St. Thomas International Regatta - Overall report

by Carol Bareuther on 15 Feb 2015 Precision is a quality in great demand both in world-class yacht racing and in Swiss premium timepieces. Therefore, organizers of the St. Thomas International Regatta (STIR) are proud to announce that this year’s event will be presented by TAG Heuer.

'Our legitimacy in watersports has been inherent in our brand for many years now. The latest partnership with the America’s Cup winning Oracle Team USA made sponsorship of the St. Thomas International Regatta an obvious choice for us since many of Oracle’s key team members are also members of the St. Thomas Yacht Club. Moreover, the intensity of high-caliber yacht racing applies very well to our brand motto, 'Don’t Crack Under Pressure’. The St. Thomas International Regatta is a great opportunity for us to showcase what our brand stands for,' says Christian Weissbach, president of TAG Heuer for the Caribbean and Latin America.

TAG Heuer is recognized for its reliability, its avant-garde style and for pushing the boundaries of watch manufacturer for uses on land and at sea. In 1894, the company developed its first water resistant case. The brand started its close association with sailing in the 1920s, when its timepieces were used for regatta timekeeping on Lake Geneva. Sailing has inspired the company to use new materials and create new functions. For example, in 1950 TAG Heuer unveiled its patented Mareograph, a unique sailing chronograph derived from the earlier Solunar watch, which let fishermen know when the fish were feeding. Called the Seafarer in the United States, the chronograph was the first with a tide indicator and a five-minute countdown function for sailing competitions.

Class winning skippers in the 2015 STIR will be presented with an Aquaracer Caribbean Limited Edition watch. These models are equipped with key features such as stainless steel craftsmanship, water-resistance to 10,000-feet, screw-in crown and unidirectional turning bezel. The beautiful deep sea-blue dial is imprinted with a map of the Caribbean Islands in a gold tone. The men’s version comes in a 1.6-inch case and is equipped with an automatic movement and the ladies version comes in a 1.3-inch case. These limited editions are exclusively available in the Caribbean. They are numbered on the case-back with up to 1000 units for the men style and up to 500 units for the ladies.

The eight classes eligible to receive an Aquaracer Caribbean Limited Edition watch as prize include divisions of CSA, IRC, and Beach Cats.

'St. Thomas International Regatta organizers are excited about our new partnership with TAG Heuer and their world famous timepieces. TAG Heuer has a long history of sports marketing and we feel honored to have them involved in our sailing event. Their involvement places the STIR back at the top of Caribbean events and offers eight more reasons to attend our regatta in Cowpet Bay home of the St. Thomas Yacht Club,' says regatta director, Bill Canfield.

The St. Thomas International Regatta, now in its forty-second year, is world-renown as the Crown Jewel of Caribbean yacht racing for its fantastic round the buoys and round the islands racing, first-class race committee and friendly can-do attitude towards its competitors. Over 80 entries, including more Grand Prix yachts and a fleet of over 25 one-design IC24s, are expected in 2015.

Register online here. For more information about the regatta, please click here.