Friday marked the first day of racing at the 2014 BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival as nearly boats were set for one of the three courses. Waves of rain squalls and winds gusting over 20 knots kept racing interesting, and fun, for the participants.
Racing fleet on the SOL Course on day 1 of the BVI Spring Regatta – Credit: Todd vanSickle/BVI Spring Regatta
“It was all sorts of conditions – we had big rainy squalls, we had light spots, we had holes, big puffs and knock-downs,” said Michael Meyer, from St. Thomas – a trimmer onboard the J/122 El Ocaso who is sailing in his 10th BVI Spring Regatta. “We did very good the first two races – a first and second – and in the third race we kind of had a meltdown with the weather and some equipment failures, so didn’t do too well. But, overall it was a great day.”
El Oscaso saw breeze up to 24 knots and as low as 12 out on the SOL Course. The boat currently sits in second place in the Racing 2 division behind Team McFly / Quokka’s Grand Soleil 43.
In the other two racing divisions, Tonnerre de Breskens 3 (Ker 46) collected three bullets, building upon a strong start to the week in the Nanny Cay Cup Round Tortola Race on Tuesday. In Racing 3, the local yacht Windemon (Tartan 10) leads with two first-place finishes and a second.
El Ocaso – Credit: Todd vanSickle/BVI Spring Regatta
For the performance cruisers, Spririt of Venus (Beneteau First 40.7) won both of the day’s races to lead the division, and Sparti Vento (X-382) and Shamrock VII (J95) share the top of the Performance Cruising 2 division.
A crew of young, Royal BVI Yacht Club members are leading the IC 24s on the One Design Course onboard INTAC. The boat is skippered by 16-year-old Jason Putley, who is racing in his sixth BVI Spring Regatta and is used to the rain and squalls.
“We had a long distance race for the first race where we just went bow down to get speed, then went around Dead Chest with a long downwind to the finish. We finished second in that race – that was good for us,” Putley said. “We had good starts off the line always, and good boat speed. And at the end of the day we finished strong.”
INTAC, skippered by Royal BVI Yacht Club 16-year-old Jason Putley Credit: Todd vanSickle/BVI Spring Regatta
Also on the One Design course was a four-boat fleet of Melges 32s. The Puerto Rican yacht Smile and Wave leads the division, crossing the line in front two times. All four Melges 32 entries completed five races on the day.
Out on the Norman Island Course, the Sunsail 515 Ferry Tale / Mary Jewell had a fairy tale day, finishing first in both races in the Bareboat 1 division.
“We had a nice race this morning. It was a bit difficult at the beginning with the wind shifts. But, we managed to round the islands – I think we were first or second,” said Ferry Tale / Mary Jewell skipper Willem Klomp. “In the second race, we lost our first place position after the start, but gained it back. There was a lot of rain, and it was difficult to see at times, but we enjoyed it and never mind the weather.”
In the Bareboat 2 division, The Whalers / Tortola Moon (Sunsail 41S3) leads with two bullets. For the Jib & Main 1 division, Hotel California Too (Cruising Santa Cruz 70) jumped from third in the first race to the top in the second and sits in the lead. Two local yachts – Red Stripe / Reba (C&C 41 CB) and Girasoli (Jeanneau 40) – are battling for the lead in the Jib & Main 2 division.
For multihulls, Boss Lady II (Moorings 4600) and Triple Jack (Trimaran) are ahead in the first and second divisions, respectively.
Similar breeze and clearer skies are forecasted for Saturday’s races. First starts are scheduled for 10 am.
Windemon leads Racing 3 Division – Credit: Todd vanSickle/BVI Spring Regatta
On Saturday in the Regatta Village, the bar and food vendors begin serving at 2 pm. The evening will be highlighted by a Trèfle Swimwear Show poolside at 5:30 pm, along with an encore performance by aerialist Nichole Raab and lighting of Aragorn’s fire sculptures at 7 pm.
Raab is also racing onboard Peter Mapstone’s Beneteau First 47.7 Freedom of Humble with Team WAVE. The crew is raising awareness and funds for BVI Family Support Network throughout the week. For more information, visit www.team-wave.info.
For compete results and more information on racing, party schedules and more, visitwww.bvispringregatta.org.
Note to press on site: Those wishing to cover racing on the press boats should check in to the press office in Nanny Cay by 8:30 am local.
Chris Haycraft’s Pipedream, racing on the SOL course in Racing 3 Division
Credit: Todd vanSickle/BVI Spring Regatta
BVI SPRING REGATTA & SAILING FESTIVAL:
- For full details on the BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival visit the official web site:www.bvispringregatta.org
- The 43rd BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival will take place between March 31- April 6th 2004
- The BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival is now one of the top three Caribbean sailing events, with an average of 110 yachts per year with 80% of the competitors from overseas
- The BVI Spring Regatta is jointly owned by the Royal BVI Yacht Club and the BVI Chamber of Commerce and Hotel Association
HOST SPONSOR:
- The BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival is presented by Nanny Cay Resort and Marina
http://www.nannycay.com - Nanny Cay Resort and Marina, with a hotel and boatyard, is located between Road Town and West End on Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. Its fully equipped marina and boat repair facility has berths for 180 motor cruisers and yachts and two boat lifts of 50 and 70 tons capacity. Nanny Cay also includes a 40-room hotel and new waterfront townhouses for purchase and rental, two restaurants, a chandlery, a small supermarket, shops and boutiques, a dive shop, free WiFi service, and a gym and spa
SPONSORS:
- BVI Tourist Board, www.bvitourism.com
- LIME, www.timeforlime.com
- The Moorings,www.moorings.com
- Mount Gay, www.mountgayrum.com
- SOL, www.solpetroleum.com
- Sea Hawk Nautical Coatings, www.seahawkpaints.com
Supporting sponsors include:
Heineken, Sunsail, Gill, VP Bank, BVI Marine Association, Caribbean Insurers Limited, O’Neal Webster, Golden Hind Chandlery and BVI Government.
Contributing sponsors include:
Absolut, Red Bull, Island Oasis, Veuve Clicquot, Corona, International Motors, Jordans Trust Company and Clearwater.
BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS:
- For more information on the British Virgin Islands visit: http://www.bvitourism.com
- The BVI and Sailing: The beautiful waters of the British Virgin Islands have always been attractive to sailors. The establishment of several marinas throughout the Territory saw the advent of racing. The BVI Spring Regatta began in 1971 and eventually led to the formation of the BVI Yacht Club. From there, a Yachting Federation emerged, which eventually gained membership in the Royal International Yacht Racing Union in 1982
