The West End Yacht Club has had a very busy racing season this year. We started our yearly regattas with the silver anniversary of the Sweethearts of the Caribbean & 21st Annual Classic Yacht Regatta, held from February 8th to 10th in West End Tortola. With an encouraging 41 entries the weekend brought out the most beautiful classic yachts we have seen in a long time. The weather was made for racing with winds out of the east at 15+ knots, with gusts up to 25, amid sunshine and showers.

The fun began on Friday night, the 8th, at the Jolly Roger Restaurant & Bar the land home of the West End Yacht Club, with registration headed by Linda Hagenson and the selling of newly designed WEYC T-shirts by Neil Bailes.

Led by Race Captain John Cope the registration was followed by a great slide show by Anthony “Bones” Blake showing a decade’s worth of photos of past Sweetheart Regattas followed by dinner and dancing to Focus.

On Saturday the 9th there were two great races – The 25th Sweethearts Race (all schooners) at noon and the Single Handed Race at 1300. The Race Committee gathered on Tim Stonich’s lovely catamaran, Rendezvous Cay, at Soper’s Hole for the event. Tim is one of the most popular charter captains in West End and it was a delight to be on his prestigious and immaculate 50’ cat.

Janet Macan, wife of BVI Governor Tom Macan, was a special guest for the event. Our sailing governor meanwhile raced on Charm III, a gorgeous staysail schooner belonging to Richard West that took 18 years to rebuild on the beach in Anguilla. What a story that is. They finished in 3rd place with a time of 2:02:51.

The schooner class (Sweethearts) saw some real action with Fletcher & Robin Pitts’ classic Alden, Liberty, out in front for most of the way. Robbie Hoyt’s beautiful 52’ schooner, Snap, persevered however, and took first place with an elapsed time of 1:57:44 to Liberty’s 1:58:03 – just under a half minute’s difference.

The Single Handed Race is always a joy to watch – rather like “Zen and the Art of Sailing”. Eleven skippers, at one with their vessels, headed out of Sopers Hole on a course that used the north shore of Tortola and the islands of Great & Little Thatch and Sandy Cay as marks.

Coral Bay’s Julian Davies’ Cow Horn, Tiger Maru, finished in first place with a great time of 2:11:05. Sadly, the vessel was dismasted during the Classic Yacht Race on Sunday. The WEYC hands out great prizes, as always, and Davies is sure to use his - a hefty gift certificate from Yacht Restoration Co. at Nanny Cay Marina. Vincent Barnett’s 57’ sloop, Rainbow Maker, came in 2nd with a time of 2:16:41.

Following Saturday’s Races Sponsor Mt. Gay Rum set up a welcoming booth that featured special Mt. Gay Drinks and T-shirts for the event. Mt. Gay is celebrating their 300th Anniversary this year and to commemorate the event they presented a beautifully framed large classic yacht print to a winner determined by draw. Geoffrey Markle, the Caribbean Representative for Mt. Gay, explained the process. Neil Newhardt, of Hirondelle, was the winner as presented by Sam Tucker of Mt. Gay and Road Town Wholesale, another sponsor. Neil’s name will now be placed in contention, along with winners of the BVI Spring Regatta, Foxy’s Wooden Boat Regatta and the Pro/Am Regatta at the Bitter End Yacht Club, for the final draw with other Mt. Gay winners throughout the world. The winner of that draw will receive a free vacation for two to Barbados, the home of Mt. Gay. Go Neil Go – we’re all rooting for you.

Sailors then enjoyed Lou’s great BBQ and danced away the night to sounds of Cruise Control, a hot BVI group that always delight listeners.

The 21st Classic Yacht Regatta (yacht designs of 25 years or older) was held on Sunday morning and drew top entries. Following the Skippers Meeting all captains and crews headed for the course held on the southern shore of Tortola in the Sir Francis Drake Channel.

The Committee of Di & Mike Kirk, Sarah Sommers, Nels Hagenson and Lisa Bailes assisted with Alf Oliver and Graham Smith tabulating the results.

Meanwhile, on shore, Jeff Brooks and Al Frasier, from the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College, set up a most informative island sloop display board and showed guests the BVI Island Sloops, Youth Instructor and Moonbeam, which were tied to the dock. Students raced these classics against each other later in the day with skippers Ron Gurney and Laurens Blok helming respectively.

To show their support for the Island Sloop Program at the college, the WEYC waved registration fees for both boats. The Wannabee Race, featuring boats with designs of 20 – 25 years, followed the Classic Yacht Regatta.

St John’s T-Bird & the Sand Devils entertained directly after the Awards Ceremony, as emceed by WEYC’s Martin Van Houten, rounding up what was to be the best as far as weekend classic sailing goes. With all of the plastic “Tupperware” boats out there, it is great to know that the love for classic yachts is still going strong.

Results were as follows

CLASS 1 – Classics under 30’

1st – Peliking – a 1957 Squib raced by Alison Knights, Sailing Director of the Royal BVI Yacht Club (3:42:54)

CLASS 2 – Classics under 40’

1st – Munich – Ali Bscher (USVI) - 1929 fractional rig design. (2:44:37)

2nd – Lydia, Charles Haines (BVI) - 1956 Rhodes design, marconi rigged (2:54:47)

3rd – Windshift – Ralph Fette (USVI) (3:03:47)

4th – Songline – Tom Warner – (BVI) 1964 Rhodes design (3:14:13)

5th – Grace – Patrick Reilly (USVI) - red strip-planked mahogany gaff cutter (3:35:22)

6th – Wemicus – Harry Berfelz (BVI) – cruising sloop (3: 43:30)

CLASS 3 – Classics 40’ – 50’

1st - Mareva – Chris Behon (USVI) - 1978 design (2:38:38)

2nd – Johanna – Jack Simmons (USVI) -1956 designed wooden ketch (2:45:14)

3rd – Golondrina – John Eide – (USA) 1938 wooden yawl (2:51:17)

4th – Simba I – Paul Williams – (BVI) 1950 Rob Lion designed wooden sloop (3:24:50)

5th – Windolee – Rob Kunkel – (USVI) 1948 gaff rigged wooden schooner (3:36:35)

CLASS 4 – Classics 50’ and over

1st – Rainbow Maker – Vincent Barnett (USVI) - 1970 57’ sloop (2:18:48)

2nd – Liberty – Fletcher Pitts (USVI) -1924 Rhodes designed wooden schooner (2:30:02)

3rd – Charm III – Richard West (USVI) – 1925 design – 58’ Schooner (2:37:29)

4th – Lelanta – Kevin Hoffman (BVI) - 68’ 1929 steel Alden Schooner with owners John & Christine Welteroth aboard (2:59:38)

WANNABEES

1ST – Fastidiots – Eddie Brockbank – (BVI) - Olson 30 (2:15:08)

2nd – Tempest – John Haravichet (USVI)- 1981 design masthead sloop (2:29:53)

3rd – Cold Beer – John Schultheiss (BVI)- Tartan 10 (2:32:09)

4th – Dehlerious – Bungie Flynn (BVI) - 1982 design (2:34:01)