Regattas Can’t Only Be About Racing

As if the racing at Les Voiles de St. Barth wasn’t good enough, Scuttlebutt correspondent Jonathan Russo reports that not racing on the Caribbean island of Saint Barthélemy is pretty good too…

(April 14, 2016) – It was the lay day at Les Voiles de St. Barth, and if you were anybody at all you were on Nikki beach for lunch, and if you survived that…possibly dinner too.

What goes on at Nikki beach? You will engage in and witness some of the most riotous behavior since pirates roamed these beaches, or before that, the Romans showed the world how to misbehave.

The boat owners buy large tables for their crews on the beach and under interior tents. The table quickly grow with platters (shaped like ships) of sushi, BBQ chicken, sliders, and a few other comfort food type choices. Jeroboams of rose’ wine cushioned in giant ice buckets are the condiments that accompany the meal.

It is staffed only for the pour, as dining civilians are not encouraged to lift these huge bottles… you could get hurt. The staff is, I am sure, under strict instructions to make sure no glass is ever…half empty.

While the music gets louder and the bass beat more profound, the water games begin. In an accurate nod to the previously mentioned decadent Romans, a gladiatorial inspired game of throw the other team off their surfboard platform takes place a few yards from shore.

Minimally-clad competitors, and there is a side contest for the skimpiest, are armed with paddles to do whatever possible to tip the opponents off the board and cascade them into the water. The mellifluous French-accented amplified blow-by-blow commentary added to the chaos.

The air is electric, all is forgiven, bonhomie amongst rivals is restored and for a moment the evils of the world disappear as the horizon is filled with wine, food, music, fun and luscious bronzed bodies.

I am sure all the sailors think they deserve nothing less…. I know I do.