74.7 F
Charlotte Amalie
Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesMORE THAN 40 TO COMPETE IN WOMEN'S REGATTA

MORE THAN 40 TO COMPETE IN WOMEN'S REGATTA

Nov. 11, 2001 – Promoting women's sailing and the camaraderie that comes from a weekend of close-knit competition are the goals of the Veuve Clicquot Women's Regatta. The 15th event is set for Friday through Sunday in the waters off St. Thomas, after a welcoming party Thursday evening.
"It's a shared weekend of sailing during which women can get together with one another, renew old friendships and create new ones," says Louri Lynn Throgmorton, who with Summer Westman co-chairs the St. Thomas Yacht Club-hosted event.
St. Thomas's Nance Frank, with assistance from Dee Spear, started the regatta as a one-day event in 1986. Held annually except for 1995 in the aftermath of Hurricane Marilyn, the event has grown to three days. This year's event will have more than 40 women participating — from St. Thomas, St. John, St. Croix, the British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Antigua, Sint Maarten and the U.S. mainland. Veuve Clicquot-Ponsardin, an ardent supporter of women's events, has sponsored the event for nine years through its V.I. distributor, Bellows International.
As a direct result of the event, Antigua and Sint Maarten have organized ladies' Laser competitions, developing a Caribbean Women's Laser Circuit where new friendships are forged and former ones are reinforced. "Through these regattas more women feel at ease entering the male-dominated world of sailboat racing," Westman says.
This year, regatta directors are making some changes which include adding new classes in an effort to get more competitors out on the water. "In addition to Lasers, we plan to be racing lateen-rigged sailboats such as Sunfish and Aqua Fins," Throgmorton says. "If we have enough boats, a captain and the female crew of her choice will race the same boat all weekend."
Also, Westman adds, "we hope to add Wayfarers, a one-design class. Wayfarers are two-person, high-performance race boats."
Another change, of a non-technical nature, is that the regatta this year will be fund-raising event for the Women's Coalition. "A portion of the regatta's profits will be donated to this organization, which provides the Virgin Islands with crisis intervention services, victim advocates, a shelter for battered women and their children, parenting skills workshops, violence and sexual abuse prevention workshops, and much more," Throgmorton says.
Ranking by class — Bronze for beginners, Silver for intermediates and Gold for experienced sailors — will be determined by a series of qualifying races to be held on Friday. The number of boats on hand will determine what rigs are available to choose from. For those competitors who don't have their own boats, "the sailor with the highest rating will choose her boat first, the second-highest will choose second, and so forth," Westman says.
Prizes will be awarded to the top three finishers in each class.
Betsy Alison and Don Makowiecki will be on hand, as they have previously to provide race instruction and guidance in seminars. Alison, a five-time Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year, former World Women's Laser Champion and currently highly ranked in the Women's Match Racing Circuit, will present pre-race talks and on-the-water racing critiques and lead question-and-answer sessions. Makowiecki, a U.S. Sailing senior judge and umpire, is an accomplished sailor who recently won the International 12-Meter Worlds in Cowes, Britain, and has been nominated by U.S. Sailing to be designated an international judge.
On land, the regatta participants will have dinner nightly at the yacht club. Fiddler Dick Solberg and his Sun Mountain Band will entertain Thursday through Saturday nights at the club. The awards presentation will be Sunday afternoon at the Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas Resort.
Regatta schedule
Thursday:
6-9 p.m. — check-in, final registration, welcoming cocktail party, "Mystery Gift Fund Raiser," food and music by the Dick Solberg and the Sun Mountain Band
Friday:
7-8:30 a.m. — Breakfast at St. Thomas Yacht Club
9 a.m.-noon — qualifying races and seminars
Noon-1 p.m. — box lunch at STYC, question-and-answer session
1:30-4 p.m. racing
6-10 p.m. — Italian dinner, music by the Dick Solberg and the Sun Mountain Band
Saturday:
7- 8:30 a.m. — Breakfast at STYC
9 a.m.-1 p.m. — racing
1 p.m. – box lunch at STYC, question-and-answer session
6-10:p.m. — barbecue dinner, music by the Dick Solberg and the Sun Mountain Band
Sunday:
7 -8:30 a.m. — breakfast at STYC
9 a.m.-noon — racing
2 p.m. — awards luncheon at the Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas Resort
There's still time to register
The regatta is open to all women who are 18 years of age by Nov. 15. The skipper's entry fee of $165 includes a goody bag with T-shirt; Friday, Saturday and Sunday meal tickets; and gifts. There's a discount of $16.50 for U.S. Sailing members.
The "crew-only" entry fee is $130; it's available to sailors who are crew on Lasers or Wayfarers. U.S. Sailing members receive a $13 discount.
For more information, contact Throgmorton by telephone at 775-5200 or by e-mail; or Westman by telephone at 779-2729 or 775-6320 or by e-mail.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Keeping our community informed is our top priority.
If you have a news tip to share, please call or text us at 340-228-8784.

Support local + independent journalism in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Unlike many news organizations, we haven't put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as accessible as we can. Our independent journalism costs time, money and hard work to keep you informed, but we do it because we believe that it matters. We know that informed communities are empowered ones. If you appreciate our reporting and want to help make our future more secure, please consider donating.