The Weather Gods blessed St. Barthélemy from April 5 – 9, taking care to offer more than 400 competitors from 20 nations and on 48 yachts a week of perfect Caribbean sailing during the Les Voiles de St. Barth. Dominating the conditions were trade wind breezes that ranged from 17 – 32 knots, a fairly gentle Atlantic swell, and blue skies. After four days of intense racing, separated by one day reserved for competitors and friends to discover this quaint little corner of France, the second edition of Les Voiles de St. Barth seems to have etched out a place in the growing list of “must do” Caribbean events.

Like for many new regattas, the best growth is slow and steady. The first edition of Les Voiles de St. Barth, in 2010, had 23 yachts, while this year the fleet grew to 48, and with positive reports coming back from competing sailors, that number can only grow. “What’s not to like?” was the commonly asked rhetorical question. After winters in both the U.S. and Europe produced record snowfall and cold temperatures, an April trip to St. Barth was a no-brainer for most. Continue reading →

As if to ensure that competitors had seen all the beaches and sights that St. Barth has to offer, race officers today sent the 48-boat Les Voiles de St. Barth fleet on its final circumnavigation counter-clockwise around the eight-square mile island: a 30-nautical mile course for the Maxis, and a 23-nautical mile course for the Racing, Racing Cruising, Classics, and Multihulls. This morning, rain clouds scudded over the island, which by the 1100 start time caused some impressive shifts in wind direction and velocity on the right side of the race course. Once around the southern end of the island, the boats were into a 17 knot east-southeasterly with a three-foot sea. While it qualified as the lightest wind speeds for the week, it still ranked as great sailing conditions. Continue reading →

We are proud to announce that MaxSea International will  sponsor the second edition of Les Voiles de Saint Barth also called the French West Indies Regatta, which is scheduled from the 4th to 9th April 2011.

MaxSea International will work with the race direction team by providing the complete navigation software MaxSea Time Zero and Mapmedia electronic charts that will allow real time monitoring of the fleet and up to date progress reports of the competition as it unfolds. Continue reading →