2009 BVI Spring Regatta is a 'Must Do' Regatta

by Linda Phillips on 17 Feb 2009
Every year, well before registration closes for the BVI Spring Regatta, people ask, 'How many boats are registered?' and every year, organizers reply something to the effect that the final registration numbers are hard to predict.

This year is no different, but with the economy being in the toilet and the event looming only seven weeks away, the question seems more relevant than ever. The numbers for the 2009 BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival, March 30 – April 5, look healthy and regatta organizers have reason to believe that although 2009 will not be a record breaker, it will be a good year.

Registrations currently stands at about 25% of the expected entries; among them is Miss MaJic, Jim and Heather Baus’ J/46. Registered in the Cruising division for the BVI Sailing Festival and in Performance Cruising for BVI Spring Regatta, Jim is bringing the boat for the first time. 'Over the last eight years, my family and I have been regularly cruising the BVI and truly love the waters there. We have been fortunate to meet some great friends in the BVI and look forward to our regular visits, though we sure wish the BVI weren’t upwind from Fajardo!

Even though we are gearing up to live full time aboard Miss MaJic, one of the main drivers in choosing our boat was the possibility of racing her as a family. He continued, 'We decided on the BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival because of the great locale, the race to and from the BEYC, and the hospitality we’ve been shown in the past by the staff at Nanny Cay. Some good friends from Pensacola will be flying in to race with us and share in the fun. It will be the second regatta ever for us so it should be a blast, though we still haven’t decided on who’s going to drive.'

Robert Armstong, a seasoned racer and a long time participant of the BVI Spring Regatta, is once again coming from St. Croix with his J/100. Fresh from winning the PHRF division at Key West Acura Race Week for the second year in a row, when asked why BVI Spring Regatta was on his dance card he wrote, 'I'd just tell you that when I was working on my '09 budget racing in the BVI Spring Regatta went into the column headed ‘necessities’. This year is going to be full of big challenges for everyone on the planet, and if you're a sailor and you have the chance to lock down some great memories on shore and at sea before tackling them you grab it.

Rumor has it that a number of Gun Boats will also be gracing the BVI for the regatta. This class is billed as high performance racing catamarans with all the creature comforts of home. Utilizing high tech materials and techniques such as honeycombed Nomex and core cell cores, carbon and Kevlar skins, and all post cured SP Epoxies, Gunboats are engineered to be as light and as strong as possible.

Jim Grundy’s new Tripp 75, Bella Pita, built by Maxi Dolphin in Italy, has registered for the Spinnaker Racing class. We’ve heard that it that it is a very sexy boat, with a lifting keel. Currently the boat is on its way across the Atlantic headed towards it’s temporary home in the BVI, the Bitter End Yacht Club.

With the event beginning March 30, organizers are making all the final preparations. Regardless of economic conditions, due to the great hospitality of the BVI, wonderful Caribbean conditions, excellent race management and two incredible venues, the Bitter End Yacht Club and the Nanny Cay Resort and Marina, the BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival is on the 'must do' list for many sailors world wide.

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