Nearly 50 yachts, racing in CSA handicap and one-design classes, spanning from 24- to 70-foot vessels, and with skippers and crews hailing from the Caribbean, USA, Europe, and Australia, competed in the 49th St. Thomas International Regatta in the United States Virgin Islands from March 24-26.
Privateer (USA), Ron O’Hanley’s Cookson 50, finished first over Jim Madden’s Carkeek 47, Stark Raving Mad IX (USA) by a mere two points.
“We raced this event last year and knew there were great conditions,” said O’Hanley, of Boston, Massachusetts. “What I’m most happy about is that when we made mistakes, we recovered quickly. The team has sailed together for a long time and communicated well.”
In Spinnaker Racing 1, Peter Corr’s Summit 40, Blitz (USVI), topped the class from day one to the end. Jon Desmond’s Mills 41, Final Final (USA), was second.
“Our strong points were practicing before the event, a mind set on what we had to do, and then making it happen together as a team,” said Corr. “Each of the boats in our class sailed well and caught us a couple of times. Our strength was consistency.”
The USA’s Sandra Askew and her crew on the Cape 31, Flying Jenny, scored six place finishes to handily win the highly competitive class. The USA’s Marc McMorris maintained second on his Cape 31, M2.
“We have a great crew,” said Askew. “We have US, UK, and Australian crew and the Cape 31 responds well when it’s sailed well. It does especially well in the Caribbean’s breezy conditions, and the coastal racing was fun and scenic.”
In Racer Cruiser 3, Joan Rodriguez’s Beneteau First 40.7, Lady M (Dominican Republic), stretched its lead with a third and final day of first-place finishes. Jerome O’Neill’s J/39, Crystal (Puerto Rico), came in second.
“We raced here twenty years ago on Celtic V and have a fair knowledge of the racecourses,” said Rodriguez. “This year, we practiced beforehand to be competitive. We aimed to have clean starts and play the course as well as we could. During these last three wonderful days, the windy conditions were tough so taking care of boat handling was a key point and then we focused on boat speed and safe maneuvers.”
In the One-Design IC24 Class at STIR, St. Thomas’sd USVI two-time Olympic Laser sailor, Cy Thompson on Bill T, posted a double-digit 18-point lead to win. Scott Stanton’s Big Island (St. Croix, USVI), scored second.
“Everyone looks at the helmsman, but it takes a good crew to do well and that’s what we had,” said Thompson. “We never wrapped the spinnaker nor shrimped the kite. I think an advantage I bring from Olympic campaigns is fleet management and that works well in the IC24 class.”
In the eight-boat Hobie Wave class, St. Thomas’s Niall Bartlett on FiDeLa triumphed with nothing less than firsts.
“Age and wisdom, that’s all I can say,” said Bartlett. “The kids in the class got stronger with each race and I think in coming years we’ll be watching them sail toward the horizon.”
In other awards, the USA’s David McDonough and his crew aboard the J/42, Trinity IV, earned the inaugural presentation of the perpetual Arthur J. Wullschleger Happy Days and Never Better Award. Wullschleger, nicknamed Tuna, was a veteran international sailing judge with events from the America’s Cup to STIR under his belt. As the trophy is inscribed, it is “presented to the yacht the demonstrates the highest level of positive attitude, enthusiasm, and comradery on both the racecourse and ashore.”
Full results for STIR 2023 are at yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=15496
To relive the fun via daily photos and recaps, check out STIR on Facebook (www.facebook.com/stirvi), Twitter @stirvi, and Instagram #STIRVI.
For more information, visit www.stthomasinternationalregatta.com, Email: manager@stthomasyachtclub.org, or regatta co-director Pat Bailey at simpleislandboy51@gmail.com or call (340) 775-6320.
