Celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, the
BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival, presented and hosted by Nanny Cay,
takes the cake as one of the most innovative sailing events in the Caribbean.
This year, organizers have added a fourth racecourse to the already busy Sir
Francis Drake Channel, for the March 31 to April 2 regatta portion of the
event. The one design course, which last year hosted IC24s, windsurfers, Lasers
and beach cats, will split in 2006, with the windsurfers and beach cats
branching out on their own to ensure that the only dirty air they get will be
their own.
“It will be Formula racing again,” says Owen Waters, owner of Nanny Cay’s
Island Surf and Sail. “We are expecting international sailors from St.
Maarten and the United
States. This year will build on last year
with BVI sailors hoping to compete with windsurfers throughout the region in
this new and exciting discipline. Many have already started training."
As ever, the Racing and Racer/Cruiser classes will sail in
the Cooper Island course area with back-to-back
racing on windward-leeward courses. Performance/Cruiser, Multihull,
Bareboat, Jib & Main classes will again sail on the Norman Island
course area. On this race area, previously known as the non-spinnaker course,
spinnakers are now permitted and allow those that don’t want to race back to
back, windward-leeward courses, the chance to fly a spinnaker, perhaps with
less practiced or short-handed crew.
A “Tent
Village” will also
be new for 2006. The tent village is a cooperative effort between Nanny Cay,
the BVI Spring Regatta organizing committee and the Kids and the Sea (KATS)
program. This low cost housing has been introduced to encourage dinghy sailors
from overseas to attend the event and the proceeds will go to KATS, the
non-profit charitable organization dedicated to teaching children skills needed
to safely enjoy the joys of boating.
"We believe it’s a win-win-win arrangement," says
regatta chairman Bob Phillips. "Dinghy sailors can have accommodation for
$25 per night, KATS gets a nice cash boost over the period and the regatta,
hopefully, gets more dinghies sailors from the region and perhaps further afield."
Four-man tents will be available to rent for four nights,
from March 30 to April 3, for $200 US. The tents will be set up just south of
Peg Leg’s Landing in the grass conveniently located near the sailing, the
Festival Village and the bathrooms. Basic facilities will be available at Peg
Leg’s or the campers will be able to use the new,
luxury European style private full baths located at the Nanny Cay Hotel.
Interested campers should contact Eddie Brockbank at
Peg Leg’s Restaurant, (284) 494-0028, for full details and to make
reservations.
For more
information about the BVI Spring Festival & Regatta: Tel. (284) 494-3286,
Email: info@bvispringregatta.org; Web: www.bvispringregatta.org
