It is with great pleasure that we invite you to the 36th annual International Rolex Regatta. On behalf of the St. Thomas Yacht Club and our principal regatta sponsors, Rolex and A. H. Riise, we are honored to offer sailors from around the world three days of unparalleled competition and shore side fun.
The fourth weekend of March is now etched into every racer's calendar as the time when the "Crown Jewel" of Caribbean racing takes place--where sailors can enjoy our reliable breezes, warm azure waters and world-renowned Island hospitality. If you've joined us in the past, you know that the competition and the camaraderie are unsurpassed. If you are contemplating making the trip for the very first time, please know that we will do our utmost to make it a special regatta just for you.
This year the first day of round-the-buoys racing will be held in the Caribbean Ocean, south of Cowpet Bay. The second day's racing will be from Cowpet Bay to Charlotte Amalie Harbor and back, giving the racers an opportunity to see St. Thomas' beautiful and historic capital and to showcase for Islanders and visitors the excitement of competitive racing. The final day's racing will be held on scenic Pillsbury Sound, in and around our beautiful Cays. The Rolex Awards Ceremony, which takes place on the beach Sunday evening, will again be of epic memory-making proportions.
We are delighted to welcome back Principal Race Officer Dave Brennan, along with a team of top-tier international judges. As always, the dedicated and hard working volunteers from St. Thomas Yacht Club will provide the "people power" for the events on land and at sea.
Having hosted a long tradition of competitive sailing at our club--including the oldest of all the world's Rolex regattas--we are very proud of our own sailing stars who represented us around the world this year. Our young sailors continue to sail well and score high wherever they travel. In 2007, STYC juniors held the North American Championship in both laser and 420 and second in the Optimist NA's. The USVI also had their best finish ever at the Optimist Worlds with Ian Barrows scoring 13th. Past Commodore, Peter Holmberg, served as back up skipper for Alinghi's successful Americans Cup defense, (how will we keep him out of the IC 24's now that he's back as a simple "island boy"?). Thomas Barrows was selected All American as a freshman at Yale and Taylor Canfield finished 2nd at the US Nationals and 420 North Americans. Anthony Kotoun and Cy Thomas pursue an Olympic bid in the 49er while Cy continues scoring well in laser. There must be something in the island water.
All of these sailors have participated in the International Rolex Regatta over the years. We thank Rolex for providing a great source of racing action to prepare them for world-class sailing competition. Please join us for our celebration of yacht racing and West Indian hospitality in our unique locale in St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands.
Cordially,
John Sweeney and Bill Canfield
Regatta Directors
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