Tricky weather matched with quick thinking on Day 2 of racing @ 2026 BVI Spring Regatta
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The first race of the day started in very light breeze - 5-8 knots – nonetheless the starts were solid and especially exciting in the bareboat fleets. Race committee called a short postponement between races as a squall blew through, bringing rain and more breeze for the second start, making for a nice first windward leg before the breeze dropped again and benefiting those who made bank on that breeze.
Performance and Sport Multihulls and Performance Cruising classes enjoyed a robust breeze on their courses, which took those boats further out around Dead Chest.
Lead changes in CSA Spinnaker saw Don Nicholson’s J121 Apollo finish the day first with 12 points, followed closely in second with 13 points by the J105 Kairos, owned and helmed by Antolin Velasco, and in third with 13.5 points sits Lady M, the Club Swan 42 owned and helmed by Joan Rodriguez.
2 bullets by Gunboat 72 Layla
The stunning Gunboat 72 Layla, racing in Performance Multihull, delivered two bullets in her best performance over the past two days.
Both Layla and the TF10 Thunder and Lightning have 7 points each, with Layla in first.
Team Riteway leads CSA Bareboat 1
In CSA Bareboat 1, Team Riteway on a Sunsail 46, is leading in class with six points.
Breathing down the necks of these locals are the Canadian all-women team Salish Sisters, a Moorings 46 helmed by Kelly Wharton, also with six points. Dan McGanty on Roaz is in third with 7 points. Day 3 racing will be thrilling in this class.
“It was dramatic changes in the sailing today, with the first race pretty slow, but we managed all the transitions we needed to, and the course was a nice length for that kind of wind; the race community did an awesome job on that. As the wind shifted during the last part of that race, it gusted up to 20 knots, so we all had to adjust quickly. We had great racing conditions and the geography of the islands is just great; I love the fixed marks going around Pelican, Flanagan, or Norman, it's marvellous. We're sailing the boat as perfectly and as fast as we can; we don't have local knowledge, so we don't know where exactly to go, but we read the wind as best we can, and we did cover Shore Thing for a while,” Colm Crilly, who is sailing with Team Riteway, stated.
Topaz & Mistral duking it out
The two teams duking it out at the top of the CSA Bareboat 2 class are neck and neck with five points each. Topaz sailed by Charlie Garrard and his team are in first, having scored 2 bullets over the past 2 days of racing, leaving Steve DeNure and his team on Mistral in second.
Both teams are racing Dufour 41s, and each scored a bullet on Saturday.
Airgasm going strong
Barney Crook continues to dominate the Sport Multihull class on his Corsair 31-1D Airgasm with a strong lead of five points ahead of Chris Haycraft on his Corsair F 31 Ting-A-Ling II.
Four points behind his dad, Nathan Haycraft on Ting-A-Ling, a Corsair F-27, is battling to keep up with the old guys.
“It's been quite tricky for us with the competition we're racing against because we’re a smaller boat - Eddie Brockbank on Lucky 7 is probably the closest boat in boat speed and pointing to us - so it's been tough to get any sort of ground on dad and Barney. They just take off, and we’re playing catch-up; it's hard to think tactically in a situation like that because all you're trying to do is just sail your best, and that's all you really can do. But, honestly, dad and Barney are racing a great event; they’re leading the fleet, beating a Rapido 40 and smoking the Diams. It's impressive to see the Corsair 31 doing so well. It kind of pains me to say it, but Barney’s looking good!”
RIP vs Bravissimo
The IC24 RIP helmed by Harry Bowerman leads by one point over Mike Feierabend, who is racing Bravissimo, his newly converted IC24, previously a J24, in fun, tight racing.
“The first race was light, but it was really nice racing. We're very tight with the guys on Bravissimo again,” Bowerman says. “In most races, we've finished within a couple of boat lengths of each other; it’s been so fun. On the second race, we had a good start, and there were many options on the course; it was a really great race. Tomorrow we’ll lose our very skilled sailor, my brother Owen, who is a very good sailor who used to race Olympic classes, so we’ll see if we can still sail the boat without him,” Bowerman said.
Local knowledge the key
The Beneteau First 40 Libertas, helmed by Kevin Wrigley and his crew of locals, is hands-down dominating CSA Non-Spinnaker, having amassed three bullets. Local knowledge is a benefit, especially in tricky conditions, as crew Doug Stewart notes.
“It was close racing; we were actually behind the J39 Crystal but they owe us time; we were behind them by 30 to 45 seconds each race. I think our crew work and local knowledge helps; we get closer to the islands more than the boats visiting probably do! Today, at one point, we were five feet away from a rock with the J 39 on the outside of us; that made all the difference in the world. I’d like to give a shout-out to Dick Neville; he did a great job today on the race committee. It's not easy, but he’s a very patient man and perfect for down here. I have to thank Walter Keenan, Libertas’ owner, and our amazing crew. It's a really good crowd, everyone is so knowledgeable, and we are having a blast.”
La Novia eying the win!
Lead changes in Cruising Multihull saw La Novia move back to her usual position leading the pack, finishing the day with four points, followed closely by the ORC 57 Avel Vaez, who finished with five points. Long-time BVI Spring Regatta competitor Little Wing, a Perry Antrim 52 owned and helmed by Ron Boehm, is in third with nine points.
Today, Sunday, March 29, 2026, marks the final day of racing for the 53rd BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival.
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