Caribbean Compass Yachting Magazine June 2017

Yacht Division Racing Class winner Category 5 from Grenada, back on the podium after being T-boned
in a race three months prior
BEQUIA EASTER REGATTA 2017
The EASTER
Heritage Continues!
by Tom Donoghue
The victorious crew of Bequia’s own Black Berry, who took first place
in the 28-footers’ Class 7 of the Heritage Division
The 36th Annual Bequia Easter Regatta ended on April
17th with the prizegiving taking place at Bequia Plantation
Hotel. The closing ceremonies were honoured by words from
Dr. Godwin Friday, Parliamentary Representative for the
Northern Grenadines, and the Hon. Cecil McKie, St. Vincent
& the Grenadines Minister of Tourism, a proud supporter of
Bequia Easter Regatta. Dr. Friday emphasized the importance
of sailboat racing as integral to Bequia’s Easter festivities,
and Minister McKie thanked all regatta participants for
“being part of developing Regatta activities, and making the
weekend exciting and successful”.
With yacht registration taking place at the Frangipani Hotel
on April 12th and 13th, a total of 50 boats were signed up for
the event — 26 yachts; 21 local double-enders in what has been
dubbed the Bequia Heritage Division; and three Youth Optimist
dinghies. The Bequia Heritage Division was divided into six
classes by length, ranging from 12 to 28 feet. The yachts competed
in four classes: Racing (CSA), Cruising 1 (CSA), Cruising
2 (Simplified CSA rating) and J/24 (One Design).
Yacht Division races were officiated by Principal Race
Officer James Benoit from Grenada, who again did an outstanding
job providing guidance and support for the Regatta
Racing Team, a job he has done so expertly for the past 18
years. The Bequia Sailing Club also had keen appreciation
for long-time Protest Jury Judge Harry Keith and his wife,
Malinda, a Race Committee stalwart, who travelled from
Florida and provided great feedback and support, plus
Protest Committee member Geoffrey Pidduck from Antigua,
and Timer Randy Mainwaring and head of Marks Team
Wayne Frank from Grenada.
Both the yachts and the double-enders enjoyed relatively
light airs for their three race days in the series. The doubleenders
also had the option of sailing a non-series warm-up race on Good Friday,
while intrepid yacht skippers had the option of a single-handed Round the Island
race on the Easter Sunday Lay Day. This year’s single-handed winners were David
Staples on the Pogo 40 Hallucine in CSA Class, and the Cal 39 Brizo in Non-CSA,
both from the USA.
Yachts flew the flags of France, St. Lucia, Grenada, Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago,
St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Ireland, Great Britain, the United States and Canada.
The six J/24 entries — including boats from Trinidad, St. Lucia, Grenada, Barbados
and St. Vincent & the Grenadines — competed in six races for the title of J/24
Southern Caribbean Champion for 2017, which was won by Stephen Bushe and
crew on Am Bushe, from Trinidad, after a tight battle with Grenada’s Die Hard, skippered
by Robbie Yearwood. In Racing Class, Richard Szyjan’s Modified Hobie 33,
Category 5 — which had to withdraw from January’s Grenada Sailing Week after
being damaged in a collision — emerged victorious, ahead of Team Regis Guillemot’s
Melges 24 from Martinique.
The Bequia Heritage Division hosted competitors from the neighboring islands of
Mayreau and Canouan, who joined the Bequia fleet in the weekend of racing and
fun. All eyes were on “the big boats” — the 28-footers — which saw Black Berry,
skippered by Orson Ollivierre, take first place overall.
The three Optimist dinghies were a welcome sight, as the Bequia Sailing Club has
just reinstated its Youth Division and plans to invite young
sailors from neighboring islands to compete here next year.
At the prizegiving, the Opti-racing “sailors of the future” —
Orion Ollivierre, Kelroy Phillips, Jossal Bynoe and Jaheim
Ollivierre — received a huge round of applause, and kudos
were given to their instructor Eddie Brown.
Two yachts of note, racing for the first time in Bequia, were
Brizo, a Cal 39 from Chicago, Illinois; and Celtic Spirit, a
72-foot ketch from Ireland. Both arrived in Bequia without
racing crew. Brizo got an entire crew of local sailors from the
village of Paget Farm, and placed a respectable third overall in
Cruising 2. Celtic Spirit enlisted a crew of 12 people from all
over Bequia, who declared it to be their “most fun regatta in
years”. One of the crew actually signed on for Celtic Spirit’s
continuing voyage to Spain.
Full results will be posted at www.bequiaregatta.com.
Bequia Easter Regatta 2018 will be held March 28th through
April 2nd.
KENMORE HENVILLE
The Bequia Sailing Club sends our heartfelt thanks to our
Major sponsors Mount Gay, Flow, Hairoun, SVG Tourism
Authority, and Action Bequia, and to all those small businesses
and individual donors who contributed, without whose
support this Regatta would not have taken place. Thanks also
to the many volunteers who stepped up to the plate and made
Bequia Easter Regatta 2017 happen.
The Bequia Onshore Activities Management Committee
thanks Flow, Action Bequia, SVG Tourism Authority, WeFM,
StarFM, NBC Radio, SVG Ministry of Tourism, Sports & Culture,
National Lotteries, Dockside Marine, Gonsalves Liquors, Bank
of SVG, Bequia Express, ECGC, Hairoun, Caribbean Woods,
Hot97.1FM, CK Greaves, Nice Radio, OSV Group, Bequia
Venture, Smith Bakery, Massy Stores and Solana’s.
JUNE 2017 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 15