Record number of yachts participate in Dark and Stormy Regatta.

The 10th annual Dark and Stormy Regatta was largest turnout ever. Thirty two yachts signed up for the three day event. The race to Anegada was from Trellis Bay this past Saturday, in perfect weather. The winds were 15 to 20 and the seas cooperative, which proved to be glorious sailing for all the yachts. In a sixteen mile race, the first boat to finish was Hotel California, in approx. 2 ½ hours. The rest of the 31 yachts were safely at anchor in no time and by happy hour everyone was at Neptune’s Treasure talking about the fabulous sail, ratings and finish times.

On February 17th, The Loyal West End Yacht Club hosted The 29th Annual “Sweethearts of the Caribbean”, Schooner Race setting a new standard for classic yacht regattas. Nine schooners ranging in size from forty to over a hundred feet entered the competition. It was a beautiful sight to see these gorgeous schooners race through Soper’s Hole carrying full sail. The classic single handed event consisted of 12 yachts in a 16 mile pursuit race..

IC24'S PLUS JAMES AND MARTY BRAVED 30 KNOT WINDS--BONNIE WINS SOUP COOK-OFF

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West End Yacht Club 2007 Regatta Calendar

Sweethearts REVISED! ----

!February 16 – 18!

29th Annual Sweethearts of the Caribbean and

25th Annual Classic Yacht Regatta

March 9 - 12

10th Annual Dark and Stormy Regatta

May 25 - 27

33rd Annual Foxy’s Wooden Boat Regatta

June 29 & 30

16th Annual Firecracker 500 Race

October 26 - 28

11th Annual Foxy’s Cat Fight

December 1 & 2

Gustav Wilmerding 17th Annual Memorial Challenge

We hope that all of our members and friends will ACTIVELY SUPPORT OUR REGATTAS

Thank You, The Race Committees

Read more of the Cat Fight, the skin show at the costune party and the disappearing mark.

COMMODOR van HOUTEN GOT OUT OF HIS HAMMOCK LONG ENOUGH TO DELIVER THE CASE OF RUM FOR THE BADDEST CAT AWARD AS THE PARTY GOT UNDER WAY.

Hey everyone. We want to tell you that we are alive and well and having a great time in Venezuela. We are actually cruising and are truly enjoying it. Catch our travels on www.missnancysjournal.com and do let us KNOW HOW YOU ARE . Our new mail is swansongbvi@yahoo.com. We really miss you and hope you have a great Cat Fight.

WEYC is looking to add folks to the Committee. We are looking for up to two new or old members to add new ideas and support to our committee metings.
Comtact Martin van Huoten at MVH@SURFBVI.COM if interested and read more for duties.

Torrential rain on Friday night at the Jolly Roger made sign-up for the 15th running of the West End Yacht Club Firecracker 500 (and Chili Cook-off) a very wet affair. But with two visiting boats from St Thomas and two dedicated KATS IC24’s using this as their readiness race for the Chief Ministers Cup next week, there was no doubt that the race was on!

A new “crazy eights” course was set around the “Thatches”, thereby avoiding the inclusion of the green navigation buoy in Great Harbour used in previous years. Saturday winds obliged with 15 -18 knots ready to drive the fleet around a 17 miles course in a pursuit format. (Boats start at staggered intervals according to their handicap -- slowest boat first; in theory crossing the finish line close together).


KATS IC24’s being the slowest handicapped boats started together in a blustery downwind start--always a difficult maneuver. Indeed with 20 secs to go CCTKATS helmed by James Woods was caught literally beating back to the correct side of the line. The strategy (if it was one?) worked and CCTKATS crossed the line correctly on the start gun for a perfect start. Later they suffered a broken tiller off Great Thatch and so retired—better this race than next week James.








14 minutes 31 seconds later visiting J27 J Walker from St Thomas crossed the line under blue spinnaker—a bold move well executed. After this the faster boats came within minutes of each other: John Haracivet’s “Tempest” who was over the line by 10 secs and received a penalty, Pat Nolan’s “Seabiscuit”, Kevin Rowlett’s “Picaroon” and “Rhumb Squall” sailed by Alison Knights-Bramble with a cast of youth sailors.

This was Rhumb Squall’s trial by firecracker (pun intended) since Alison assumed custody of the highly tuned Antrim 27 under a donation program from the US owner, Tom Mullen. Despite her crew too many to count on the rail and a reefed mainsail, Alison was heard later muttering at the bar about boats that would not “stand up”. But by the time they bravely appeared on the last beat they had shaken out the reef and were definitely in control—well done Alison and the crew. (Maybe Tom didn’t tell her the ideal crew weight for that boat is 1100 lbs).

With the fleet disappearing and re-appearing around Little and Great Thatch it seemed anybody’s race, assuming the pursuit handicaps were working; with the bar flies betting on the bigger boats and Rhumb Squall the wild card. But shortly before 1400 hours Cy Thompson with his “little boat that could” “J Walker” crossed the line 8 minutes ahead of Picaroon to show the Loyals and (the bar flies) how to sail a crazy eights course.

KEVIN ROWLETT'S PICAROON TAKING 2ND PLACE BEHIND CY THOMPSON'S J WALKER.











Absent from the fleet was any representation from the “Royals” despite a challenge to them from the “Loyals” for a sail-off for the Manhattan Yacht Club Trophy (presented to both Clubs by MYC after 911 with thanks for the support they received). The trophy will be held by WEYC again by default until the challenge is answered.

At 5.30pm eight delicious chili concoctions appeared and the chili aficionados began their daunting culinary judgment. It was amazingly close voting by 21 tasters with Di Kirk beating out Stick by one vote with Aurlie from the Jolly Roger a very close third. All funds from the registration and the cook off are donated to KATS by the WEYC.

RESULTS:
1 J Walker—Cy Thompson—J27
2 Picaroon---Kevin Rowlett---Oyster 48
3 1st Caribbean Kats---Javon Cooper---IC24
4 Seabiscuit---Pat Nolan---Beneteau 445
5 Tempest---John Haracivet---Beneteau 38
6 Rhumb Squall---Alison Knights-Bramble---Antrim 27
7 CCT Kats---James Woods---IC24

May 27 and 28, 2006 Mike Kirk

“Foxy’s Wooden Boat Regatta - 2006”
The revised format for the 2006 Wooden Boat Regatta brought out a fleet of 22 yachts of every age, design and type to compete for the 18 perpetual trophies given for this granddaddy of regattas.
Sad news at registration was of the sinking of Dragon being towed from Puerto Rico. While the crew were distracted fishing she sank in 120 ft of water off Culebra! (Something about a bung secured with 5200 was rumored to be the cause) Arrangements were already underway to re-float this valuable Island Sloop.
Despite dwindling turnout in earlier years Foxy had said there will always be a race even if there are only two wooden boats in the Caribbean! This year he sat at registration desk with a twinkle in his eye saying that we were on the way back to the days of 80 boat fleets. The variety of entries makes this regatta unique. The newest boat was the Island Sloop Scorpion, built in 2002 with the oldest boat being the Morecombe Bay Prawner from England Lu Lu Du celebrating her 80th birthday. Boats came from seven different islands many locally built by owners such as Rafiki 3 built in Cocoa Beach Fl. by Chris Angel and the old stalwart Breath built by Peter Muilenburg in St John
The addition of the Classic class (any boat of a design over 30 years old) meant that most boats sailed both days in either the Single Hander or Classic on Saturday followed by the two race wooden boat race on Sunday. A possible varied eight courses were available for the committee to ensure good competition.
Saturday saw the Classics circumnavigating Jost van Dyke in medium winds while the single handers circled Sandy Cay and Great Thatch. Winds were light on Sunday and so Race Captain Robin Pinfold selected shorter courses around Sandy Cay.
The old Great Lakes pilot boat Silver Cloud was, as always the Classic Committee Boat.
Owners Elliot and Jo Hooper from St. John kept the race committee entertained with stories of the resident ghosts living on this 1899 steel hulled veteran, named originally the Helen “S”. (When at sea a group of card players can be heard listening to a 1930 Cleveland Indians Baseball game!)
West End Yacht Club (WEYC) rules allowing engines to be run to the start - designed to improve safety - seemed to encourage a tightly packed start as boats drove to the line within seconds of one another. Odege threaded a needle gap ahead of port tack Ruffian but ducked heavy and blunt Buxam—Sarah O'Neill has just got her Camper Nicholson 33 back in shape after grounding in the Anegada race earlier this year.
On Sunday much of the inter-boat competition came down to match racing between two or three boats. (To ensure even racing, boats are divided into length classes and boat type divisions.) In race one the big Island Sloops Oasis and Jaguar both over stood the line and had to circle spectator boats at the port end to restart on port. Likewise the three small sloops fought for the start with Scorpion pulling off a port approach against Coaba and Buenadaga. Coaba won the first race despite a broken tiller –the helmsman steering with his foot over the transom on the rudder!
Adding to the start mayhem were the two committee boat dogs barking at four legged crew members on passing race boats. WEYC Commodore Martin van Houton was heard to say ruefully “This is a whole new genre of sailboat racing!”
Sundays finish was delayed as Lilly and Jezephyr (without radios) sailed the planned long course around Little and Great Thatch. After four hours they approached the finish in a deadly luffing match with humorous profanities and criticisms of the Almighty flowing freely across the water. Jezephyr held her lead to finish by 14 seconds. Robin Pinfold summed it up with “Oh well –the best laid plans of mice and committee men…..”
Carter Powell and Carol King completed a yeoman’s task of allocating the 50 or so prizes along with $200 for each class winner for the noisy prize giving. With prizes for all and 18 perpetual trophies to award the committee was hard pressed to keep prizes and trophies moving before the drinking and dancing got serious.
A special award was resented to retiring Vice Commodor Robin Pinfold after his many years of service to WEYC.


Results
Single Handed Race:
1st Virgin Fire Gold Coast 56 Cat – Jo Colpitt – St. John
2nd Jezephyr Alden 33 – Tory Lane – St. John
3rd Lilly 38ft Italian Sloop – “Bear” – St. John

Classic Race:
1st Oasis 34ft Gelo Island Sloop – Miguel Gomez – Puerto Rico
2nd Trinka Rhodes 40 – Thatcher Lord – St. John
3rd Scorpion 22ft Gelo Island Sloop – Juan Ramden/Luis Nieves – Puerto Rico

Wooden Boat (2 Races Overall):
Under 30ft Island Sloops
1st Scorpion 22ft Gelo Island Sloop – Juan Ramden/Luis Nieves – Puerto Rico
2nd Coaba 26ft Freddie Island Sloop – Ricardo Alvarez – Puerto Rico
30ft to 40ft Island Sloops
1st Jaguar II 34ft Yeyo Medina Island Sloop – Junior Palmas – Puerto Rico
2ndOasis 34ft Gelo Island Sloop – Miguel Gomez – Puerto Rico
Under 30ft Marconi Sloops
1st Peacepipe Laurent Giles 29 – Parker Hall – St. Thomas
2ndPepper Culbert 23 – Fred Renner – St. John
30ft to 40 ft Marconi Sloops
1st Yankee Rhodes 34 – Brad Glidden - St. Thomas
2ndJezephyr Alden 33 – Tory Lane – St. John
3rd Lilly 38ft Italian Sloop – “Bear” – St. John
50ft to 60ft Marconi Sloops
1st Spree Ackerman 50 – Bob Reedy – St John
2nd Lu Lu Du 51ft Morecombe Bay Prawner – Matt Carroll – England
30ft to 40 ft Traditional Sloops (Gaff Rigged)
1st Buxam II 39ft Tahiti Ketch – Colin Hansen – St John
30ft to 40 ft Multihulls
1st Rafiki 3 37ft Chris Angel Trimaran – Christopher Angel – St John
Over 50ft Multihull
1st Virgin Fire Gold Coast 56 Cat – Jo Colpitt – St. John

Crew of Fat Cat

Crew of Seabiscuit

Crew of Shamrock

Reese & Jane

Race Committee