Top Gun, Pipe Dream and Boomerang compete in 2008 at the St. Croix International Regatta.

There are new dates - one week later than in past years - and a whole new tack for the 16th Annual St. Croix International Regatta, hosted by the St. Croix Yacht Club (SCYC), St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, February 20-22. This year, the event joins a network of nearly thirty regattas in the U.S. and Canada that are members of the National Hospice Regatta Alliance.

Regatta director, Julie San Martin, explains, "When our second year came around with no large corporate sponsor, it was my responsibility as director to figure out how to fund our regatta. Bob Phillips, a Storm Trysail member, pointed me toward this concept and one of my race committee members has participated in the Annapolis event frequently in the past. It seemed the perfect fit - we need sponsors and could not attract them without the non-profit designation. Plus, our local hospices are almost invisible, particularly to the poorest levels of our society. The goal is to grow our event while simultaneously making our community aware of a valuable resource and raising money to support this resource."

What does this mean for sailors?

"Sailors sponsored by businesses can now qualify for non-profit participation," says San Martin. "For example, EDC companies are required to donate a minimum amount to local non-profits."

While the name will change in 2010 to reflect affiliation with the National Hospice Regatta Alliance, the St. Croix International Regatta will retain everything that competitors and visitors have come to love. This includes the top quality race committee, drop dead gorgeous private beachfront facility and organizers who not only notice that you've come, but welcome you personally.

"We expect approximately 40 boats in Racing, Performance Cruiser or Racer Cruiser, Jib & Main, Large Multihull, Beach Cat and IC24 classes," says San Martin.

Boats already registered to compete include Melges 24s, J/27s, J/80s, and 6 to 10 IC24s.

Most of the racing will take place in the windy Buck Island channel. However, San Martin says, "All the big boats will get a Christiansted Harbor course, but not all at the same time. Traffic control at the harbor entrance gets dangerous when you get more than a dozen boats. Spinnakers will go one day, other classes will go the next day. If the weather is difficult, we'll put the turning mark outside the harbor entrance, in Beauregard Bay, off the Buccaneer Hotel."

The signature feature of this regatta is that the skipper of the winning boat - defined as the most competitive boat in the most competitive class - wins his or her weight in Cruzan Rum.

"New this year," says San Martin, "there will be a second skippers weigh-in for rum. One for CSA Spinnaker Racing 1 and 2, and the other will be for all the most competitive boat in the 'other' classes."

The 'other' classes include Racer Cruiser, Jib & Main, IC24, Rhodes 19, Beach Cats and large multihulls.

Visiting yachts will find plenty of mooring room in Teague Bay where the draft is 7-feet. The club operates a free shuttle from moorings to shore. Dockage at Green Cay Marina and St. Croix Marine is available by reservation. There are no charter boats and no bareboat classes.

Off the water, a Cruzan Rum Welcome Party kicks-off the fun. There is live music and beach barbecues all weekend culminating with the Awards Ceremony at 5 p.m. on Sunday February 22.

The Notice of Race (NOR) and electronic entry form are available at www.stcroixregatta.com

For more information, Tel: 340-773-9531; Fax: 340-778-8350; Email: stcroixyc@gmail.com; Web: stcroixregatta.com

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