Caribbean Beat

james

Ideal winds and reliable sunshine make the Caribbean a hotspot for race-hungry crews preparing for the forthcoming season.

Words: Sue Pelling

Racing in the Caribbean offers far more than steady trade winds, turquoise seas, and dramatic island backdrops – it draws you straight into the heart of a vibrant local tradition. Island regattas are major social and cultural events where sport, music and food effortlessly intertwine. This unique mix of high-adrenaline racing and legendary, rum-fuelled post-race parties creates more than just a great event; it fosters lifelong friendships and unforgettable memories. The Caribbean race season runs from January to late April neatly avoiding hurricane season and providing professional teams with an ideal early-season shakedown ahead of the European circuit. A packed regatta calendar gives racers endless options too and, thanks to the Caribbean Sailing Association (CSA), which carefully coordinated schedules to avoid date clashes), it means ambitious teams can realistically string together the entire Caribbean series without missing a beat!

To encourage participation, and celebrate consistency across the region’s top events (RORC Nelson Series, RORC Caribbean 600, St Maarten Heineken Regatta, Antigua Racing Cup, BVI Spring Regatta), the CSA has also introduced a new championship – CSA Majors Trophy – to reward the circuit’s top overall performers. Champions of the new trophy will be crowned at the BVI Spring Regatta, delivering a high-stakes finale to the core season. If you are considering heading south for the season therefore, it might be worth planning the trip with one of the transatlantic feeder-race-style crossings such as World Cruising Club Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC and ARC+) that sets off across the Atlantic from Gran Canaria mid to late November.

For a real race shakedown, the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s 3,000-nautical-mile Transatlantic Race from Marina Lanzarote in the Canary Islands to Antigua, starts on 10 January.Once in the Caribbean, a passage down to the Windward Islands to Barbados is a good first stop.

Barbados Sailing Week (15-21 January) marks the start of the Caribbean regatta season. Held in association with Mount Gay Rum, and organised by Barbados Cruising Club, you can be sure of a warm Bajan welcome and some good, challenging racing in its signature 60-nautical mile Mount Gay Round Barbados Race. Here it is possible to break the race records, and win your skipper’s weight in Mount Gay Rum!

The current absolute records stand at: Mononhull: 4 hours, 13 minutes, 37 seconds (CQS, Super Maxi), and Multihull: 2 hours, 37 minutes, 38 seconds (Ms Barbados, Concise 10, MOD 70).The Rum to Spice feeder race from Barbados, to Grenada Sailing Week (31 January-5 February) is the natural next stop, where you can enjoy fun, competitive racing and local culture. From here it’s a case of heading north again to the Leeward Islands where multihulls get the opportunity to contest the Caribbean Multihull Challenge (4-7 February).

Hosted by St Maarten YC, this event offers racing on the coastal waters of Dutch and French St Maarten / St Martin, plus, for the Ocean Class (larger and higher speed potential entrants) there will be longer races around St Barth’s and Saba. The RORC continues its Caribbean connection with the RORC Nelson Cup Series in Antigua (16-19 February). This event serves as the primary warm-up event for crews preparing to tackle the grueling 600-nautical-mile RORC Caribbean 600 (22-26 February). Organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club in partnership with the Antigua Yacht Club, it gives the crews of grand prix racing yachts, multihulls, and IRC-rated entries a mix of short-course ‘round the cans’ style, and coastal racing in idyllic trade-wind conditions.

Back in St Maarten, St Maarten Heineken Regatta (4-7 March), is a hugely popular regatta offering four days of high-octane, world class racing with, often, 37+ different countries represented. As the undeniable hub of Caribbean sailing, Antigua naturally provides the ideal backdrop for the prestigious Superyacht Challenge (10-14 March), as well as the The Antigua Racing Cup which was launched in 2026.

This new event was a huge success and is scheduled to run again in 2027 (17-21 March) offering the crew of grand prix boats and performance cruisers, as well as sportsboats, the opportunity to enjoy spectacular racing on Antigua’s south coast ‘playground’. St Barths Bucket invitational regatta (17-21 March) although clashing with the Antigua Racing Cup, is a Caribbean favourite for superyacht crews who can enjoy four days of coastal races in spectacular conditions. The regatta is open to invited cruising yachts whose length is 30.5m or greater, as well as a 90ft class, and a 100ft racing class.The Virgin Islands, both British and United States, are always hugely popular Caribbean regattas. Next year is the 54th edition of the BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival (29 March – April) and plans are revving up for another successful event. The Sailing Festival takes place over two days (Scrub Island Race 30 March); Nanny Cay Cup Round Tortola Race (31 March), and The BVI Spring Regatta (2 – 4 April).

Following a few days break in the schedule, and enough time to head over to the US Virgin Islands, St Thomas International Regatta (8-11 April) promises full-on racing with its refreshed format including the Three Sheets Distance Race & Rally, and a new wing foiling class alongside CSA and one-design fleets.Finally, back in Antigua for the concluding regattas, there’s a choice of some serious laid back racing at the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta (14-19 April) that runs from Nelson’s Dockyard, or Antigua Sailing Week (21-25 April) where you can be guaranteed a magical combination of serious racing, and fine Antiguan hospitality. Here, once the racing is over, and you’re back on shore, nothing tops the Caribbean sailing calendar quite like Antigua’s legendary prizegiving party at Nelson’s Dockyard which marks the end of the four-month Caribbean race season.

ABOUT THE CSA

The Caribbean Sailing Association (CSA) promotes sailing in the region by administering a unique handicap rating rule for racing, organising events like the Caribbean Dinghy Championships, and providing training and logistical support for members. A collective of yacht clubs, regatta organisers and sailors, the CSA serves as a unified voice for the Caribbean sailing community, fostering collaboration and developing strategies to enhance participation in local and international sailing events. To drive future participation, eliminate scheduling conflicts and cement the Caribbean as a world-class racing destination, the CSA recently unveiled an updated five-year calendar that gives high-level Corinthian and professional crews a clear, long-term campaign path. Addressing the CSA’s recent announcement, CSA President Bastien Poutier said: “This calendar delivers clarity and momentum for our sport. Concentrating our marquee events into a four-month window creates a true circuit for serious campaigners, without losing the adventurous spirit that defines Caribbean racing.”

www.caribbean-sailing.com

Caribbean Beat

james

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