What a
fantastic weekend! While there were great boats from the U.S. Virgin and the
BVI, it was the Spanish Virgins that carried away the spirit of this all
multi-hull Halloween racing event.
According
to Olaf Krieger, a captain for sponsor Catamaran Charters of Nanny Cay,
“This year’s event was tops for the decade”.
Foxy and
Captain Kevin Gray, who spearheads the building of the JVD Island Sloop,
visited Fajardo this summer to personally invite the Puerto Rican sailing
contingency to participate in Foxy’s yachting regattas – both
Foxy’s Wooden Boat Regatta, held over Memorial Day weekend, and
Foxy’s “Cat Fight”, held annually each year on Halloween
weekend. The response was enormous, with four catamarans making the eastbound
trip on Friday, October 28th, during a strong tropical wave, to participate in
the event. The West End Yacht Club welcomed them with open arms as they gave
the existing fleet not only better competition but a “salsa party
hearty” mood that made the entire weekend totally festive.
The race
courses started and finished at Catamaran Charter’s Committee Boat,
Change Order. Soma, Nils
Erickson’s Formula 40, a Morrelli design, had
the fastest time for both races with winning corrected times of 50:44:00 &
1:32:53. This racing cat day-sails out of Cruz
Bay, St. John. The crew carried not only dynamic
racers but Julie Smith on assignment for
Multihulls Magazine, thus giving the regatta an international interest.
Gold
Coast Yachts of St. Croix should be most proud
as they were well represented. Rolando
Bazloosa’s 62’ sloop,
East Wind, of East Island Excursions in
Fajardo won his class in the Daycats Division Class B
(1:05:16 & 1:56:40). Salty Dog, a
Gold Coast 46’ built for Jack Tittle of Salty
Dreams, Inc. won 1st in the Daycats
Division class A (1:12:55 & 2:11:58). They also built the ferry
Island Flyer, a 65’ power
catamaran that charters out of Fajardo and graciously ferried me for pictures.
Also
representing Puerto Rico was Traveler, a
50’ catamaran built by Sea
River and raced by owner
Antonio Morales owner of Fajardo Tours. This enthusiastic crew won the Daycats Division in Class C (1:11:52 & 2:03:05).
Getaway, a 32’ cat built in 1998,
also represented Fajardo with owner Robert Lamson of Quien Despues Charter Company
capturing 1st in the Daycats Division
Class D (1:18:05 & 2:18:52)
Mike and
Sydney Fallis, owners and operators of BareCat Charters, West End, won 1st in Cruising Division, Class A on a Venezia>
42, Chat du Soleil, with a
great West End Yacht Club crew and fast times of 1:08:41 & 2:10:08. They also won the
“Baddest Cat Award” for having the
fastest bareboat entered in the regatta. Congratulations! Mike
“Danger” Bas night’s Privilege 45,
Gato Chateau won 1st in the Cruising Division Class B
(1:08:49 & 2:17:51).
Chris Marie, a Robinson & Caine 47’ Cat raced by Eric Bizislaw
from Chicago and Aduent,
a 38’ Robinson & Caine entered by Paul
& Deborah Miller from Cowes, UK, came the
farthest.
The Race
Committee, headed by the new WEYC Commodore Martin Van Houten,
consisted of Mike & Di Kirk, Dave Cook, Paul Watson and Peter Ratcliff did
an outstanding job. The Masquerade Ball following the regatta was attended by
some 300+ well wishers, most of whom were costumed and
had a great time partying throughout the evening. Space disallows an accurate
description of this event, thank goodness!
Needless to say that we all had quite a time.
