Nanny Cay, the British Virgin Islands’ flagship resort and marina, recently hosted two cruising rallies: ARC Europe, a transatlantic rally which left for Bermuda and ultimately Portugal, on May 7; and the Atlantic Cup which left for the US and Chesapeake Bay, also via Bermuda, on May 3. Both events visited Nanny Cay for the first time.
Miles Sutherland-Pilch, general manager of Nanny Cay said: "We were very proud to host these two events which between them brought forty yachts to the British Virgin Islands before they left the Caribbean. There are few venues in the Caribbean that can match Nanny Cay’s range of services and facilities to cruising yachtsmen preparing to depart on long crossings."
World yacht rally specialists, World Cruising Club, selected Nanny Cay Resort & Marina as the Caribbean host port for the start of ARC Europe 2009 in November 2008. This move brought the rally to the British Virgin Islands for the first time.
ARC Europe is based on the format of the world famous ARC (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers) which brings participants out to the Caribbean in November each year. ARC Europe is a perfect way for yachts to voyage in company to Europe at the end of the Caribbean season. Yachts started gathering at Nanny Cay Marina from late April before departing the British Virgin Islands Thursday (May 7). The rally will span about six weeks, calling at Bermuda and exploring the Azores Archipelago before reaching the European continent at the end of June.
This ARC Europe is the largest ever with 28 yachts from 12 different countries taking part. Amongst the 28 strong entry, eight are double-handers.
Event organisers World Cruising Club teamed up with Nanny Cay because its marina, boat yard and broad range of facilities and services offer a perfect base for cruising yachts to prepare for a transocean passage.
World Cruising Club director Andrew Bishop commented on his first experience at Nanny Cay Marina: "We were very pleased with Nanny Cay as the host and departure point for ARC Europe 2009. Having a full-service boatyard and marina mixed with a resort environment – including a beach – really made the last minute preparations that much easier and fun for our participants. All our participants have had a fantastic time. Form an organisational point of view, it has been a pleasure to work with all the organizations here in Nanny Cay Marina. I certainly see this becoming the home of the start of ARC Europe for the foreseeable future."
Atlantic Cup
The Atlantic Cup rally left four days earlier on May 3. The Atlantic Cup is the companion rally to November’s Caribbean 1500 and offers the opportunity for returning cruisers to enjoy the camaraderie, competition, and adventure of an 850-mile rally. Pre-start festivities and skipper briefings began on May 1 at Nanny Cay.
When asked about his decision to base his rallies out of Nanny Cay, Atlantic Cup and Caribbean 1500 organiser Steve Black commented: "We are extremely happy to be here with the Atlantic Cup Rally. An awful lot of our participants have visited Nanny Cay during the course of the winter and enjoyed it so much and we are happy to have our event hosted here.
"One of the great additions to Nanny Cay has been the beach. It always was one of the most hospitable marinas in the Caribbean, especially with the pool, but it is now great to also enjoy the beach that the team here have worked so hard to improve. It’s another element of the marina that very few other marinas have. The wonderful service and hard working team here at Nanny Cay have made it very easy for participants that are under a lot of stress getting ready for the long passage. They’ve needed a lot of repairs and equipment adjusted. Rigs tuned and that sort of thing and the fact that Nanny Cay have a lot of skilled tradesmen makes it all much easier."
The Cruising Rally Association returns to Nanny Cay later this year with the Caribbean 1500, slated to start November 2, 2009. The 2009 Caribbean 1500 Rally will be the 20th annual running of this event making it the largest and longest-running offshore cruising event in the Americas. Steve Black, president and founder of the Cruising Rally Association, anticipates a record entry of returning ralliers for the anniversary activities.
Nanny Cay Resort & Marina is located between Road Town and West End on Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. Its fully equipped marina and boat repair facility has berths for 180 motor cruisers and yachts and two boat lifts of 50 and 70 tons capacity. Nanny Cay also includes a 40-room hotel and new waterfront townhouses for purchase and rental, two restaurants. a chandlery, a small supermarket, shops and boutiques, a dive shop, a water sports center, free WiFi service, and a gym and spa.
For more information on Nanny Cay visit: www.nannycay.com.
For more information on World Cruising Club events, visit: www.worldcruising.com.
For more information on the Cruising Rally Association, visit www.carib1500.com.
