05/12/2024
The Moorings Onboard as Sponsor of 51st St. Thomas International Regatta, March 28-30, 2025
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Give yourself, a friend, or both a bucket list gift this holiday season! Enter the 2025 St. Thomas International Regatta (STIR) yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eid=16918 set for March 28-30, 2025. Double the fun by also entering the Round the Rocks Race (RTR) at yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eid=16919, which circumnavigates the neighboring island of St. John on March 27, 2025. Everyone is invited! STIR 2025 invites CSA (Caribbean Sailing Association-handicap rule), ORC, Multihull, CSA Bareboat, IC24, VX One, Hobie Waves, and One Design classes with a minimum length of 19 feet. Pay only U.S. $170 by January 31, 2025. From February 1 to March 27, 2025, the entry fee increases to U.S. $370 for all classes, except for $230 for IC24s and VX Ones, and $150 for Hobie Waves. A limited number of IC24s and Hobie Waves are available for charter from the St. Thomas Sailing Center (STSC).
Regatta organizers and host, the St. Thomas Yacht Club, are pleased to announce that the flagship committee vessel for STIR and RTR 2025 will be the Moorings 464PC, a staple 4-cabin power catamaran in The Moorings charter fleet and winner of ‘Best for Travel’ in the Best of Boats Awards. This power catamaran is among the latest in a long line of power catamarans developed by The Moorings, specifically with charter vacations in mind, and it is an ideal platform to manage a regatta. The elevated flybridge, unique to power catamarans, and complete with wraparound seating, a full helm station, and a wet bar, means the committee has the perfect vantage point and all the creature comforts necessary to deliver a spectacular event.
“The Moorings is proud to support regattas throughout the Caribbean, including the STIR and BVISR. The racers and spectators who travel to the Caribbean to take part in these incredible events are a vital part of what makes the sailing and charter community so special, so anything we can do as a business to help foster this culture and the overall experience is very important to us,” says Ian Pedersen, senior marketing manager for The Moorings & Sunsail, based in Clearwater, Florida.
Exciting Mix of One-Design & CSA Racing
New for STIR 2025 is the return of the VX One Caribbean Cup, first held in 2016.
“It will be fun to race the VX in the nice trade winds,” says Phil Lotz, former New York Yacht Club commodore, who has competed successfully in J/105s, Melges 32s, Etchells, Viper 640s, IC37s, Swan 42s, Gunboat 60s, and now VX Ones. Lotz will race Arethusa with his wife, Wendy Lotz, and Liz Swain. “The boat is great for sailing in the breeze and waves. We look forward to the good racing, warm water, and fun regattas.”
The VX One Caribbean Cup 2025 offers sailors of this one-design sport boat an opportunity to race in two back-to-back regattas: STIR, March 28-20, 2025, and the BVI Spring Regatta (BVISR), April 4-6, 2025. As of November 2024, nearly 12 boats from the VX One North American class association have committed to participating, and the class expects at least 18 total or more to race. In the North American fleet alone, multiple former Olympians, America’s Cup participants, and pro sailors choose to race the VX One for fun with family and friends, as the fleet is 100% unpaid. A turnkey boat transport, registration, loading, and unloading package is available by contacting Tim Pitts at +1 (401) 419-9010 or Email [email protected].
New too for STIR 2025 is the IC24 Caribbean Championship.
Twenty IC24s are expected to race as a one-design class in STIR. In 2025, this will be an event-within-an-event called the 2025 IC24 Caribbean Championship. New will be a change in scoring, allowing one throw-out with the completion of 7 or more races. There will also be a class party and a special overall prize. The STSC (stthomassailingcenter.com/racing/st-thomas-international-regatta) has limited IC24s available for race charter for STIR 2025. The charter fee for the IC24s is U.S. $3200 with sails for Club members and $3700 for non-members.
“This will be our third STIR,” says Guy Williams, from New Orleans, LA, who finished 2nd in last year’s 15-boat class. “Chartering an IC24 makes the logistics simple. The club is welcoming, and we really enjoy the dependable wind and great sailing conditions.”
The CSA Racing classes have long been the backbone of STIR.
“Other than having a great time both on and off the water, our goal this year is to defend our ‘all bullets’ class title from 2024,” says Donald Nicholson, who homeports his J/121 Apollo in Newport, RI, first sailed STIR in 2018, and races with a skilled crew from both the USA and Canada. “We especially love point-to-point course racing. Adding to that, we enjoy the quality and professionalism of the organizers and race officials, as well as the hospitality of the St. Thomas Yacht Club. While we certainly don’t have ‘local knowledge’ of the racing arena, we are starting to get a feel for the courses and all their dynamics (currents, shifts, etc.) that are demanded to do well.”
Charter or BYOB
Chartering makes it especially easy to fly in, jump on a race-ready yacht, and sail!
In addition to IC24s, the STSC (stthomassailingcenter.com/racing/st-thomas-international-regatta) also has Hobie Waves available for charter. The Hobie Use Fee for STIR is $200 for STYC Annual Members and $315 for Non-Members, and a 30-day Blue Water Membership is included for Non-Members. There’s a practice day on Friday, March 28, with racing on March 29-30, 2025.
Beyond this, J-aguar (J/120) is available for whole boat charter for STIR 2025 from www.caribbeanraces.com or Email: [email protected].
Based in the UK, LV Yachting offers its Emily of Cowes (Elan 450) for charter for STIR. To reserve, visit www.lvyachting.com
Escapado (Beneteau First 40.7) and Sao Jorge (Harmony 52) are available for individuals or whole boat charter from UK-based Sail Racing Academy. To learn more and reserve, visit www.sailracingacademy.org
In the Caribbean, Barefoot Yacht Charters, in Blue Lagoon, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, offers five boats for race charter: Happy (Melges 20), Smile (Melges 20), Seaplane (Melges 32), Saltfish (J/24), and Gone (C&C 30). For more information, visit barefootyachts.com or contact Philip Bernard at [email protected]
For those who want to BYOB or bring their own boat, Caribbean Regatta Logistics, owned and operated by St. Thomas native Ben Beer, can assist owners and teams in getting their boats to race. Beer handles logistics for big international race teams that compete in the Caribbean, such as Vesper, Prospector, Spookie, and all the 72s. (Cell (340) 998-6203; Email: [email protected]), Web: stthomasinternationalregatta.com/faq/caribbean-regatta-logistics/
Book Flights and Accommodations Now!
Hands down, STIR is the easiest to reach of all the Caribbean regattas. The host destination, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, welcomes direct flights on six major airlines from mainland gateway cities in the U.S. These include American Airlines (Charlotte, Dallas, Miami, New York), Delta (Atlanta, New York), Frontier (San Juan), JetBlue (Boston, San Juan), Spirit (Fort Lauderdale, Orlando), and United (Houston, Newark, Washington-Dulles). Air Sunshine, Cape Air, Fly the Whale, Sea Flight, and SKYhigh Dominicana operate within the Caribbean, serving St. Thomas.
Accommodations on St. Thomas include resorts, hotels, inns, bed and breakfasts, and timeshares. Approximately 600 villa units and 200 charter yachts are on St. Thomas/St. John. Airbnb listings number over 3,000 in St. Thomas. For more information about the U.S. Virgin Islands, visit www.visitusvi.com
For more information, contact Regatta Co-Director Pat Bailey, Cell/WhatsApp (340) 690-6607, Email [email protected], or visit www.stthomasinternationalregatta.com Check STIR out on Facebook (www.facebook.com/stirvi), Twitter , and Instagram
