For those of you that enjoyed the 2021 Windward 500, we welcome you and others to the 2022 Windward 500 scheduled to start on 16th May 2022. The Organizing Authority, the Caribbean Ocean Racing Club (CORC), is encouraged by the number of regattas that have run, despite the lingering challenges of the pandemic.
The Mango Bowl kicked off the racing season in November 2021, and we were pleased to recently see their event tee-shirts on competitors from Martinique up in St. Maarten. The Mount Gay Round Barbados Sail-Week saw an inclusive mix of Freestyle Kite, Foiling Kiteboard, DragonFlite 95 Radio Controlled Boats, Optimist, Topper, Sunfish, O’pen Skiff and more for the Youth Event, Cruisers for Coastal Racing, and a small Race Fleet for the Round the Island Race. Then it’s off to the big league, the 2022 Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) Caribbean 600, and the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta. At each events, the organizers of the Windward 500 Series conversed with Race Officers, Competitors, Event Organizers, Class Associations, Yacht Club and Sail Training Officers, and Members of the Sailing Development Committee and Board of the Caribbean Sailing Association.
The input was consistent; It was great to see the Windward 500 come to life in 2021 during the challenging times of the pandemic. The all-virtual Race Committee, Jury, Skippers Briefing, and Prizegiving worked well for the race format. Racing through waypoint gates and Yellowbrick’s capture of finishes through geofences with auto-feed to YachtScoring.com was unique. However, the windward beat from Martinique to Barbados is challenging. The sleigh ride that follows from Barbados down to Grenada and the picturesque reach up the Windwards to Diamond Rock Martinique is exhilarating and rewarding. But what’s next from the Caribbean Ocean Racing Club.
CORC intends to host the 2022 Windward 500 Series, and we have variants that we want to put effort behind this year as well. We see the Windward 500 Series, which includes two shorter distance races designed as qualifying event opportunities for those that want to take on the RORC Caribbean 600 and Storm TriSail’s 800nm Pineapple Cup. Many Caribbean Regattas host Round the Island Races, but these are often 45 to 65nm races in daylight. Our Caribbean Racers need more than overnight passage delivery experience. They need races designed to develop navigational, tactical, and boat handling skills and the stamina required in distance racing.
This year, we will focus on the Windward-Zero and Windward-Sprint courses. The Zero offers young double-handed and fully crewed racers a safe sailing ground to develop their distance racing skills. It is an approximate 360nm loop between Point Saline Grenada in the South, Bequia St. Vincent, Fort Rodney Saint Lucia, and Diamond Rock Martinique in the North and back. Like the Windward 500, Windward-Zero racers can pick their start/finish island fro the four listed. By safely and competitively completing the course, racers will build sailing resumes to meet the entry requirements for longer races.
The Windward-Sprint Course is a 300nm race between Barbados, Sail Rock in the Grenadines, and Bequia. For Cruisers and Racers in the Grenadines looking to stretch their sea legs, this race offers a big Windward / Leeward Race with up to two nights of racing. CORC is willing to run the race in two separate legs for those starting in Barbados. The race’s first leg would deliver cruisers and races from Barbados, round Sail Rock, and into Bequia. They can then join the Windward-Zero and later race the second half of their Windward-Sprint from Bequia back to Barbados.
For the experienced racer, the Windward-500 still presents the best run, reach, and beat in the Windward Islands. We continue to work closely with the Caribbean Sailing Association to develop these unique qualifying distance races, so feel free to offer us your input. Contact us, or register to race at email: CaribbeanORC@Gmail.com
