Les Voiles de St. Barth Richard Mille
With five months to go, almost 30 entries ranging from Maxis to Melges 24 have committed to a fabulous week of racing in Saint Barthélemy for the 11th edition of Les Voiles de St. Barth Richard Mille, including Wendy Schmidt’s beautiful new Botin 85 Deep Blue, and Jim Swartz returns for his eighth time and potential fourth victory, sailing in 2022 with Vesper, an IRC JV design 72.
After a two-year forced hiatus from racing in the Caribbean, the International Maxi Association has even upped the ante for Maxis to return, having recently announced the creation of the Caribbean Maxi Challenge open to all Maxis over 60 feet. The Challenge includes four prestigious regattas, including Les Voiles de St. Barth Richard Mille, which will take place from April 17 – 23, 2022.
The IMA modeled the Caribbean Maxi Challenge after its successful offshore and inshore Mediterranean circuits, launched in 2016 and 2019 respectively. As the Caribbean is the second largest meeting place for Maxis in the world, it seemed logical to extend the championship there, especially as the boats making the crossing often stay for several months.
As proof, the regatta already boasts an impressive number of pre-registered entries, just five months before the event: nearly 30 sailboats, divided into the Maxi, Spinnakers, Racing Multihull and Melges 24 classes have already shown their enthusiasm to meet on the magnificent waters surrounding St Barthélemy, and organizers anticipate the 11th edition to be one of the most competitive yet.
For more information visit www.lesvoilesdestbarthrichardmille.
