Team Captain's Guide makes a splash
at 2005 BVI Spring Regatta
by James Connor
When I got the call, it was snowing hard
as it often does in New England in January. The call
was from the publishers of Captain’s Guide Magazines,
inviting me to join them for the BVI Spring Regatta
/ Sailing Festival at the end of March. Considering
my busy life and the current weather conditions, it
didn’t take long for me to make my decision to
join them. 
When March came around, my good friend Scott and I prepared
ourselves for a nice winter diversion to the lower latitudes.
Since this was Scott’s first trip to the BVI,
we opted to fly to St. Thomas and ferry over to Tortola
so we could get a feel for the geography of the Virgins
as well as enjoy the islands’ different cultures.
We had made arrangements to stay at a hotel for the
first night, meet up with our mates and rest up for
the next day of orientation given by the crew at Moorings
Yacht Charters.
I have to say that at Moorings everyone was extremely
friendly and very efficient. The boat was ready to go
and the dock crew was very helpful. The boat was a beautiful
Beneteau 505, in topnotch condition with plenty of room
for our crew of five. 
We were anxious to get under way and put some sail up,
so we made our way out of Road Town and off we went
to the Bight. This gave us a chance to get accustomed
to the boat and practice a little. The plan was to stay
the night at Norman Island and go over to Nanny Cay
the next day for the captains’ meeting and race
orientation. During a regatta, it is always a blast
to stay at the dock with the racing boats. You get to
see the competition’s equipment and crew, along
with their drinking habits. A late night at the regatta
village, set up on the beach at Nanny Cay, provided
us with more than enough insider information! This,
along with the scratch sheet, helped us evaluate our
competition.
The first race was a beat up the Drake Channel to Virgin
Gorda which is about a 25 mile sail upwind in 20 knots
of breeze. The boat handled great with a full main and
jib. The competition was close, and at day’s end
there were three 505s crossing tacks in the channel
entering Gorda Sound, heading for the finish line in
front of the Bitter End Yacht Club. This made for some
good sailing. 
The next day was a lay day and gave us an opportunity
to snorkel, share stories with other sailors from all
over the globe, and enjoy the hospitality of the Bitter
End. After our day of rest, we raced downwind back to
Nanny Cay. The course took us along the outside of Cooper
and Peters Islandsthen a straight shot across the channel
to the finish at Nanny Cay. The next series of races-the
official Spring Regatta-were sailed around a preset
course in the Drake Channel. Shorter races but highly
competitive and a lot of fun. Looking back, I can’t
help but recall what a fellow had said to me at the
captains’ meeting about how if you were going
to design an amusement park for sailors, you couldn’t
improve on what nature and the BVI government have provided
for sailors in the BVI.
I’ll be back next year will you?
2006 BVI Spring Regatta 3/27-4/2
www.bvispringregatta.org
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