Ralliers readying for the off at Nanny Cay
Click to enlargeRalliers for the Atlantic Cup (return rally for the Caribbean 1500) and ARC Europe (return rally for the ARC) are converging on Nanny Cay and preparing for their trips home. The Atlantic Cup will leave May 2nd while ARC Europe leaves May 6 with both fleets heading to Bermuda. The Atlantic Cup has…
Magrathea and Twice Eleven take overall honours in Oyster BVI Regatta
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Oyster BVI Regatta 2010 prizegiving on the beach – click to enlargeThe Oyster BVI Caribbean regatta ended on a high note back at Nanny Cay with today’s Class winners in the Pantaenius Cup race also securing the overall honours. Chris and Susan Shea sailed a masterful race on their Oyster 72, Magrathea to save their time over Class I rivals, Mariusz Koper’s Oyster 72, Katharsis II and Stuart Smith and Barry Cooper’s Oyster 82, Oceana, while David and Tamsin Kidwell’s Oyster 435, Twice Eleven repeated Friday’s victory in Class II.
Today’s race from St Peter Island Resort, took the fleet on a stiff beat up the Sir Francis Drake Channel to round Ginger Island before running down behind Cooper and Salt Islands and reach between Dead Chest and Peter Island to finish off Nanny Cay. The sparkling 20knot conditions provided a fitting end not just to the regatta, but Alan Brook’s jovial eight year tenure as Race Officer to the Oyster fleet. “I wanted this to be as memorable for the competitors as it was for me” he said at the finish after what turned out to be a classic trade wind race.
Formula 40 , Soma, breaks Round Tortola Record in Nanny Cay Challenge
Soma heads off to Cooper Island on first beat – click to enlargeSoma, a St John-based Formula 40 catamaran and frequent BVI visitor, smashed the Round Tortola Record yesterday in the first attempt on the Nanny Cay Challenge announced in February. Soma circumnavigated Tortola and outer islands in 2 hours, 50 minutes and 15 seconds smashing Triple Jack’s record of 3 hours, 33 minutes and 27 seconds set in the PegLegs Round Tortola Race November last year.
Oysters Shine on Opening Day of the Oyster BVI Regatta
Oysters start off Nanny Cay – click to enlargeTwo crews, Mariusz Koper’s Polish Oyster 72 Kathlarsis II and John McTigue’s Oyster 56 Blue Dreams produced masterclass performances to lead their classes from start to finish in a 24 mile opening Lewmar sponsored race in this year’s Oyster BVI regatta from Nanny Cay to Cane Garden Bay on Tuesday. Making most of a port biased starting line and sparkling trade wind conditions, they quickly pushed their way to the front of their respective classes and continued to dominate the chase around the islands.
Mariusz Koper’s crew have been out enjoying these Caribbean conditions ever since competing in last winter’s Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC), and the slick teamwork they have developed together certainly showed. After electing to carry a spinnaker, the Kathlarsis II’ crew made the most of their downwind sail round the back of Peter and Norman islands and back across the Sir Francis Drake Channel to not only lead the 23 strong fleet through the narrow Thatch channel and up to the Cane Garden finish, but saved their time against Stuart Smith and Barry Cooper’s larger Oyster 82 Oceana which had elected to go white sail only.
Nanny Cay hosts Oyster Regatta 2010
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Oysters fill up A dock – click to enlargeTwenty-three Oyster yachts are in the British Virgin Islands for Oyster’s 24th regatta, the fourth to be held in the BVI. Today (Monday, 12 April) sees the fleet berthed at Nanny Cay Marina for the traditional skippers briefing and judging of the Concours d’Elegance. This evening Nanny Cay hosts a cocktail party and dinner co-sponsored by the BVI Tourist Board.
Tomorrow sees the fleet race to Cane Garden Bay from Nanny Cay. In the evening crews will go ashore for a pirate party and treasure hunt before enjoying a buffet supper at Myetts Garden Inn.
Picture perfect end to BVI Spring Regatta
Titan – click to enlargeOnce again, it was a picture perfect day in the British Virgin Islands for the last day of racing of the BVI Spring Regatta, with sun and wind all day long. There were a number of battles out on the race course which were fought to the very end providing plenty of action on the SOL, Norman and LIME One Design Race areas.
It was a given the Tom Hill, sailing Titan XV would take the top spot in Racing A. With five firsts and two seconds, they ended the series three points ahead of Vela Veloce, Richard Oland’s Southern Cross 52. No stranger to the winner’s circle, Tom is always gracious. On stage he thanked the organization and said, “I look forward to sailing BVI every year. I race up north in the rain and cold and I love coming to the BVI.”
From fickle, to nothing, to fifteen knots; day two of BVI Spring Regatta
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Clcik to enlargeIt was one of those mornings when sails look more like hanging laundry than anything else. However, wind conditions improved as the second day of racing for the BVI Spring Regatta wore on. Presley King, sailing with Justin Barton on Justice, Bareboat B, is a local sage when it comes to predicting the winds in the BVI. When asked on the dock this morning what he was looking for today, he replied, “Looking for a little more wind. As soon as the moon raise up, it should get more. The moon will raise up after 11.”
Presley was right. After a very slow start to the morning’s racing with very light air from the west, the breeze appeared to totally dry up and just when race officers were discussing the efficacy of continuing, the wind filled in from the north-east with a nice breeze, building to 15 knots by the middle of the afternoon.
Slow Start but a Hot Finish for Day One of the BVI Spring Regatta
Although no complaints were heard, it was hard to be excited about the day’s weather conditions early on. It was cloudy, rained threatened and it appeared as though what little wind there was might be sucked up by the clouds. Although the clouds hung over all morning, there was wind from the north ranging from a low of 5 to a high of about 20 and later in the day, the sun came shining brightly over the 103 boat fleet on the first day of racing the 2010 BVI Spring Regatta.
On each of the three racecourses, there was a short postponement before the first race to remember Guy Eldridge, owner of Luxury Girl, who died last weekend in a tragic accident. Some of his crew, Liza Appleby, Phil Prevo, Brian Edmond and Guy Phoenix, explained that this weekend they have invited all the past crew members to race on the Beneteau 10R in Guy’s honour. For this regatta, eleven or twelve different people will sail on the boat although through the years there have been many other crewmembers. Brian explained, ”Some have moved away but a lot of the crew that he trained are now on other boats and sailing against us. It is great and is a testimony to how generous he was in training people.” Phil went on to say, “I guess we decided that it was a fitting memorial to him and his dedication to the sport of sailing,” Liza added, “and he would have wanted us to race; he would not have wanted us to just sit and watch.”
Zen Wins Nanny Cay Cup, Registration Closes and the Village Opens
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Zen, Nanny Cay Cup winner – click to enlargeBoats raced down from North Sound to Nanny Cay today, competing for the Nanny Cay Cup, the last event of the BVI Sailing Festival. Registration for the BVI Spring officially closed at 6pm and the Regatta Village officially opened.
The Nanny Cay Cup
The winds shifted earlier than expected today with the south east breeze swinging towards the south. As a result, boats spent much more time with their jibs up than might have been expected. Spinnakers were seen as far west as the Dogs but after that, it was a beat to Beef Island and then only boats with flat reaching kites could carry them to the finish.