2025 Caribbean Multihull Challenge in St. Maarten Day 4
by Caribbean Multihull Challenge 4 Feb 14:24 GMT
January 29 - February 2, 2025
Sunday was the fourth and last day of the challenge for all divisions. Time for sailors to cross the finish lines in their category and register the last bullets on the scoreboard. Weather conditions were perfect to ensure there was still room for surprises: a great mix of showers, stormy gusts and some calms, too.
Everyone was therefore given a chance to demonstrate adaptability, perseverance and resilience. At around 1PM Simpson Bay was filled with colorful sails like rush hour on a turnpike! CSA racers, Diam racers and rally participants ended up together in front of the bridge by the Sint Maarten Yacht Club, looking forward to attending the prize-giving ceremony at 6PM.
Rally Division: License to chill
Saturday has proven to be a real challenge to most boats leaving Anse Marcel where they had moored for the night. Rounding the northeast corner, they would quickly face a 10-foot swell. Sailing upwind toward St Barth in heavy seas was probably not everyone's cup of tea but was the price to pay to enjoy another memorable beach party over there. The pictures are explicit!
Today's sailing was definitely smoother, as the fleet headed back to St Maarten on a long downwind session. Some spinnakers were seen flying, some others jammed! The Time Trial™ system put in place also triggered or revealed some racy instincts among participants who apparently decided to ignore the speed limit!
After four days away and around on the most magnificent Caribbean beaches, they're now back, safe and sound, ready to chill out, celebrate and tell their stories to the jealous racers!
CSA Race: Expert hands on the helm
From Day 1 there has been a lot of gossip about the only participating multihull with a flybridge! Racers would discuss whether it was a good idea to have a "terrace over the saloon" and appeared sceptical about its impact on performance. Yet they all stopped when they realized this boat could actually sail very fast and finish on the podium. Clearly, Gunboat 72 LAYLA is a head-turning catamaran, and sailing her is a privilege.
Owners Andrew and Anne were today happy to share these unique moments with hand-picked guests, who had the chance to meet with the boat's helmsman; celebrity Brian Thompson with two fingers on the carbon wheel, distributing trimming orders to his crew on his microphone. Give a Ferrari to a Formula 1 pilot, and check what happens: on the 38NM of today's course, LAYLA reached a top speed of 24.2 knots, with an average speed of 11.5 knots. Not bad for a two-story floating house!
In the wake of HH66 LEE OVERLAY PARTNERS all day long, they ended up with top honors on Sundays scoreboard. A great excuse to pop Champagne bottles up from the rooftop!
Diam24: Let the Sails Talk
Sport Multihulls usually get salty water on deck, and the crew get some on their gear, too. What is unusual is to get water IN your boat! That's sadly what happened Sunday morning to Diam24 KARIBUNI, whose crew alerted the Race Committee over the VHF. Towed by the Safety Dinghy toward Kim Sha Beach, bailing water out the central hull; they still do not figure where the leak came from but consequently, they could not participate in any more racing today.
Other competitors intensively fought through three races in front of Simpson Bay, going back and forth, upwind then downwind, until the Race Committee eventually reversed the last course to make sure they would not bump into the CSA Racers coming full speed to the nearby finish line. Serial Winner ANOMALY ticked all boxes today, making it impossible for its pursuers to aim a victory.