Highland Breeze Yacht, Les Voiles de St. Barth 2011 © Kurt Arrigo Photography
Endless glistening seas, magical shores and clear blue skies: Welcome to Saint Barth! Gaastra International Sportswear is the official partner of the exclusive Caribbean sailing regatta Les Voiles de Saint-Barth for the third consecutive time, which will be held in 2013 from April 8 to 13. Sixty-five boats representing around fifteen nationalities will be competing at the fourth edition of the six– class (Maxi Racing/Maxi Racing Cruising, IRC 52, Spinnaker, Non-Spinnaker, Racing Multihull and Classic yachts) French West Indies Regatta at St. Barth’s sailing paradise with its extraordinary waters. For four years now, the Race Director, Luc Poupon has been laying out race courses for the Voiles de St-Barth based around the geography of the island for the various categories of boat and depending on the weather conditions that are possible out on the water. ‘The layout of Saint-Barth is a real asset for us, as the coastal landscapes of the island are all very different and the presence of fifteen or so little islands means we can organize a wide range of race courses with a lot of changes of direction, which require a lot of manoeuvres from the crews,’ explained Luc. 28 race courses ranging from 14 to 40 miles are being prepared beforehand, with the same starting line in the roadstead off Gustavia and the finish in the area around the Petits Saints. The final choice will depend on the weather conditions on the eve of the starts.
After Jimmy Buffet and Peter Harrison, it’s now the turn of Jim Swartz to have the “Godfather” role of the 2013 Competition. Swartz raced in all of the event’s previous three runnings and won the 2011 event with his IRC 52 Vesper – he will compete again this year with his 16-member crew that includes recognizable names from the America’s Cup and match racing arena. The IRC-challenge against the German Ker 51 Varuna of Jens Kellinghusen will be a must see for fans of high quality racing! Close to a dozen Swan yachts have registered as well for Les Voiles de St. Barth 2013, including the 110’ Varsovie, 57’ Alpha Centaury and the 45’ Satori with Dutch Prince Maurits of Orange-Nassau as trimmer on deck. Six Melges 24 boats, their speed record is known at 25 knots, will be vying for success off Saint Barth too. This year, the Spinnaker class will be very competitive with a strong 38-boat fleet competing. View all the Entries 2013 here at a glance! And for a chic start to the new season, step on board the official Gaastra online store: Spot fresh colours, special applications and high quality details from the fashionable Gaastra Les Voiles de Saint-Barth collection 2013 for women, men and children. Catch the trade winds in your sails!