• Caribbean Celebrations
Richard Mille for the 8th edition of Les Voiles de St Barth
Richard Mille has been partnering with Les Voiles over the past couple of years and this year is no different. As Main Partner, Richard Mille was present at the starting line to accompany 1,100 sailors who competed in the weeklong event. At the same time, the brand also took the occasion to launch its first boutique in the Caribbean.
Cyril Kongo, popular street artists and partner of Richard Mille, designed this year’s poster for Les Voiles. Kongo had to work with a vintage sail, but he approached it similarly to any other type of surfaces. He shared,” ‘because the cloth is more porous than canvas, the colour masses appear a bit worn, more pastel: it’s interesting. So, even after the fact, you can reconstruct how the work took shape, because the gestures and movements
of the spray can over the sail take on a weathered appearance. It’s as though I had breathed life back into it, simply by inscribing “Les Voiles de St Barth” across it using my graphic vocabulary.”
70 crews competed in 9 various classes and the seafarers were all challenged with middling conditions and wind oscillation between 12 and 15 knots. These weather conditions may have delighted tacticians, who had a fight on their hands for the long and technical literary imposed by the race route. After two exhausting days, the crews came ashore for a well-deserved rest. Some grabbed the opportunity for resting, while others pursued recreational activities. The day also witnessed the official ribbon-cutting ceremony for the first Richard Mille Boutique in St Barts.
“‘We couldn’t imagine an island more suited to welcoming our brand. The boutique’s design takes its design cues from its territorial situation—on an island overlooking the shore—and its agreeable patio, where anyone can relax with a glass of Champagne as they discover our watches,” confides John Simonian, CEO of Richard Mille Americas. Guests at the inauguration enjoyed an opportunity to view some of the most beautiful pieces in the collection, especially the RM 60-01 Flyback Chronograph Regatta, one of which was conferred on the overall winners of the Maxi Yacht class.
Peter Harrison, CEO of Richard Mille EMEA, participated in the event. With his sailboat, Sorcha TP 52 sporting the livery of Richard Mille, he manage to come in 1st in the CSA O class, after placing 3rd and 2nd in 2015 and 2016 respectively. American George Sakellaris emerged champion for the Maxi Yacht category and general rankings, similarly to the previous year’s regatta.