Fast & Fantastic: BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival Lines Up Killer Fleet of Diverse Competition
Image: Rapido 40 trimaran Spike © Alex Turnbull
Text: Michelle Slade
It won’t be hard to miss the quick Nigel Irens-designed 63-foot trimaran Sophia charging on this year’s BVI Spring Regatta racecourse, helmed by new owner Marcus Sirota. The ORMA 60-inspired former Paradox 3 took corrected-time honours in the MOCRA Multihull Class in the 2025 edition of the classic Rolex Fastnet Race and is continuing its successful streak at Sirota’s enthusiastic helm.
The trimaran has enjoyed a successful Caribbean winter season, taking first place in CSA1 and Overall Regatta Winner in the Caribbean Multihull Challenge (CMC); 2nd in the RORC Caribbean 600, 2nd in the RORC Antigua 360, 2nd in the Heineken Regatta, 1st place in Fastest Boat Around the Island at Heineken where she also took home the Island Award: winner of CMC and Heineken in the same year. Sirota is a familiar figure in the CMC fleet, having contested several previous regattas in his Corsair trimaran, Honey Badger.
BVISR will be Sirota’s second time racing in the spectacular waters in and around the Sir Francis Drake Channel. He purchased Sophia in October last year looking for something more performance driven than his 37-foot Corsair. Sophia was built in 2010, so to the elitists among fast multihull racing she’s almost considered old, smiles Sirota, but he is quick to add she is still a very fast boat.
“I raced the Corsair, which was a heavy boat, with mixed results – lots of seconds or thirds – so I was looking for something fast and larger that I could easily take from places to places,” Sirota explained.
Sirota’s up against solid competition in the Performance Multihull division competing against Gunboats Little Wing (68’), Layla (72’) and Dreadknot (62’); Avel Vaez (ORC 57); and the unique 43’ foiling cat Falcon, but he’s up for the challenge. “Sophia has a good history of racing over the years and we have a really good group of professionals on board; it’s essentially a real racing programme.”
For many editions of BVI Spring Regatta, Tortola local Sam Talbot helmed, often winning, in CSA-3 division on his J/111 Spike. Last year he and his crew took on a new boat in a completely different class – a Rapido 40 trimaran racing in Sport Multihull – called Spike. The boat was fresh out of the box and they had issues on the racecourse from day 1 including the loss of a rudder.
“We are still fighting with the same issue with the steering and we are waiting for a third rudder case to arrive – hopefully this week and we can finally feel what this boat is like to sail with proper steering!” Talbot notes with his characteristic good humour. “Looking at the entry list it looks like an incredible showing of multihulls. I’m excited to see them all out in the Channel ripping around. There are 18 registered at the moment and I know there are a few more yet to register. Of course, I look forward to having all of these amazing multis from all over the world to race against, but I am almost certain the fiercest competition will come from our local multihull fleet and I would like to be involved in that. We are all close on speed and ratings, we all know the waters really well, and we push each other hard. I’m pretty certain we have the best mixed multihull fleet anywhere in the Caribbean.”
Talbot notes that the BVI is a perfect multihull venue, perhaps the best in the Caribbean, and this year will showcase a diverse range of these fast boats, from Gunboats, the ORCs and Sophia, to the Corsairs, the Diams, Spike, and island favourite, the Kelsall 47 Triple Jack, and finally the racer/cruisers like La Novia (Leopard 50), No Escape (Elba 45), and Little Wing (Perry Antrim 52).
“The speeds that we travel mean we can see a lot of the BVI during a given race, and the number of islands in the area gives race committee the ability to be really creative with courses,” Talbot explains. “The Channel offers protected waters to really push the boats to the max in a relatively safe environment and creates an incredible sight to see all these boats racing around our local playground. As the forecast stands right now it looks like we will get a really good variety of conditions, from tactical light wind racing to wet and wild. Something to give every boat a chance to shine in their conditions!”
Spinnaker Division
Antolin Velasco from Puerto Rico is hoping to improve on his third-place finish last year on his J105 Kairos, which he’s owned for two years, racing in CSA Spinnaker division, after losing a spinnaker on the first race in the well-chronicled breeze that competitors endured last year.
“We’re a group of friends who used to participate in the regatta in the 80s and 90s and returned last year for the first time in many years; we’re going back for more fun!” Velasco smiles. “I think it’s very competitive racing with a really good variety of boats who are all looking forward to doing well. Hopefully, we’ll do better than last year although it looks like we have more competition in our class including another boat of friends from Puerto Rico – the Melges 24 Exodus. Part of our crew from last year are sailing with them which always makes it exciting – friends racing against friends!”
Bareboat 2
Digging out from a long cold winter in Marblehead, MA, Charlie Garrard, and his Team Merlin are back racing in CSA Bareboat 2 on a Dufour 41. Garrard will be competing with a bunch of friends from his local badminton club Gut N’ Feathers, some of whom have raced with him previously at BVISR and this year a couple of newbies.
“It’s going to be fun having a couple of newbies on board, we just tell them what flight to book and try to explain that it’s quite full on – long days on the water and long nights of drinking,” Garrard notes with a wry smile. Garrard races his J105 through the summer season at home and in some 10+ BVISR events he’s competed on a bareboat, he’s learned what works and what doesn’t.
“Last year we raced with a self-tacking jib which was really hard to sail with, we got crushed as you’ve got no ability to change the shape of the sail,” Garrard says. “This year we’ll have a regular jib so at least we can play a with the shape which will hopefully give us a little bit more performance upwind. But it’s always fun. We arrive the day before racing starts to shake out the sails and tune the rig a little. We’ve got 3 or 4 identical boats to ours in class, and a few others. Normally it’s pretty tight racing and normally you get some good teams taking part. We’ve had good luck in the past and while getting on the podium is our goal, if it doesn’t happen, it’s not the end of the world either. We’re out there to have good times with good friends; I just don’t think you can race in any better place than the BVI with the islands and the Sir Francis Drake Channel. It’s just spectacular.”
Performance Cruising Division
Scott Meyers, who lives on his Jeanneau 45.2’ Dark n’ Stormy at Nanny Cay Marina, is competing for the first time this year on his own boat. From Michigan where he grew up lake sailing and racing, he’s lived in Tortola for 10 years and only ever raced BVI once. He bought Dark n’ Stormy a year ago; she’s not completely set up for racing and while he’s excited to be getting the boat out to the start line, pre-race prep is causing him some anxiety.
“I’m trying to get my heat exchanger put back on the boat – I’m waiting on parts – so I’m really nervous that it’s not going to be ready; I’m kind of winging it at this point!” he laughs. “I just found an asymmetrical spinnaker which I didn’t know I had, so we’ll have a spinnaker – we’re getting there. I did the Sweethearts Regatta and took 2nd place, so that was encouraging. I just really looking forward to being part of the camaraderie.”
Warm Water, Hot Racing & Parties
Join us for Warm Water and Hot Racing at the most fun sailing regatta in the Caribbean, the BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival where the fun dial is full-on, and the racing and parties are the best that the Caribbean has to offer. The Regatta attracts a diverse fleet of boats in addition to a strong bareboat fleet, and whether sailors participate in all five races of the BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival, part or all of the Festival, or the three-day Regatta, there is something for everyone, on the water and shore-side.
The seven-day event starts on Monday March 23 with the Sailing Festival opening day festivities and skipper pack collection. The Sailing Festival, a warmup event, runs Tuesday March 24 and Wednesday March 25, with fun, relaxed racing on the agenda. On March 24, the Scrub Island Invitational will take sailors some 12NM upwind to a fabulous island party hosted by Scrub Island Resort and Marina Cay. The relatively short race to Scrub Island gives sailors plenty of time to enjoy the outstanding Scrub Island hospitality. On March 25, the traditional Round Tortola Race will take sailors on a 37 nautical mile race around the island of Tortola.
On Thursday March 26, a lay day will provide sailors, friends, and families the opportunity to explore the local BVI waters and provides an opportunity for those who are joining just for the BVI Spring Regatta to register and get their racing boats and team ready for the big event: the BVI Spring Regatta, which kicks off on March 27 and runs through March 29, for three days of the Caribbean’s best racing managed by a world-class race management team. The week-long BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival will wrap up with a final party following the awards ceremony on Sunday night, with live entertainment. Let’s get the parties rolling!