For those of you unfamiliar with the duties of the Race Committee Boat (like us), we hosted the Regatta officials, starters, timers, recorders, the Press, and various and sundry volunteers. We anchored KINGDOM off the Yacht Club mooring field on Friday morning, and the group came aboard at 8:30am with their signal flags and equipment. About 16 people in all.
We then motored about a mile offshore, and anchored in about 80 feet of water. The service boats set the marker buoys for the starting and finish lines about 100 yards on either side of us.
Racing began about 10am each day, and generally was finished around 4pm. There were 5 classes of sailboats; everything from the 70-footers with a crew of 15, down to the beach catamarans crewed by two people in wet suits hanging on for dear life. There were about 65 boats in all. Some of the most exciting races were in the 24-foot one-design class known as IC-24.
For us, it was like having 50-yard-line tickets at the Super Bowl! Basically, we were at the starting line and finish line of most of the races. Some of the big-boat classes raced a long course, and ran as few as one race per day. The smaller boats ran as many as five races each day. Race courses were laid out by the workboats, setting out temporary buoys marking the path of the race course. The racers are provided the coordinates of each marker buoy for each race.
Much of the racing was broadcast live on the internet. It was also filmed by on-water movie crews. So if you are interested, you can probably find pictures of KINGDOM where you find reporting of the event. We were invited to all of the evening festivities at the Yacht Club, but only made it to two of them. Saturday night we were too pooped to attend the Big Bash at Yacht Haven Grande in Charlotte Amalie. I think we were in bed by 8:30pm.
Anyway, here are some of the pictures. Sometimes it looks like mass confusion on the water, as boats mill around jockeying for position on the starting line, or rounding a buoy. At other times, it is like watching sprinters lined up waiting for the starting gun at a track meet.
We hope you enjoy….
Friday night at the Yacht Club, Susan got to meet one of the patriarchs of offshore racing. Arthur, known as "Tuna" was instrumental in formalizing the rules of International Sailboat Racing. He is now 85 years young, and sharp as a tack, even though he gets around with a walker. He ran the World Cup Regatta in Sydney, when Dennis Connor won for the U.S.A.
New friends...
The bar at the yacht club, hung with regatta and yacht club pennants.
IC 24's just off the starting line.
IC 24's crossing the finish line.
Spinnakers flying, approaching the finish line.
The race starters awaiting the next race with their flags at rest.
Dave Brennan, the Race Captain, aboard one of KINGDOM's Yamaha scooters. He was on a radio or cell phone all during the day.
S/V Shamrock, a legendary race boat.
S/V VICTORIE, approaching finish line, well ahead of her competitors.
Racers rounding a mid-point buoy.
S/V DONNYBROOK loses her spinnaker overboard.
One of the Beach Catamarans flipped over just at the starting line. They righted the boat and took off like a rocket.
One of the most beautiful of the racer/cruiser class.
The boats passed so close at the start and finish, we could almost reach out and touch them.
The little trimaran was named PIGLET.
Dave Brennan , still hard at work, running the races from KINGDOM's flybridge.
One of the regatta's several workboats, hauling buoy markers out to the race course.
We plan to do it all again next year. We've been invited to join the St. Thomas Yacht Club, too.
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