SIMPSON BAY—The Gunboat 72 “Layla” and the Diam 24 “Anomaly” emerged as the big winners of the 7th Caribbean Multihull Challenge in their respective categories at the awards ceremony held in Sint Maarten Yacht Club (SMYC) on Sunday evening.
“Layla’s” crew lifted the trophy for the Most Worthy Performance of the regatta in the three main races; the race to Saba, the race to St. Barths and the around the island race. “Layla” went head-to-head with the HH66 multihull “Lee Overlay Partners III” which took second place overall.
The racing multihulls of which there were five entered were grouped into the CSA class while the other eight participating multihulls were grouped into the non-racing Rally division. Prizes were still awarded for the Rally, which also included a time trial.
This year the regatta was blessed with strong winds over the four days of racing, prompting at one point an advisory from the race committee to have at least one reef in the main sails.
For the ultra-fast Diam 24 trimarans, it was white knuckle rides from day one. Anomaly, the Diam owned by Jan Sotelo from Puerto Rico, almost had a clean sweep in all 12 races, dropping only to second in the second race and being handed a DSQ for a collision with “Buzz Race Team-The Mule” from the BVIs in race #4. “Buzz Race team” finished second and Pierre Altier’s “Cry Baby” third overall.
At the helm of “Anomaly” was super star French sailor Benoit Champanhac, with crew Jan Sotelo and tactician Jolyon Ferron. As Ferron noted afterwards Benoit does not speak a word of English, so communication was a challenge, and it was remarkable they did as well as they did.
“We had to figure it out real quick and rely on our instincts,” explained Ferron. “With Benoit it’s possible to start in front of him, but very hard to finish in front of him. He’s very consistent. There’s no holding up with him. He holds himself to another level and he’s been really cool to sail with. I hope I contributed the local knowledge.
“In the 12 races we only nailed five starts but we were always in the top three of every race. Benoit’s forte is that he sails up wind better than anyone else, also his preparation of the boat is meticulous. I think that’s what separates him from the others.”
According to Ferron, at least three French teams will be joining the Diam fleet for the Heineken Regatta.
The tireless efforts of volunteer Marketing Director Stephen Burzon and the steering committee ensured another successful CMC. Feedback will be assessed about the Jamboree on Thursday and whether that will become a permanent feature.
