The second day of the BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival saw 43 boats race the 11NM course from Nanny Cay to Marina Cay for the Scrub Island Invitational.
It was a wild and windy day, with gusts hitting 30+ knots in a particularly dark squall that hit the racecourse, washing off the salty water that had already drenched those sailors on the rail as big seas washed over the sides.
Cruising Multihull, Bareboat, Cruising, and Performance Cruising sailed directly from Nanny Cay, finishing at Marina Cay, while Racing and Performance Multihulls sailed out around Ginger Island for a longer, wetter course, also finishing at Marina Cay and the post-race party.
Scrub Island Invitational Results HERE . . .
Ben Sampson and his friends have chartered both Cara, a Sunsail 40, to race on, and a catamaran to host their friends, and yesterday their team Poulet Peeps (named for the humble chicken) took first in the Bareboat class in the Scrub Island Invitational – a 11 nautical mile race to Marina Cay.
Other winners included the Elan 450 Emily of Cowes, taking first in Racing class; the HH66 Lee Overlay Partners III took first in Performance Multihull. Leopard 50 La Novia took first in Cruising Multihull, and the Salona 45 Panacea X a first in Performance Cruising.
Brian Thompson is often referred to as one of the fastest offshore sailors on the planet.
So it’s no surprise that he’s a part of the Gunboat 72 Layla crew this week at BVI Spring Regatta. This week he’s calling tactics and some helming when needed. It’s been a while since Thompson sailed the BVI . . . he last raced the Spring Regatta about 40 years ago.
“Everything has changed completely!” Thompson smiled. “I’ve sailed most of the other Caribbean regattas including the RORC Caribbean 600 probably ten times, so it’s really good to come back to the BVI, it’s such a beautiful place to sail.”
BVI Spring Regatta
Friday April 4 – Mount Gay Race Day
Saturday April 5 – Race Day 2
Sunday April 6- Final Race Day and Awards
