Plain Sailing: Les Voiles de Saint-Barth Richard Mille

Most picture-book islands are known for their historical ruins. Remains of centuries-old stone cottages have been found on the Isles of Scilly; on Gramvoussa, a weathered sandstone structure is all that remains of a 16th- century church last used by pirates who chose the Cretan islet as a secret base. On the volcanic island of Saint Barthélemy in the French West Indies, the ruins are rather more unconventional: they come in the shape of a deserted Rockefeller compound.

David Rockefeller and his wife Peggy first spotted the clifftop plot of land in the island’s northwest from a sailing boat; shortly after, in the late 1950s, the billionaire banker and third-generation member of the influential American Rockefeller clan purchased it. Commissioning local builders, the Rockefellers erected a modernist villa and a tepee-shaped guesthouse designed by architect Nelson W Aldrich and furnished with Arne Jacobsen chairs, French rugs, and artworks by Alexander Calder. Floor-to-ceiling windows framed expansive views of the Caribbean Sea bordered by the secluded, white-sand Colombier beach below. The mansion was first sold in 1983; uninhabited ever since, the estate is slowly returning to nature, with cotton plants, cacti and tamarind trees growing freely. The year of the sale, American magazine Architectural Digest likened the site’s dramatic structure of sweeping roofs and stone arches to a boat catching wind at high sea: “With the sensitivity of a sailor, the architect oriented the house towards the prevailing winds,” it said.

First discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493, Saint Barthélemy – better known as St Barts or St Barths – lies 240km to the west of Puerto Rico, measures just 25km2, and has a population of fewer than 10,000 people. The sequestered island can only be reached by very few, most of whom arrive via a small chartered plane, though there are also small ferries that cross the 30km of Caribbean Sea from nearby island Saint Martin. Permission to land on St Barths is only given to pilots following special training, as the complex manoeuvre requires propeller aircraft to stop mid-air before dropping onto a small airstrip stopped short by the open sea.

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Photography: Renaud Corlouer, les voiles de saint-barth

Often referred to as the St Tropezof the Caribbean – in 2007, St Barths became an Overseas Collectivity of France, and its language, culture and cuisine are French – this Elysian island has been a favourite destination of jet-setting holidaymakers since the 1950s. Greta Garbo, Howard Hughes and Aristotle Onassis all holidayed here, and Rudolf Nureyev owned a petite wooden bungalow on St Barths’ northwestern coast. Built on a cliff edge, the building features an extended teak deck that was once used by the dance impresario to practise his ballet positions with panoramic views of the topaz blue ocean below.

In April this year, the sparkling Caribbean Sea was criss-crossed by 63 international racing yachts manned by 1,200 sailors contending in the 10th edition of the annual Les Voiles de Saint-Barth Richard Mille. Comprising five days of competitive sailing, the regatta was first launched in 2010 by French sailors François Tolède and Luc Poupon, with 28 boats in that maiden contest. “It was quite difficult in the beginning,” says Tolède, who organises the 26-course race for seven to eight months each year, working with a small team of four which grows to 120 come April. “We never thought it would become so big in 10 years.”

To date, Les Voiles de Saint-Barth Richard Mille has been sailed by 500 boats and their crews, competing in five classes. “We succeeded quickly in securing sponsors,” says Tolède. “It’s thanks to them that we could grow this event.” Swiss luxury watch brand Richard Mille has been among the regatta’s benefactors since 2010. In September 2017, St Barths was devastated by the category 5 Hurricane Irma, but concerted efforts saw the airport and small ferry port in the island capital, Gustavia, reopen by March the following year.

In the French West Indies, paradise measures 25km2. This April, the island of St Barths made for an idyllic backdrop to the 10th Les Voiles de Saint-Barth Richard Mille

Today, much of the island has returned to its former lush beauty. Following the natural disaster, Richard Mille renewed its patronage of the event, considerably increasing its budget. The marque also became the regatta’s title sponsor. “It’s a great place, it’s well preserved,” says Peter Harrison, CEO of Richard Mille EMEA.

For this year’s edition of Les Voiles de Saint-Barth Richard Mille, Harrison took the position of skipper on his racing yacht, Sorcha, which was built by British concern Green Marine. The all-black 16-tonne carbon fibre Sorcha is a Maxi 72 boat, classed according to its length of 72 feet [close to 22m]. It’s dark soft sails feature a hand-painted image of Richard Mille’s high-performance RM 60-01 Flyback Chronograph Regatta timepiece, which was also the prize awarded to this year’s winning team. “We have great days, we have unbelievable days and we have bad days,” says the straight-talking Harrison, reflecting on his team’s progress mid-regatta. “We have a strong boat, and I have a strong team.”

This year, Sorcha’s équipage of 21 sailors included Pierre Casiraghi as helmsman. The youngest child of the late speedboat-racing businessman Stefano Casiraghi and Princess Caroline, Casiraghi is eighth in line to the Monegasque throne. He entered his first inshore race in 2010 and has since sailed in competitions including the Fastnet Race (Cowes to Plymouth) and Cape2Rio, for which he crossed the South Atlantic from Cape Town to Rio de Janeiro in 10 days. “I started really at the bottom of the chain and then made my way up to driver,” says Casiraghi.

“A lot of people think sailing is this easy thing to do, but at this level it’s complicated. It takes a lot of training. It took me 10 years to be able to do this here.” A Richard Mille brand partner since 2018, Casiraghi also acted as the 2019 patron of Les Voiles de Saint-Barth Richard Mille, a post previously filled by other high-profile sailors including musician Jimmy Buffett (2011) and fashion photographer Patrick Demarchelier (2010). “The format here is just unbelievable,” Casiraghi enthuses. “It’s sunny, the temperature is great, good wind conditions, a lot of boats. Ticking the boxes.”

Casiraghi (right) aboard Sorcha: “Sailing is so complex that when you have a good day, winning or not, you feel satisfied”

On the final day of Les Voiles de Saint- Barth Richard Mille, Sorcha battled choppy waters and winds with 16 to 18 knots of speed. “It’s a high-performance boat. You need a crew that is really up to the level, the best guys you can find in the world,” says Casiraghi. “So, for me, a bit of pressure, I think! You know, a few years ago I would have been very freaked out to jump into this kind of boat.” The race’s 2019 edition saw Sorcha and its crew triumph: the team had won all titles including the Richard Mille Maxi Cup. Its grand prize, the Richard Mille wristwatch, will now be sold in the brand’s Paris boutique, with revenue donated to local St Barth charities safeguarding the island’s coastal areas, ensuring many more such regattas around this patch of paradise.