5TH ANNUAL CULEBRA HEINEKEN INTERNATIONAL REGATTA

Top-notch racing, laid-back Caribbean-style parties and boatloads of island hospitality is what you’ll find at the 5th annual Culebra Heineken International Regatta (CHIR) and Culebra International Dinghy Regatta (CIDR), set for March 20 to 22.

Puerto Rico’s offshore island of Culebra – 10-square miles of beautiful beaches, lush green hills and less than 2000 friendly inhabitants – has quickly become a hot spot for sailboat racing in the northern Caribbean.

This year, Costa Bonita Villas is once again onboard as the regatta’s host resort. “This is where we’ll host registration, Customs & Immigration officials, and rooms will be available for those who want to stay ashore,” says regatta director, Angel Ayala.

Most of the expected 70-plus fleet’s mother ships will anchor a dinghy-hop away in Ensenada Honda, Daiquiri Bay or Fulladosa Bay, all beautifully sheltered spots.

In addition to mixed fleet racing and cruising classes, Ayala says, “We expect to have one-design classes for Melges 24s, J/24s, IC24s, and J/80s. There will also be a large beach cat fleet and our native Chalanas.”

The first day of competition will see windward-leeward courses for the racing classes south of Punto Soldado and round-the-cays courses for cruisers. The second day, the course will be an island circumnavigation for all but the one-design IC24 and J/24 classes.

“We’ll start the round-the-island race once again from inside Ensenada Honda bay so spectators can see the spectacular start from shore,” says Ayala.

This year, the circumnavigation will be a bit longer as the fleet will round both Culebra and Culebrita, a small offshore island to the east. The channel between Culebrita and Culebra has become too shallow for safe navigation.

The CIDR offers Optimist, Laser and Laser Radial racing for kids in Ensenada Honda while the big boats sail offshore.

Last year, 62 boats with crews from as near as the Puerto Rican mainland to as far away at the Southern Caribbean, United States and Europe competed, with 27 junior sailors racing in the dinghy event. Even greater participation is expected in 2009.

Classes of entry to the CHIR will include CSA Spinnaker Racing, CSA Spinnaker Racer-Cruiser, CSA J24, IC24, CSA Performance Cruiser, CSA Jib & Main, IC24s, Beach Cat and native-built Chalanas.

“We would be happy to dual score IRC-rated yachts that request it, but they must also have a CSA rating,” Ayala says.

There is an entry fee of US $200.00 for all classes except Beach Cats and Chalanas; the Beach Cats fee is US $100.00 and the Chalanas fee is US $150.00. Entries received after February 20, 2009 will be charged $250.00 for all the classes except Beach Cats and Chalanas.

Entry fee for Optimist and Laser Classes; US $50.

An Awards Ceremony will cap the two days of racing.

The CHIR marks the second leg of the Caribbean Ocean Racing Triangle, or C.O.R.T. Series, which begins February 20 to 22, 2009 with the St. Croix International Regatta and concludes April 3 to 5, 2009 with the BVI Spring Regatta in Tortola. At the conclusion of the three-race series, the first, second and third place boats in each of the classes – Spinnaker A, Spinnaker B, Racer-Cruiser, Performance Cruiser, IC24, and Jib & Main – will receive $100, $75 and $50 gift certificates, respectively, from West Marine.

St. Thomas Yacht Club History

The first road was a donkey trail leading off Bluebeard’s Road, dipping to and around a two-acre salt pond, which housed an active colony of no-see’ums, and ending in a thicket of scrub at the Caribbean’s edge. The year was 1964 and an acre of this wilderness was to become the site of the St. Thomas Yacht Club.

On the evening of October 26, 1964, a group of weekend sailors met at the office of the Vessup Bay Estates - then as now in the cottage-like building at the corner of Bluebeard’s Road and Vessup Road. They enthusiastically agreed to organize a yacht club at the Cowpet Bay site. For two months a bulldozer worked along a stretch that is now the beach, eliminating brush and uncovering the sand below (sometimes scooping as deep as ten to fifteen feet). A dredge was hired to deepen the water of the bay, fill in the salt pond, and pump extra sand onto the beach.

In November the Yacht Club of St. Thomas (changed in 1969 to St. Thomas Yacht Club) was incorporated as the Deck Point Corporation with fifteen charter members and fifteen regular members, not quite a dozen boats, and a lot of sailing interest. It was firmly stated that this was to be a sailing – not social club. Naturally the first thing that happened was a party.

The opening party on a sunny December Sunday was an al fresco lamb barbeque on the beach. Cable spools were used for tables, an improvised icebox served as the bar. Guests were invited, and membership applications were stacked on the bar. Initiation fee was $250; dues $150 per year. Non-resident members paid $125 initiation, $70 dues. A set of by-laws and house regulations had been drawn up. There were to be nine members on the Board of Governors. Flag officers were to be elected from the Board by members.

There was a new road, a swimming beach, and moorings. A shack had been hammered together by the members between Christmas day and New Year’s Eve 1965 in a rush for a beachside New Year’s party. Exactly a year later, the present Clubhouse was finished in another flurry of activity, in time to herald the arrival of 1966. And the first section of the concrete dock was in operation.

Kendrick Bragg, AIA, was commissioned to draw up plans for the Clubhouse. To save construction costs, he designed the steel frame of the building like a giant erector set. It was cut in Puerto Rico and shipped in pieces to St. Thomas, to be put together and bolted here. Members gave labor and time; contractors, working at cost, moonlighted evenings when machinery and welding equipment could be borrowed.

The fleet was small... a half dozen sailboats, a powerboat or two, and a few Sunfish. On those early weekends, families arrived carrying pails, part of a pitch-in effort to clear the sands of broken shells and coral left over from the dredging. There was no staff. Saturdays and Sundays a duty roster of two members took turns as bartenders.

The first Commodore, by popular acclaim, was Ahto Walter. Ahto was a seaman extraordinaire who had many transatlantic crossings by sail and was one of the founding members.

One of the first races sponsored by the Club – around the island clockwise – resulted in the handsome, and perpetual, Lady Tristram Cup. The Coral Bay Race, first official overnight race, took place April 3 and 4, 1965. Entries crossed the starting line near Hassel Island and finished in Coral Bay, St. John. Anchors were dropped and that evening there was a steak cookout and prizes for the most original April Fool’s costume. Returning the next day, the boats wound up at the Yacht Club for a buffet supper for $3.00 per person. By the October 30, 1965 Halloween Race around St. John, dinner prices had begun to rise. That end-of-the-race buffet was $3.75.

Engraved invitations were sent out two weeks ahead for Saturday, March 12, 1966, the official opening of the Clubhouse. At 6 pm the Commodore, officers, and wives formed a gala receiving line to greet 150 guests, including the Governor, for an inaugural reception, and later, dinner and dancing.

The fleet was growing. So was the Club. Over a hundred members joined the first year and by 1967 there were 140 regular members. The trend was to small boats... Snipes, Sunfish, Solings. More and more sails sprinkled the bay on Saturdays and Sundays, racing to Christmas Cove and back around St. James.

From the beginning Club sailors did well in off-island competition. In 1966 Rudy Thompson and John Hamber won a silver medal sailing a Flying Dutchman at the Caribbean and Central American Games. A year later, when the Virgin Islands gained Olympic status, they represented the Club and the Virgin Islands at the Pan American Games in Canada. The following year Rudy and John (Flying Dutchman class), Per Dohm (Finn class), with Richard Avery as alternate, flew off to Mexico in their new Olympic uniforms.

The Club’s first Caribbean Midwinter Regatta, for Finns, Snipes, and Sunfish, (previously a Puerto Rican event), was held February 2, 3 and 4, 1968. Club members provided housing for off-island competitors; the Clubhouse was headquarters for food and fun. Word spread and the following year there were over 100 entries, many top-racing skippers from Brazil, Sweden, the Eastern Seaboard, and Puerto Rico, along with an editor from Yachting Magazine to cover the story. The Regatta Committee raised $75,000, found housing for 63 of the visitors, opened the Clubhouse for morning coffee and Danish, lunch every day, cocktail parties, and two dinners, the last a grand buffet attended by 300, the largest crowd the kitchen had handled to date.

In 1969 the Club changed its corporate structure. Five years before, at the time the Deck Point Corporation was organized, it had been decided that when the Club had matured the charter members would turn over all of its assets and liabilities to the membership, so the Club would be member-owned. Now it was time for Deck Point to bow out. On November 14 of that year the Club was officially transferred to the membership. The Board of Governors was enlarged to twelve members.

The year 1970 was a successful one for the Club. Richard Griffin won the North American Sunfish Championship. The very first World Championship Sunfish Regatta, the brainchild of Rudy Thompson, was held here in February. It has since become an important and popular annual event at different sailing grounds around the world.

The mast which stands at the edge of the terrace facing the sea, and flies the U.S. flag and Yacht Club burgee, is made of greenheart wood and was ordered from Surinam. It was arranged that a ship bound from Surinam to Bermuda should carry the new mast on deck, change course (300 miles) and drop it at a rendezvous place in Pillsbury Sound between St. John and Great St. James. Fifty-five gallon drums were tied to the mast for flotation, and it was dropped overboard. The lines holding the drums came undone and the mast sank to the bottom of Pillsbury Sound ... forever. As sailors are never daunted, a new mast was instantly reordered. Same freighter, same course, but a different rendezvous. This time the freighter came as awesomely close to the Yacht Club as it could get (outer buoy lines). Proper barrel hitches were used, the mast was lowered, and tidily hauled ashore. John Battles and mighty vessel “Sabot” were the heroes of the day

Another piece of scenery, the cannon next to the mast was made by  Tracy Lambert foundry in St. Louis as a special gift to the Club, flown to Puerto Rico, and from there delivered to us by the Navy. It was later restored through the efforts of Past Commodore, Dick Avery

In 1971 an extra acre of land adjoining the Club was bought for $40,000. A poll taken that year among the members showed such an interest in tennis that two tennis courts were completed in 1972. With tennis a new look came to the Club. At the bar, players in carefully selected whites and pastels mingled with sailors dressed in anything. Conversation, always sprinkled with handicap ratings, spinnaker news, and spectacular starts now shared time with player rank, smashing serves, and tennis elbow.

From the start the courts were in use from sunrise to sunset, except for high-noon heat. A Pro Shop (built by tennis-playing members) and a third court were completed in June 1975. In June of 1977 a shaded seating stand was completed on the Clubhouse side of the tennis courts, long-needed for spectators and waiting players. There were now 238 resident memberships, 61 non-residents, and a fleet of 140 boats.

Lights were later added to two of the courts. In 2006 a new interest was formed and our courts were resurfaced. Tennis playing member Bill Lambert felt it silly to have beautiful courts and no tournament so a sponsor was found and Bill along with Helga Hosie created the spectacular event called the Chrysler Cup. It is planned to have this tennis tournament compliment our firmly established International Rolex Regatta as the premier tennis event in the Caribbean in the years to come.

Squash arrived at the Club in 1974, in the form of twenty players in search of a court. They suggested that their initiation and dues would pay the cost of construction if the Club built a court. The Club agreed, and more than twenty players signed on immediately. In on and off years a strong competition was built up between ourselves and Tortola to play for a gilded athletic supporter the only trophy not kept in our trophy case

Our sailors continued to travel. Chris Rosenberg captured the North American Junior Sunfish Championship in 1971. At the 1972 Sailing Olympics held in Kiel, Germany, members from the St. Thomas Yacht Club made up the entire Virgin Islands effort, sailing a Soling, Tempest, Star, and Finn. In 1974, Art Andrew came home with a gold medal in the Finn class from the Pan American games held in the Dominican Republic.

Racing classes were changing. Small boats began to be replaced by small cruiser racers in a handicap fleet. More sailors were competing in big boat racing in the Caribbean and at Antigua Race Week.  Two club members, Walter Fisher and John Knight felt it time that STYC had its own international event. Walter handled the sponsor ship by convincing Rolex to sponsor their first ever sailing event and John did the rest The Club’s own International Rolex Cup Regatta (now International Rolex Regatta) was introduced in the fall of 1974, offering a three-day, three race challenge, and bringing in many entries from neighboring islands. Since 1974, the STYC has hosted the prestigious International Rolex Regatta -- the "Crown Jewel of Caribbean Yacht Racing" that annually attracts racing yachts from around the globe. Aside from the annual Commodore's Ball, the Rolex Cup prize giving is one of the few occasions when STYC members forego casual island attire for formal club blazers and cocktail dresses. Over the years the regatta has continued to improve and with the allure of Roles Submariners as prizes, world class race officer and Rather “Tuna” Wulfslager International Jury we truly host an event with international standing and the “Rolex” as it is called has been visited by many of the world’s finest sailors

Peter Holmberg made his Olympic debut in Finn Class at the 1984 Summer Games, which also saw competition from John Foster, Sr. and John Foster, Jr. (Star Class), Jean Kurt and Marlin Sing (Soling Class), Eric Zucker and Trace Terbo (470 Class), Kenny Kline (Windglider) and Chris Thompson (exhibition windsurfing). Introduced in 1984, the Open Laser Regatta sparked Caribbean-wide interest in Lasers and regional class competition that continues to this day.

Traveling to Newport, RI, for the 1985 J/24 World Championships, Lynn Reid, Nancy Frank, Terry Petrosky and Ingrid Avery met with stiff competition -- both from J/24 competitors and Hurricane Gloria. Back on St. Thomas, the Clubhouse underwent an overhaul.

Two women's teams represented the Club at the 1987 J/24 World Championships.

In 1987 the shed used to store sailing gear mysteriously burned to the ground. Five years later the Junior Clubhouse and new lockers were built on the site and are now used as a bandstand and second bar for Club parties.

The first Olympic medal to be won for the Virgin Islands was in 1988. Peter Holmberg, sailing in the Finn Class, brought home the Silver Medal from Seoul, Korea.

Hurricane Hugo roared through the island on the night of September 17, 1989, and dawn brought the sight of over 20 boats driven ashore and lying on the beaches and rocks of Cowpet Bay. The dock was swept away and the Club roof and windows were badly damaged. With the help of an SBA loan and the hard work of many members, Hugo damage was repaired by the end of 1990.

In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, the Club made a major commitment to re-establishing junior sailing by hiring instructors and coaches to give direction and impetus to the program. As more and more children became involved, the need for a Caribbean regatta for juniors existed. Several club members founded the Caribbean International Optimist Regatta (now sponsored by Scotiabank and called the Scotiabank Regatta) in 1993. The event has become the premier junior sailing regatta in the Caribbean and it is known around the world as an ideal place to compete for novices and experts as well. Children from ages 6 to 15, representing 10 or more Caribbean islands/nations, all of North America, parts of South America and countries in Europe participate annually. An event that started with about 23 boats has grown to almost 100 of these single-handed dinghies and has become one of world’s most competitive but “fun” events for kids.

The annual Women’s Laser Regatta - Caribbean Championship is a Ladies-only sailing event that combines instruction with competition, at all skill levels. The event began in 1986 as a one-day regatta, started by Nance Frank & Dee Spear. It has been held annually with the exception of 1995, when it was canceled due to Hurricane Marilyn. Hurricane Lenny in 1999 forced the rescheduling of the 13th event into January of 2000.  With its emphasis on instruction as well as competition, the event for the past two years hosted Betsy Alison (five-time Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year, former Women’s Laser World Champion and currently a top-ranked match racer) as a guest lecturer who provided on-water coaching and post-race review. She and other celebrity guests have been joined by talented speakers on various topics of interest to local sailors.

As a direct result of this event, Antigua and St. Maarten have organized Ladies Laser competitions, developing a Caribbean Women’s Laser Circuit. Veuve Clicquot-Ponsardin has been the title sponsor of this event for eight years through its distributor, Bellows International. The Regatta is currently sponsored by St. Thomas Radiology and a women’s tennis tournament has been added in an effort to allow the women to take over the entire club at least for a weekend. Club 420’s are also sailed as a double handed boat

In 1997, STYC issued a challenge for yacht racing’s foremost event, the America’s Cup. A letter proudly hangs in the Clubhouse accepting this challenge and Carol Hindels, our Commodore at the time, became the first female to ever issue a Challenge. Olympic medallist Peter Holmberg, headed up the syndicate with great support from the V.I. community and many of the Club’s members, Dick Johnson, Maurice and Denise Kurg and Bill Canfield to name a few. Peter Holmberg started training a team with an emphasis on developing local talent for his crew. Unfortunately, financial considerations finally brought a halt to the VI Challenge before they could compete. However, Peter managed to merge the syndicate with that of Dennis Connor’s Stars & Stripes campaign where Peter represented the STYC as an important member of the Stars & Stripes afterguard. Meanwhile past commodore Henry Menin served as an umpire and Deputy Chairman of the International Jury for both the Louis Vuitton Cup Challengers elimination series in 1999 and the America’s Cup XXX in 2000. Both Henry and Peter also spent a “cup” year with Oracle, Larry Ellison US Challenge as helmsman and rules advisor. In the last Cup Henry became part of the 5 man Jury running the event and Peter Holmberg was a helmsman for the eventual winner Aligini.

In 2000, under the inspiration and leadership of Chris Rosenberg, the Club embarked on the creation of a new program to promote club racing for sailors of all skill levels and age groups. Now known as the IC24 Class, the fleet started as 6 boats in 2001 and had grown to 10 boats by the 2002 Rolex Regatta. Club racing has now become a regular event on Fridays and weekends. The fleet has now grown to over 30 boats and spread into the BVI and Puerto Rico. Interest for fleets all over the US and addition of spinnakers in 2007 has made this a very hot class in the International Rolex Regatta.

The last seven years have belonged to our Junior Sailors who have taken our “burgee” around the world and made everyone aware of the presence of  St. Thomas Yacht Club. Taylor Canfield, Cy Thompson and Thomas Barrows lead the way dominating both the Laser and Club 420 class with continuous top 5 finishes everywhere they sailed. Taylor won the North Americans and finished 2nd in the US Nationals twice in 420. Both Cy and Thomas won US National Championships in Laser. Thomas won the @007 NA in Laser and Cy took home the Gold Medal from the CAC Games in 2006. This talented group won both High School National Championships in Fleet Racing and Team Racing in 2006 and finished 1st in the ISAF Team Racing Worlds in Silver Fleet. It is far from over as two strong groups of young sailors are following in the footsteps of Taylor, Cy and Thomas. The most recent achievement being a 13th in the Optimist

Still the quintessential Caribbean yacht club in spirit -- short on pretense, but long on serious yacht racing fun -- the STYC's colorful history, ability to overcome adversity, and member accomplishments, combine to make it a worthy contender as one of the world’s best yacht clubs.

VIRGIN ISLANDS SAILORS PLACE 6TH AT U.S. YOUTH SAILING CHAMPIONSHIP

BY CAROL M.BAREUTHER,RD

The BVI's Alec Anderson and USVI's Rian Bareuther braved water temperatures in the 50s, winds blowing 20 to 25 knots, and some of the best junior sailors in the nation to place 6th out of 36 teams in the highly competitive Club 420 Class at the U.S. Youth Sailing Championship held June 29-July 1 out of the San Francisco Yacht Club and on San Francisco Bay.

The prospects of placing in th the top 10 didn't seem within the duos reach early on the first day when they scored finishes of twenty and twenty-one. Then they got their groove and ended the day with a 6th in the third race.

"We didn't have our technique down at first," says Anderson, who skippered and who is training to represent the BVI in the 2012 Summer Olympics in the Laser class. "Eight to ten boats would pass us on the reaches." The second day the sailors came on the course with steely determination.

"In the first race that day we were in first upwind, first rounding the mark, and first downwind," Anderson says, "Then, we messed up a tack and came in 5th."

Bareuther, who crewed says, "everything gets really chaotic in that amount of breeze, especially at the mark roundings. Then again, only your big mistakes show up, not the ittle ones, when it's that windy. The heavy breeze made it easier to catch up to our opponents."

Catch up they did. "In the very last race we beat the winner," says Anderson. San Diego sailor, Tyler Sinks, 2007 defending 420 champion and crew, Briana Provancha, won the 420 Class this year.

This invitational regatta, organized by U.S. Sailing, saw a field of 150 sailors from 16 nations plus the U.S. and British Virgin islands compete in Club 420s, Lasers, Laser Radials and 29ers. Sailors were selected to compete based on their sailing resumes and performances at regional national and international competitions

The USVI's Max Nickbarg and Mayumi Roler competed in the Laser Radial class, finishing 25th and 38th, respectively.

Anderson, 17 a 12th grader at Cedar School on Tortola, planned to spend the rest of his summer competing in the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championships in Artus, Denmark, July 10-19; the Laser North American Championshihps, July 24-27 in San Francisco and attending the Olympic Youth Camp in Beijing China August 8-24.

Bareuther, a 2008 graduate of the Country Day School on St. Croix will attend SUNY Maritime College in the fall and major in electrical engineering.

36TH INTERNATIONAL ROLEX REGATTA DATES SET MARCH 27 - 29, 2009

There is a weekend in late March when St. Thomas becomes the place to be for sailors and sailor-wannabes alike. Leading up to this three day event, a steady stream of sailboats - big and small - make their way into American Yacht Harbor and Yacht Haven Grande while their skippers and crew anxiously await some competitive racing. Men and women travel to St. Thomas from all over the Caribbean, North America, and Europe to be a part of this exciting event. And while most of the event takes place off the downtown waterfront and Cowpet Bay, there are other curious activities happening behind the scenes right before the first gun signals the race start.

A casual observer may have no idea this event is happening but may sense there is something different in the air. So - what are the main tip-offs indicating the International Rolex Regatta weekend has arrived and what does this mean to you? The following list will give you some helpful tips on what to look out for (and possibly avoid) during St. Thomas' biggest sailing event of the year.

The St. Thomas Yacht Club is looking forward to hosting the 36th annual International Rolex Regatta where it will welcome close to 100 boats. This three-day racing event starting March 27th is one of the premier race events in the Caribbean for everything from beach catamarans to 80-footers. This year has attracted a growing number of boats as well as support from new sponsors including Mount Gay, Yacht Haven Grande and Bellows International.

As well as being an exciting event for the participants, the International Rolex Regatta is also a great event for the casual spectator. Sailboats will be racing off the downtown waterfront providing observers with some great opportunities to watch some world-class sailing.

For more information about this great sailing event, contact the St. Thomas Yacht Club at (340) 775-6320 or visit the regatta website at www.rolexcupregatta.com

Reprint from St Thomas This week

If your urge to ride the surge leans toward the competitive edge, prepare to have lots of racing fun in the Virgin Islands! Every month brings new yachting races to the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico that attract sailors from the seven seas to compete in world-class events. Each yacht club holds a full roster of racing events. Some weekends it's a serious, highly competitive regatta, while other weekends are set aside for some easy going homegrown fun with amateur and junior races.

The gem in the regatta crown is the Annual Rolex Regatta, hosted by the St. Thomas Yacht Club,which celebrates is 35th year March 2 through 30. This internationally acclaimed event is the oldest of the Caribbean spring racing season. 87 teams competed in the 2007 competition. The 2008 race will accept both CSA (Caribbean Sailing Assciation) rating rule and IRC rating, the only rule endorsed by the International Sailing Federation. The addition of the IRC rating is intended to encourage more U.S. and European vessels. The Rolex Regatta features both windward-leeward and distance courses in several classes, including multihulls, beach cats and one-design class vesssels. For more information visit the official web site www.rolexcupregatta.com.

Not to be outdone St. Croix hosts the innovative St. Croix International Regatta each February. The 14th Annual event is scheduled for February 8-10, 2008 and is hosted by the St. Croix yacht Club. It is the first major regatta of the year and acts as the starting race for the three-race CORT (Caribbean Ocean Racing Triangle) series, with spinnaker, racer/cruiser, performance cruiser, IC-24, beach cat and large multihull classes. The most spirited competition includes a prize for the largest skipper, winning their weight in Cruzan Rum! The international Regatta is coupled with the international Valentine Optimist Regatta for junior sailors under the age of 16. Visit www.stcroixyc.com for more information.

It's a party on deck and off during the British Virgin Islands' Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival. March 31 through April 6! Three days of destination cruising, racing water sports and festivities are followed by three days of intense yacht racing in the main event. This regatta is the last leg of the CORT series, featuring five days of racing in the Sir Francis Drake Channel for racing classes, non-spinnaker classes, multihulls and bareboats. Visit www.bvispringregatta.org for details.

Foxy's Bar on Jost Van Dyke, BVI is famous for its continuous beach party atmosphere and racing day is no exception! Join the fun at Foxy's Wooden Boat Regatta each Memorial Day weekend, with food, entertainment and of course, plenty of racing! Besides the main regatta, there is a Single Handed Race and a Log Boat Race as well as handmade model boat races from the shore.

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2009 OPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL REGATTA

ST. THOMAS - After three days and 12 races, Axel Sly made a last-minute move into first place to win the 2009 Scotiabank International Optimist Regatta.

Sly was in second place behind fellow Florida native Christopher Williford heading into Sunday's final three races. Sly made his move in the last two races with a second-place and first-place finish, respectively.

"It's great here because there's a clinic, then a team race, then the Regatta," Sly said. "It's like a week of racing and it's a great practice for the North American races."

Sly, who also won the Red class of the Optimist Regatta, finished with a total of 42 points and won three of the 12 races. The classes represent different skill levels.

"It was lighter than the other days, which was harder for me because I'm heavier than most of the others, especially the ones at the top," Sly said. "This is good, though, because the North American races are the same conditions."

The Virgin Islands Dailey News June 22, 2009

2009 Rolex Regatta Is More Viewer Friendly

by Pamela Reid

March 13, 2009 — With just two weeks to go, the St. Thomas Yacht Club is gearing up to host the 36th annual International Rolex Regatta, March 27-29.
     This year the regatta has some big changes aimed at pleasing local onlookers. With the race into the harbor slated for Saturday, March 28 and an open party on Saturday night at Yacht Haven Grande, there is something for everyone. There will be nightly entertainment after days of spirited sailing.
     Rolex watches will still be presented to four of the regatta’s class winners this year, one for each of the two IRC classes, the Caribbean Sailing Association class and the IC-24 class. The watches will be engraved on the back, race director Bill Canfield said.  With just 40 entries so far, the number of competitors are fewer than last year, a situation being felt at many regattas.
     The Rolex International Regatta has taken the tough economic times into account by lowering entry fees by $100.
     ”We are worried about the world economy and yacht racing around the world,” Canfield said.
     Advance entries are the exception, and on-site entries give racers another opportunity to catch up with old friends at the entry desk, according to Linda Phillips, spokesperson for the BVI Spring Regatta, the next race following Rolex.
     On March 27, racing will be round the marks off the east end of St. Thomas, and while the courses are generally short, they demand a lot of quick and precise action by the crew to change sails for the upwind and downwind legs.
     March 28 is to be a big day for spectators, with a race right into the harbor downtown and a race mark right off the waterfront, allowing fans to see racers up close rounding the mark. The harbor race used to be held on Friday, but organizers wanted to change it to the weekend, so local people and tourists alike can experience the excitement of racing from the waterfront.
     ”From about 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., there will be some pretty exciting racing downtown,” Canfield said.
     After racing, fans and racers can dance the night away starting at 7 p.m. at Yacht Haven Grande.
     ”We’re excited about Saturday night at Yacht Haven Grande,” Canfield said. “Yacht Haven Grande is one of the best venues to host a big party.”
     There is no admission for the party, which will have cash bars and feature the reggae sounds of the Spectrum Band.
     Sunday’s race action will be back toward the east end of the island and the awards ceremony will start around 6 p.m. on the yacht club’s beach.
     The regatta has some new sponsors this year including Mount Gay Rum, famous for their highly coveted regatta-embroidered red caps. Yacht Haven Grande has provided free dock space, and other sponsors in addition to principal sponsors Rolex and A.H. Riise include Bellows International and the Virgin Islands Department of Tourism.
     The festivities will culminate at the St. Thomas Yacht Club at 7 p.m. on Sunday March 29 with an awards ceremony, entertainment and dancing.
     Racers and interested spectators can check out the race website or call 775-6320 for more information or to view a full schedule of events. 
 With just 40 entries so far, the number of competitors are fewer than last year, a situation being felt at many regattas.
     The Rolex International Regatta has taken the tough economic times into account by lowering entry fees by $100.
     ”We are worried about the world economy and yacht racing around the world,” Canfield said.
     Advance entries are the exception, and on-site entries give racers another opportunity to catch up with old friends at the entry desk, according to Linda Phillips, spokesperson for the BVI Spring Regatta, the next race following Rolex.
     On March 27, racing will be round the marks off the east end of St. Thomas, and while the courses are generally short, they demand a lot of quick and precise action by the crew to change sails for the upwind and downwind legs.
     March 28 is to be a big day for spectators, with a race right into the harbor downtown and a race mark right off the waterfront, allowing fans to see racers up close rounding the mark. The harbor race used to be held on Friday, but organizers wanted to change it to the weekend, so local people and tourists alike can experience the excitement of racing from the waterfront.
     ”From about 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., there will be some pretty exciting racing downtown,” Canfield said.
     After racing, fans and racers can dance the night away starting at 7 p.m. at Yacht Haven Grande.
     ”We’re excited about Saturday night at Yacht Haven Grande,” Canfield said. “Yacht Haven Grande is one of the best venues to host a big party.”
     There is no admission for the party, which will have cash bars and feature the reggae sounds of the Spectrum Band.
     Sunday’s race action will be back toward the east end of the island and the awards ceremony will start around 6 p.m. on the yacht club’s beach.
     The regatta has some new sponsors this year including Mount Gay Rum, famous for their highly coveted regatta-embroidered red caps. Yacht Haven Grande has provided free dock space, and other sponsors in addition to principal sponsors Rolex and A.H. Riise include Bellows International and the Virgin Islands Department of Tourism.
     The festivities will culminate at the St. Thomas Yacht Club at 7 p.m. on Sunday March 29 with an awards ceremony, entertainment and dancing.
     Racers and interested spectators can check out the race website or call 775-6320 for more information or to view a full schedule of events.

PLANNING UNDERWAY FOR 2009 ST. CROIX INTERNATIONAL REGATTA

For a behind-the-scenes look at long range planning that must be done for a race, Regatta Diroctor Julie San Martin and her committee sent All at Sea a report on work well underway for one of next season's early regattas.

Hurricane season has begun. Many racing boats in the Caribbean are now either on the hard, out of the terriotry, or ready to do one or the other. The Caribbean regatta organizers, on the other hand, are hard at work getting ready for the 2009 spring racing season.

On St. Croix, Yacht Cub Commodore Vicki Bandola, has accepted chairmanship of the sponsorship committee, adding to her responsibilities as on-shore manager. Meetings are scheduled, volunteer committee members solicited, and tasks assigned.

Merchandise chairwoman Millie Johnson has developed a short list of designes for regatta merchandise, which must be ordered and shipped before the end of the year. Optimist and Logistics chairwoman Karen Stanton has begun reminding the gang of six of what they should be doing. Fleet Captain and race committee chairman Kim Jones is busy getting daughter Sydney off to the Beijing Olympics and the summer sailing program running smoothly. Publicity chair Delly Sion is working on a new website, with the help of her husband and four month old daughter Anna.

Regatta Director Julie San Martin is talking to the racers, both local and faithful visitors, about what they'd like to see for courses. And, as usual, deciding who will be happy and who will be upset because their advice was not followed. There will definitely be technological upgrades, particularly in results reporting.

"This year, not only did we lose internet connection, our electric utility decided to turn off power for routine maintenance - during the last hour of registration. It was our technology theme for the weekend - nothing worked the way we planned." laughs San Martin.

The St. Croix International Regatta, like other Caribbean regattas, is staffed by volunteers. One of the diffcult tasks all organizers face is motivating these volunteers during the critical summer planning period. The spring season seems a long, long way off and summer is really great sailing weather!

Reprinted from All At Sea September, 2008 Issue

"We stayed in this St. Thomas Virgin Islands apartment and had a wonderful week. The owner of the home met us at the airport and we followed him in our rental car. The apartment was clean, secluded, and safe. If you are going to spend your time exploring the islands of St. Thomas and St. John, this is an excellent place to use as a home base. We even loved the drive up the hill to get there. The view from the front porch was definitely worth it! Everything in the kitchenette worked fine and was a huge money saver as the restaurants on St. Thomas are expensive. There are grocery stores and a Kmart reasonable close to the apartment that did have good prices. There is nothing fancy about this place, but it is fully functional and we would stay there again. Another plus about this rental was the owners acceptance of Paypal for paymenthank you so very much - we had a fabulous time. Your unit is great which met our expectations. We hope that you will have it available next year for our use. When we would certainly plan more then six days. All good things must come to at least a temporary end.”
Thanks again so much. Robin & Barb

36TH INTERNATIONAL ROLEX REGATTA DATES MARCH 27 - 29, 2009

The 36th running of the International Rolex Regatta is sure to build on its successes last year, which included the addition of IRC racing and joining with the BVI Spring Regatta to offer the inaugural Virgin Islands Race Week. The event is part of the US -IRC Gulf Stream Series and also hosts classses for CSA (Caribbean Rule) racing as well as one-designs, beach cats and large multihulls.

"We've proudly hosted this regatta since 1974," said William Newbold, Commodore of St. Thomas Yacht Club. "Over three days the finest yachtsmen and yachtswomen from around the Caribbean, United States and Europe join in world-class racing in a spectacular environment, which includes the warm, clear waters surrounding our Club. It's an adventurous way to get a jump on their summer sailing season."

Veteran competitor Bill Alcott of Detroit, Michigan, who owns the 68-foot yacht Equation, counts the International Rolex Regatta as "one of the highlights of of my life and love of competition and the sea- I wouldn't miss it for the world."

America's Cup veteran Peter Holmberg, who calls St. Thomas home, is one of the more famous local sailors who attends, while last year Norbert Plambeck, from Cuxhaven, Germany, came from farthest abroad to sail his Frers80 Hexe.

"The hotly contested one design racing on the St. James Circle returns," said Regatta Co-Chair John Sweeney, "and now that we have IRC off the ground, we expect an increase in those boats on the Ocean Circle" Sweeney added that the picturesque distance race from the east end of St. Thomas to Charlotte Amalie Harbor and back has established itself as an island tradition. Also, highlighting the regatta is the beautiful yet tactically demanding Pillsbury Sound Race in and among the cays between St. Thomas and St. John. This "Sunday drive" has decided final standings to most classes each of the last four years.

After racing, beachside social activities blend St. Thomas Yacht Club's island-style hospitality with camaraderie and competition. The finishing touch is the presentation of Rolex timepieces to winners of qualifying classes. A.H.Riise, Official Retailer of Rolex watches in the U.S. Virgin Islands, takes an active role in sponsorship of the event.

While most of the yachts moor or anchor (or rest on the beach, as is the case with the Beach Cats)within St. Thomas Yacht Club's watery backyard of Cowpet Bay, the posh new Yacht Haven Grande Marina in Charlotte Amalie can be second home to any boats that prefer full service facilities

For more informtion, contact Bill Canfield at styc@vipowernet.net. The regatta web page is www.rolexcupregatta.com.

Reprinted from All At Sea September 2008 Issue