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Charlotte Amalie
Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesWINDS OR NOT, ST. CROIX REGATTA IS A GO

WINDS OR NOT, ST. CROIX REGATTA IS A GO

As the winds that have pummeled St. Croix for the last week start to calm down, the expectations of the organizers of the St. Croix International Regatta begin to rise.
The regatta’s race committee has been holding its collective breath for the past week as 30-knot winds set in over the Eastern Caribbean, and with them the potential to keep visiting boats away. But as Wednesday dawned just a day before the start of the first race on Friday, winds had calmed somewhat.
Not that strong winds are a bad thing, said Paul Lordi, commodore of the St. Croix Yacht Club, host of the race. Boats can always fly smaller sails during the competition.
But for sailors coming from other islands, particularly those sailing from Puerto Rico and St. Martin, heavy winds mean high seas and a rough voyage to and from St. Croix.
"Puerto Rico is a long beat," said Lordi. "And going back to St. Martin is rough."
Despite the recent winds, some 30 boats are registered for the race, including J-24s, J-28s, melges 24 "rockets," as Lordi calls them, beachcats and an assortment of others.
This year’s regatta, sponsored for the first time by Innovative, is a first of sorts. Even though the race has been held for years, this is the first time it will be staged in February. The regatta used to be held in November, just after hurricane season, the bane of all boaters.
Even though hurricane season is usually over by November, many boats are either still out of the water or just not prepared to race. So the decision was to move the race to the beginning of the year, prior to the annual spring race series in the region.
"We felt more boats would be in the vicinity because we’re not in hurricane season," Lordi said. "And if we do have a hurricane, there is enough time by February to have a normal regatta."
The first race of the regatta is set to begin at 10 a.m. in the Buck Island channel, with the second race of the day scheduled for about 1 p.m. The schedule is the same for Saturday. Sunday has one race that starts at 10 a.m.
For more information about the regatta, check out the St.Croix Yacht Club.

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