Day One – Les Voiles de St. Barth (Photo Credit: Christophe Jouany)
After 28 miles and approximately three hours cutting through Caribbean waters, Bella Mente Racing crossed the finish line off Gustavia to take second place in the first race of Les Voiles de St. Barth. Alexander Schaerer’s Caol Ila R holds the lead going into day two of the event.
“It was a great day of racing in St. Barths but the light southwesterly winds made for a challenging jungle course,” said owner/driver Hap Fauth who, like most of the sailors onboard Bella Mente, is marking this as his first time competing at the event. “Caol Ila R sailed an excellent race, but tomorrow we hope to steal the lead.”
Day One – Les Voiles de St. Barth (Photo Credit: Christophe Jouany)
The team of 22 is stacked with impressive professional sailors from around the world, including Strategist John Cutler, Alternate Helmsman Mike Sanderson and Tactician Terry Hutchinson who join Fauth in the afterguard.
Bella Mente Racing’s Tactician Terry Hutchinson Les Voiles de St. Barth (Photo Credit: Christophe Jouany)
“It [Les Voiles de St. Barth] has been quite spectacular,” said Hutchinson to event organizers today. “It’s quite a tricky course for navigators – we’ve spent a lot of time after our practice sessions out on the rubber boat measuring different areas and finding rocks. We sailed across a rock yesterday that was charted in 120 meters of water, and we saw it a boat length off and sailed around it. We went back out in a chase boat later and found out we would have run aground had we sailed across it. That makes you a bit apprehensive…but as you can see, the sights around are pretty spectacular and I’m quite thankful to be here.”
The seven boats that make up the Maxi division will see a similar coastal course tomorrow, before taking a mid-week lay day on St. Jean Bay, Thursday, April 17th. Racing will continue Friday, April 18th through Saturday, April 19th.
Stay tuned for updates on the team via Facebook and Twitter and nightly updates here. For event coverage, please visit http://www.lesvoilesdesaintbarth.com/site/ .
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