St. Croix Yacht Club Hospice Regatta commences in two weeks
by Ellen Sanpere on 4 Feb 2010
With two weeks to go, the energy level is up at the St. Croix Yacht Club Hospice Regatta, to be held February 19-21, 2010. So far, eighteen boats have registered online, including three Optimists and two large multihulls, hailing from as far away as Sint Maarten and New Hampshire, USA, with more to come.
Closer to home, sponsors have stepped up to help raise funds and awareness for hospice on St. Croix. Marshall & Sterling, Reliable Rentals and FirstBank have made substantial contributions, and popular calypsonian Llewellyn Westerman recorded a radio spot that is airing on JKC’s radio stations.
Optimist dinghy Clinic: World class coach Lee Icyda will lead a free all-day clinic at the Yacht Club, Friday, February 19th, for all Opti sailors who enter the regatta. Lee was All-American at Tufts University, coached the German Olympic team at Beijing, won the 2003 Yngling Worlds and is a member of the U.S. Sailing team. The young skippers will put their newfound knowledge to work Saturday and Sunday in Teague Bay, and the overall winner will get his/her weight in sports drink.
Keelboat racing for all The not-so-young skippers can easily find a class, a course to race,additional crew and even a boat in the big island’s annual regatta. Off-island 420 racers can charter a hull. Rhodes 19’s, 420’s and IC-24’s are scheduled to race inside the protected waters of Teague Bay, and CSA racing starts in the Buck Island Channel. Windward/leewards and triangle courses appeal to the spinnaker boats, while the cruiser types can stretch out in the Christiansted Harborand Beauregard Bay races. Cruisers who rarely race, and hesitate to go through afull CSA measurement, will appreciatethe quick-n-easy Simplified CSA rating offered at a reduced fee.
The winning CSA Spinnaker-1 skipper gets his/her weight in Cruzan Rum and an invitation to the National Hospice Regatta championships in Rochester, NY. Boats looking for additional crew and individuals looking for a boat to crew on can find each other on the regatta website, www.stcroixregatta.com
>Hospice Regatta>Crew/Boat Board, provided by YachtScoring. Regatta news and race results will be posted on the website as they happen for all to see.
Entertainment: What’s a regatta without entertainment? You won’t find out in St. Croix! Watching the Opti kids race off the beach and the one-designs on the west side of the tee dock is great daytime drama. When the sun sets, the Cruzan Rum welcome party and music by Kurt Schindler will get your toes tapping Friday 6PM-10PM. DJ’s bring more music on Saturday, 6PM-9PM, and Jazzy Blue, the incredible one-man band plays on Sunday, 1PM -3PM.
Hospice As a 501(c)(3) charity regatta, St. Croix Yacht Club Hospice Regatta will accept cash and in-kind U.S. tax deductible donations throughout the eventon behalf of hospice on St. Croix. The island’s first hospice, Continuum Care, Inc., is providing onsite first-aid services, and CCI director Tracy Sanders will discuss hospice care, reminding all that compassionate end-of-life services are available to all regardless of ability to pay.
More Info See us on FaceBook and visit our website. Check out 2009 regatta photos and results; find information about St. Croix, hospice, volunteer and sponsorship opportunities; then register to race and get your sailing gloves ready.
www.stcroixregatta.com
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