Race crews are chomping at the bit. Final polishes on boat bottoms make them look like glass. Lines and tackle have been checked, rechecked and checked again, for Friday is the start of the three-day International Rolex Regatta.
This is the race where sailors in the four Spinnaker classes vie for the coveted Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner timepiece, and eternal bragging rights.
This is the race that sailors dream about while they spend long cold winters sailing on murky and polluted waters in layers of long underwear and foul weather gear.
The breezes that have developed in the last few days before the race are the ones that make the Virgin Islands the best sailing in the world. But they’ve been missing this year – until now.
“The winds have been so unusual,” said Bill Canfield, regatta co-director along with John Sweeney. “We really never had our trade winds until just this week, and we are hoping that they will continue to blow. If we get the trade winds, it takes the stress out of the event.”
Canfield, who also manages the St. Thomas Yacht Club, is forecasting conditions of 12-15 knots of wind and crystal clear weather.
“It’s a great test for all of the competitors,” Canfield said. “It emphasizes their crew work and the tactical skills of the captain and tactician.”
This year’s events includes more of the homegrown and Caribbean favorite IC-24s, many coming from Puerto Rico and Tortola to augment the U.S. Virgin Islands’ fleet. The IC-24 is a J-24 modified with a more expansive cockpit, and its agility makes it one of the most exciting classes to watch.
IRC (International Rating Conference) classes feature high-dollar, purpose-built boats with professional or near-professional crews who look forward to coming to Rolex as a treat after sailing on cold waters over the winter on the North American mainland and in Europe.
“The distinction lies in our phenomenal conditions and scenic nature of our 25-mile distance courses in comparison to the windward-leeward courses that are all that other venues have to offer,” Sweeney said.
The courses take sailors on Friday from St. Thomas’ East End to Charlotte Amalie Harbor, where they finish in front of the waterfront around lunchtime. This gives spectators who work downtown a chance to get a view of the excitement. Races resume right in the harbor and race back to the East End.
“It takes a little bit of time for sailors who do buoy races to get used to this,” Canfield said of the distances. “There is a little bit of local knowledge needed to know where they can and can’t go, and when to go to shore and when to stay off shore.”
The regatta is not just about the racing; the parties at the end of the day are legendary. Saturday night’s party at Yacht Haven Grande, featuring Cool Sessions Brass, is free and open to the public.
Canfield is pleased that the same sponsors, Marriott Frenchman’s Reef and Morningstar Beach Resort, Bellows International, AH Riise and Mount Gay Rum have come back to support the regatta again.
