BVI Spring Regatta. Who ever heard of eight races in one day!

by John Morris on 3 Apr 2010 BVI Spring Regatta.

Who ever heard of eight races in one day!

Yes 8 x 4 legs each. That's perhaps why I am slightly groggy as I send this vital report from Paradise. Indeedy the BVI is a darn nice place and this regatta is just the ticket if you've got a few Gs to indulge your need for a spring break. The fleet is made up of a mix including hot racers doing the Caribbean circuit, cruisers of various bareboats that gangs from all over the US and Europe charter.

This is serious charterboat country thanks to the many bareboat operators and crewed charters. Why not – the Sir Francis Drake Channel is a lake surrounded by islands that are visible one from the other. Head to a port on the other BV islands Virgin Gorda or Jost and you'll be there for rum punch in short order. There's usually wind, always sun and heat; what else do you need.

This year, there 106 boats including the nine IC24, the smallest and only one-deign fleet. It's not as huge as the really big Caribbean regattas, but the feel is intimate and the setting delivers that island feel in a very tropical way with perfect beaches, a mountainous backdrop and the requisite palms.

In that fleet, we ran collegiate style with quick upwind-downwind courses and the sweetly capable race committee here at the BVI Spring Regatta got a monster program in, even though the wind was up, down and sideways. By the time we tied up at Nanny Cay, we'd certainly had a full day of 8, count ‘em 8, complete races. There are two more of these days ahead and I can't wait despite getting fairly shown up by the local fleet and visiting boats from Puerto Rico.

Some BVI certified snapshots tell the tale.