Caribbean Compass Yachting Magazine - August 2020

REGATTA NEWS
SMYC Post-Lockdown Race
On June 6th, 19 teams faced blustery conditions in small boats for the first post-
Covid-19 lockdown race organized by the Sint Maarten Yacht Club.
In the Optimist class, Caii Banting screamed down the course, taking three race
last day. Third place for the day went to Team Island Water World 2, yet another
Melges 24, crewed by a youth team slowly developing the capacity to win. Frits Bus
of Team Island Water World said, “This was one of our best keelboat events ever,
with six closely matched boats well-sailed the entire day. Everyone had a chance
all the time.”
For the final series’ results, the clear winner out of 19 races was Team Island Water
World. The J/70 Team IGY, helmed by Garth Steyn, claimed second place, and Ian
Hope Ross’s Melges 32, Kick ’em Jenny, ended third. Robbie Ferron on his Nonsuch,
Bungle Bird, won the Cruising Division.
The season’s Keelboat Series was sponsored by Grant Thornton, the global financial
services company.
Visit www.smyc.com for more information.
august 2020 CARIBBEAN COMPAss pAGE 10
wins. Chris de Wilde, Dax Henriquez, and Adriaan Coppelmans battled for second
place. At the end of the day, Chris came in second, Dax third, and Adriaan fourth.
Where the boys dominated the Opti fleet, the girls represented the Pico fleet.
Skylar Peterson and Melina de Vries enjoyed a friendly competition. Skylar won the
final race, claiming first place.
The RS Quest class became a family feud. Summer Jean Morton sailed with her
mother, Janet Robertson; Mathijs Detering with his father, Frank Detering; and Arthur
Banting with his girlfriend, Caoimhe. Once Summer and Janet warmed up after the
first race, they scored the three bullets for a class win. Arthur and Caoimhe sailed
consistently, but Mathijs and Frank beat them on the final race to take
second place.
The Laser fleet of six showed young talent versus the experienced. Emma Lennox,
who recently started racing a Laser, flourished in the heavy winds on her 4.7. Justin
Pieterse, no stranger to Lasers, sailed the Radial well. Alec Scarabelli and Kai
Henriquez took on Frits Bus and Han de Bruyn Kops in the Standards. Young talent
dominated the top three, with Emma finishing first, Han second, and Alec third.
Serious competition was seen in the Jeanneau 20s class between Ian Martin, Garth
Steyn, Robbie Ferron, and Iain Mobbs. Ian was a shocker on the course. It was his
first time racing a Jeanneau 20 and he became unstoppable. He took three bullets,
resulting in first place overall. Garth ended second, with Robbie hot on his heels in
third place.
Not a bad day of racing for the first time back on the water!
Visit www.smyc.com for more information.
Team IWW Wins Keelboat Series in St. Maarten
Despite the swath of Sahara dust on June 21st, excellent wind conditions prevailed
for the final day of racing in the Grant Thornton Keelboat Series, hosted by the Sint
Maarten Yacht Club, which started last November. This was the first time since the
island’s Covid-19 lockdown that the local racing keelboats went back to the starting
line, completing five exhilarating races.
Although the Melges 24 Team Island Water World captured the overall series win,
another Melges 24, Team FKG, helmed by Andrea Scarabelli, was the victor on this
DEAN BARNES
Inaugural St. Thomas Yacht Club Invitational
On the last weekend in June, Chris Rosenberg and his 15-year-old son, Christian,
won the IC24 Class and Marcus Compton topped the Hobie Wave Class in the inaugural
St. Thomas Yacht Club Invitational Regatta.
With skippers hailing from all three US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Puerto
Rico, mainland USA, and Sweden, 21 boats completed ten races in variable conditions.
Covid-19 protective measures included socially distanced boats, crew limited
to double-handed on IC24s and single-handed on Hobie Waves, and facial buffs or
masks in place.
Chris and Christian Rosenberg lead the IC24 pack in the STYC Invitational.
“When considering how to get back out racing during the pandemic, the decision
was made to sail the IC24s with two people instead of the usual five. I asked my son
to crew with me, as we’re in the same household. Christian tacked the jib perfectly
and called all the headers and lifts. Such a great experience to have as a father,”
says Rosenberg.
St. Thomas residents Rosenberg and his son were separated by 22 points from the
second-place winners, St. Croix’s Eric Cusin and crew Peter Nielsen. After the two
leaders, scores in the 13-boat IC24 Class were extremely close.
Results were almost as tight in the eight-boat Hobie Wave Class. In the last race,
only two points separated Compton from St. Thomas’s Julian van den Driessche,
who finished second.
“I encourage others to take part in competitive and friendly classes like Hobie
Waves and the IC24. While practicing safe health guidelines, the racing really pulled
us through the emotionally difficult Covid-19 months,” says Compton.
The STYC Invitational Regatta trophy, dedicated to Rudy Thomson and Dick Avery
for their long-standing contributions to STYC and Olympic racing, was awarded to
the class winners.
The 2020 STYC Invitational Regatta tests the waters for a larger event in the future,
when teams from yacht clubs throughout the Caribbean, the USA, and Europe will
be invited to race. Starting in 2021, the event will move to the third week in May. This
time coincides with the wrap-up of the Caribbean regatta circuit and creates an
extension to the territory’s tourism season.
The USVI Department of Tourism is a strong supporter of the STYC Invitational
Regatta. The Leatherback Brewing Company and MUTINY Island Vodka, a new spirit
handcrafted from breadfruit, are co-sponsors based in St. Croix.
—Continued on next page
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