Celebrating its 35th anniversary, the 2006 Annual BVI Spring Regatta is calling sailors to experience the technicolor tides of the BVI March 27 - April 2. The signature blue waters come alive, with colorful spinnakers flying high as sailors try to tack and jibe to victory in the three-day regatta.

Both avid sailors and novices test their skills in a series of courses set in the Sir Frances Drake Channel, including a new fourth racecourse this year.

The design of the new course will be split with windsurfers and beach cats branching out on their own.

Known as the undisputed Sailing Capital of the World with fair weather and constant winds, the British Virgin Islands boasts more than 60 islands for anchorage, most reached by line of sight navigation and contained within a 50 nautical mile radius.

Sailing adventures begin on Tortola—the sailing centre of the Caribbean and the backbone of the protected Sir Frances Drake Channel.

“With the new activities and courses that have been added to the schedule, the 2006 Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival is sure to be the best yet,” Janis Braithewaite-Edwards, the acting director of tourism for the British Virgin Islands Tourist Board, said.

“The regatta is a great opportunity to showcase the BVI as the Sailing Capital of the World.”

                2006 Schedule of Events

  * Mon., March 27
  —Welcome party and registration at Nanny Cay Marina

  * Tues., March 28
  —Participants race to the Bitter End Yacht Club for the Bitter End Cup

  —Evening festivities of an awards party and limbo jump-up at Almond
    Walk

  * Wed., March 29
  —Dedicated as an active “Lay Day” with morning and afternoon dinghy
    regattas in Laser and Hobie Waves

  —Snorkel trips and excursions to Anegada
  —Evening awards ceremony for the dinghy regatta
  —Cookout and party at the Quarterdeck Club and Pub

  * Thurs., March 30
  —Race back to Nanny Cay Marina for the Nanny Cay Cup
  —Awards ceremony from the day’s racing complete the Sailing Festival
  —Mount Gay welcome party and registration for the three-day BVI Spring
    Regatta

  * Fri., Sat., and Sun., March 31 - April 2
  —Friday kicks off the first day of three days of non-stop racing and
    partying action for the BVI Spring Regatta

 

The British Virgin Islands remains an undeveloped haven for natural treasures. The BVI boasts no high-rise hotels, no casinos and no crowds, rather, the purity of the land—from pristine beaches with powdery sand and crystal clear waters home to an aquarium of the world’s most diverse sea life, to extensive coral reefs responsible for claiming renowned wrecks and vast Outbacks sheltering endangered species.
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