PERFECT ST. THOMAS INTERNATIONAL REGATTA!

(St. Thomas, USVI)– With perfect conditions of 15 to 20 knots of breeze out of the east, keen competition and professionally set racecourses, the weather Gods delivered in spades for the 2021 St. Thomas International Regatta (STIR).

After six round-the-islands races over three days, Marco Teixidor's J/111 CACHONDO posted a pair of podium finishes to ultimately take fourth in class. While missing the podium by just four points, it was big smiles pasted across their faces at the conclusion of the racing on Sunday...what's not to love about Caribbean racing in classic tradewinds, sun, and perfect "shorts & shades" weather!


Following 15 sprint-style windward-leeward races also in a trio of days, St. Thomas, USVI’s Chris Rosenberg led the One-Design IC24 Class. Not surprisingly, it was experienced J/24 sailors that knew how to make these modded-J/24s go fast in the often-shifty conditions along the shoreline. Top USA team was a person familiar to most sailors in the J/70 and J/24 classes- David Franzel of Boston, MA; he skippered MAGIC BUS to earn the bronze on the podium. 

The 14-boat IC24 Class proved the most competitive with it being nearly anyone’s win going into the last day of racing. In the end, Rosenberg, who served as tactician, with St. Thomas’ two-time Olympic sailor Cy Thompson on the helm, and experienced St. Thomas sailor Addison Caproni on the bow, won the class on BILL T.


“The first day for us was a learning curve, then on day two and three we honed in on what was working,” says Rosenberg. “It takes two sails to win, and Addison trimmed the jib perfectly. Cy was spot on with every start within a half a boat length of the line. It takes three to win and that’s what we worked hard to accomplish.”


“Congratulations to the participants of this year’s St. Thomas International Regatta and kudos to the St. Thomas Yacht Club for executing a successful and safe event,” says Commissioner of Tourism Joseph Boschulte. “The St. Thomas International Regatta was the only major regatta in the Caribbean that wasn’t canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is a testament to the insightful leadership and smart policies enacted by the Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands to ensure we can offer fun events and engaging experiences while keeping our residents and visitors safe. We look forward to welcoming everyone back for the amazing marine schedule of events being rolled out throughout the remainder of the year.”  For more St Thomas International Regatta sailing informationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.

ST. THOMAS INTERNATIONAL REGATTA PREVIEW

(St. Thomas, USVI)- The starting horn is set to sound on the 2021 St. Thomas International Regatta (STIR) March 26th to 28th, launching three days of keen competition in one of the world’s top yacht racing destinations. Board members of the host St. Thomas Yacht Club (STYC) and STIR organizers have worked diligently and with strong support from the United States Virgin Islands Departments of Tourism and Health to plan a best of both worlds event. That is, highly competitive yacht racing with COVID-19 protocols in place on land and sea to protect the health and safety of sailors and island residents alike. The warm-up distance-style Round the Rocks Race on March 25th adds another great way for sailors to socially-distance at sea. Register for both at stthomasinternationalregatta.com

“It is our pleasure to welcome participants attending this year’s St. Thomas International Regatta. I commend the St. Thomas Yacht Club for ensuring that COVID-19 protocols are in place so competitors and spectators can safely enjoy the action both on and off our waters. We encourage everyone to comply with the Territory’s safety measures as they navigate our islands, experience our beautiful waters, rich history and culture, and the warmth of our people,” says Joseph Boschulte, Commissioner of Tourism, U.S. Virgin Islands.

COVID-Safety Top of Mind
Sound COVID-19 protocols implemented by the Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands have kept infection rates low. Key among these is that every traveler, age 5 and older, entering the territory by air or sea, is required to use the USVI Travel Screening Portal and submit a COVID-19 test result before travel. Upon arrival, social distancing is the rule and, in most businesses, ‘No Mask, No Service’ is in force.

At STIR, social distancing, mask-wearing, and hand sanitization stations are among COVID-19 protocols. On the water, crews in boats such as the one-design IC24 are limited to three this year, and bigger boat classes will remain in social bubbles throughout the regatta. 

Who’s Racing
The big boat CSA Racing Class entries include LIQUID, the perpetually podium-placing J/122 raced by Antigua’s Pamala Baldwin; and for their first time, Marco Teixidor's Puerto Rican team on the J/111 CACHONDO. 

The largest class in STIR 2021 will be the One-Design IC-24s (the modified Caribbean J/24) with 20 entries. Because of their familiarity with J/24s, a number of American teams are headed down to the Caribbean for fun and frolic! Those teams include Chicago, Illinois’ Joe Hummel; his wife and friends will charter the IC-24 ROUNDABOUT from the St. Thomas Sailing Center (STSC) to race.

“My wife and I are avid sailors on Lake Michigan. In the off-season, we try to get out sailing and typically visit St. Pete in February and the Caribbean in March. Four of us will be racing, and since the crew is limited to 3 this year, we’ll be rotating one off each day. Given the 2 feet of snow and freezing temperatures at home, you can imagine how much we’re looking forward to sailing and enjoying USVI and in particular STYC.”

Two other teams from the Chicago area will be joining them; including Jarrett Altmin on SOUL SHINE and Jay Butler's BLACK PEARL from Oak Park, IL. 

The STYC and STIR organizers thank the USVI Department of Tourism; Michelob Ultra, Stoli, Bacardi, and Milagro distributed by West Indies Company; and several other sponsors organizers look forward to announcing shortly. Sailing photo credits- Ingrid Abery/ STIR  For more St Thomas International Regatta sailing information

Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/122 McFLY Wins Scrub Island Race

 
(Nanny Cay Marina, British Virgin Islands)- Tony Mack’s J/122 McFLY/ EL OCASO took second in their division at the recent BVI Spring Regatta. Tony also remarked on the BVI Spring Sailing Festival events that took place before the regatta, commenting that “Pamala Baldwin’s J/122 LIQUID won the very popular Round Tortola Race and our J/122 won the fun-loving Scrub Island Race. We thought you might enjoy some photos from those events and the team celebrating their good fortune with some nice silverware!”

Another Epic St Thomas International Regatta

(Cowpet Bay, St Thomas, US Virgin Islands)- For three days, the 50-plus boat fleet enjoyed near postcard-perfect sailing conditions in the Caribbean off the east end of St. Thomas.  Not surprisingly, the St. Thomas YC’s idyllic location on the beach of Cowpet Bay served as the base of operations for everyone, with plenty of shoreside après ‘sailing festivities. J/Crews garnered their fair share of silverware in the performance CSA racing fleets.  Here is how it all took place.

Day 1- Picture Perfect
The conditions could not have been better for the first day of the 46th St. Thomas International Regatta (STIR). Warm trade winds blew an average of 12 to 15 knots with occasional gusts to 20 knots, seas were relatively calm at 2 to 4 feet, and the bright sun made for a balmy 80’s Fahrenheit. What really stood out as a signature feature of STIR was the race committees carefully planned round-the-island-, rocks- and cays-style courses that offered highly competitive racing in an extraordinarily scenic setting. Definitely the best of both worlds.

“The courses were awesome,” says St. John’s Mike Feierabend, who with his all St. John crew helmed his J/24 BRAVISSIMO to first after two races in the CSA Spinnaker 2 class. “We really love going around the islands. The wind angles on the courses set by the race committee were especially nice.”

The four-boat CSA Spinnaker 2’s races were each nearly 10-nautical miles and wove around Dog Rock, Little St. James and Packet Rock off St. Thomas’ east end.

Meanwhile, the eight boats in CSA Spinnaker 1 raced in the same vicinity, but these larger vessels were able to stretch their legs to a greater extent on a duo of longer courses that extended to Buck and Capella island’s off St. Thomas southern Caribbean Sea shore.

“We sailed well today,” said Antigua’s Pamala Baldwin, who raced aboard her J/122 LIQUID. Crewed by several aspiring professional race boat crew, LIQUID was second in class, yet tied at 5 points with class leader. “We had a one-hour debrief yesterday after the Round the Rocks race and worked out the tweaks. Four of our sailors are new to the boat and we really came together as a team today.”

Round-the-island courses are something that USA-based PRO (Principal Race Officer) Dave Brennan has been setting for the past several years at STIR.  “Sailing here is special and even more so when racing around the islands rather than marker buoys. These types of courses make it more fun for the average sailor, who wants to sail with friends, especially those who don’t have a lot of expertise with windward-leeward courses. We really work hard to set different types of courses each day. It’s more fun this way and truly something special,” says Brennan.

Day 2- More Perfect Weather?
Some of the 50-plus boats racing on the second day stretched their class leads. Others overtook fellow class competitors to jump into the lead. Either way, blue skies, warm seas and winds blowing steadily at 12 to 15 knots over the round-the-island and round-the-buoy courses proved fun for everyone in this St. Thomas Yacht Club-hosted event.

In the CSA Spinnaker Racing 2 class, it was a case of overtaking rather than lead stretching for the St. Croix-based team aboard the J/100 BAD GIR. With Mackenzie Bryan at the helm, BAD GIRL had a tough time on the regatta’s first race on Friday and needed to retire. The young Crucians, almost all 20-somethings that grew up sailing together in dinghies, came back strong with nothing less than all first place finishes. As a result, BAD GIRL pushed St. John’s Mike Felerabend’s J/24 BRAVISSIMO to second. Both boats were tied at 8-points each.

Day 3- Windy, squally, sunny finale
Clouds and a couple of squalls sent windy curve balls across the courses set for the fleet. The big story of the final day of racing was all about the wind.

“We had light air and heavier air, a little big of everything,” said one sailor. “Today, when the squall blew through in the second race of the day, winds hit over 30 knots. We broached and briefly had a man overboard situation. But, there was no damage, no one was hurt and the team recovered quickly. Overall, it was a really amazing regatta.”

Tied on points for the lead in CSA Spinnaker Racing 1 Class was Antigua’s Pamala Baldwin’s J/122 LIQUID. However, she lost the count back in the tie-breaker based on number of firsts, settling for the silver.

In the CSA Spinnaker Racing 2 class, St. Croix’s Mackenzie Bryan drove the J/100 BAD GIRIL to a first place finish. “That squall today was as windy as I’d seen it the entire regatta. So much so that we decided not to hoist the spinnaker on the first run and we were still flying,” says Bryan, who served as a junior crew several years ago when Bad Girl also won her class. “Our strategy was to have good boat handling, minimize mistakes and stay out of the current. The effect of the current was huge.”  St. John’s Mike Felerabend’s J/24 BRAVISSIMO ended second, just four points back. Thanks for contribution- Carol Bareuther.  Sailing photo credits- Ingrid Abery/ Dean Barnes  For more St Thomas International Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/122 EL OCASO Charter- Caribbean Regatta Circuit!

(English Harbour, Antigua)- Interested in taking your team to race a Caribbean Regatta in 2019?  Caribbean Yacht Racing can help you make it happen...just arrive and race!

CYR has the J/122 EL OCASO available for the following 2019 Caribbean Regattas:

• Feb 18- RORC Caribbean 600- English Harbour, Antigua
• Feb 28- Mar 3- Heineken St. Maarten Regatta- Simpson Bay, St. Maarten
• Mar 22-24- St. Thomas International Regatta- Cowpet Bay, St Thomas, USVI
• Mar 25-31- BVI Spring Regatta- Road Harbour, Tortola, British Virgin Islands
• Apr 14-20- Les Voiles de St Barths Regatta- Gustavia Harbour, St Barthelemy
• Apr 27-May 3- Antigua Sailing Week- English Harbour, Antigua

Caribbean Yacht Racing offers a complete charter package, simply arrive to the location with your team and the highly competitive J/122 “El Ocaso” will be ready to race.  CYR can also assistant with team logistics, including lodging.

If you are interested, please contact Bob Hillier- bob@caribbeanyachtracing.com- for complete charter details or visit http://www.caribbeanyachtracing.com Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/80 World Champs Update

Spanish Dominate Podium So Far
(Les Sables d’Olonne, France)- The Sports Nautiques Sablais YC is hosting the J/80 World Championship from the 9th to the 13th July.  So far, they’ve been blessed with good sailing conditions on the bay for the seventy-boat fleet.

As anticipated, the J/80 World Championship has turned into a full-on battle between the top French and Spanish teams at the top of the leaderboard.

After three days of sailing with eight races completed, occupying the top three spots on the podium are Spanish teams- Iker Almondoz’s GARATU, Rayco Tabares’ HOTEL PRINCESS YAIZA, and Juan Luis Paez’s PUENTE ROMANO MARBELLA.  The top French teams are sitting in 4th- Simon Moriceau’s ARMEN HABITAT, 6th- Sylvain Pellisier’s INTUITIVE SAILS, 7th- Vianney Guilbaud’s AG+ SPARS, and 9th- Gwendal Nael’s EJP 10.  The top Russian team is Alexei Semenov’s NEW TERRITORIES in 5th place.  Patrick O’Neill’s Irish crew on MOJO are 8th.  And, rounding out the top ten is the Spanish crew of Javier Chacartegui’s IBO.ES.  The top British boat is Jon Powell’s BETTY in 11th position.

Two French women skippers are in the top 15- Anne Phelipon’s NAVIGATLANTQUE in 12th and Maxime Rousseaux’s CN ST CAST GRAND OUEST ETIQUETTES in 13th- just three points separate them.   Follow the J/80 World Championships on Facebook here.   For more J/80 World Championship sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

St Thomas International Regatta Preview

(Cowpet Bay, St Thomas, US Virgin Islands)- If your bucket list includes having a drink at the 2017 Favorite Yachting Bar in the Caribbean, then tick that box with for March 23 to 25 at the St. Thomas International Regatta. Announced on January 3, 50° North, creators of Wight Vodka and Scuttlebutt Europe announced that the STIR-host St. Thomas Yacht Club won its annual contest in a special Caribbean category to recognize bars that were hard hit by the hurricanes last fall.

“It’s an honor to have received this recognition, especially as the Club is still recovering from the after effects of hurricanes Irma and Maria,” says regatta director, Bill Canfield. “As a result, this will not be our biggest STIR, but we can guarantee everyone a special time. For those who have never visited, Cowpet Bay is a beautiful place to finish a race and the Club and its bar are located beachfront here. Plus, for those that are long timers, think back to your first Caribbean regatta and what a great experience it was. We are offering this same vibe this year with an emphasis on ‘simple fun and great sailing’. That’s why we love it here!”

There is no question many sailors are answering that siren call!  For those that enjoyed Caribbean racing in the 1970s and 1980s – or heard the stories and wished you were there – this year’s St. Thomas International Regatta (STIR), set for March 23-25, 2018, is the place to be!

A dozen boats are registered for the third annual Round the Rocks (RTR) race on Thursday. This one-day event, whose course is a 19 mile circumnavigation of the neighboring island of St. John, is a great way for teams to tune up for the main event starting on Friday. Boats sailing in the Round the Rocks race will start off St. Thomas’ east end off Cowpet Bay, sail counterclockwise around St. John, and finish off St. Thomas.

“By popular demand, we brought back the Round the Rocks race this year. This sprint around St John is both scenic and tactical. It’s a great way to kick-off STIR, especially with Rock City Brewing Company sponsoring the race and after-racing Happy Hour,” says regatta director, Bill Canfield.

The twelve-boat race fleet is split into two groups: CSA (Caribbean Sailing Association) Spinnaker and CSA Non-Spinnaker classes.  Sailing in CSA Spinnaker is Don Nicholson’s J/121 APOLLO.  Nicholson commented;

“This is the third ‘big boat’ in our program; Apollo replaced my custom 42 footer. We have been racing as a core crew for about 15 years; the core crew being myself, Denise Bienvenu, Paul White and David Malkin, including two Newport-Bermuda races, a Chicago-Mackinac race, and numerous other regattas on both coasts of the USA. But, we have never raced as a team in the Caribbean. So, we are extremely excited to be honing our skills with this exciting new boat in such a wonderful venue. We also have Jeff Johnstone from J/Boats on board for the RTR and STIR.”

Amongst the fleet of forty-five boats for STIR are two very quick J/crews racing the preeminent class in the event- CSA 1.  Continuing their battle offshore and around the buoys during the Heineken St Maarten Regatta will be Nicholson’s J/121 APOLLO and the famous J/122 EL OCASO.  Interestingly, both boats will have mostly new crews!  Robin Team’s crew from North Carolina (winners of multiple Key West Race Weeks and Ft Lauderdale-Key West Races on board their own J/122 TEAMWORK) have chartered EL OCASO and will be vying for class honors in their very tough eight-boat division.  For more S.T.I.R. sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

ARC Rallies- Caribbean 1500 & Atlantic Update

(Grand Canary, Spain)- “World Cruising”, the organization that created a number of “cruising rallies” called “ARC” (originally, Atlantic Rally Cruising), has seen its first major event finish in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, while the second event, ARC Atlantic, is still taking place having started on November 19th.

CARIBBEAN 1500
The longest-running ocean crossing rally in North America, the “1500” is a must-do for many cruisers. The ARC Caribbean 1500 fleet sails from Portsmouth, VA at the mouth the Chesapeake Bay to Nanny Cay on Tortola, British Virgin Islands. The start port and dates make the most of the available weather to maximize your Caribbean sailing, and the week-long pre-departure program will get you relaxed and ready for cruising.

Without a doubt, the most difficult part of getting to the Caribbean is timing the weather window before departure. Fall on the East Coast is squeezed between late summer hurricane season and early winter gale season. By joining the 1500, cruisers can rest assured that the “experts” are there to take the pressure off that decision. The support team consists of professional ocean sailors working closely with weather forecasters at WRI to ensure the fleet makes it across the Gulf Stream and into warmer waters in the best possible conditions.

Shortly after the start of the 2017 edition of the “1500”, one boat sent out an update over satellite email explaining, “it is an absolutely gorgeous day here in the North Atlantic. We are currently 640 nm off the coast of Georgia.  Last night was equally stunning. We were treated to a blaze orange moonrise followed by a moonlit night that danced on the water. The winds were favorable and we were cruising along comfortably at 11 knots or so.”

It did not take the fleet very long this year to make the 1,500nm crossing to Nanny Cay in Tortola, BVI.  In fact, Pete Watkins from Boise, Idaho, sailed his J/42 MERLIN so fast that he ended up 2nd Overall and 2nd in Cruising A Class!  Now, that’s a nice way to celebrate the start of the 2017/ 2018 winter Caribbean sailing season!  For more Caribbean 1500 sailing information

ARC ATLANTIC
The 2017 edition of the ARC Atlantic attracted nearly 200 boats and 1,200 people to sail 2,700nm across the Atlantic from Gran Canary Island (Spain) to Saint Lucia situated in the Windward Islands of the Caribbean.

This year’s “cruising rally” attracted a broad cross-section of sailors; families with children, tough offshore racers, cruising couples, big boats and modest boats. Crossing the Atlantic together, but having their own adventures. Many are already looking forward to their arrival in Saint Lucia to be met on the dock with a rum punch and a chilled beer after two weeks at sea!

After starting November 19th, Sunday, the fleet is making good progress towards St Lucia, and the crews are celebrating and enjoying the Atlantic crossing on board their yachts in many different ways. For some it’s flying a spinnaker, others it’s catching a fish or practicing celestial navigation.

The lone J/crew participating in this year’s event is the J/133 JACKY X owned and skippered by Gerard Feenema from The Netherlands.  Currently, as of 1500 hrs, November 30th, they are lying 4th in Cruising D, but on a significantly better, faster track to St Lucia than her erstwhile classmates.  They are approximately 1,500nm from landfall in the Caribbean.  For more ARC Atlantic sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Caribbean Winter Regattas- Go For It & Help!!

(Gustavia, St Barths)- Sadly, the islands in the Caribbean were recently devastated by the full force of one of the strongest series of hurricanes in history. The islanders and wider communities have rallied together and incredibly many businesses, marinas, bars and restaurants are already open!  Such is the power of perseverance, love, and passion amongst sailors around the world.

The message is loud and clear; the Caribbean will be open and ready to welcome sailors for the 2018 racing and cruising season.

The 2018 season is going to be a very special year in the Caribbean, as we all come together to rebuild the livelihoods of the resilient locals who will open their hearts and share their wonderful islands with all those who visit and enjoy the love for the sea.

ST MAARTEN HEINEKEN REGATTA
The St. Maarten Heineken Regatta will celebrate its 38th anniversary and takes place from March 1 – 4, 2018. This Regatta is the largest warm water Regatta in the world and offers a great combination of challenging races and fantastic parties, keeping with the event’s motto “Serious Fun”!

The St. Maarten Heineken Regatta is open to all levels of sailors from professional teams to novice and first time on the water sailors.

The event kicks off with the GILL Commodores Cup on Thursday 1st March, with windward-leeward races starting and finishing between Philipsburg and Simpson Bay.

Friday 2nd March is a race around the Island of St. Maarten clockwise from Simpson Bay, passing Tintamarre in the north and finishing back in Philipsburg.

Saturday 3rd & Sunday 4th, will see the racing fleet enjoying some windward leeward racing in the Anguilla Channel followed by a coastal race back to a grand finish in Simpson Bay.  For more St Maarten Heineken Regatta sailing information
   
ST THOMAS INTERNATIONAL REGATTA
Organizers of the St. Thomas International Regatta (STIR) are pleased to announce that 2018 event, set for March 23 to 25, will take place as scheduled despite damage to the island from Hurricane’s Irma and Maria. Never in the 48-year history of STIR has a fall storm, even a major one, interrupted the running of the ‘Crown Jewel of Caribbean Yacht Racing’, and it will not in 2018. The host St. Thomas Yacht Club suffered some damage and the fleet took more than a few dents, but the venue for fantastic round the island races is still very much here. The resilience of regatta organizers, sponsors, volunteers, and club members as well as the U.S. Virgin Islands’ business community, hotel and tourism sectors is strong. Show your support and be part of our island’s recovery and future.

EL OCASO, Caribbean Yacht Racing’s swift-sailing J/122 is signed up and ready for a team who wants to charter her to a podium finish like last year.

If you are concerned about helping out, please help in the Virgin Islands’ recovery efforts by donating to the non-profit VI Marine Build Fund (tinyurl.com/savethevi). All funds will be used for the cleanup of the current cruising grounds, growth of marine industry offerings and development of marine vocational programs.  Register Now for Round the Rocks Race and STIR 2018

LES VOILE DE SAINT BARTHS Regatta
There is no question the Les Voiles de St. Barth Regatta will carry on in 2018!

Considered a high point of the tourist season on the island of Saint-Barthélemy, Les Voiles de St. Barth will take place as planned over April 8-14, 2018.

A little over two weeks ago, the Caribbean Islands were ravaged by one of the deadliest hurricanes of the century. While it took a hard hit, Saint-Barthélemy is already well on the road to recovery, revealing its courage and energy to rise up, much like the organizers of Les Voiles de St. Barth who have decided to maintain the regatta in 2018.

“We are working hard so that our island can welcome all of our guests, crews and spectators with the same level of hospitality and professionalism as usual,” announced François Tolède, who organizes Les Voiles along with Luc Poupon and a large group of volunteers. “We will produce this ninth edition of Les Voiles as a symbol of our reconstruction, with the same quality of service and the same degree of competition. We are going to concentrate our energy in organizing a regatta every bit as exceptional as in past years, with five days of competition, a day off, concerts every evening…the fundamentals will be there!”

Looking Toward the Future
There is one very clear common goal: to get the island ready for a limited 2018 tourist season. “We must remain confident,” said Bruno Magras, president of the Collectivity of Saint-Barthélemy. “We are capable of getting the island back in shape and putting its best foot forward!”

French President Emmanuel Macron noted with great optimism when he visited the island just one week after the storm, “Saint Barth is an island that is still standing, that retains its strength and values, and is in the process of getting back on its feet.”

Every Boat Matters!
With boats ranging in size from 24 feet to 100+, Les Voiles de St. Barth is defined by the diversity of its fleet, and every boat, be it large or small, professional or amateur, is invited to participate to show its support for the regatta and for the island of Saint-Barthélemy.

There are already some boats that have registered for this ninth edition of Les Voiles. The organizers of Les Voiles are sending this message to crews around the world: ”Come next April, participate and discover our paradise re-found. Hurricane Irma tried to destroy us, but we have nerves of steel, and by rebuilding together, our island will be even more beautiful.”  Here is a highlights reel from the last edition  To register for Les Voiles de St. Barth Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Warm Water, Hot Racing, Cool Parties!

J/Crews Prevail @ BVI Spring Regatta/Festival
(Tortola, British Virgin Islands)– This year’s BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival featured eighty-four boats from seventeen countries (Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, UK, Italy, Netherlands, USA, St Maarten, Antigua, Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico, Curacao, BVI, USVI, Jamaica) and crews from many more countries, too.  The event has two parts, the first is the Sailing Festival that is the annual Round Tortola Race and the second is the Spring Regatta over three days.

ROUND TORTOLA RACE
With the breeze looking light for Tuesday’s annual Round Tortola Race, Bob Phillips, Regatta Chairman recommended a shorter course to ensure racers have an opportunity to get out on the water.  “The breeze is supposed to be out of the south so it looks like the perfect race is likely to be around Norman and Peter Islands, a 7-8nm course, as we want to get racers out AND back,” Phillips said. “People are here to race and we want to be sure that they have some good racing rather than parked on the north side of the island. The beauty of the BVI is that we have lots of islands we can send them around – it might not be around Tortola, but it will be around an island somewhere!”

A tauntingly light breeze of 5-7 kts out of the south was enough to get 50+ boats starting in the Nanny Cay Cup, the first event of the 2017 BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival. Rather than the usual Round Tortola race, conditions favored a 16nm course starting in the channel off Nanny Cay and taking the fleet around Pelican and Flanagan Islands. The breeze built a little around the islands offering up a fairly steady 7-8 knots throughout racing.

Racing in the CSA Racing division, the J/111 SPIKE helmed by Sam Talbot (BVI) took second in division.  Racing on his home turf in the challenging breeze had its benefits for Talbot, a BVI local. “We sailed really well actually and were flying upwind. It was the final run that really got us, but overall we were really happy with our race,” Talbot said, all smiles. “Local knowledge was handy with the laylines, knowing exactly how close we could get to the rocks and deciding where we could hold, it definitely came in handy. Second time around Pelican, there were a lot of worried people on board,” Talbot joked.  Talbot was racing with mostly his regular crew on board with a few extras along for the ride until the more serious racing began later in the week. When asked whom he’s watching out for this week, Talbot didn’t hesitate for a second, “EL OCASO, the J/122!”

In addition to SPIKE’s great performance, Pamala Baldwin’s J/122 LIQUID from Antigua took fifth place in class.

BVI SPRING REGATTA
Next up for the fleet was the Spring Regatta.  There was no question the amplitude of seriousness increased a few magnitudes for this event as all kinds of all-star crews came flying back in from around the world to help various teams improve their chances for some silverware.  Here is how it all went down..

Day 1- Classic Virgin Gorda Sound Sailing
In CSA Racing on Day 1, the fleet leaders were established early.  The sailors enjoyed great conditions, starting in a 12 kts easterly that built to 15 kts throughout the day. Boats raced a combination of two long and one short windward-leeward race.

“Racing was really fantastic,” said Dave Brennan, Principal Race Officer, “We were able to start off Nanny Cay and I sent my committee boats on three different race courses which worked out really well. The racing was good, conditions couldn’t have been better and racers got to enjoy a lot of the real beauty here with courses that took them around the scenic rocks, Deadman’s chest, Salt and Ginger Islands.”

CSA Racing 1 class saw three good races.  At the end of the day, Chris Body’s family team from the United Kingdom had a great outing on their chartered J/122 EL OCASO, posting a 2-4-2 to hold on to 2nd place in the standings. Just off the mark was Sam Talbot’s J/111 SPIKE from the BVI with an uncharacteristically slow start of 8-2-6, but still good enough for 4th place in class.

In CSA Racing 2 class, a wildly eclectic mixture of boats, it was Rob Butler’s J/88 TOUCH2PLAY that posted a rather sobering 7-3-6 to hang in to the top five.

Day 2- Challenging Light Airs
More light air challenged the fleet on the second day. Racing started at 1000 in an 8-10 knot easterly. One of the more amusing scenarios was a top J/24 team sailing in the CSA Bareboat 1 class. Team BYRA was racing on La Bella Vita, a Sunsail 51. The team of 9 sailing friends from Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia, took a second and first to end the day with 12 points. Team BYRA normally race J-24s so are finding their BVI ride quite a step up.

“This boat does not react like a J-24!” John Fourqueen said of Team BYRA. “We’re really just a bunch of misfits and are definitely the worst-dressed crew on the race course, but we’re sharing the fun and changing out skippers for each race so we had two different helmsmen today.” Fourqueen noted that they’re keeping a wary eye out for rocks around the islands but otherwise their biggest issue was that the store ran out of beer cans (cases!) in the morning.

Another all J/105 team from Marblehead, MA was enjoying their 4th BVI Spring Regatta. Team Merlin took two line honors, correcting out as two second places.  The friends usually sail together in Marblehead’s beer-can races on their J/105. “We love it here!” skipper Alec Torrie said. “The first race was a great tactical battle between two islands on a nice beat, then around Norman Island. We lost the start so it was a battle two thirds of the way around when we were able to cross and hold off a couple of very competitive challenges boat for boat. The second race was pretty unique with a downwind start, we got off the line ok but one of our competitors got a great start so we tangled with them all way around the course which was tough in a dying breeze.”

After three more races in CSA Racing 1 class, Body’s family crew on EL OCASO posted a 2-6-6 to slowly slide from 2nd to 3rd in the overall standings.  Talbot’s SPIKE had a variable day, their 7-3-5 kept them in the hunt and at a stable 4th position.

Day 3- A Light Air Finale
Competitors were only too happy to call it quits after one final race when extremely light air made for very shifty and challenging conditions. Little breeze translated to a very hot day, so a swim and a cold beer was the perfect race substitute for most of the 86-strong fleet.

Chris Haycraft, Commodore of the Royal BVI Yacht Club said, “The beauty of this Regatta is that you are racing against boats you don’t know, so you don’t know how they are going to perform which makes it all the more interesting. I love meeting all the new people who come to BVI Spring Regatta; it’s just a great atmosphere. It’s also been enjoyable to see more of our local ex-pats visiting the event village to see what it is all about.”

Final results in several classes came down to the wire in the last race.  The shifty winds produced some crazy results across all classes.  In CSA Racing 1 class, Body’s J/122 EL OCASO crew posted another 6th place to hang on for third in class, preserving EL OCASO’s extraordinary record of finishing on the podium in every Caribbean regatta it has ever sailed!  Meanwhile, Talbot’s J/111 SPIKE closed fast in the finale, adding a 3rd to their totals to hold on to 4th place overall.

In CSA Racing 2 class, Butler’s J/88 TOUCH2PLAY Racing had a rough ride early, but made the most of the lighter airs in the last two days of the event.  They closed their last four races with a regatta-winning tally of 2-3.5-1-3, but not enough to close the gap for the gold. Consequently, they had to settle for the bronze on the podium.   Sailing photo credits- Ingrid Abery   For more BVI Spring Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Stormy, Windy, Sunny St Thomas International Regatta!

(St Thomas, US Virgin Islands)- This year’s St. Thomas International Regatta (STIR), sailed from March 24th to 26th, offered a full range of exhilarating sailing challenges from frequent tacks along offshore cays to cross currents and wind shifts around the east end and slalom-like conditions in the downwind. The island’s Virgin Islands National Park served as the picture-perfect backdrop for this incredible and highly competitive event.  Most importantly, the weather prognosticators were again wrong for at least half the regatta.  While Thursday and Friday on the dark and stormy side, by the weekend, the front blew away and the fleet was treated to sunny, breezy, classic Caribbean weather conditions.

The event started off with the Round The Rocks Race, a popular one-day warm-up that takes the boats 21.0nm clockwise around the beautiful, very mountainous island of St John.  Twenty-three boats took off from the start and headed across Pillsbury Sound, they fought the current and then the winds changed direction and it was tough. The sail up the south side of the island was nice, but then the wind died by the time the fleet got to Coral Bay. After that, they shot around to Francis Bay, enjoying smooth seas although the winds changed direction often. Then, the ride down the north shore was great straight to the finish.

The J/122 EL OCASO, which race charters under Caribbean Yacht Racing based in the British Virgin Islands, finished second class.

Day 1- The Wind (or the Bird) was the Word
Nearly cat’s paw calm in the morning combined with typical Caribbean tradewinds gusting to 20-plus knots in the afternoon provided something for everyone during the first day’s racing to the Charlotte Amalie harbor and back. These polar-opposite conditions plus the challenge of round the islands rather than strictly buoy racing proved the talk of why some of the best sailors in the Caribbean, U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand put STIR on their list of must-do’ regattas each year.

“It was almost like two separate races today with the wind conditions,” said crew Jeff Johnstone, on the J/88 TOUCH2PLAY. “Rig settings are really important in light wind. Trim and drive is everything in big breeze. A squall went through mid-day and didn’t progress, but the breeze kept building. That was fine for us. It wasn’t overpowering.”

In the insanely competitive CSA 2 Racing division, Rob Butler’s J/88 TOUCH2PLAY sailed a very steady 2-3 to hold a narrow one-point lead of Jordan Mindich’s J/105 SOLSTICE that posted a 5-1.

Day 2- Rock & Roll Time
STIR proved its reputation as the ‘Crown Jewel of Caribbean Yacht Racing’ by superbly delivering on its signature mix of round the rocks and round the buoy courses on the event’s second day of competition. What’s more, 6 to 8 foot seas off the island’s east end, gusts blowing to 20 to 25 knots and a mix of rain and sun all added to the fun. Yup, it was a dark & stormy day for all!

It was the three W’s – windy, wavy and warm – that appealed most to the crews in attendance. Some of the hottest competition today was in CSA Spinnaker 1.  Bob Hillier, who hails from Lake Geneva, WI, and his J/122 EL OCASO alumni were trying to nip at the lead all day.

“We have a real interesting class,” says Hillier, charter manager for Caribbean Yacht Racing Ltd. “Two boats, the Melges 32 and RP 37, plane, we and the King don’t and the Andrews 70 is out so far in front we don’t see them. What each of us needs to do is sail our boats to their potentials.”  In the end, EL OCASO posted a 3-2 to hold on to 2nd place for the day.

At the end of the day, the J/122 EL OCASO posted 3-3 to hang on to second place in their CSA 1 Racing division.

In CSA 2 Racing, the J/88 TOUCH2PLAY added a 3-4 to drop into second place by one point.  Just following them 2 pts back was the J/105 SOLSTICE.

Day 3- Perfect Cocktail Racing
On the last day, the fleet enjoyed a mix of signature round-the-island courses combined with conditions that ranged from near breathless calm to blustery gusts over three days of racing. Warm weather, turquoise seas and quality competition delivered STIR sailors the perfect cocktail.

In the end, Hillier’s crew on the J/122 EL OCASO closed with a strong 2-2 to take the silver in their CSA 1 Racing division.  Yet again, the J/122 has shown her consistent ability to get on the podium in virtually every Caribbean regatta it has sailed in her lifetime- truly an astounding record!

The CSA 2 Racing fleet saw a fight to the finish.  One tack, one gybe, one takedown, that was the difference between the J/88 TOUCH2PLAY winning outright versus losing on a tiebreaker! With a 1-4 on the last day, Canadian Rob Butler’s crew knew where they had lost the regatta, literally by 17 seconds!  In any event, taking the silver was a great outcome for their crew’s first time racing in St Thomas!  Taking the bronze was Jordan Mindich’s J/105 SOLSTICE, sailing to a steady average score of 3.5!  Sailing photo credits- STIR/Dean Barnes and STIR/Ingrid Abery.com.  For more St Thomas International Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

BVI Spring Regatta Preview

(Roadtown, Tortola, British Virgin Islands)- The 2017 BVI Spring Regatta is shaping up to be nicely attended event, particularly with the enormous one-design fleets of charter boats from the various charter companies that operate in that part of the Virgin Islands archipelago.  The regatta also benefits from being the second event in the Virgin Islands after S.T.I.R. in St Thomas.

The event will be hosted by the Royal BVI Yacht Club with boats based in Nanny Cay Marina in Road Town, Tortola.  Racing takes place from March 28th to April 3rd in Virgin Gorda Sound.  If the “racer’s regatta” is STIR in St Thomas, then the BVI Spring is definitely the “cruiser’s regatta”.  BVI is decidedly more laid back and easy-going.  There are plenty of reaching races and not a lot of hard work beating upwind.

There is a nice turnout for the CSA Racing Class, twenty-one boats will be going at it hammer & tong to determine who knows how to “reach through life”!!  Many of the same players in STIR will also be participating in BVI along with a few more add-ons.  Again, you will see the J/88 TOUCH 2 PLAY RACING on the line, along with the J/122 EL OCASO (this time chartered by the UK family crew led by Chris Body).  Additional J/crews will include the J/122 LIQUID skippered/owned by Pamala Baldwin from Antigua; the J/111 SPIKE sailed by Sam Talbot from the local Royal BVI YC; the J/105 VUJA DE skippered by Remco Van Dortmondt from Kralendjik, Bonaire; and the J/120 SUNSET chartered by Andy Middleton from Cowes, United Kingdom.  Hopefully, the weather will have improved from the St Thomas event and the giant long wave trough from the weekend will have dissipated and moved on so the classic sunny, windy trade winds kick back in!!  One can only hope, otherwise the fashion show mid-week may become a wet t-shirt fiasco for everyone!  Sailing photo credits- Paul Wyeth/ PWPictures.com.  For more BVI Spring Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/46's cruising all over the Caribbean!

(Tortola, British Virgin Islands)- According to Tom Babbit, the happy owner of BRAVO (J/46 #24), “after a raucous offshore leg to the Caribbean, we have encountered no fewer than six J/46s that are down here for the "season”!  Holy Smokes!  What fun!  Great folks and great celebrations everywhere we go, one of the major benefits of being part of the J family!  We look forward to reconnecting with at least some of these folks this summer in Camden!  Please contact me at- bravoj42@gmail.com”

According to Tom, those enjoying the steady sun and breezes include:

• Rob and Melanie Shaw on #14 Jazolo (UK)
• Glenn and Elsa Gustafson on #25 Windara (Michigan)
• Herni Van Miele on #40 Jent (Dutch)
• John and Anne Burnett #43 Folie a Deux (San Francisco)
• In Nanny Cay, #23 (USVI)
• Tom & Jane Babbit, Bravo, #24 hailing from Camden, Maine

J/105 Wins BVI Spring Regatta

(Nanny Cay, Tortola, BVI)- The 45th edition of this iconic Caribbean racing event took place from March 30th to April 3rd at the Nanny Cay Marina in Tortola, BVI. A large and very diverse fleet of 108 boats came from all corners of the Seven Seas: the US, Great Britain, Australia, the Netherlands, US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Antigua, Canada, Ireland, Argentina, Germany and, of course, local sailors from the British Virgin Islands.

The regatta was blessed with good sailing conditions all three days, with the lightest day being the final day with a light easterly of just 8 to 12 kts.  Even then, the regatta’s PRO managed to fire off seven races for the enthusiastic sailors.  Plus, the famous "swimsuit fashion show" was a popular as ever.

In CSA Racing Two class, the mighty J/122 EL OCASO, skippered by Rick Wesslund from Miami, Florida, could only muster a few good top five finishes during the series to take the bronze.  As a past winner of the event, it must have been a surprise to see the remarkably competitive teams they were up against in their class.  Their colleagues on the J/111 SPIKE, sailed by local hero Sam Talbot from BVI, managed to score some good performances and finished 6th in class.

The big winner in CSA Racing Three class was the Puerto Rico team on the J/105 DARK STAR, skippered by Jonathan Lipuscek.  They fired off five bullets and a tie for first over the seven races sailed!  Their other classmates, the J/105 SOLSTICE (Bryan Coon) and the J/30 J-DOE (Cynthia Ross & Eduardo Luaces), had a rough go of it, settling in for a 6th and 7th, respectively.

A notable performance took place in the IC-24s, past J/24 World Champion Jens Hookanson from St Croix YC raced STINGER to nine 1sts in 12 races to win by the enormous margin of 10 pts in a no-throw-out series.   Sailing photos by Ingrid Abery.com and Todd Van Sickle   For more BVI Spring Regatta sailing information

J/122 Wins St Thomas Regatta

J/105 Tops CSA 3 Class
(St Thomas, US Virgin Islands)- The real story of the 43rd St Thomas International Regatta (STIR) was wind. Lots of it. Gusts blustered over 30 knots all three days with 6 to 8 foot seas. Yet, combine these conditions with 80-degree weather, bright sun and bathwater warm turquoise seas and it’s a recipe relished by all the racers on the sixty-seven boats in the event.

Chief among these happy sailors was the Southern California team aboard Doug Baker’s J/122 TEAM MAGNITUDE- EL OCASO that won the CSA Spinnaker Racing 2. They quite literally “ran the table”, posting all bullets in the six race series to win class and overall.  In addition, they took second in the “warm-up” Round the Rocks Race in the CSA Spinnaker division.

Having an equally successful performance in CSA Spinnaker Racing 3 class was Puerto Rico’s Jonathan Lipuscek on his J/105 DARK STAR, successfully defending their title with a blistering scoreline of 1-2-1-3-2-1 for 10 pts.  Sailing a very consistent series was Jordan Mindich’s J/105 SOLSTICE, taking fourth place with scores of 3-3-3-5-3-2 for 19 pts, just one point off the podium!

The CSA Non-Spinnaker saw Aaron Gardner’s Puerto Rican J/24 team on BRAVISSIMO sailed fast in the large ten-boat CSA Non-spinnaker class to take fifth overall.  Sailing photo credits- Dean Barnes & Ingrid Abery (ingridabery.com)   For more St Thomas International Regatta sailing information