What a weekend!!!
Thanks to sponsors Mount Gay, Heineken & Road Town Wholesale more than
$2,000 in cash was awarded to the winners of a highly successful 31st
Foxy’s Wooden Boat Regatta held on Jost Van Dyke, May 27th – 29th.
With 19 entries and winds ranging from the southeast at 10 – 15 knots, both
days of racing were filled with loads of fun and great competition. Foxy and
Tessa Callwood served as hosts to some 300 sailors and guests during the
weekend regatta – the only all-wooden boat regatta in the Caribbean. The music
was going all weekend as sailors reunited and told tall tales of sailing
throughout the year. Foxy entertained, as usual, as did KI. St. Thomas’ Gary Key
played both afternoons with the Shango and X-Treme Bands playing in the
evenings. After three decades, this regatta is really more like a large
extended family holding a reunion each year.
BVI Governor Tom Macan helmed the only BVI
entry, Moonbeam, an Island Sloop owned by the H. Lavity Stoutt College –
he came in 2nd in Class A Island Sloops. Moonbeam is one of the historical sloops that is sponsored by the
college and maintained by HLSCC staff Geoff Brooks & Al Fraiser, also on
the WEYC Race Committee. Nanny Cay Marina hauls the BVI Island Sloops free
before Foxy’s each year and also provides free dockage for the boats so that
they can be viewed from the dock while visiting the marina. Island Sloop
building is a historical part of BVI tradition. It is hopeful that the two
other BVI Sloops, Youth Instructor
and Vigillant (the oldest sloop in
the Caribbean built in East End in 1882), can be restored and sailing up for
Foxy’s 32nd regatta in 2006.
Dragon – a full-keeled 22′ Island
Sloop with an 8′ beam and a modern Marconi Rig won the best in its class, the
Single-Handed Race and the “Fastest Boat Award.” Built in 1990 in Fajardo,
Puerto Rico, it was raced by owner Edwin Cruz. Several of the larger boats,
making final preparations – Penelope,
owned & raced by Les Anderson of St John, Yankee owned and raced by Brad Glidden of St. Thomas and Windolee owned and raced by Rob Kunkle
of St. John, had left Independent Boat Yard in St. Thomas just days before the
regatta in order to compete. Bobby Danet, who built his lovely Seanonda Rose in French Town, St.
Thomas, brought his sons to crew along with his wife Rose. This family is a
real supporter of keeping the history of Island Sloops alive in the USVI.
The regatta, run by the West End Yacht Club
under the leadership of Robin Pinfold, Race Captain, is a three-day event that
brings wooden boat lovers each year to the BVI. This year, as a new addition,
Captain Kevin Gray was on hand to give personal tours on the new Jost Van Dyke
Sloop that is being built at Foxy’s Outback. He also arranged for the primary
school children of Jost to view the regatta on the famous day sail schooner White Squall from Road Town.
The BVI Tourist Board donated the Captain’s
Bags with Voyage Yachts and The Moorings donated yachts for accommodating
visiting yachtsmen. WEYC’s Peter Ratcliff captained the vessels. Elliott
Hooper’s 110-foot schooner, Silver Cloud was the Committee Boat from St.
John. Built in 1899, it is the oldest working schooner in the Caribbean.
Elliott has donated one entire decade as Committee boat and was given a round
of applause by everyone. WEYC Commodore Dave Cooper was the MC for the Awards
Ceremony assisted by Carter Powell, Jane Cheesman and Di Kirk. Martin Van
Houten did the handicaps with Parker Hall painting the winners names on the
wooden boards that adorn Foxy’s restaurant. Ron Arens & Carol King gathered support from
over 50 Virgin Islands merchants who supported the event with prizes and award
certificates. Winners also received donated gifts from the entire BVI/USVI
community.
First Place winners were
Class AA1 – Island
Sloops –
Edwin Cruz on Dragon
(Puerto Rico) – 1:17:11
*Dragon was also the
winner of the Single Handed Race as well as the Fastest Boat Award
Class A – Island
Sloops –
Bobby Danet on Seanonda
Rose (St. Thomas) – 1:38:20
Class B2 –
Traditional Rig –
Dave Firebrand on Taurus
(St. John) -1:37:47
Class B3 –
Traditional Rig –
Rob Kunkel on Windolee
(St. John) – 1:43:57
Class C1 – Modern
Rig –
Parker Hall on Peace
Pipe (St. Thomas) – 1:27:16
Class C2 – Modern
Rig over 40 feet –
Tory Lane on Jezephyr
– 1:54:31
Class C3 – Modern
Rig over 50 feet –
Neil Newhard on Hirondelle
(St. John) -1:72:04
Class D – Fin Keel –
Julian Daves on Tiger
Maru – (St. John) – 1:71:3
SPECIAL AWARDS
Nature’s Basket Plane Award – Island Sloops – SEANONDA ROSE
Most Determined Skipper Award – Neil Newhard
Bougainvillea Cup Award – (30′ – 40′ Modern) – JEZEPHYR
CaribbeanBoating Model Award – (40′ – 50′ Modern) – HIRONDELLE
BVI Shipwrights Whale Award – Modern Single – handed – DRAGON
ElmBeach Suites Award – Modern Island Sloops – DRAGON
SV Robben Porthole Award (30′ – 40′ Traditional) – PENELOPE
Richardson’s Rigging Block – (40′ – 50′ Traditional) – WINDOLEE
Foxy’s Belaying Pin – Fastest Monohull – DRAGON
