Promoting woman’s sailing and tennis, and the camaraderie that comes from a weekend of close-knit competition, is the goal behind the St. Thomas Radiology 2ND Annual Women’s Sailing Regatta & Tennis Tournament, set for November 8 to 11, at the St. Thomas Yacht Club, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Last year’s event brought together nearly 100 women from all three US Virgin Islands as well as the BVI.

“It’s a weekend where women can get together with one another, renew old friendships and create new ones, while having the chance to compete in a sport they really enjoy,” says Verian Aguilar, who is co-chairing the event with Jessica Rosenberg.

Built on Strong Foundations

St. Thomas’ Nance Frank, with assistance from Dee Spear, started the women’s sailing regatta as a one-day event back in 1986. Over the years, this event has grown from one day to three with over 60 women participating from the British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Antigua, St. Maarten, all three U.S. Virgin Islands, and the U.S. mainland. In addition, five-time Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year and former World Women’s Laser Champion, Betsy Allison, visited to coach participants in 2000 and 2001.

As a direct result of this event, Antigua and St. Maarten have organized Ladies Laser competitions, developing a Caribbean Women's Laser Circuit. “Through these regattas, more women feel at ease entering the world of sailing,” Rosenberg says.

New Changes

“There aren’t enough tennis tournaments on the island, and no women’s events,” says Elsbeth Rowaan-Bartlett, tennis tournament organizer. “Like the sailing regatta, we hope to entice women who normally don’t play in tournaments. Women of all ages from 13 up are invited.”


What To Expect

Teen girls and women, ages 12 and older, are welcome to enter the regatta portion of the event. Classes include Lasers – Radial and 4.7 sails – and Club 420s. Lasers are single-sail dinghies recognized as an Olympic class and skippered by one person. Club 420s are the high school sailing dinghy of choice and sailed by two people, a skipper and a crew. The double-handed feature of the Club 420 allows women to team up and race. This is an excellent opportunity for women who aren’t sure they’re able to skipper a dinghy themselves or for mother-daughter teams. The race format will be round robins on windward-leeward and triangular-shaped courses in Cowpet Bay, St. Thomas.

The cost to enter the sailing event is $95 per person, which includes the entry fee,
T-shirt and several meals.

The tennis portion of the event will include Women’s A, B and C singles, and Women’s Open Doubles. Matches will be a best of three tiebreak sets, depending on the number of entrants. Balls and T-shirts will be provided. The registration fee is Singles $35/person, Doubles $20/person, and $45 per person for two events.

On land, sailors and tennis players will enjoy meals together, live entertainment and an Awards BBQ.

For More Information

For more information and to register, contact the St. Thomas Yacht Club at 340-775-6320.

Sponsor

St. Thomas Radiology Associates is a full service diagnostic imaging center, with a new Women’s Imaging Center that offers a comfortable private area designed exclusively for women’s services including bone densitometry assessments, mammograms and ultrasound studies. The addition of more sophisticated MRI technology provides more precise images and vastly improved diagnostic capabilities. Dr. Jeffrey Guller, a board-certified radiologist specializing in interventional procedures, joins Dr. Rosenberg in practice. St. Thomas Radiology Associates is located in Suite #103, Paragon Building, behind the Roy L. Schneider Hospital in St. Thomas.

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