opportunity to compete in the St Barth Cata Cup even though he is very familiar with the F18.
“Each time I have raced in St Barth it’s been on big boats and I often think how nice it would be to race on a sports Cat. Now I get the chance and really looking forward to some action racing. I know conditions can be hard sometimes and the challenge to race against some of the best Cat sailors in the World will be fun. I have not been on trapeze since last July when I raced with my son Ruben at the Hobie Wild Cat Worlds in Garda, Italy which we won,” said Booth.
As a triple world champion, Booth is no stranger to the F18. For this edition, he will be joined by Andy Dinsdale, a regular on the waters around St Barth.
“We’re pleasantly surprised to see that after nine years there is still so much enthusiasm for the event. The registration opens six months before the race, and spots are still highly coveted. We owe the success of the St Barth Cata Cup to all the volunteers and partners who put their trust in us, support us and help us make the regatta better than ever,” explains Jeff Lédée, one of the event’s founders.
