Starting Gun for the BVI Racing Season
By Claudia Colli
From the BVI Spring Regatta to the Sweethearts of the Caribbean, yacht racing is a big part of the BVI sailing scene. All year long you will find sailors taking part in one race or another. They are exhilarating, challenging and fun. Whether you are a cruising sailor, a racer or just a landlubber, who would like to participate in the after race party, here are some of the races to look forward to in the upcoming months.
West End Yacht Club Races
Sweethearts of the Caribbean
The Sweethearts of the Caribbean, which is organized by the West End Yacht Club, is a homage to classics and our boaters’ love affair with them. All yachts are invited to participate, including multihulls, racing and cruising monohulls – as long as the design is 25 years or older.
The race will be held on Saturday, February 15 and registration is the day before at the West End Yacht Club headquarters in West End at “Omar’s on the Sandpit”.
As veteran sailor and writer Paul Carrell put it in last year’s The BVI Insider: “When you enter the 44th annual Sweethearts of the Caribbean Regatta, you will be taking part in yet another memorable Caribbean experience. One of the West End Yacht Club’s oldest races, it originally featured schooners, those romantic beauties that once plied the Caribbean with grace and beauty. The first Sweethearts of the Caribbean race was held in 1980 – fittingly on Valentine’s Day. It has been held on the weekend closest to Valentine’s Day ever since.
Unfortunately, the heyday of the schooners is past, and with fewer of these classic beauties around these days, the race has expanded to include a variety of classic vessels of distinction: schooners, skiffs, ketches, yawls or catamarans, built of wood or plastic as well as an ever-increasing fleet of Corsair trimarans.
Dark and Stormy
Cruising sailors and racers will gather in Trellis Bay for the pre-regatta registration party at Jeremy’s Kitchen on Friday evening, March 7th. The cruise and race up to Anegada will be on Saturday morning with participants gathering at Anegada Reef Hotel after arrival.
The Dark and Stormy has occasionally lived up to its name with challenging weather conditions, but it is expected that this year it will be smooth sailing. This fun weekend of racing held over a BVI holiday weekend goes from Beef Island on the East End of Tortola to Anegada. This year visiting yachtsmen from the Salty Dawg Sailing Association will take part in a “cruise” to accompany the racers in their sail to Anegada. The Salty Dawg sailors will return to The Bitter End Yacht Club the next day, and West End Yacht Club racers are welcome to join in.
The schedule of events for this fun weekend of sailing, eating, drinking and general revelry is
FRIDAY: Welcome party and registration at Jeremy’s Kitchen, Trellis Bay, Tortola; SATURDAY: Late registration 8-9am; Skippers briefing; FIRST START: Bellamy Cay, 10am; BEACH PARTY WITH DJ: Anegada Reef Hotel; SUNDAY: Race 2 – Anegada to the Bitter End; Awards at the Bitter End Yacht Club; MONDAY: Lay Day at the Bitter End Yacht Club and Salty Dog Event; TUESDAY: Optional pursuit event to Little Jost Van Dyke and Cruisers BBQ at the BLine Beach bar
All in all, the Dark and Stormy is expected to be one of the BVI’s most entertaining sailing events.
Royal BVI Yacht Club Races
Latitude 18 Halyard Challenge
In February, the Royal BVI Yacht Club, located in Road Town, will be sponsoring the Latitude 18 Halyard Challenge.
Entries will be in multi-hull cruising and racing classes
Registration is on Friday February 21 and racing is on Saturday, February 22.
BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival
One of the Caribbean’s biggest regatta’s is coming up soon. The BVI Spring Regatta which attracts top racing boats as well as cruisers from around the world will be happening this year from March 31 to April 6. This is a two-part, one-week long event with multiple races and activities.
Tuesday April 1 kicks off the Sailing Festival with The Nanny Cay Round Tortola Race, followed the next day with the Scrub Island Invitational. April 3rd is a lay day where participants can relax and go to the beach. There will also be a variety of activities including a Youth Dinghy Sailing Event.
The Spring Regatta is a three-day event that begins on the 4th and goes through Sunday April 5th when the Awards ceremony will also be held in the late afternoon. Main sponsors include the Royal BVI Yacht Club, The BVI Chamber of Commerce and Nanny Cay.
For more information on the races and the West End Yacht Club to to
https://www.westendyachtclubbvi.com
And the BVI Spring Regatta:
For the Royal BVI Yacht Club racing calendar and other yacht club news go to:
