Caribbean racing back with a bang

After a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a full Caribbean racing calendar got under way this spring, with numerous regattas introducing innovations for 2022.

A newly formalised Caribbean Circuit for the Maxi class yachts has seen many of the headlinegrabbing largest yachts competing against one another across several events, moving first from the RORC Caribbean 600 to the early season St Maarten Heineken Regatta, then onto the

Les Voiles de St Barth Richard Mille regatta in mid-april.

The last event on the Maxi circuit will be the traditional Caribbean season closing party at Antigua Race Week (30 April-6 May). The Antigua regatta will also have a new sportsboat class for this year. In between there has also been superyacht competition at St Barths Bucket, which attracted a stellar fleet of 30 superyachts, including three J Class, and the Superyacht Challenge in Antigua. The BVI Regatta, meanwhile, saw a high quality entry including an impressive Offshore Multihull fleet of 50-65ft performance catamarans featuring Gunboats, HH and Mcconaghy designs, which was won by the well-travelled Bieker 53 Fujin.

Many yachts then moved on to compete at Les Voiles de St Barth Richard Mille, where full-blown tradewind conditions consistently hitting 16-20 knots, together with rolling swells, produced spectacular racing for a record 74-boat fleet that ranged from Rambler 88 to Melges 24s.

In the Maxi fleet, Jim Swatz’s Vesper took a convincing win at St Barth, scoring four 1st places from five races ahead of Hap Fauth’s Bella Mente. In a bid to gain an advantage, Bella Mente – with America’s Cup supremo Terry Hutchinson calling the shots – deployed some aggressive match racing tactics on the start of the final race of the week, but to no avail.

Vesper tactician Gavin Brady commented afterwards: “I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many lead changes in Maxi racing. They have happened every day, which you don’t see elsewhere. Maybe it’s the waves: they create huge opportunities.