Excitement Builds For 2003 Caribbean Big Boat Series

The new 72-foor Sotto Voce heading for Caribbean waters

With St Maarten's Heineken Regatta, first leg of the Caribbean Big Boat Series (CBBS), fast approaching it looks as though Titan, Tom Hill's new Reichel-Pugh designed 75-footer is going to be crossing tacks with Arien van Vemde's Judel/Vrolijk designed 72-footer Sotto Voce. And while Titan is fresh from the yard, Sotto Voce has a whole season of European sailing behind her - and a different keel for rating under the Caribbean Sailing Association (CSA) rating rule. However, Titan's project manager Mark Ploch is not overly concerned: "Slow but sure, we will be an easier boat to sail so that should be in our favor. Otherwise we will just have to tack her to death!" Great news for the grinders I'm sure.

Clay Deutsch's Swan 60 Chippewa is returning to do all three regattas in the Series; he suffered a substantial penalty for only competing in two last year and Bill Alcott will be competing in his new Andrews 70 turb'd sled Equation (ex-Magnitude).

With little fanfare but blistering speed, Roy E. Disney's Pyewacket dominated the third Caribbean Big Boat Series which comprises Heineken Regatta, St Maarten, the BVI Spring Regatta and Antigua Sailing Week. As Pyewacket went in to the last event of the Series - Antigua Sailing Week - she had bulleted the racing at the first two events and, barring disaster, was assured of overall victory in the three-regatta Series which is open to monohulls sixty feet and over. Although Pyewacket dropped one race in Antigua to UK Swan 60 Spirit Of Jethou, breaking her unbeaten record on her first Caribbean tour, her bullets in the CBBS remained intact against the other two boats in the Racing class – Tom Hill’s 'old' Andrews 70 Titan and Bill Alcotts’ 'old' Santa Cruz 70 Equation - second and third respectively overall.

Disney can’t return for 2003 as he’ll be competing in the Transpac.

Spirit of Diana - winner of thw 2002 CBBS racer/cruiser division

Two out of the three Formula 1 Sailing Farr 65 "head boats" are expected to compete. Spirit of Diana, skippered by Ross Daniels and which recently achieved its second line honours in the ARC trans-Atlantic rally, will be defending its title in the racer/cruiser division introduced for the first time last year.

Spirit of Diana went into ASW leading the 8-boat Racer/Cruiser division boosted by the no-show in the BVI of sister ships, Spirit of Isis and Juno as well as Chippewa and Starr Trail – all of which received a penalty equal to the number of participants in the regatta plus one point. Starr Trail, a Bermudan Farr 72, topped the Antiguan leg of the Racer/Cruiser class for the CBBS, winning four of its six races and couldn’t have improved on its Series point of one. However, she was left in second place overall with Spirit Of Diana winning. Spirit of Diana didn’t have a great regatta in Antigua and placed fifth. She was beaten by both her sister ships, Starr Trail and Orfeo. However, her wins in St Maarten and the BVI combined with the other boats receiving penalty points for not competing in the BVI had given her a strong - and them a weak position - for the third leg. Swan 62 Orefo was third overall.

The CBBS was introduced in 1999. Nine boats participated in this first year with some top names of the racing world competing. Due to millennium races all over the world, the Series did not happen in 2000 and was re-introduced on a low-key basis in 2001. Five boats campaigned the Series with only one boat dropping one regatta. In fact the winning boat, Sagamore, competed in all three regattas solely because of the series.