This article originally appeared in the 2025 St Barths HARBOUR Magazine
Hand-built wooden boats characterize the golden age of sailing in the Caribbean, the days of yore when small sloops and larger schooners carried goods between islands, with canvas sails powered only by the wind. Since the launch of the West Indies Regatta in 2009, a fleet of these traditional sailboats gather in the Port of Gustavia for an annual weekend of racing, activities on the dock, and fun in the sun.
Alexis Andrews, one of the founders of the West Indies Regatta, is the owner of Genesis, an Enoe 42’ Carriacou sloop built by Alwyn Enoe and his crew, who embrace a trade passed down from generation to generation starting with the Scottish settlers that arrived in the 18th century. Andrews is also the director of the excellent award-winning documentary, Vanishing Sail, which documents the realization of another Enoe sloop, Exodus. Both Genesis and Exodus have sailed in the West Indies Regatta, along with the third and most recent Enoe sloop, Free in Saint Barth, owned by Thierry de Badereau, and which made its debut in the regatta in 2016, and took first place, as it did again in 2024!
With increased support from the Collectivity of Saint Barthélemy and organization leadership on the island from Lorraine Retif, the regatta enjoyed its second edition since a hiatus during the Covid pandemic. The 2024 regatta featured an artisanal market that showcases arts & crafts, organic produce, and unique specialty products coming with the boats that sail up from Antigua, Grenada, Carriacou, and other islands to the south of St Barth. In addition to this night market, there were live music concerts, performances by the CIE Déo circus, and picnics at Shell Beach and Colombier. Thierry de Badereau, owner Free In Saint Barth, serves as an ambassador for the promotion of wooden boat building, an art the regatta hope to keep alive.
The first four boats to cross the finish line were Free In St Barth, Summercould, Navasana, and Newmoon, with Tradition, Ongoing Java, Blue Peter, and Cassiope rounding out the fleet.
Sadly, Hurricane Beryl devastated Carriacou and other islands in the Grenadines, destroying many boats (traditional and otherwise). The West Indies Regatta mobilized its forces to send necessary materials and food to those islands.
The next edition of the West Indies Regatta will take place on April 25th – 27th, 2025
For additional information: https://westindiesregatta.com
