Bareboat Fleet Heads up the Channel – Photo Credit Alistair Abrehart
TORTOLA, British Virgin Islands – November 11, 2021 – Warm turquoise water, trade winds, stunning island scenery…if this sounds like the panacea needed after a few years of being stuck at home, join us for a week of fabulous racing and remarkable camaraderie – March 29-April 3, 2022. It’s game on and we’re ready to race! Register now HERE.
Longtime sponsor Nanny Cay Resort and Marina will again be the host of the 2022 event which will be 100% focused on world-class racing, delivering the top-notch experience to which sailors and regatta followers have become accustomed over 49 editions of this beloved regatta.
With a modified format, the Sailing Festival will begin on Wednesday, March 30th, with the Scrub Island Invitational Regatta, a fun race taking the fleet to the eastern islands, such as Virgin Gorda, before arriving at our host for the day, Scrub Island Resort and Marina where sailors can enjoy an afternoon of festivities, food, and music at the resort.
Nanny Cay Marina – Photo Credit Alistair Abrehart
The racing will continue the next morning with a race towards the BVI western island group for an afternoon of camaraderie and…more fun. This new format allows for an abundance of informal racing, a view of the different islands of the BVI, and acts as a warm-up to the 49th BVI Spring Regatta which will kick off on Friday April 1st with the Mount Gay Race Day.
Multi-class starts using the BVI’s array of stunning islands as marks will provide excellent challenges as well as spectacular racing throughout the Sir Francis Drake Channel and the Caribbean Sea. Post-race gatherings will be at Nanny Cay’s Peg Legs and Beach Bar.
Photo courtesy of TP52 FOX Racing
Although the future course of Covid-19 is still present, the British Virgin Islands Ministry of Health has approved for the race to go on, with updated protocols. Registration has just opened and Andy Horton who races with the FOX program, a new ORC/TP52 from San Diego, Calif., which launched in the summer of 2020, is excited for a dose of Caribbean racing. The owners took FOX to the Caribbean this past spring – their first time in the Caribbean. “They loved it so much that they decided that they just had to go back,” Horton smiled. “It’s going to be awesome – multiple weeks of Caribbean sailing and racing, well, you can’t beat that on this TP52, it’s the best. We’re hoping that our friends on the Swan 601 Stark Raving Mad will join us for some of it.”
Apollo racing the BVI Spring Regatta Photo Credit: Ingrid Abery
Likewise, Larry Huibers, now racing on J122 Apollo (formerly on Touch2play) is excited to be heading back to the Caribbean: “After a season away, like everyone, Apollo is super excited to be coming back to the BVI Spring Regatta,” Huibers commented. “With a blend of crew who have done and not done the event, everyone is stoked to be back in the gin clear waters of the Francis Drake. Apollo’s previous experiences have been so wonderful we just had to get back to racing. Our best tip for everyone: just get to the regatta, you’ll be hooked just like we are!”
Charter Boats are available see our updated Charter Option Page. For those who have registered, make sure to book your slips at Nanny Cay Marina.
We understand the importance of implementing quality measures to ensure the safety of participants and visitors. All participants will be required to comply with guidelines set by the BVI Government and the Event Organizers at BVI Government site and BVI Spring Regatta Covid Update. Social distancing and proper sanitization will be implemented. Group contact will be limited at registration, the committee desk, and other official proceedings.
Regatta organizers want to hear from you and are available to answer any of your questions or concerns – please email us at info@bvispringregatta.org. – Michelle Slade/BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival
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