Aerial view of Oil Nut Bay, Virgin Gorda. British Virgin Islands. Courtesy of Victor International.
by Jill Campbell
The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS) is pleased to announce the inaugural Caribbean Superyacht Regatta & Rendezvous which will take place from March 16th to 20th, 2011 in the idyllic setting of Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands. Organized by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda together with Boat International Media, the event is designed to bring together superyacht owners from across the globe and will also mark the launch of a new Superyacht Marina and Yacht Club in North Sound, Virgin Gorda (BVI).
The Caribbean Superyacht Regatta & Rendezvous is open to sailing and motor yachts of 80 feet (24.4 metres) in length and above. Three days of racing under the IRC rating system are scheduled for the sailing fleet which will be split into various divisions in order to accommodate superyachts ranging in size and technical specifications.
A number of on-the-water activities will be organized for participating motor yachts including a Cruise–in-Company, a treasure hunt around North Sound, culinary and cocktail competitions along with water sports, a ladies’ programme and plenty of family entertainment. All participants will enjoy an exclusive social programme including elegant cocktail receptions, beach parties and gala dinners as well as traditional Caribbean hospitality courtesy of Oil Nut Bay Resort in North Sound.
Salperton during the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta 2010 in Porto Cervo. Image copyright Rick Tomlinson.
“The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda and BIM created the highly successful annual Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta in 2008. Building on this success it seemed logical to develop a series of international superyacht regattas and the BVI with their beautiful waters sounded like the perfect location.” commented Riccardo Bonadeo, YCCS Commodore. “We look forward to organizing racing in the Sir Francis Drake Channel and around the islands of the archipelago. It will be reminiscent of our own regatta course in Sardinia where islands and rocks act as natural buoys. We hope that our experience in organizing Maxi and Superyacht Regattas will contribute to making this a firm favourite on the superyacht calendar.”
Renowned for offering some of the world’s most beautiful and protected waters, the BVI provide the perfect setting for what is set to be a gathering of the largest, most spectacular and fastest sailing superyachts in circulation alongside an equally impressive collection of motor yachts. Developed by Victor International to the highest standards of design and construction, the host Yacht Club in North Sound is scheduled to open during the winter 2010 season and will be linked to the new Oil Nut Bay Luxury Resort Community and Beach Club and Biras Creek Resort.
Sailing yachts that have already shown an interest in attending the inaugural event include newly-launched yachts such as the Huisman-built 156ft Twizzle and the Dubois-designed 164ft sloop Zefira, built by Fitzroy. Alloy’s 192ft fast cruising sloop Kokomo, the Dubois-designed Salperton, the 100ft Farr-designed racer cruiser Leopard and the 136ft ft J-Class sailing yacht Ranger also hope to participate.
Motor yachts include Lurssen’s 197ft Linda Lou, the 130ft Westport Resolute and the 150ft Trinity Vita.
YCCS
