BVI Spring Regatta 2025: What’s New and Cool
One of the Caribbean’s biggest racing events, the BVI Spring Regatta always has a surprise or two. This year it will feature new technology, new boats, and events with a twist.
Attracting top racing boats and cruisers from around the world, the BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival kicks off this year on March 31st and carries on with non-stop racing and land-based fun through April 6. A high-class act, the Regatta has something for everyone – sailors and non-sailors alike. In addition to multiple days of racing, there will be land-based food, drink and music at Regatta Village, its Nanny Cay base. At the Village, racers will be joined by BVI party-goers psyched for a good time.
The BVI Spring Regatta’s website has listed some of the most fun and intriguing new boats and events that will be found at this year’s regatta. Get a sneak peek here!
BOTS Boost Race Management
First used in high-performance events like the America’s Cup and Sail GP, robotic buoys, BOTS, are now used in many international regattas and will be used on the VX One course during the second leg of the VX One Caribbean Cup, sponsored by Evolution Sails.
The patented buoys, manufactured by MarkSetBot in Detroit, Michigan, are a self-propelled sailing mark with GPS technology that can set a race course and hold its position without anchors. A user-friendly mobile app with stress-free assembly and easy routing and repositioning, make precise race management simple and accurate.
Chris Haycraft, chairman of the BVISR, saw the BOTS in action while serving on the race committee of the 44Cup held at Nanny Cay. Principal Race Officer, Maria Torrijo, operated and positioned the BOTS.
“I was hesitant they could work looking at the forecast for 20 to 30 knots for five days straight with big seas,” said Chris. “But boy did those BOTS handle everything we could throw at them. On Thursday of the RC44 regatta, we decided to anchor the BOTS as we expected the worst of the wind. It reminded us how difficult it is to anchor marks and adjust to wind shifts. The mark boat crew were happy to flick back to AUTO mode the next day.”
The BVISR race management team, always keen to keep the BVISR at the forefront of international regatta management will use this opportunity to assess the BOTS for further use at future Spring Regattas.
Fleet Of 11 For VX One Caribbean Cup 2025
Eleven boats will compete in the VX One Caribbean Cup 2025, a two-leg series sponsored by Evolution Sails. It kicks off with the St. Thomas International Regatta (STIR) March 28-30 and concludes with the BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival (BVISR), April 4-6.
Over 400 VX Ones – 19-foot-long, strict one-design keelboats sailed by two to three crew with an optimum weight range of 380 to 550 pounds – have been built since 2012. National class associations are now in Australia, Canada, Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, New Zealand, the Netherlands, the UK, and the USA.
The VX One Class first sailed in St Thomas International Regatta and the BVI Spring Regatta in 2016.
“Evolution Sails has partnered with the VX One North American Class during its winter series by coaching the whole fleet, helping us to run daily debriefs, especially focusing on those in the middle and back of the fleet to improve and grow the class, and by donating gear for raffles to make this feasible.
In early March, Evolution will sponsor the VX One Florida State Championship, which includes entry of an all-women’s team at no charge to the team. Then, at the end of March, for the VX One Caribbean Cup 2025, Evolution’s sponsorship includes race technology like BOTS, which makes it possible to run races more easily and, in more places, such as in the ideal sailing conditions of the U.S. and British Virgin Islands,” says Tim Pitts, president, VX One North American Class.
Inaugural Windies Multihull Trophy
THe BVI Spring Regatta will be part of the inaugural Windies Multihull Trophy, a new season championship designed to encourage offshore multihulls to participate in more Caribbean regattas and offshore passage events for the 2025 sailing season.
The Budget Marine Windies Multihull Trophy, launched by the Caribbean Sailing Association, will include some of the most prestigious events in the Caribbean regatta circuit, such as the Barbados Sailing Week, the Rum to Spice Race, Grenada Sailing Week, the Caribbean Multihull Challenge, the Antigua 360°, the RORC Caribbean 600, the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, the BVI Round Tortola Race, Antigua Sailing Week, and the BVI Spring Regatta.
The championship will consist of two divisions: multihulls with a length overall (LOA) of less than 60 feet, and those with an LOA of 60 feet and above. All multihulls that have made passages between the events under their own power or sail are eligible and will be automatically entered. Multihulls can count their best five scores.
“This is going to be amazing, and I invite all of my peers to come out and race at more regattas. Let’s see how many multihulls we can get out on the water,” said Guy Chester, owner of the Trimaran Ocean Tribute who conceived the Budget Marine Windies Multihull Trophy.
Best Place to Sail This Winter
JAX, a custom 43’ performance wood and carbon sailboat owned by Oivind is scheduled to sail in the 2025 BVI Spring Regatta. With new and diverse boats almost always gracing the start line at BVI Spring Regatta, JAX is sure to add an element of mystery to the range of racing boats competing in this year’s event.
Lorentzen, who grew up sailing in Greenwich, CT and Norway, is excited to escape the North American winter for some early pre-season training behind the wheel of his new boat, which was launched last year, competing in various regattas in Newport, RI, and Maine. A long-time sailor who was very active on the J/70 scene, Lorentzen became interested in having fun with wood albeit with a performance edge. He got involved with the wooden / classic boat regatta circuit with his restoration of an old one-tonner, The Hawk, designed by William Tripp and built in Bremen in the late 60s. Following that, he commissioned JAX, a two-year project built in Maine’s Brooklin Boat Yard.
Lorentzen has not spent a lot of time in the Caribbean other than some racing in the mid-70s and in 2022, he chartered a JPK sailboat and competed in the BVI Spring Regatta. He’s returning to the Caribbean to enjoy all that the BVI Spring Regatta offers – warm turquoise water, consistent trade winds, and the best beach parties.
BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival Racing and Event Schedule
| Monday March 31 – Registration | |
| Registration for BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival at Peg Legs Nanny Cay | Noon – 6:00 |
| Tuesday April 1 – Nanny Cay Round Tortola Race | |
| First Start | 10:00 |
| Nanny Cay Awards – Peg Legs Nanny Cay Marina | 6 – 7:00 |
| Wednesday April 2 – Scrub Island Invitational | |
| First Start | 10:00 |
| Scrub Island Awards | 1:30- 2:30 |
| Thursday April 3 – Lay Day – Regatta Village at Nanny Cay | |
| •Youth Dinghy Sailing Race and Wing Foiling Activities (TBD) | Noon |
| •Registration for BVI Spring Regatta | Noon – 6:00 |
| •Regatta Village Opens | 2:00 |
| •BVI Welcome Event | 6 – 7:00 |
| •Live Entertainment | 7:00 |
| Friday April 4- Mount Gay Race Day | |
| •First Start | 10:00 |
| •Regatta Village Opens | 2:00 |
| •Mount Gay Race Day Awards | 6 – 7:00 |
| •3Gs Band and DJ Wiz | 7:00 |
| Saturday April 5 – Race Day 2 | |
| •First Start | 10:00 |
| •Regatta Village Opens | 2:00 |
| •Heinken Awards of the day | 6:00 |
| •Live Entertainment | 7:00 |
| Sunday April 6- Final Race Day and Awards | |
| •First Start | 10:00 |
| •Regatta Village Opens•Spring Regatta Awards Ceremony•Live Entertainment | 2:00 |
Additional information at:
read more about The BVI Spring Regatta at
