The BVI’s Sweethearts of the Caribbean Set Sail
by Paul Carrell
Sailors get ready for the Sweethearts of the Caribbean on February 17th and 18th – one of the BVI’s most popular race.
It’s easy to take the crystalline sailing waters that surround us here in The BVI for granted. If one is fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to actually board a boat and sail it around this archipelago of islands, things really get interesting
When you enter the 44th annual Sweethearts of the Caribbean Regatta, you will be taking part in yet another memorable BVI sailing 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.
With fewer schooners 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. Among the multitude of options, there is also an ever-increasing fleet of Corsair Trimarans flying around the islands. It’s not just for old “classics” anymore; they are all “Sweethearts” to us.
This year’s event will be sponsored by Goslings Rum, Tico’s fine spirits, Omars Fusion restaurant and the “Loyal” West End Yacht Club located in the picturesque harbor of Sopers Hole on the West End of Tortola.
The beauty of participating in a sailing regatta in the BVI is that it offers participants the opportunity to race boats around a course that offers advantages and disadvantages to the various types of boats participating in the races being offered. Some boats sail better to windward, some get up and go when reaching off the wind around the courses. Others just sort of sit there and muddle around the puddle, have a good time doing it and wait to see where their handicap will place them on the board at the awards ceremony.
It’s all about being part of a sailing tradition that has originated out of western Tortola for over four decades. We have been fortunate to have our neighbors from St. John, St. Thomas, St.Croix and Puerto Rico make the trip over to earn line honors and glory.
The list of boats and sailors who have participated in this historic race is long and filled with some of the region’s most famous skippers and their vessels: Neil on Hirondelle, Fletcher on Schooner Liberty, Bill Coffman on Rob Roy, Jaguaer, Athena, Owl, Meroe of Kent, Vixen, Orianda, Ruffian, Irene, Iolare, SeafareIV, Diva, Nicola, Mary Rose, Rebecca, Penelope of St. John, Esperance, Tiger Maru, Snap and Sailing Instructor. Numerous other Tortola Sloops, Nesaie of Sweden as well as countless others have also graced us with their presence in the past.
There are plenty of good stories to tell as well, like missing/drifting marks, and close encounters at the congested starts in Sopers Hole. Or, there is this humorous conversation with race officers over the VHF. When answering a query from a competing boat, the race official commented: “turn off your engine ‘I can’t hear you over the noise’”.
It’s all good fun, often followed by an upwind slog to the Willy T, or in past years, a quick turnaround to the Jolly Roger, the famous West End, Tortola eatery, and original headquarters for the West End Yacht Club – now just a memory.
We are now fortunate to have Omar’s Fusion on Frenchman’s Cay as a sponsor and home of the current West End Yacht Club to provide a comfortable epicurean home and oasis for thirsty sailors to mingle while in the harbor before and after the races.
Registration for the Sweethearts of the Caribbean will be on Friday, February 16 at Omar’s Fusion from 5-7pm. Racing will be on Saturday and Sunday, February 17 and 18.
Whether you are a racer or not don’t miss out on the fun. Racers and non-racers alike are invited to the awards party at Omar’s on Sunday at 6pm.
Calling all Sweethearts. For more information go to
