An impressive racing fleet to set sail in the 8th Caribbean Multihull Challenge Race and Rally
by St. Maarten Yacht Club 29 Jan 00:23 UTC
January 28 to February 1, 2026
Layla - Caribbean Multihull Challenge Race and Rally © Laurens Morel
An impressive and varied fleet of 22 racing and cruising catamarans and trimarans are poised and ready to set sail on Thursday to launch the eighth, highly anticipated edition of the Caribbean Multihull Challenge Race and Rally. And local island racing veteran Robbie Ferron, once again serving as the event's Race Director, says that the forecast is shaping up to be ideal.
"Thursday looks like the lightest day, with winds in the 10-knot range, and the trades will fill in over the weekend: 10-13 on Friday, 14-18 on Saturday, and the breeze up to around 19 knots for the final day on Sunday," said Ferron. "Just very good conditions. Not too strong to start, then building through the event. If you were designing regatta weather, how much better could you get?"
The 9-boat handicap racing fleet, with a mixture of veteran CMC competitors and newcomers racing in two divisions—CSA 1 and CSA 2—has an intriguing blend of cats and tris ranging from 38- to 72-feet. The scratch boat is a powerhouse that's been a proven performer in previous runnings of the regatta: Layla, a Gunboat 72 from the United Kingdom that features a crew that includes British multihull legend Brian Thompson. "He's so accomplished, and so down to earth as well," said Ferron. Thompson's latest accomplishment was knocking off the RORC Transatlantic Race aboard the MOD 70 Argo in just under five days. "It's difficult to get your head around: 20 days used to be a good Transat trip. Those days are gone."
The Nigel Irens-designed 63-foot trimaran Sophia may give Layla a run for her money. Under its previous name, Paradox3, the boat took corrected-time honors in the MOCRA Multihull Class in the 2025 edition of the classic Rolex Fastnet Race. Under a new owner—Marcus Sirota—and with a new name—Sophia—the quick tri hopes to continue its winning ways. And Sirota is a familiar figure in the CMC fleet, having contested several previous regattas in his Corsair trimaran, Honey Badger. "This is a great story," said Ferron. "Marcus has made a huge jump!"
Sailing under an Italian flag, the DNA F4 is owned by Matteo Uliassi and is representing Sardinia's renowned Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. The 43-footer is a foiling cat, the sole foiler in the fleet. Uliassi is moving from classic monohulls with the cat, and told Ferron that he's done several European regattas but has only been up on the foils once. "We're hoping he gets the right conditions here off St. Maarten," said Ferron. A pair of ORC 50 cats—Erick Clement's Wa-kan and Thomas Kasberg's Malolo—round out the CSA 1 competitors.
In CSA 2, there are a pair of local stalwarts who are consistent CMC forces. Georges Coutu is returning to the facing fold once again in his well-sailed Leopard 50, La Novia.
Bernard "Appie" Stoutenbeek is a well-known lover of Dick Newick-designed trimarans, and for 2026 he has a new ride: the 38-footer Ninth Charm. All eyes will also be on another cool trimaran, Sam Talbot's Rapido 40, Spike. The Rapido 40 is an award-winner, having earned prizes in both Cruising World and Sailing World magazine's annual Boat of the Year contest.
The fourth CSA 2 entry, Triple Jack, is a worthy tale in its own right. After falling victim to the ravages of Hurricane Irma in 2017 while in a Nanny Cay boatyard in the British Virgin Islands, owner Richard Woodbridge literally picked up the pieces and moved on. "The boat was a total wreck," said Ferron. "I saw Richard afterwards near a pile of wood, and that wood pile is once again Triple Jack. It's a fantastic story. The boat has been resurrected."
Rounding out this year's entry list are the 8-boat fleet in the Diam 24 one-design class, featuring local sailors Lil' Sylvanomitch and Jan Soleto; and the 5-boats that will compete in time-trials will also enjoying a cruise to Anguilla and St. Barth's in the Rally portion of the event. CMC board member Petro Jonker will of course be up to his old shenanigans aboard his well-traveled Leopard 47, Seaduction. As a thought that Petro would no doubt second: The boats are here, the wind is up, and it's time to go sailing.