Spectacular sailing conditions at Loro Piana Caribbean Superyacht Regatta & Rendezvous 2014

From Charter World

The recently concluded 2014 Loro Piana Caribbean Superyacht Regatta & Rendezvous took to the azure waters of the enchanting Caribbean yacht charter location – Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands for four days of exciting racing. A collection of twenty sailing superyachts and a flotilla of motor yachts gathered at the world-class YCCS Marina, hosted by Boat International Media and Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, Virgin Gorda.

Yachts left YCCS Marina following a ‘Round Virgin Gorda’ Course on Day 1 and 2. Jeff Brown / Superyacht Media

The region, renowned for outstanding sailing conditions, did not disappoint. Crews were met with a warm Caribbean wind that filled their sails as they moved powerfully around each course set by the skilled YCCS race committee. Double Olympic Gold Medalist, Shirley Robertson OBE, made her intentions clear from the outset taking line honors on all three days of racing on charter yacht Moonbird. However, staggered starts, handicaps, three class categories and corrected times meant that results could not be calibrated until the last yacht in each fleet had completed the course.

A close fleet fueled adrenaline on the race course. Jeff Brown / Superyacht Media

Three days of closely fought action ensued leaving the top spot in each class open until the final race. Class C in particular showed a tight battle as the yachts Moonbird and luxury yacht Sarafin sat tied on four points apiece. The final cumulative standings gave the Class A win to superyacht Nilaya after a near unbeatable performance. Her impressive 1-1-2 scoreline earned her the overall prize – the Boat International Media Trophy – which was presented by Pier Luigi Loro Piana and Boat International Media CEO Tony Harris. A similarly dominant performance from Freya gave her overall victory in Class B whilst Moonbird’s solid race on the final day secured her Class win over Sarafin.

The ‘Spirit of the Regatta’ Award for superyacht Seahawk. Carlo Borlenghi / Studio Borlenghi

As is customary at Loro Piana Regattas, superyacht owners along with their guests and crew enjoyed a bountiful social programme in celebration of the action on the water each day. Virgin Gorda with its stunning coastline, quiet coves and luxury resorts provided a striking backdrop upon which to do so. Attendees made the most of the exclusive yacht club facilities at a relaxed Welcome Cocktail on the YCCS lawn. Guests reconvened at the YCCS Clubhouse for an exquisite dinner hosted by Loro Piana to round-up day one and shared a commemorative prize giving on the lawn to commend the illustrious victors on the race course as well as mega yacht Seahawk, the team crowned ‘Spirit of the Regatta’.

The 40 Strong Crew of mega yacht Hetairos Were Powerful On and Off the Race Course. Carlo Borlenghi / Studio Borlenghi

Owners and their guests made the most of Oil Nut Bay’s exquisite beach club facilities throughout the event and at the ‘Emerald Elegance’ beach party. Whilst Embraer Executive Jets along with Pamela and David V. Johnson hosted an intimate cocktail reception for superyacht owners at one of the resort’s private villas. Captains and crew were not disappointed either and celebrated their regatta successes in laid-back Caribbean style at a beach party sponsored by BVI Tourism and Marina Casa de Campo. Each crew competed off the racecourse in a lively tug-of-war which left the crew of the mighty superyacht Hetairos triumphant.

Owners and Crew Come Together to Celebrate the 2014 Loro Piana Caribbean Superyacht Regatta and Rendezvous. Carlo Borlenghi / Studio Borlenghi

Boat International Media and Yacht Club Costa Smerelda, Virgin Gorda would like to thank our sponsors for helping to make the Loro Piana Caribbean Superyacht Regatta and Rendezvous a great success. Special thanks go to Title Sponsor; Loro Piana, Gold Sponsors; Embraer Executive Jets and Oil Nut Bay, Silver Sponsors; BVI Tourism and Westport and Bronze Sponsors; Marina Casa de Campo, Quadrivio and Willis.

The organisers are delighted to announce dates for the Loro Piana Caribbean Superyacht Regatta and Rendezvous for the next three years 10-14 March 2015, 8-12 March 2016, 7-11 March 2017.

For more on this story go to: http://www.charterworld.com/news/spectacular-sailing-conditions-loro-piana-caribbean-superyacht-regatta-rendezvous-2014

Related story:

Crown Jewel of Caribbean yacht racing

From Scuttlebutt Sailing News

St Thomas, USVI (March 30, 2014) – Top-quality competition, razor-close finishes and camaraderie that spanned decades for some and days for others proved that in spite of a new name, the St. Thomas International Regatta (STIR) has remained the ‘Crown Jewel’ of Caribbean yacht racing. Nowhere was this more apparent than on the third and final day of sailing. No one easily walked away with a win. Plus, the podium was filled with teams representing the Caribbean, U.S., and Europe.

First time racing in the STIR proved a charm for Near Miss, Franck Noel’s TP 52. The Switzerland-based team finished by winning every race but one in the CSA – Racing O Class. That defeat came at the hands of the Netherlands’ Peter Vroon aboard his Ker 46, Tonnerre de Breskens 3, which finished second.

“The racing was very good, good competition and the courses were very nice around the islands,” explains Benoit Briand, Near Miss team manager. “It would have been easy to make a big mistake and finish last in this class, but we sailed the boat properly and grew more confident as a team every day.”

The final 300 yards of the regatta’s last race is where the winner was decided in the CSA – Racing 1 Class. “It was really hard for us to race the Melges 24,” explains Puerto Rico’s Jaime Torres, winner aboard his Melges 32, Smile and Wave. “We never saw the 24; it was an unknown target. We just knew we had to race as fast as we could and it worked. Next year, we expect to have at least five Melges 32s here in the Caribbean and have our own one-design class.”

The USA’s Rick Wesslund soundly defended his last year’s class win by once again championing the CSA – Racing 2 Class. What changed is that Wesslund and his long-time highly-polished crew were sailing their new J/122, El Ocaso, rather than their former J/120 of the same name. “We didn’t know how big a shift in gears it would be to sail the new boat, but we did it and we won,” Wesslund explains.

Bad Girl, the USVI’s Robert Armstrong’s J/100, had a good day sailing against Puerto Rico’s Jonathan Lipuscek’s J/105 Dark Star. “We knocked heads with them all weekend fought them tooth and nail and ultimately beat them,” explains the USVI’s Carlos Skov, Bad Girl’s trimmer, about the competition with Dark Star. “I have to say the Dark Star team is a class act. Great sailing, that’s what it’s all about.”

Team Line Honors lived up to its name by taking the prize in the fiercely-competitive one-design IC-24 Class. Only three points separated the USVI’s Taylor Canfield’s Team Line Honors from second place finisher, Puerto Rico’s Marco Teixidor aboard Cachondo. “Our only goal in the last race was to get him (Teixidor) in back of the fleet,” says Canfield. “To do that, we match raced him at the start, then met him tack for tack once off the line. We were about a mile off from the rest of the fleet. When we came back in, we were able to get into the middle of the fleet and move up to second by the end to win overall by a three-point spread.”

The BVI Jon Charlton’s C&C 41, Reba–Team Red Stripe, took first place in the CSA Non-Spinnaker Class. “I’ve never seen a Hunter 54 go so fast,” says Charlton, of his chief competition, the USVI’s Warren Stryker’s Botox Barbie. “Our team has been actively racing for the last four years and its make a huge difference in our performance.”

In the Beach Cat Class, it was the USVI’s John Holmberg and crew Terri McKenna that finished first aboard their Nacra 17, Flight Risk. “There were challenging conditions with the big breeze and swell, and the difficulty of sailing by handicap, but we sailed our best and it turned out well. During the regatta, we were able to try different things like rig settings and measure ourselves against the other boats. That certainly helped us in our bid to represent the territory in the 2016 Summer Olympics.”

Finally, in the new ‘Fun’ or unmeasured class, it was the USA-based team aboard the chartered Moorings 4300 catamaran, Kastor Polux, which scored the prize. “Each year we try a different Caribbean regatta,” says Randy Alcorn, tactician. “I have to say, the people were great and the weather wonderful. We couldn’t ask for anything else.”

Results: http://www.yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=946

Event website: www.stthomasinternationalregatta.com

For more on this story go to: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2014/03/30/crown-jewel-caribbean-yacht-racing/#sthash.h0v5sZTW.dpuf