The St. Barth Cata Cup 2018 rapidly approaches, the organizers are busy getting ready to welcome the 60 teams expected for the event, including last year’s winners, Iordanis Paschalidis and Konstantinos Trigonis. This Greek duo, recently crowned Formula 18 World Champions in Sarasota, Florida, will try to defend their title and once again be victorious at the Cata Cup.
Yet, to do so, there could be some choppy waters, as the competition not only comprises other teams who finished in the Top 15 at the Worlds in Florida, but also some top-name competitors —champions aboard sports catamaran or in other sailboat classes— including: Australian Gavin Colby; Noé Delpech, world vice-champion 2018 in the 49er class; or Morgan Lagravière, winner of the Cata Cup in 2014, and who has been racing recently on the 60 ft. IMOCA circuit.
Competitors From The Four Corners Of The Globe
Coming from afar, Australian Gavin Colby, whose titles include Hobie 16 double world champion, F18 (2003) and Tornado (2016) world vice-champion, who will be sailing with Jayden Dalton. “Basically I am a pilot for Virgin here in Australia,” explains Colby.
“I took a huge break to sort out my flying career after living in Europe for five years, working for Hobie Cat Europe in Toulon. Now with my wife and kids, I would like to finish a few things that I never achieved on the F18. So I started racing again! We had to decide between the F18 Worlds in Sarasota and the Cata Cup, and chose St Barth. We almost made it there, three years ago, but we unexpectedly (but very happily) learnt my wife would be expecting Grace and would be eight months pregnant in St Barth. So we had to pull out.”
“Now, Grace is almost three so we are really looking forward to finally seeing St Barth, even if a long journey awaits me to get there from Perth by way of Melbourne, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Saint Martin! Also catching up with some old friends, like Patrick Demesmaker or Trois Pommes (Olivier Gagliani), and Emmanuel Boulogne,” says the Australian, who will also face other big champions such as Noé Delpech and Morgan Lagravière, who have decided to join forces for the first time in the F18 class.
Follow the St. Barth Cata Cup 2018 at www.stbarthcatacup.com