The 2019 St. Croix International Regatta this weekend tested the skills of 13 of St. Croix’s most skilled skippers and two from the British Virgin Islands.
The St. Croix Yacht Club hosted the event, as it has since 1993.
While the fifteen bigger boats competed in waters north of the island, including the rougher seas around Buck Island, young Optimist sailors raced in Teague Bay. Even the beginners, labeled the green fleet sailors, participated. Near shore, they sailed their little Opti boats, which look like bath tubs, and learned to navigate their way around the marks.
Advanced Optimists took the competition in earnest and competed farther out in the bay.
Racing began Friday with the Captain Nick’s Race, a salute to 93 year-old Nick Castruccio, who founded the regatta after securing Mumm’s Champagne as sponsor. That first regatta, then called Mumm’s Cup, drew 70 sailors from up and down the Caribbean chain of islands. Everyone dressed to the nines for dinner and entertainment after the races.
“A flamboyant French woman from Mumm’s, Agnes, came each year; men wore suits and ties and ladies dressed up. It was fantastic!” recalls Regatta Director Karen Stanton.
Stanton organized regatta activities, beginning with the famous rum party that welcomes sailors and the community to the event. Live music, beach dancing, and hearty Crucian-style buffets provided good times after the racing, although more folks attended wearing flip-flops than high heels, as in days of yore.
A school of dolphins, at least one turtle, and two whales accompanied sailors as they raced.
“The whales were the best part of the regatta!” said Jean Sylvester, who crewed for Beecher Higby on Ava, a Rhodes 19. She and the other racers spotted the whales north of Buck Island.
“From a distance I thought one whale was a boat broaching,” she said. “He was beautiful – black with a white belly. He came up and then dove back down again; I can’t even describe the sound he made. It was a loud smack.”
The 11-mile race around Buck Island was the first time they had followed that path in 30 years. Principal Race Officer Dick Neville from Annapolis designed the course, giving Buck a wide berth in efforts to avoid coral heads and keep racers outside the marine park buoys.
“We had plenty of support boats,” said Julie San Martin, race director. “We had a medical crew, a nurse and doctor out there on the boats.”
Morrello, a multihull built and owned by Larry Ketten and his wife, finished the Saturday Buck Island Race in one hour and two minutes.
Classifications included spinnakers, non-spinnakers, multihulls, and Rhodes19s.
Sonoma, a non-spinnaker boat skippered by Craig Harms, has entered the St. Croix International Regatta for years. By way of Maryland and North Carolina, Sonoma now calls St. Croix its home port.
While St. Croix native Lt. Col. Brian O’Reilly showed Harms around the island, the two men discussed the value in getting young locals involved in all aspects of the marine industry.
Their conversation led to a Facebook post by Sen. Javan James noting that Harms would offer sailing instruction for 20 to 30 young adults in Frederiksted in preparation for the regatta, O’Reilly said. These new young sailors, along with O’Reilly, crewed for Harms on Sonoma this past weekend and will also crew in the St. Thomas International Regatta, March 22 through 24.
“It was tough but fun,” said Darryl Donohue, who had never sailed before.
Terrence Nelson, Jr., a non-structure designer at Gold Coast Yachts, also took advantage of the opportunity to learn sailing on Sonoma.
“I definitely had to jump on it,” Nelson said. “This is an experience I’ve wanted for a very long time; it was so cool!”
In closing ceremonies Sunday afternoon San Martin awarded trophies to top skippers.
As is Yacht Club custom, the skipper of the first-place spinnaker sat cross-legged on one side of a set of scales while the regatta team stacks cases of Cruzan Rum on the other until the scales balance.
Virgin Islands Sailor of the Year Peter Stanton, skippered Crucian Confusion and took top honors but gave his crew member, Joey Noel, the honor of perching on the scales.
Milo Miller, top Optimist of the regatta, won his weight in Gatorade.
Full regatta results are online here.
