Bomba Shack Full Moon Party

October 2006 is looking to be the start of a busy time in the BVI with many businesses jump-starting themselves for the upcoming season. Seems that many are reopening their doors earlier and earlier every year after the August Festival, which signals an end to the traditional season. I for one would like to see the BVI go year-round and change the old hat tradition of literally closing down for months at a time during the summer.

What's happening is plenty. October 6 is the 30th anniversary for the Bomba Shack, with the full moon party slated to be a big one. Out in Trellis Bay, Jeremy has some great things going on out there also for the fireball full moon party.

The Willy T
Finish line for the "Virgins Cup"

The watersports schedule is busy nearly every weekend in October, starting out with the Royal British Virgin Islands Yacht Clubs "Willy T Virgins Cup", where the women are in charge of the helm in this fun race which finishes at Willy "T". The race starts on the 14th outside of Road Harbour. The following weekend is the ever-popular Lowell Wheatley Fishing Tournament in Anegada, one not to miss! Foxy's Cat Fight catamaran race in Jost Van Dyke, is slated for the 28th, with parties galore. Bitter End is hosting the 20th Pro-am regatta starting on the twenty-eighth for eight days of racing with some of the world's best sailors attending.

Many restaurants and hotels are reopening their doors this month also. Among the early openers are the Jolly Roger, Sugar Mill, Tamarind Club, CoCo Plums, and Eclipse are just a few. Airline prices are being slashed so come on down and enjoy all that the BVI has to offer!

KATS Chief Ministers Regatta

The 8th Annual KATS Chief Ministers Regatta was held July 7th – 9th on Tortola, BVI, at Nanny Cay Marina. Friday was an arrival day for the competitors where they were given the opportunity to practice up against the IC 24 racing fleet in the late afternoon.

Eight teams made up the field coming from all over the Caribbean. The venue at Nanny Cay was ideal for the regatta, with camping tents set up on the lawn next to the pool and docks for all the junior sailors to spend the weekend along side each other meshing new and old friends together from previous regattas.

The racing started Saturday morning and went to lunchtime where the Rotary Clubs of Tortola fed the teams. The timing was perfect, as a severe squall passed over minutes after the sailors raced back to the dock. A rotation of boats was made for the second part of the day's racing, making the playing field as fair as possible, even though the IC 24 sloops are a strict one-design class. The team from St. Thomas dominated the day by winning most of the races, showing great teamwork and obvious determination to take the Cup back to the U.S.V.I. once again. The newest team to the Cup Regatta was from Puerto Rico who gave the "Tomians" a run for their money.

Sunday brought perfect conditions with winds blowing 15-18 knots with a steep chop making the sailing downwind exhilarating. The Regatta format changed slightly from Saturday with the sailors racing past the lunch break to get in enough races prior to a team having to leave early to make a flight home.

Honorable Dr. D. Orlando Smith presents
the Chief Ministers Cup to St. Thomas

At the end of the day, St. Thomas managed to hang onto their lead even after being disqualified in one of the races for being over the starting line early. Taking second place and showing the most promise for next year's regatta was Team Puerto Rico, followed by the ever challenging Team Antigua, St. Croix, Team Yellow Tortola, Team Green Tortola, Anguilla, and then Team Bequia.

Hat's off to all of the volunteers, Nanny Cay Marina, Peg Legs Landing, Rotary Clubs of Tortola, and all of the sponsors that made the regatta possible.

CONCH-QUERER takes 1st place in IC 24 Class
Escape BVI Regatta Smugglers Cove, BVI

The 1st Annual Escape BVI Regatta, held on May 13, 2006, was an exhilarating day for all who were at Smugglers Cove, Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. Clear sunny skies and light winds met participants and attendees after days of heavy flooding and rain making the day a typical one for the BVI. Four classes competed in the regatta - the IC 24 one design, Wind Surfer, Laser, and Dinghies with handicap ratings.

Offshore, the competitors were dealing with the challenging, swiftly changing winds testing their expertise out on the crystalline waters. Onshore, attendees flocked to watch the racing and cheer the participants on while enjoying festivities including live music, activities and a barbeque.

Our thanks and appreciation go out to the many sponsors and participating organizations who pulled together to make this such a successful community event.

To read the full article go to:
1st Annual Escape BVI Regatta

For more photos go to:
Escape BVI Photo Gallery

Smugglers Cove
British Virgin Islands

Escape BVI is proud to announce the 1st Annual Escape BVI Regatta, to be held at Smugglers Cove, Tortola, on May 13, 2006. The format for the regatta combines all of the sailing organizations throughout the BVI's as participants in some capacity, bringing instructors and volunteers together to make the regatta a true community effort in sailing venues. Other sponsors of the regatta, all from Tortola, come from a wide spectrum of businesses, and Escape BVI is pleased to have their support and help with the 1st Annual Regatta.

The racing classes invited to the regatta include the single handed Laser class, the high speed windsurfers, and the most popular one design keel boat in the Caribbean - the IC 24's. Unique to the regatta is the IC 24 fleet using spinnakers, which is the first time in an organized around the buoys regatta. It should prove to be a challenge to the IC 24 crews, on the windward / leeward courses set just outside the point at Smugglers Cove.

The venue itself is very unique, being that the Regatta is the first one ever to be held in Smugglers Cove. An idyllic setting in crystal clear waters, a beautiful beach from which all of the competitors can literally wade through the waters to their boats, which will be moored close to the white sandy beach!

Onshore is the Smugglers Cove Beach Bar, also a main sponsor of the regatta, which is having a live band and  beach barbeque, offering the usual great snorkeling and many fun events going on all day long. One of the best things about the venue is the ability of the spectators on the beach to see yacht racing up close as many of the racers will be just a few hundred yards offshore showing the crowd their skills.

Don't miss this annual event! Sailor or not, everyone in attendance will be guaranteed a great time, and what better place to spend the day than at the number one beach on Tortola, Smugglers Cove!

For further information or to signup for the regatta go to: Escape BVI Regatta - Smugglers Cove

KATS Presented Sportsmanship Award
For International Rolex Regatta

Having sailed very well against 19 of the best sailors in the highly competitive IC 24 class in the 2006 International Rolex Regatta at St. Thomas U.S.V.I the weekend of March 24 through the 26th, the team returned back to their home in the BVI's directly after the finish of the final race Sunday. The team had a deadline to meet on the return to the BVI's having to tow the race boat, support boat, with the  "mother ship" Yacht Tarawana back to the sailing base in Sopers Hole, Tortola before sundown to avoid the many reefs between St. Thomas and the British Virgin Islands.
 
Having reached home, the team, coach, and sailing director, all had a great feeling of accomplishment over the weekend. It wasn't until the following day that the coach and director learned that the team was applauded in their absence by all of the racers at the awards presentation at St. Thomas. Learning of the situation, the yacht club was contacted, and the founder of the KATS program Mr. Tom Gerker took it upon himself to fly to St.Thomas to collect the "perpetual" trophy, which in strict yachting tradition never leaves the holding club.
 
St. Thomas Yacht Club was gracious enough to part with the trophy so it could be presented to Team Tortola, at the BVI Spring Regatta opening ceremonies tonight. The BVI Spring Regatta is one of the premier regattas in the Caribbean, which draws sailors from all parts of the world, hosted by the Royal British Virgin Islands Yacht Club.
 
Team Tortola sailors had no idea that they were picked by the judges of the event over 93 other competing yachts in the Rolex until tonight when they were hailed to the stage and were presented the Sportsmanship Award by the original donor of the trophy, Mr. Richard Woolridge, who is also the builder of the IC 24 class yachts, and makes Tortola his home.
 
The KATS program would like to thank both yacht clubs for their support, and all of the other volunteers and donators to the program, to allow the opportunity for the young boys and girls of the BVI's to learn about the sea and ultimately race in world class regattas.

International Rolex Regatta
Sportsmanship Trophy

KATS compete in International Rolex Regatta
St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.

The 2006 International Rolex Regatta, hosted by the St. Thomas Yacht Club in the U.S.V.I. had one of the clubs highest attendances in recent years. Racing conditions were ideal for all classes that ranged from 80' racing yachts to the ever-exciting beach cat fleet.

The IC 24 class had 19 entries, the largest number of boats that the class has ever had. Competitors from Europe, United States, Puerto Rico, St. Marteen, U.S. Virgin Islands, and the British Virgin Islands made up the highly competitive fleet.

Going into the final day of racing, the first place winning boat could have been any of the top four boats. Sailing in light winds tested the skills of the fleet, with Robbie Hirst and his crew dominating the final day and taking home to the BVI's, a Rolex Watch awarded to the winners of each class.

Entered in the International Rolex Regatta was Team Tortola, of the British Virgin Islands, sailed by seven of the KATS Sailing program kids, ranging from age 12 to 16, based at the West End of Tortola. The crew was up against some of the best sailors in the world and came in a very respectable 16th place, excellent, considering the level of talent that was on the course for the three days of intense racing.

As a volunteer and sailing instructor for the KATS Sailing program for many years in the BVI's, I was lucky enough to spend the four days with the kids during the regatta and watch them improve with every race. In the past 46 years of racing yachts, I have never seen a group of kids sail and conduct themselves both on and off the water, as true Yachtsmen, as they did.

Because of the timing to organize our return trip back to the BVI's, we could not attend the awards presentation, but this morning I was told by one of our fellow BVI competitors that the kids, sailing their IC 24, "CCT Boatphone KATS", had won the Sportsmanship award, which included all classes that had sailed in the Rolex Regatta.

In all my years of sailboat racing, I have found that the Sportsmanship Award is the most prestigious award in yachting, even above winning a regatta in the overall standings.

The Crew of CCT Boatphone KATS

Javan Cooper: 16 years old, is now into his 6th year in KATS Sailing. He is team Captain and has sailed in several Chief Ministers Cups, as well as local Regattas. He was at the helm during Rolex and had some good results in several races against some very serious competition in what is probably the toughest fleet, the IC 24s.

Jamie Bibby: 16 years old, has also been a KATS sail member for over 5 years. Jamie was Captain of the second Tortola entry at last year's Chief Ministers Cup. He will be helming at the BVI Spring Regatta this week as we train toward our big finale, the CM Cup. At Rolex Jamie was all over the boat handling the whisker pole on the downwind jibes and mainsheets on the windward legs. He also has competed in several Chief Ministers Cups as well as local races. Look for good results from him this weekend in the BVI Spring Regatta.

Jamar Cooper: Age 14. Javan's younger brother has been with us for 3 years. He is fast becoming an accomplished sailor and closing in on his brother. Jamar was busy at Rolex handling the jib sheet duties. He has also been on the team in our last 3 CM Cups.

Amal Maduro: Age 14. We were pleased to see Amal come back into the program after a time away. He is settling in and becoming a good all-round sailor. We look for big things from him down the road.

Jamal Wintz: Age 14. Jamal is now into his 4th year in KATS Sailing. He did a great job on foredeck duty this past weekend. He also has been on previous Team Tortolas at CN Cup.

Theo Stoddard: Age 15. Theo is also one of our long termers, now in his 4th year of KATS Sailors. We’re pleased to have Theo on the team and know he'll be a valuable addition.

Dontae Hodge-Dickenson: Age 12. Dontae may be smaller in stature than some of the older teammates, but what he lacks in size, he more than makes up for in enthusiasm and spirit. He did a great job of keeping the boom out on the downwind legs. We should see a lot of this lad in the future.

Hats off to the KATS kids for their performance last weekend and watch out for them in the upcoming BVI Spring regatta, hosted this week at Nanny Cay Marina.