A delicious cocktail of articles from Ali Wood on the 2026 BVI Spring Regatta
Posted in 2026, Charter Stories, Features
Freelance journalist Ali Wood came out for the 2026 BVI Spring Regatta Festival and has been busy writing a number articles covering multiple facets of the event. Here’s an overview of her articles in Practical Boat Owner, Yachting World, and Cruising World.
1. “Racing a Beneteau First 36.7” – Practical Boat Owner, September 2026 issue (pp. 47–50)
Ali Wood joins a mostly novice crew from aboard Ondeck Sailing’s Blueprint, a 2001 Farr-designed Beneteau First 36.7, for the Round Tortola race at the BVI Spring Regatta.
The piece explains how the boat is set up for upwind and downwind sailing and includes skipper Rory Johnson’s walk-through of his modifications of the Beneteau.
The main lesson is about communication. Ali’s unclear call about a second finish marker led the crew to miss the line, and Rory uses it to explain “bridge resource management”.
If you can’t pick up a copy, it’s on Zinio – https://www.zinio.com/gb/publications/practical-boat-owner/4731/issues/702589
2. “Racing tips for cruising sailors” – Practical Boat Owner, December 2026 issue (pp. 74–79)
The next day, Ali crews for the Salish Sisters, an all-women team from Vancouver racing a Moorings 46 charter boat (a Beneteau Oceanis 46) that they renamed from Boatox to Boat X. On a boat built for comfort, with electric winches, a self-tacking jib and a coffee machine, the crew wins races through method and teamwork.
Skipper Kathy’ Wharton’s bold call to go inside at Pelican Island wins them the race over local rival Shore Thing, and the crew finishes second overall in CSA Bareboat 1.
“We’ve done Antigua, St Barts and St Maarten,” says Kelly, “but we especially
love the British Virgin Islands, because it’s like having four holidays in one: a cruise, a lay-day, a long-distance race and around-the-cans.”
The December issue is on sale at news stands or zinio – https://www.zinio.com/publications/practical-boat-owner/4731
3. “Racing the BVI Spring Regatta After a Decade Away from It” – Cruising World, online 6 October 2026
This piece covers the same Round Tortola race aboard Blueprint as the PBO article, but the angle is different. The PBO version is a technical, how-to-sail-better feature; this one is a personal, travel-led story about coming back to racing after ten years and being welcomed into a crew of strangers.
Ali is promoted from passenger to bow crew, others pull off their first spinnaker hoist on the boat, and Blueprint finishes sixth despite the confusion at the finish line. In the post-race debrief, Ali sums up the day as “cherished.”
The article also has wider BVI colour: a car tour of Tortola, a local resident’s account of surviving Hurricane Irma, and Richard Wooldridge describing the wreck and rebuild of Triple Jack. It closes with a practical guide to the regatta’s format and a list of whole-boat and individual-berth charter options, from Sunsail and The Moorings to Ondeck.
Read the article here: https://www.cruisingworld.com/sailing/railmeat-in-paradise/
4. “Extraordinary Boats: Triple Jack” – Yachting World, September 2026 print issue; online 17 September 2026
This is a profile of Triple Jack, one of the BVI’s favourite boats! A 47 foot Derek Kelsall trimaran built in a derelict Manchester mill for the 1981 TWOSTAR race. Her history is eventful: she was dismasted 190 miles from the finish and towed over the line by a freighter, dismasted again in the 1984 OSTAR, and detained in Portugal before her owner sailed her away at night. She was later found neglected on the River Exe, bought for £5,000 by Richard Wooldridge and Steve Davis, and taken to the Caribbean, where she won major regattas including the BVI Spring Regatta. In 2017 Hurricane Irma flipped her onto the Nanny Cay bridge. Over six years the owners rebuilt her with epoxy, a carbon mast, Dyneema rigging, a bowsprit and a Yanmar diesel. She returned to the 2024 BVI Spring Regatta and the RORC Caribbean 600.
Read the article here: https://www.yachtingworld.com/yachts-and-gear/extraordinary-boats-trimaran-triple-jack-the-1979-yacht-thats-reincarnated-after-hurricane-irma-163987
