BVI Customs and Immigration officials will being on-site at Nanny Cay from noon – 18.00 on Monday, March 30 and Thursday, April 2nd, to clear in yachts arriving for the Sailing Festival and BVI Spring Regatta.  Additionally, Customs will be waiving the Cruising Permit fee. The fee is $4 per person, per day, and with boats carrying anywhere between five to twenty crew members, the per day savings for visiting yachts will be anywhere between $20 – $80.

Every year, well before registration closes for the BVI Spring Regatta, people ask, “How many boats are registered?” and every year, organizers reply something to the effect that the final registration numbers are hard to predict. This year is no different, but with the economy being in the toilet and the event looming only seven weeks away, the question seems more relevant than ever. The numbers for the 2009 BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival, March 30 – April 5, look healthy and regatta organizers have reason to believe that although 2009 will not be a record breaker, it will be a good year.