News

Dates Announced for 2013 BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival

2012-05-21T16:53:14Z

25th-31st March 2013

The BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival will take place a week earlier in 2013, with regatta dates set for March 25-31. In cooperation with other regattas, the BVI Spring Regatta hosted by Nanny Cay Resort and Marina, will move to the earlier date, but will continue to follow the St. Thomas International Rolex Regatta as it has done for many years.

After 40 years the BVI Spring Regatta is looking at a new chapter for the regatta: "The Caribbean has been discovered for the best sailing and some of the best racing in the world," said Judy Petz, Director of the BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival. "In order to help promote Caribbean racing, we will be changing our dates in 2013 to March 25-31 to allow campaign boats to race more of the regattas and sailors who come down for race season will also have the opportunity to attend each event."

The BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival attracted over 700 sailors in 2012 from 13 different countries. For more information about the BVI Spring Regatta& Sailing Festival go to: www.bvispringregatta.org

The same great venue remains!

ARC Europe heads off

2012-05-07T19:02:47Z

Light winds dominated the start for ARC Europe here early Saturday afternoon. However, it still made for an impressive sight as 24 ARC Europe boats sailed passed the committee vessel, heading West down the Sir Francis Drake Channel before heading North for the 850NM passage to Bermuda.

The fleet really got into the spirit of the rally as they all sailed across the line, with many attempting to fill their cruising chutes whilst not being deterred by the prevailing light winds. Chiscos was the first to hoist their pink parasailor. M.R Stefanik, Purrr-fect and Pinta also followed up from behind, flying their colourful chutes.

Farewells and Atlantic Cup departure

2012-05-04T13:16:11Z

The Atlantic Cup start off Nanny Cay - click to enlargeAfter checking out with the rally office from 0800 yesterday, the Atlantic Cup participants made some last minute preparations before heading out to the start line just outside the Nanny Cay marina entrance. The Atlantic Cup, a sister event to ARC Europe, is for sailors returning to the East coast of the US via Bermuda.

ARC Europe Safety Day

2012-05-03T13:47:27Z

Liferaft training in the Nanny Cay poolThe World Cruising Club team held a "safety day" for the ARC Europe fleet gathering at Nanny Cay Marina on Tuesday. Andrew Bishop executed an excellent safety management seminar upstairs at Peg Legs with the majority of the skippers in attendance, providing his personal experiences of problems at sea to include fires, grounding, demasting, man overboard, and some serious injuries. After this long list, Andrew was sure that no crew would ever want to sail with him after that, but the truth is simply that he has had a lot of experience at sea over the years and has sailed under a wide variety of conditions.

ARC Europe gearing up for departure

2012-05-02T17:53:28Z

World Cruising Club's ARC Europe 2012 will depart Nanny Cay Saturday, May 5, and 35 yachts are currently signed up. There is a good mixture of yachts that have sailed on World Cruising Club events in the past, including several that just completed ARC 2011, and new participants joining for the first time. It is a great opportunity to meet and sail in company with an international mix of sailors on the 3,650NM passage across the North Atlantic to Europe.

Twenty-five yachts will again be starting from Nanny Cay and there is also a start on the same day from Hampton, VA, in the US with five yachts set to depart from there. All yachts will be heading to the first rally destination port, St. George’s in Bermuda.

Oyster BVI Regatta closes at Nanny Cay

2012-04-12T14:22:51Z

Perhaps, David Tydeman, CEO of Oyster Marine summed up the Oyster’s Regatta BVI at the final prize giving. “This has been one of the most friendly and enjoyable regattas of the 28 events we have had over the years. The sailing conditions have been nothing short of superb and the feedback coming from the Oyster owners is unanimous; the racecourses have provided a blend of amazing scenery and challenging sailing with close competition between the fleet. It had been especially pleasant to see nine Oysters in attendance for the first time and we hope that the experience will make them regular visitors to Oyster events.”

For the last day of racing, sponsored by Pantaenius, The Oyster fleet enjoyed a passage race to Nanny Cay Marina. However, light winds necessitated a shorter course. Starting in the North Sound, a route around The Dogs then passed the western shore of Virgin Gorda, Fallen Jerusalem and Ginger Island where a finish line was laid. These islands offer mesmerising vistas of extraordinary beauty but also tactically challenging wind shifts and current eddies.

Nanny Cay and Sol continue to support youth sailing

2012-04-05T14:05:00Z

(L-R) Cameron McColl - owner Nanny Cay Resort and Marina, and Deborah Benjamin - country manager, Sol, present donation cheque for youth sailing to Chris Haycraft, commodore, Royal BVI Yacht Club pictured with club youth sailors.In a joint initiative with Sol, a contribution from every gallon of fuel sold at the Nanny Cay Marina fuel dock is made to the Royal BVI Yacht Club Youth Sailing Programme. During the BVI Spring Regatta Cameron McColl, owner of Nanny Cay Resort and Marina, and Deborah Benjamin, country manager, Sol, presented the next installment to Chris Haycraft, commodore, Royal BVI Yacht Club.

Also during the BVI Spring Regatta, Sol hosted junior sailors of the Royal BVI Yacht Club (RBVIYC) and raised $4000 through raffle ticket sales. The raffle is the largest annual fundraising effort undertaken by the club’s junior sailors and proceeds of the ticket sales will be used to purchase equipment for the youth sailing programme.

Oyster BVI Regatta kicks off at Nanny Cay

2012-04-04T12:53:33Z

Oysters on A dock. Click to enlargeOn Monday morning revellers from the closing party of the 2012 BVI Spring Regatta had barely left the Regatta Village when the Nanny Cay crew had to go into full clean up mode and clear the docks for 24 Oysters as they arrived for their bi-annual Oyster Regatta BVI.

They arrived throughout the day and the event kicked off with a skippers briefing in PegLegs late afternoon, followed by a welcome party on the beach.

Despite predictions of little wind for the first race yesterday, a light easterly breeze got racing underway, right on schedule for the Lewmar sponsored race to Cane Garden Bay. Oyster CEO, David Tydeman acting as Race Officer for the week, chose to send the Oyster fleet on an 11-mile course with a downwind start heading west from Nanny Cay.

A GRAND FINALE - 41st BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival

2012-04-02T05:20:06Z

Billl Alcott's STP65 EquationA southeasterly breeze of about 12-15 knots emanating from Dead Chest Island, provided shifty conditions for a tense last day of racing at the BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival. Today all classes raced in the Sir Francis Drake Channel outside Nanny Cay and there was a lot of traffic to contend with. Probably the most important factor was staying in clear air and spotting the shifts as they whipped over and around the chain of islands on the south side of the Channel.

Regatta Chairman, Bob Phillips has been on the water every day during the regatta and he is rightly proud of the 2012 edition: "Above all, sailors love sailing and the BVI Spring Regatta has an excellent race area. In the present economic climate an entry of 100 boats has got to be seen as a success, especially as we have attracted larger yachts including seven Swans and the STP 65, Equation. However, the BVI Spring Regatta & Festival is not just about the big boats. This year the event celebrates its 41st year and it has always been about providing good racing for a wide variety of people on the race course and great entertainment back on the shore."

Another day of hot racing in BVI Spring Regatta

2012-04-01T03:06:45Z

Richard Baldwin's swan 60, Fenix racing in Class 7 Credit: Todd vanSickle/BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing FestivalDay Two of the BVI Spring Regatta gave competitors the amazing opportunity of experiencing the western extent of the British Virgin Islands. Virtually all racing and cruising classes were sent through The Cut, a narrow gap between Tortola and St. John, whatsmore there were a multitude of downwind starts, resulting in some fantastic action from the get go. As the fleet came up on the wind at Soper's Hole, the scenery was nothing short of spectacular; Little Thatch and Great Thatch Islands offer some of the most outstanding vistas anywhere in the Caribbean. This amazing scenery was given an out-of-this world experience due to a very close encounter with Paradox, as the giant trimaran cut through the fleet.