Ready for Warm Water, Hot Racing & Cool Parties? We Are!
53rd BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival Kicks off with Scrub Island Invitational
Switching things up just slightly in 2026, the legendary Caribbean Regatta - the BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival - starts the action on and off the water on Tuesday March 24 when the Sailing Festival fleet hits the start line for the short and friendly 11 nautical mile race to Scrub Island Resort, Spa and Marina. There, competitors will be well-rewarded at a beach party on the unique and laid-back Marina Cay.
The Scrub Island Invitational is the perfect warm-up opportunity to work out the kinks as the fleet prepares for the renowned Round Tortola Race for the Nanny Cay Cup which will be sailed on Wednesday March 25. Following a lay day on Thursday March 26, the competition ramps up with the start of the three-day Spring Regatta on Friday March 27 – Mount Gay Race Day.
There’s plenty of activity on the docks at Nanny Cay Resort and Marina, the host sponsor, as boats and competitors get settled in for a fantastic week of sailboat racing that just does not get any better, with hot trade wind racing, warm water, and cool parties. The Swiss team racing on the Beneteau 47.7 Kali is here to enjoy it all, especially being able to sail in more ocean-like conditions than the small lakes that they typically race on at home. Crew member Serge Rechlin is racing his first BVISR on Kali, owned by Benedikt Clauberg who previously competed at BVISR in 2019.
“We’re looking forward to getting a lot of sailing in and having a lot of fun,” Rechlin, who is from Basel, Switzerland, smiles. “We flew the symmetrical spinnaker yesterday when we were out practicing and today we tried out the asymmetrical. We typically sail smaller boats on the lakes around Lucerne but some of our crew are experienced ocean racers so we’ll manage. We’re feeling pretty confident and we’re looking forward to having a great time.”
Solid teams from Puerto Rico have made their way to Nanny Cay for a week of friendly rivalry. The delivery crew on the J/100 Freelance took advantage of a superb weather window over the weekend to make the trip from downtown San Juan, Puerto Rico to Tortola – 85 miles in 13 hours of perfect sailing.
“We saw the weather window and it was 15 knots southerly, so you gotta take that!” Antonio Mari, owner, and skipper laughs. “It was a champagne sailing; you couldn’t get any better. We put just one tack in all the way, it was extremely dry and we were as fast as lightning. We left San Juan at 11:30pm on Saturday night, there was no moon, just an incredible number of stars, and we arrived at 1:15pm on Sunday. We’re excited to be racing this week against other friends on the J/105 Kairos.”
BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival loves to welcome back repeat customers and it’s well-documented that they return because they respect the work of the world-class race management team that ensures that the regatta is the top-level racing event that it is. PRO 32-year-old Diana Emmanuelli has supported the BVI Spring Regatta race management team for some 10 years now and this year for the first time gets to run her own course; daunting for some but not Emmanuelli who works as an Organizing Authority (OA) representative for U.S. Sailing. She’s made her way to the top under the watchful eye of PRO Dave Brennan who is passing the baton to the younger PRO.
“Diana has been part of my team for more than 10 years; being the race officer for a major event like the BVI Spring Regatta means that you need to be able to wear a lot of hats, being able to jump into any number given situations in a moment’s notice, anything from guiding a mark boat to resetting a drifting mark to get the finish line where it belongs, to being able to get the scoring up online in a timely fashion so the competitors know where they stand after each race. Diana has a depth of experience at every position. I think one of her biggest attributes is the fact that she grew up in Puerto Rico so she has been racing and sailing in the BVI for most of her life. Knowing all the idiosyncrasies of an area are helpful to making the regatta run smoothly and not making basic mistakes, fixing problems before they happen are from experience, they are not in any rule book.”
What does Emmanuelli enjoy most about race managing the BVI Spring Regatta?
“You can’t beat the crystal-clear water and the blue skies” she laughs. “Seriously, I think that when sailors feel that the race committee is doing a good job and that the event is good, you can feel the energy on the water of how happy they are and they’re all just smiling. It’s competition, it’s fierce, but it’s also very friendly and everyone comes back to the dock and to the bar and even though someone beat you, you’re still friends!”
Friendly competition may be a stretch of the term for local Tortola sailor Nathan Haycraft racing on the Corsair F27 Ting-A-Ling and against his dad Chris Haycraft who’ll be on the Corsair F31 Ting-A-Ling II in the Sport Multihull class. The two boats have a fun but fierce history of going up against each other, with the younger Haycraft currently holding the class title after taking first last year – all is fair in love and war, right?
“We are super excited for this week’s event as BVI locals and being home in this beautiful sailing ground, this is the event we think about all year round,” Nathan enthuses. “The forecast is looking incredible – just what we want – 15-20 knots – similar to last year which was windy and we like the wind. At that point it becomes which boats can handle the weather and Ting-A-Ling is solid. We have spent a lot of time over the past 6 weeks getting the boat ready, it’s been quite the push but we’re so ready. We have set our bar no lower than to maintain the title we currently hold. The fleet has grown in size with more Corsair 31s so this puts us at a slight speed disadvantage, but we’ll still give those old boys a run for their money! My crew is excited for the social side of the event – the Regatta Village is unlike anything we see here in the BVI and is just as important as the racing – we can’t wait for it.”
The BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival is immensely grateful to its many sponsors who are crucial to the event’s success including long-time partner Scrub Island Resort, Spa and Marina.
“This is always one of the most exciting weeks of the year for our team,” Sandra Grisham-Clothier, Scrub Island Resort, Spa & Marina General Manager, says. “The BVI Spring Regatta brings together world-class sailors, passionate fans and island travellers who share a love of the sea and the spirit of friendly competition. For the seventh year, we’re honoured to welcome back participants and spectators from around the globe and showcase the beauty of the British Virgin Islands. Guests will experience the perfect blend of thrilling racing, vibrant island culture and the warm hospitality that defines our destination.”