41st BVI Spring Regatta Approaching

Antelope enjoying fantastic racing conditions went on to win Racing A in the 2011 BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival. Credit: Todd VanSickle/BVI Spring Regatta& Sailing FestivalWith gorgeous sailing conditions and amazing scenery, the British Virgin Islands offer sailing enthusiasts an idyllic place to soak up the sun. The BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival presented and hosted by Nanny Cay, is the highlight of the season in one of the world's best sailing locations.
 
"With seven days of fun and five events to chose from, the regatta has a lot to offer, which is probably why it attracts so many different nationalities. It's not all about hard-core racing, but we have that too. The regatta is a celebration of all that the BVIs have to offer." commented Regatta Chairman, Bob Phillips.
 
Providing hot racing, great parties and a celebrated festival, the event includes a four-day Sailing Festival followed by a three day Regatta, punctuated with some fabulous shore side parties and events. For over 40 years, the BVI Spring Regatta has attracted some of the world's most famous yachts and sailors and this year is no exception.

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Tortola Sloop Shootout at Nanny Cay

Tortola Sloops at Nanny CayFor years, Tortola was a major boat-building island, gaining a reputation for wooden boats known as Tortola Sloops. They were used extensively throughout the greater Virgin Islands, in particular when it came to shipping cattle from Anegada to St. Thomas.

“These boats are a major part of maritime heritage here,” said Geoffrey Brooks, who curates the Maritime Museum at H. Lavity Stoutt Community College’s Centre for Applied Marine Studies.

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An update from General Manager, Miles Sutherland-Pilch

The Nanny Cay Marina team proudly showing their "Best Marina of the BVI" award from the BVI Property & Yacht GuideThe beginning of December provides a good opportunity to update our many friends on the variety of events and activities that have been happening at Nanny Cay.  Fortunately we had a quiet Hurricane Season giving the staff time to get ready for the start of the season.  With visitors starting to arrive and the slips starting to fill up there is a real buzz about the place.

Recently, the marina was busy hosting the 53 boats who sailed from Hampton VA to Tortola in the annual Caribbean 1500.  This year marked a couple of firsts: the first time the rally had been run by the World Cruising Club which also run the ARC Europe rally departing from Nanny Cay in May 2012; and the first time the arriving boats have been able to clear BVI Customs in Nanny Cay where previously they had to make an additional stop at Soper’s Hole.  After 7-10 days at sea the crews are pretty exhausted and the skippers were appreciative of this initiative – they also liked the rum punch on arrival! 

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Med Spirit Takes Line Honours in ARC 2011

Med Spirit's crew celebrates arrival in Saint LuciaAfter battling it out for 11½ days at sea only one hour separated the two leading boats in a spectacular finish to this year’s ARC 2011. In the end it was Med Spirit, the 28.7m super-maxi skippered by Vladimir Kulinichenko, who took line honours in 11 days, 14 hours, 9 minutes and 37 seconds finishing at 02:54:37 on Friday 2 December. The second place boat was Alain Delhumeau's 15.2m Lerouge Pulsar trimaran, Rayon Vert, who had lead the fleet since the start only to be overtaken by Med Spirit in a gybing battle off Barbados.

Although both boats clocked impressive speeds of 25 knots and covered over 300 miles per day, they were unable to beat the ARC crossing record set by Rinaldo del Bono in Capricorno in 2006 with a crossing time of 11 days, 5 hours, 32 minutes and 30 seconds. Lighter winds on the final approaches combined with a blown spinnaker on Rayon Vert and problems onboard Med Spirit put paid to their record hopes.

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Vaquita on course to smash ARC 2011 record

Vaquita leads out the Racing Division start in Las PalmasIf the wind holds the 40-foot Vaquita, skippered by Christof Petter from Austria, will break the record for the fastest ARC crossing ever for a monohull under 60-feet. Vaquita has made extraordinary progress since leaving Gran Canaria, and is only 50 miles behind the leading boats and over 250 miles ahead of her closest rival in the Racing Division.

The ARC 2011, now in its 25^th year, departed from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria on 20 November and set sail for Rodney Bay Marina in Saint Lucia, a distance of some 2,700 nautical miles. Many of the yachts will return in the ARC Europe, which will leave Nanny Cay on 5 May next year.

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