(St Thomas, US Virgin Islands)- The famous Rolex Cup Regatta started out
with of uncharacteristic grey, overcast skies with light showers.
However, over the course of the weekend, the winds improved, the weather
improved and the event finished on a high note with simply spectacular
sailing. The International Rolex Regatta is a cornerstone of the spring Caribbean racing schedule, and as such attracts top programs from around the world for its mix of buoy and point-to-point races. It also distinguishes itself by having multiple races a day for all classes. “It’s all part of a unique mix of island-style fun and hard-core IRC, CSA and one design racing,” said Regatta Co-chair Bill Canfield, pointing out a massive, specially-constructed stage rising out of the water on the St. Thomas Yacht Club’s own beach. It is where a band played on Friday and Saturday nights and where the Rolex Awards wrap up the event on Sunday, when winners in select classes win coveted Rolex watches.
DAY 1- The three-day International Rolex Regatta kicked off Friday with the “town races” that took sailors from the east end of St. Thomas, where host St. Thomas Yacht Club is located, to Charlotte Amalie, the island’s capital city. Once there, the fleet of 68 boats, split into six classes, turned around and headed back, but only after sharing some colorful action with tourists on the downtown waterfront and on two cruise ships in port as well as fans perched at different vantage points along the route. Gray clouds mingled with white all day, giving tacticians as much cause to look upward to anticipate wind shifts as they did downward to read the play of the sapphire blue Caribbean Sea beneath them. The top two J's in CSA 2 Racing were the J/122 LAZY DOG sailed by Sergio Sagramoso's team from San Juan, Puerto Rico, getting a 2nd for the day based on their 3-2 score. Third was the J/105 DARK STAR sailed by Jonathan Lipuscek also from San Juan with a 1-6.
Another
young team of West Indian high school and sailing students was
competing in CSA non-spinnaker class and currently sat in second
overall. They were led by Central High School (St. Croix) teacher Stan
Joines aboard Tony Sanpere’s (St. Croix) J/36 Cayennita Grande, which
has won this class several times. DAY 2- The second day of racing showcased the coastal beauty of St. Thomas and St. John islands with IRC and CSA distance courses that meandered through the smaller islands and cays that lie between them. Winds of 12-18 knots cooperated to give those classes (four in all) two races, while the one-design IC 24s pounded out six buoy races on the more sheltered yet still tactically demanding playing field of Great Bay, just around the corner from the event’s host, St. Thomas Yacht Club.
Yesterday’s leader in CSA 2 fell to second today while Jonathan Lipuscek (also San Juan) climbed to the top of the scoreboard (from third yesterday) with two bullets on the J/105 DARK STAR. Sergio Sagramoso’s J/122 LAZY DOG fell off the pace a bit and is one point behind in third.
In CSA non-spinnaker class, the J/36 CAYENITTA GRANDE, which was in second yesterday, found itself at the top of the scoreboard today. It was by no accident, however, said Tony Sanpere (St. Croix, USVI), even though he is helping the boat’s next owner Stan Joines (also St. Croix) get used to the boat and training Joines’ crew of West Indian high school students in the fine art of sailing the “Cayennita way.” “I yelled at them a little, but I yell at myself, too,” said Sanpere said with a chuckle. “Repetition over two long races today helped in their boat handling; I promised them a podium position, and we can do that.” Also making a move up the ladder was Tom Mullen's beautiful J/95 SHAMROCK VII from Campton, New Hampshire. Their 4-3-2-3 scoreline leapt them into 3rd overall.
DAY
3- It came down to the wire on the last day for winners in three of six
classes. Sunday's tactically demanding Pillsbury Sound races, with
courses that wound through the cays of St. Thomas and St. John, decided
winners in one IRC and three CSA classes, while one-design IC 24s
completed six short-course races in Jersey Bay to determine that class’s
victor. The races were sailed in picture-perfect conditions, which
included plenty of sunshine and 15-knot breezes, which made the overcast
skies and intermittent rain showers that prevailed over the last two
days but a distant memory.Winning by a mere half point in CSA 2 was Jonathan Lipuscek’s (San Juan, PR) J/105 DARKS STAR. Lipuscek had gone into Sunday's races with a half-point advantage on the merit of two bullets posted yesterday, and he posted a 2-3 today to prevail as the winner, also winning the a Rolex watch for his performance. Making it a triumvirate of Puerto Rican teams on the podium was Sergio Sagramoso’s (San Juan) J/122 LAZY DOG, in third.
“We simply tried to minimize errors and do everything with patience,” said Lipuscek at the Rolex Awards party, which was held on the St. Thomas Yacht Club’s beach and featured a giant stage built out over the water. (It had been used on Saturday, as well, for the regatta’s headlining Reggae Concert.) “It’s incredible that we’ve won the watch; I didn’t believe it until now.”
In CSA non-spinnaker class, the J/36 CAYENITTA GRANDE won with its crew of Central High School students led by their band teacher Stan Joines (St. Croix), who recently bought the boat from Tony Sanpere (also St. Croix), a past winner who was also aboard. “We did better with each race,” said Joines, who has had five second-place finishes here with “his kids” before. “Tony and I drove. It’s one thing to just give them a boat, have them sail and loose and another to coach them and help them be on a winning boat.” Rounding out the podium was Tom Mullen's J/95 SHAMROCK VII with a well-deserved third overall. T2P.TV- Rolex Sailing videos- Day 1 Day 2 Music Video
Leighton O'Connor- Rolex Sailing Videos- Day 1 Day 2
