The 2016 Digicel Mango Bowl Regatta hosted by the St. Lucia Yacht Club and main sponsors, Digicel, Dive Saint Lucia, IGY:Rodney Bay Marinas, Body Holiday Sailing Club (Le Sport) brought over 150 sailors to St Lucia over the past weekend to beautiful weather and great racing conditions in Rodney Bay. Five classes of racing: Cruising 1 & 2, Racing, J24 and Surprise had a total entry of 24 boats, 15 coming from Grenada, Trinidad, Barbados and Martinique to join our local sailors making this a Sport Tourism event like no other in St. Lucia.
After 5 long exciting races on what competitors agree to be the best course in the region which takes boats out around Pigeon Island to Le Sport: St. Lucia’s “Jaystar” came round to the finish line first in the Cruising 1 Class followed by Bajan boats, “Ten Seven” and “Leonora”. The Cruising 2 class saw St. Lucia’s “Papagayo” finish in first place followed by Bajan “Mandy”.
The Racing, J24, Surprise classes enjoyed 10 races over the weekend with the following results.
Racing Class: Martinique’s “Perseverare Diabolicum” and “Mat’” in 1st and 2nd respectively followed by XTreme “Gaya” in 3rd place.
The Surprise class with all entries from Martinique: 1st – “La Morrigane”, 2nd – “Digilife”, 3rd – “Socoveam” (ADSL)
J24 class: 1st place, St. Lucia’s “Jabal” skippered by Nick Forsberg, also the OVERALL winner of the combined J24/Surprise classes, 2nd – Martinique’s “GFA Caraibes”, 3rd – Grenada’s “Die Hard”
All winners received the traditional Mango Bowl trophy and other prizes were kindly sponsored by St. Lucia Distillers, Johnson Marine Hardware, SOL EC Ltd and restaurants, Café Ole, Rituals, The Bread Basket, Elena’s and Zaika. Sailors enjoyed a relaxed but competitive weekend on the water and on shore at the St. Lucia Yacht Club and, as well, on Saturday night at Rodney Bay Marina when sailors enjoyed a fantastic performance by “Skip Monday” hosted by Café Ole: The Boardwalk and sponsored by Heineken. Thanks to Cariquisine and Blue Waters for their sponsorship of food and refreshment for sailors over the weekend and to JE Bergasse & Co.: The Document Centre, for its assistance with PR leading up to the regatta.
St. Lucia’s Mango Bowl Regatta, an anticipated regatta each year for the past 5 years, referred to by sailors as “…magnificent …” “…best in the region…with best race course of any regatta…” …very well organized…” and committed by DIGICEL to be the Digicel Mango Bowl Regatta for the next three years, will continue to bring in many sailors from the region, boosting the Sport Tourism industry and making a mark for St. Lucia on the Caribbean Yachting and Sailing calendars.
Regatta Director, Lily Bergasse, thanks her team of volunteers as well as the staff, friends and family at the St. Lucia Yacht Club who worked through the weekend on the Race Committee Boat, IGY Mark Boat, and Dive Saint Lucia VIP Boat and at the Club to pull off another great Mango Bowl regatta. Special thanks also to IGY staff, Customs and Immigration office and SLASPA for their assistance in welcoming and facilitating yachts’ and sailors’ stay in St. Lucia for the weekend event. And now on to the 2016 ARC! The St. Lucia Yacht Club welcomes all ARC sailors and members of the public to the Club on Reduit Beach beside The Ramp over the Christmas holidays for sailing, drinks, food, great atmosphere and beautiful view of ARC Rodney Bay.
