Wicked Winch, left, and Tatonka, right, during the West End Yacth Club's 25th Annual Dark & Stormy Regatta. Photo: WEYC

Foolish Pleasure crew members receive their prizes for second place at the 25th Annual Dark & Stormy Regatta. Photo: WEYC

Wicked Winch crew at the prize giving ceremony for the 25th Annual Dark & Stormy Regatta. Photo: WEYC

Flying Pig prevails!

In the end, it was Flying Pig that took away overall honours, with Foolish Pleasure second and Wicked Winch third.

According to a press release from the West End yacht Club, at times in previous years there has been either too much or two little winds. But on this occasion, whilst Stormy enough to deter a few of the more cautious sailors, it was not too Stormy for the hardened veterans and enthusiastic newcomers to enjoy its challenging conditions.

The course

The race saw the fleet leaving from Trellis Bay at 10:00am on Saturday with a course around the Dogs (and Doggie Bits) and the first boat, a Corsair helmed by Chris Haycraft reached Anegada in an impressive time of 2hours 21 minutes.

According to the press release, the event was characterised once again by the camaraderie of its participants and the generosity of its sponsors.  The lay day on Sunday enabled competitors to relax and enjoy the beauty of Anegada whilst supporting the local economy with visits to its renowned bars and restaurants

“Big seas again provided a challenge on Monday, but the sun shone, and all boats arrived safely.

Prizegiving

First place overall for the two races went to the aptly named Flying Pig. The second-place prize appropriately went to Foolish Pleasure driven by Marty Halpern. “Marty, as you may know, established the race 25 years ago and is one of our more mature sailors, and together with crewmate Robin Pinfold reflect a combined 160 years of experience,” the press release stated.

Wicked Winch performed consistently to come in third place and Moxie was 4^th, having sacrificed a leading position in the outbound leg in order to rescue its davits, dingy and solar panels, endangered by the high seas and extensive heeling.

The prize-giving ceremony was hosted at the club’s home at Omar’s Fusion in Soper’s Hole.

Sponsors

West End Yacht Club extended gratitude to primary sponsors Omar’s Fusion, Jeremy’s Kitchen, Anegada Reef Hotel and Digicel, “complemented by   generous contributions from many other local businesses.”

West End Yacht Club is one of only two yacht clubs in the [British] Virgin Islands and was founded in 1978 to promote sailing and sailboat racing.