BVI Yacht Guide November 2010 by Virgin Islands Property & Yacht

BVI YACHT CHARTERS...

THE BOATS. THE SAILING. THE EXPERIENCE...

“Your service was superb… from my first call to book a charter to our last contact when we headed home from the marina.” A satisfied BVI Yacht Charters guest

B V I YA C H T C H A RTERS BVI Yacht Charters is the first port of call for all yacht charters and sales in the BVI. Whether you are looking to charter or to buy, looking for Bareboat or Crewed yachts, a Catamaran or a Monohull, a week or just a few days, our professional team is on hand to make it work, your way.

Tailored and Personal Service Yacht Brokerage service available Beneteau Fractional Programmes Monohulls from 31’ to 52’ Catamarans from 36’ to 47’ 24 Hour Emergency Call Out

T: +1 888 615 4006 or +1 284 494 4289 or E: charters@bviyc.com

BVI YACHT CHARTERS: www.bviyc.com

Managing Editor Owen Waters :: owen@alookingglass.com Editors David Blacklock, Owen Waters & Traci O'Dea Writers David Blacklock, Owen Waters & Traci O'Dea

letter from the editor Welcome to the November issue of Yacht Guide This is the last editor's notes from the separate titles BVI Yacht Guide and BVI Property Guide

Advertising Production Colin Rathbun & Nick Cunha

as they morph into BVI Property & Yacht for our December-January double issue. I am looking

Advertising Sales Owen Waters :: owen@alookingglass.com

dissolve to present a broader perspective on all things island and sea.

Art Direction Nick Cunha

Yacht Guide has had its share of unique adventures. Starting as its own magazine in 2003, it

Graphic Design Akiya Brewley

cover magazine. In its journey, it has covered hurricanes, modern-day shipwrecks, racing,

forward to a new magazine where the conflicts and constrictions of artificial boundaries

soon joined BVI Property Guide as they became synergized into one back-to-back, double-

cruising, diving and watersports.

Executive Producer Colin Rathbun, aLookingGlass Publishing colin@alookingglass.com For additional information contact Colin Rathbun at aLookingGlass or visit www.bviyg.com

The benefit of a monthly magazine is that we can get involved in the story and take time and photos to reach out to the reader via words and design. We have worked with some of the most talented people in the business near and far. Exclusive shots from the likes of Armando Jenik, Rhoderick Grimes-Graeme and Yacht Shots BVI have graced our covers. Our

aLookingGlass

#7 Road Reef Plaza, P.O. Box 3895 Sea Cows Bay, Tortola, British Virgin Islands t 284.494.7788 f 284.494.8777 www.alookingglass.com | info@alookingglass.com

stories have taught us about Geoff Holt’s Atlantic crossing and Armando’s revolutionary catch and release story as well as local coverage of champions in the making such as sailor Alec Anderson and BVI events such as Spring Regatta, HIHO and Kite Jam. We also rely on some of the industry’s local experts to bring you the most up-to-date trends in the BVI. We are furthermore grateful and proud to have some of the best in the industry advertise with us. And the good news for you? All of the above and more will continue.

So it is not the end of an era, but rather the beginning of a new one, BVI Property & Yacht. Enjoy this issue and we will see you inside the next.

On the Cover: Pete Sheals Match Race

As always, see you on the water.

Photo by Traci O'Dea.

Owen Waters.

aLookingGlass Ltd., publisher of BVI Yacht Guide, assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of the content placed in its publications. For the avoidance of doubt, aLookingGlass gives no warranty or guarantee in regards to any information placed in its publications. BVI Yacht Guide and its contents are the intellectual property of aLookingGlass Ltd. Neither this magazine nor any part of it may be reproduced without written permission from aLookingGlass Ltd.

Owen Waters

The Crew

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contents

Reef Check: Save the Seagrass 6 Seagrass meadows are valuable marine habitats that are frequently overlooked as vital elements of our ecosystem as well as thriving places to snorkel. Skipper's Tips: Dealing with Dinghies 7 Dinghies often cause more headaches on a charter vacation than the rented yachts. These simple steps direct guests how to avoid most potential problems. Shoreside Review: 2010 Virgin Islands Winemakers Dinners 8 The chefs of the 2010 Virgin Islands Winemakers Dinners hail from as close as Brandywine Bay and as far as Waikiki, Hawaii. Lucky diners get to experience the creations of these world-class culinary experts.

Straight Talk from Diesel Dan: Engine Guru's Advice for Long Life 10 What are the best and worst ways to treat your engine? Should you run it hard or gently? Diesel Dan has all the answers. Provisioning: Starting Your Day 12 Distractions or hangovers can keep charter guests from starting their days out properly with a healthy, energizing breakfast. Chef Susie's mango almond granola recipe is an easy, handy morning meal. BVI Airways: Charter to Charter 16 You'd happily charter a boat, and with BVI Airways you can also charter a plane to get to your vacation destination.

EDGE: Race to Learn 18 Sure, Colin Rathbun likes to win regattas, but he and his crew also see each race as an opportunity to learn something new about the sport. BVI Yachting Directory 19 Look here for the most up-to-date yacht charter and broker listings. It's a great place to start if you're looking to buy or charter a yacht in the BVI.

52 by Lou Patterson

Skipper's Tips

Dealing with Dinghies

Although a degree in marine engineering is not necessary, it seems that operating your charter dinghy can sometimes be the biggest headache of your sailing vacation. The majority of service calls made to charter yachts concern problems that guests are having with their dinghies. For the most part, these problems are easily avoidable. Listed below are a few questions to ask, items to look for and things you should know regarding the use of your dinghy before you leave the dock: •Be sure to request a dinghy demonstration before you depart. (A demo should be included in a proper boat briefing). •Check that the fuel tank is full and properly vented. (Is your engine a two-stroke or four-stroke? If it is a two-stroke, what is the gas/oil mix ratio?) Make certain that both ends of the gas fuel line are attached tightly. If they are not clipped properly to both the engine and the fuel tank, your engine will not start. (This is the most common problem reported by charter guests).

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•Look to see that your dinghy is equipped with an anchor, a set of oars and an inflating pump. As most dinghies do not come equipped with a bailer, you can easily make one by cutting the flat bottom off an empty one-gallon water jug. Also, check to see if the engine has a kill switch with detachable key.

•If planning to use your dinghy at night, make sure to take along a strong light. (In US waters, it is mandatory that you operate your dinghy at night with a 360-degree white light as well as carry an appropriate number of life vests on board.) •Never cast off your dinghy from the dock or your vessel before you have started the engine and made sure it is running properly. The last person to enter the dinghy brings the painter (dinghy bow line) with him. The first person to leave the dinghy takes the painter with him. •When maneuvering to a slip, anchoring, or taking a mooring ball always shorten your painter. The last thing you want is to have your dinghy bow line go under the stern of your boat and wrap around your prop. Please remember, your dinghy is not a toy! Drive it responsibly. Look out for people swimming or snorkeling, mooring balls, anchor lines, rocks and reefs in shallow areas and other boaters. Be safe and have fun. YG

A cushion sea star in the seagrass at Mooney Bay, Virgin Gorda. Photo by Joe Faragher-Kneipp.

Save the Seagrass by Traci O'Dea

In the introduction to BVI Marine Awareness Guide, Shannon Gore states that what originally sparked her to write the Guide was overhearing a charter captain tell his guests that they should “find a reef to drop the anchor on.”

Hopefully, by now, boaters know not to anchor on reefs, but on a recent boat trip, I learned that not everyone knows to avoid dropping anchor in seagrass meadows. After I frowned at my captain for doing so, we snorkelled around the seagrass bed near Beef Island where we saw dozens of conch, sea cucumbers, enormous red cushion sea stars and a green turtle. The anchor, fortunately, didn’t land on any creatures, but it did disturb some of the seagrass, so before we left, he dove down and gently dislodged the anchor instead of dragging it up by the chain. Seagrass-Watch.com reports that seagrass is the only flowering plant that can live entirely immersed under water. They are the natural link between wetlands and coral reefs and help with sediment control. Sediments that wash down the hills during a rainfall first filter through the mangroves then the seagrass meadows, keeping it from covering the reefs. Additionally, seagrass meadows are “often dominated by juvenile specimens” because they “play a nursery role” to fish that eventually end up inhabiting the reefs, according to Encyclopedia of Earth. Unfortunately, these juvenile habitats are often destroyed during the process of land reclamation—the creation of new land from seabeds. Shannon told me that the destruction of these habitats leads to a loss of fisheries.

Seagrasses also serve an important role as a food source. According to BVI Marine Awareness Guide, “There are over 340 marine species that actually eat seagrass.” When I asked her about the importance of this marine habitat, Shannon Gore stressed the fact that “green turtles depend on seagrass as a major food source” which is why it’s common to see them in the shallow, green fields. One of the most popular seagrasses in the BVI is Thalassia testudinum, turtle grass. Due to their dual function as a juvenile habitat and species feeding ground, seagrasses also provide one of the best places to snorkel—teeming with sea life. Even the grasses themselves are a pleasure to watch as they undulate with the currents. According to BVI Marine Awareness Guide, the BVI hosts over 10,000 acres of the bustling habitat. The highlight of my weekend at Mooney Bay Villa last year was exploring the seagrass bed—by day with my snorkelling gear when I checked out starfish and cowfish then at night when the pier light attracted minnows and other fish that played among the blades. The importance of seagrass meadows cannot be stressed enough, especially in the BVI where all habitats are so closely linked. These fish nurseries and natural filters should be as protected as the mangroves and coral reefs. YG

by Traci O'Dea

Virgin Islands Winemakers Dinners:

The Chefs

In last month’s article on the 2010 Virgin Islands Winemakers Dinners, I focused on the Winemakers part of the equation. This month’s piece is all about the Dinners.

Chef Vikram Garg photographed in Hawaii. Image by Raymond Patrick.

I’ve been surprised and delighted by meals at past Winemakers Dinners—especially the feast prepared at Golden Pavilion Villa where Budatai’s Chef Treviño adapted every dish to suit my vegetarian requirements. I was thrilled to learn that Chef Treviño will be returning again this year, along with other Winemakers Dinners veteran chefs and a handful of newbies. December cannot come soon enough. While the other chefs rotate the courses that they prepare, pastry chef Heidi Davis Benyair is in charge of the final, and arguably the most important course—dessert. Her experience in the BVI, at Heidi’s Pastries at Leverick Bay Resort, has prepared her for the Caribbean challenges of heat, humidity and scarcity of ingredients, but she accepts 8

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each as potential to learn and incorporate new flavours. This year, as a preview, Heidi informed me that she’s contemplating using carambola and hibiscus. “Carambola makes a pretty fragrant coulis,” she said, mentioning how she liked the idea of “giving some classics a tropical theme.” Known for her trademark shock of blonde hair as well as her culinary expertise, Chef Anne Burrell is one of few chefs who can brag that she's been in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. Her culinary savvy landed her a spot as Chef Mario Batali's sous chef on Iron Chef in 2005, and she's continued to impress audiences in other Food Network programs, including Secrets of a Restaurant Chef and the cooking boot camp show Worst Cooks in America. Vikram Garg, chef at the exclusive Halekulani resort in Waikiki, returns for his fourth Virgin Islands Winemakers

Pastry chef Heidi Benyair photographed in Virgin Gorda.

Dinners this year. When asked why he keeps coming back, he said, "The food is a culinary delight; the wine pairing—immaculate; the people (the world's top chefs and winemakers…and the people of the BVI)," as well as "such pristinely beautiful waters." And each year he wants to outdo the year before. "Each one is the most spectacular and memorable experience and then we go back the next year...and make it even better," he said. Peter Island’s Chef Lisa Sellers described her cooking style as “always developing” but said it “has a strong European flavour” mixed with the local flavours of the BVI. “I work closely with the agriculture department and the local farmers, so we use local herbs, fruits and vegetables,” she said. At last year’s event on Peter Island, she was “amazed at how smoothly the dinner went” with fifteen chefs working together. This year, she said she’s loo king forward to seeing “what the style or trend is” from the countries of the visiting chefs. “Plus,” she added, “the wine is amazing!” My hero from last year’s Winemakers Dinner, Chef Roberto Treviño, runs the popular Budatai restaurant in the chic Condado neighbourhood in Puerto Rico where the menu fuses Asian, Latin and Caribbean ingredients and flavours. The charismatic, award-winning chef has shown his adaptability as a participant on Iron Chef and by recreating each dish at last year’s dinner to suit my dietary needs.

Along with the returning chefs are several culinary experts who are new to the Winemakers Dinners this year. With a history of cooking in India and other Caribbean islands, Rosewood Little Dix Bay Chef Hemant Dadlani called his style of cooking, “tropical and spice world cuisine” that he said is particularly complimented by Riesling wines, gewürztraminer, “and some merlots.” Though he has followed the Winemakers Dinners in past years, this is the first year that he has participated in one of the dinners, and he said he is looking forward to the “great gathering” of chefs where “one can really sees and learn from each one’s techniques, experience, flavours.” Travelling chef Narda Lepes, according to an interview in The Argentina Independent, first studied French and Japanese food. She said, “Once you understand those two extremely opposite cuisines, you can better understand all those that lie in the middle.” But more than just learning the recipes of a specific place, she wants to learn the “why behind each dish.” Her focus is on homemade food that tastes good. “Whether it looks nice, is exotic or rare,” she said in the interview, “are of secondary importance.” BVI-based, internationally renowned Chef Davide Pugliese always seems to be busy, but he never seems stressed. When I see him in the BVI—

Along with the returning chefs are several culinary experts who are new to the Winemakers Dinners this year.

whether he's cooking at his fine dining establishment Brandywine Bay Restaurant, overseeing at Capriccio di Mare café in the heart of Road Town or talking about Wali Nikiti cooking resort, his latest venture on Scrub Island, he maintains an open, serene attitude that I believe results from getting to do what he loves best—creating succulent flavour combinations and inventive menus. Chef Mathayom Vacharat likes to cook everything from Asian fusion to Italian comfort food. He’s won several awards in the Caribbean, including Ultimate Chef, Iron Chef vs. Island Chef and Best Private Chef in the VI 2010. Most recently, his company, St. John Catering/Mathayom Private Chefs, “cooked for the lovely ladies” and 30-person crew of Bravo's Real Housewives of New York City during their stay at Presidio del Mar in St John. Leverick Bay Chef Alexander Yates did his culinary training in California and Bavaria but before that, he had his “first real position” at Chez Bamboo in Virgin Gorda. In 2002, he returned to the BVI and opened up the Restaurant at Leverick Bay. Alex combines local and imported ingredients in order to fresh and flavourful combinations such as conch ceviche, Caribbean lobster bisque, and tuna and avocado tartare. The new chefs will bring fresh ideas while the established chefs will bring knowledge and experience. All the chefs will certainly bring exciting menus and innovative flavour combinations that will wow all who have the good fortune to attend the 2010 Virgin Islands Winemakers Dinners. YG

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by Owen Waters

BVI Airways

Charter to Charter

We have been talking about getaways quite a bit lately. But this fall, a couple of natural events have put travelling on the back burner.

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It's one thing for those of us that live here to say, "It's all over, and we are all okay. Happy Days." But imagine coming to the BVI to endure a hurricane or the floods of Otto. What if those ‘happy days’ were a week’s vacation in the BVI? Or you missed your connection to the BVI causing you to be delayed one or even two days of that hardearned vacation? What if, what if... Well, what if a 19-seat jet was literally at your call? Every time I have met with Luke Smith of BVI Air, he has never defaulted in his laid back philosophies, “If you fill the plane, the plane will fly.” Magic, fill the plane and off you go, but what does that mean? It means that BVI Air, in season, does charters, in addition to their scheduled routes. I get constantly tempted by Luke’s invitations when he stops by our office: “Going to St Lucia tomorrow. Wanna come? Good seafood there.” And when he told me he was going to fly a plane from Russia back to the Caribbean, you know, I believe him. I really do. Same as when he flew a bunch of Sir

Richard Branson’s family in for his sixtieth birthday bash. I’ve no doubt about it. I have no doubt if you called BVI Airways from a Caribbean country, stranded on your way to the BVI, or trying to make a connection home, that they would come and pick you up or take you there. When I asked Luke to charter a trip to the DR—no problem. When we couldn’t go after all—no problem. When I let him know a bunch of us want to go surfing in Barbados with our boards, you can imagine the response. Now imagine trying to get your guests in for a charter holiday on a prime boat. Imagine annoyed customers frustrated from stagnant travelling for lack of a better phrase. Yes, we can book charter flights here because the right people are available. And as for this year’s regattas, you can do the math of getting there and back in short time with little fuss. If you're reading this at the BVI Charter Yacht Society Boat Show, consider the ease of chartering a plane. And take down the number or keep the guide handy! Luke keeps his on his plane. YG

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284 494 2347/8 and 284 340 2347 travelplan@romascobvi.com Romasco Place, Admin Drive, Road Town, Tortola BVI. VG1110 284 495 5580 and 284 340 5580 Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda, BVI VG1150 www.bviguides.com | ALOOKINGGLASS PUBLISHING BVI YACHT GUIDE NOVEMBER 2010

Starting Your Day by Susie Younkle

If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a hundred times: “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” But how often do you take this advice seriously? Although island time sounds like an opportunity for relaxing breakfasts over multiple cups of coffee, the reality is that many of us grab a quick bite to eat as more of an afterthought than as a way to optimally fuel ourselves for the day ahead. I’ve been a lifelong breakfast eater out of necessity. Without a morning meal, I run out of energy and turn grumpy by 10 a.m. As I’ve grown older, the realization that the right breakfast helps me start the day feeling great has resulted in a change in my eating habits—leftover cold pizza no longer counts as “breakfast” like it did during my university days. Once I fully appreciated the importance of eating a proper breakfast, my standard morning meal became oatmeal topped with milk, dried cranberries and almonds, served with a piece of fresh fruit. For years I ate oatmeal most days until I finally decided it was time to mix things up when I moved onto my sailboat. I wasn’t ready to give up oatmeal entirely. Instead I used humble oats as the base for granola, my new breakfast staple aboard Orchid. Good ready-made granola can be difficult to find in the BVI, but supermarkets stock all the raw ingredients needed to whip up a batch of easy, delicious and healthy granola. It’s definitely boat friendly food: compact, non-perishable and packed with energy. Additionally, the ingredients and proportions in granola are easily adjusted based on your preferences or availability of ingredients. For example, if dried mango is not available, substitute raisins or other dried fruit. Serve granola with 12

yogurt and fresh seasonal fruit for a balanced mix of complex carbohydrates, protein and a little fat that will give you energy and keep you full all morning. Alternatively, pair granola and yogurt with a fruit smoothie made with local fruits such as papaya, mango and banana for a vitamin-packed breakfast. If you need an excuse to have a leisurely breakfast, just remind yourself of the importance of a proper morning meal as you settle in for one more cup of coffee to start your day. YG Mango Almond Granola Serve with yogurt and top with diced fresh mango when in season. 4 C old fashioned oats 3/4 C sliced almonds 1/2 C wheat germ 1/3 C demerara (brown) sugar 3/4 tsp cinnamon 1/2 C mango nectar 2 Tbl vegetable oil 2 tsp vanilla extract 8 oz dried mango, chopped Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large jelly roll pan with foil and grease the foil. In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Add mango nectar, oil and vanilla to the dry ingredients and stir well. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and stir in the chopped mango.

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Straight Talk from Diesel Dan: Engine Guru's Advice for Long Life By David Blacklock

With the arrival of the new sailing season, owners are taking their boats out of wraps, and yards are in launch mode as vessels stored for the storm season are dropped into the water. We asked diesel guru Dan Durbin of Parts and Power what you should look out for and what needs to be done before you drop your yacht into the wet. “From the preventative viewpoint, the best thing you can do is pull out your owner's manual and look at the list of things you're supposed to do every year and go do it. If you didn't do it after you hauled the boat, you need to do it before it goes back in. If you don't know where your owner's manual is, call the people you bought the engine from, or whoever the local dealer is—they'll run you off a copy.” “The biggest thing people don't do but should is to get their through-hulls serviced. Because if you've launched the boat and started the engine and you find you have a leak in the system and need to shut off your seacock and it won't shut—you've got a big problem. Because then you've got to re-haul the boat. “The other big problem area is making sure the batteries are charged. You launch the boat and find the engine doesn't crank. So then you've got to go find batteries somewhere.

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A mechanic's not going to work on a hot engine. “One time we had a $400-500,000 boat, and the guy launched, and right away he took off—he was in a hurry to get to his slip. He called us pretty soon because he lost his engine—it overheated and died. He didn't have an anchor because it was out being polished. He didn't have a dinghy because it was being patched. He just took off with nothing. So we had to go out and transfer a mechanic and all his tools onto his boat while he's sailing around. The guy complained because none of the men in the yard looked to see if he had seawater coming out his exhaust. We just looked at him and said, ‘Who's the captain here?’ “Another issue is when you launch your boat and something goes wrong and you need a mechanic. He's not going to work on a hot engine. Sometimes it's better to arrange to have a mechanic with you when you launch, so if something does go wrong, he's there on the scene and can fix it. If you're coming in to get some work done, come in the night before and let the engine cool down so the mechanic's got half a chance of getting it done right. If you've never had your valves set, you need to have them done. If you've never had your injectors checked, they need to be done, too. “Bear in mind: A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part. Engines need service, just like everything else. And remember your generator probably needs service more than your main engines, since you run it for longer hours, usually. The proper way to run a diesel engine or generator is to start it up and wait to see you have proper oil pressure, then let it run 3 to 5 minutes before you throw a load on it—with your main engine that's pretty easy because by the time you finish doing the things you need to do it's pretty well warmed up. Same thing when you're shutting it down—by the time you're getting into the dock and you're tying your lines it's idled for a few minutes. But the generator needs to have its warm-up period too when the pistons expand and the block expands—everything starts equalizing. If you put a load on it too fast then what's happening is the cylinder's warming up but the block hasn't got there yet or the bearings haven't gotten oil yet. At least wait until you've got oil pressure, because when oil's cold it doesn't flow very well. If you can lengthen the life of your engine, you're saving money. “People ask me, what's the one thing they should do but they don't? Probably being too easy on their engine. Diesel engines need to run. When you're under way, run your engine up to full throttle and see if it's doing the RPM it's supposed to—if you don't know, check the owner's manual! Whatever that number is, back it off 10% to 15% and that's where you should run. So if you've got an engine that's rated at 3600 RPM, then continuous operation should be 10-15% below that. That's your maximum cruise limit. Now if you can't get the engine up to its theoretical maximum, you might have a problem—a fouled hull or a dirty prop or gummed up filters, so you know you need something serviced. If you can't get to full RPM and

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there's no smoke coming out the exhaust then you know that your filters may be plugged or you may have air in the fuel. If it smokes, you've got a problem with the air, a problem with the injectors or a problem with the valves. You want to operate it safely until you get it to someplace it can be fixed. If it smokes, you want to operate it at an RPM where it doesn't smoke. If it seems okay but it won't run at the RPM it's supposed to, then run it at 85% or so of whatever RPM you can get to, until you get someplace to have it serviced. That way you can avoid any catastrophes. “When we survey boats, the ones that show up best are charter boats and fishing boats—two groups you'd think would be really abused. Fishermen run like hell out to the fishing site then they circle around picking up their nets or their pots and then they run like hell coming back home. Same with charter boats—for all the ones who do as they're told and motor around gently there's always some guy who runs it hard for a week and saves it. Then you get the gentleman who's been very easy on his engine and trying to take care of it and he's only been operating at half throttle all the time. He's the one that's going to need attention.” YG Dan Durbin is Service Manager at Parts and Power in Tortola. With 40 years experience in the marine engines business, Dan's the man to see. Email: dan@partsandpower.com

Race to Learn by Traci O'Dea

Captain Colin Rathbun won the Pete Sheals Memorial Match Race (for the fourth time) along with his crew Nick Cunha, Chris Brockbank and Seamus Ryder. But each of the guys seems more focused on learning than winning.

Photo by Traci O'Dea.

The Skipper: Colin Rathbun “Whenever there is an event he can go to, he goes not to win but to learn. That is his approach,” said crewmate Nick Cunha. “Last year, I think he got a glimpse of the potential not only for him but for sailing as a sport in the VI. By being one of the more intermediate match racers and going against professional sailors and holding his own, he realized what had to be done to improve, and now he is doing it.” Colin, as usual, gave credit to his crew for winning the race. “I know we had the best crew work out there,” he said. “The first couple of races, we were catching up a lot because everything was happening like clockwork. We didn’t have any issues that would slow us down. It was just a really good team. We lost the first three starts and then came back. Great race. Great venue.” The Sidekick: Nick Cunha When I asked the always positive Nick Cunha about match racing versus fleet racing, he said, “I like that in match racing the boats used are generally very well matched so you rely more on skill—a duel. There are different ways to attack and defend. Always to sail to your strengths,” Nick said. “It is a great way to present sailing as a sport because it is exciting to participants and spectators alike. It is also a bit more refined than fleet racing so it can

serve as a nice break from the lunacy associated with fleet racing.” Nick started sailing when he arrived in the BVI four years ago, and Colin took him out. He is still learning, even though he always seems to be on the winning team. “I don't think there is a sailor on the planet that knows everything, even though some may think they do. It's like any sport--the materials, technique and conditions will always change so must the seamen.” The Kid: Chris Brockbank Whenever anyone mentions Chris Brockbank in a sailing conversation, the phrase “glued to the foredeck” is always repeated. “You can’t throw him off the bow,” Colin said. Chris encourages others to learn the sport at the Royal British Virgin Islands Yacht Club where he teaches youth sailing. Though he loves to sail, his affinity for spinnaker trim might be because the ostentatious sail is nicknamed a kite. Chris was the youngest competitor at the inaugural BVI Kite Jam last year, and I overheard one of the old school BVI kiters say, “Chris makes it look easy. I’ve been doing this for ten years, and he just picked it up one day and put us all to shame.” The Newbie: Seamus Ryder What did Seamus Ryder bring to the table? “Positivity, cool confidence and some 1990s neon wraparound shades,” said Nick. “He won a race

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for us. In one of our races, we were just ahead of another boat. As we approached the leeward mark for a rounding, there was a windward mark change on the next leg. As we headed off in the direction of the previous windward mark, Seamus pointed out that there was a mark change that none of us had noticed because we were busy prepping and dousing the kite. Without Seamus, we could have potentially lost the race.” This was Seamus’s first match racing event. “If I were asked about match racing at the start of the summer, I would have replied ‘ask someone else,’” he said, but he learned a lot match racing with ColinI. “I love how after two round robins and 10 flights of match racing, the next race is just as important as the last ten, and the boat in last is just as dangerous as the boat in first; it all comes down to the next race…There's no hiding. You either win or you lose.” Seamus summed it all up a few days after the race: “I hope to never stop learning, and that I am constantly improving, because I think that's why the best are the best. The day you stop learning is the day you've lost the race. Even then you're probably learning. I have learned a lot from losing.” YG

The winning crew in the lead. Photo by Traci O'Dea

Upcoming Races BVI School Regatta Drakes Channel Treasure Hunt IC24 Nations Cup Round Tortola Race O'Neal & Mundy Commodores Cup

30/31 Oct 6 Nov 13/14 Nov 20 Nov 18 Dec

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And if that's not enough, check out the forum on www.IC24.org for more weekly beercan racing action right off the southern end of Nanny Cay. IC24s are the new fad in racing and spreading fast to the rest of the Caribbean and North America.

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YACHT CHARTERS & BROKERS

barecats@surfbvi.com (SB) 284-495-1979 est. 1993 | Fleet size: 10 Sells boats: No Charters Boats: Yes Brand(s): Fontaine Pajot, Lagoon, Leopards, Island Spirit, Robertson & Caine, Privilege, Voyages Year Make: 1997-2005 Type(s): Catamarans

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REPAIRS & SUPPLIES Doyle Sailmakers BVI (RT)

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charteryachtsales.com (RT) 284-494-4868 est. 1986 | Fleet size: 46 Sells Boats: Yes Charters Boats: Yes Brand(s): Beneteau, Jeanneau, Lagoon, Leopard, Norseman, Island Spirit, Athena, Hunter Year Make: 1996-2004 Type(s): Sailboat Cats and Monohulls

RESTAURANTS & PUBS Pisces Restaurant (SH)

284-543-6724

Double D Charters (VG)

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