Looking for some back-to-back one-design racing this regatta season? The St. Thomas Sailing Centre is offering a 12-day, two-regatta charter package for an IC24 charter. The package covers both BVI Spring Regatta (April 2-4) and St Thomas International Regatta (STIR), April 8-11.
Package details
- $6,800 per boat, valid March 31 – April 11. That’s $900 less than booking the two regattas separately.
- Built for teams of four to five sailors.
- St. Thomas Yacht Club will transport the IC24s back to St. Thomas on April 5.
- Single-regatta options: BVI Spring Regatta, $3,900; STIR, $3,800.
- A $120 skipper membership fee and a $2,500 damage deposit apply. Regatta entry is additional.
During the BVI Spring Regatta, the IC24s race on their own course just off Nanny Cay. Inquire now at St Thomas Sailing Center.
What is an IC24?
The IC24 was born in St. Thomas. Hurricane Marilyn destroyed most of the St. Thomas Yacht Club racing fleet, and keelboat racing effectively stopped. Members were left wondering where to race next. Chris Rosenberg’s answer was an affordable one-design open-cockpit keelboat.
The design uses a new deck mould that fits the existing J24 hull. The cabin is replaced by a cuddy and a wide-open cockpit, closer in feel to a Sonar or a long Viking 22. The sails, rig, keel and rudder are all stock J24.
Sailing an IC24 is much like sailing a J24, only more comfortable. Crews no longer have to scramble over the cabin hump when tacking. The class rules go further: no legs over the rail, and a jib rather than a genoa is mandatory. The mainsheet has no track, so there’s nothing to bang into. The 100% jib winches in easily on the windward side, and the boat is rigged for a spinnaker.
Sadly, Hurricane Irma in 2017 destroyed most of the BVI fleet. A few boats remain, but St. Thomas has a healthy racing fleet.
A new addition to the IC24 fleet in 2025
In 2025, Mike Feierabend of St. John, USVI, sent his J24 Bravissimo to Puerto Rico to be converted into an IC24. It was a big commitment, but he judged it worthwhile: there is a decent-sized local fleet in the Virgin Islands, and he believes the IC24 is simply the better boat. Read more about this conversion and racing Bravissimo as an IC24 in the 2026 BVI Spring Regatta here.
IC24 action over the years and pictures
© Todd VanSickle/BVI Spring Regatta
