Registration for the St Croix International Regatta ended at 6pm tonight with 33 entries - down from last year's high of50 boats ? with the much-expected large fleet from Puerto Rico not materializing. Eight to ten foot seas delayed Sun Bum II until well after registration - and dark - which valiantly made the 90-mile crossing from Puerto Rico to attend. "We had to have one Puerto Rican boat," said skipper and Club Nautico de Puerto Rico commodore Angel Ayala but it was one miserable crossing.

Entries for Cape Air CORT (Caribbean Ocean Racing Triangle) was the same as last year and racing will be tight in the ever-competitive racing and racer/cruiser classes.

In the Racing division, Jamie Dobbs from Antigua topped Racing II last year, six points ahead of John Foster's Magnificent 7 - both are back. The BVI?s Olson 30, Willy T was third last year and has returned so expect some mixing it up around this Caribbean circuit this year. Antrim 37, Rhumb Squall will be thrown into the mix together with two J/29s Generation and Broken Drum, J/80 Sun Bum II and Tartan 10 Sorceress from St Croix.

With only two Melges 24 registered, Frits Bus' 2 Contact Carib and Mistress Gently, Guy Eldridge?s new boat from the BVI has resulted in their class being merged into the racing class for the St Croix International Regatta. However, with more expected in this class at the next two regattas in the series, these two boats will be scored as a Melges class for Cape Air CORT. Efrain "Fraito" Lugo Orion from Puerto Rico who dominated the Melges 24 scene last season has returned to a J/24. Orion resoundingly won the class with 27 points to 2 Contact Carib?s 62 points and Crew Clothing?s 74 points.

Last year's Racing I winner in both St Croix and for CORT, Mermaid II won't be racing this year.

The Racer/Cruiser division will see a re-match of last year?s battle between the two BVI boats Pipe Dream and Cold Beer II. Pipe Dream went into the BVI Spring Regatta with only a two-point lead after the Heineken International Cup but by the end had notched up a 14-point lead over its nearest rival Cold Beer II. BVI's Bungy Flynn's Dehlerious enters the fray for the first time this year. St Croix's Arawa and St Thomas' Tempest round out Cape Air CORT.

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