51st St. Thomas International Regatta - Day 2
by Carol Bareuther 30 Mar 04:24 BST
March 27-30, 2025
51st St. Thomas International Regatta Day 2: Sea spray ruled aboard Jax, a 43-foot Botin-designed boat, helmed by owner, Øivind Lorentzen, from Hog Cove, Maine © STIR /
www.ingridabery.com
Wind was the word that started nearly every conversation as sailors talked shoreside after the second day of racing in the 51st St. Thomas International Regatta (STIR).
Flying off the start in 20-plus knots of breeze, near broaches and capsizes, plus surfing 4' to 6' foot seas and trading tactics with competition that includes several Olympians, World Champions, and Volvo Ocean winners made for a fast-paced race day that saw as many as seven races for the Hobie Waves, and four and five races, respectively, for the VX Ones and IC24s.
"Yesterday was lighter, today making an error in boat handling cost points," says Puerto Rico's Marco Texidor, driving Cachondo, who ended the day in second in the highly competitive 22-boat one-design IC24 Class. Since the races are short, about 35 minutes, it was crucial to get a good start and get out ahead of the fleet on the first beat to get positioned in the top 3 to 4 boats. This year is the first we can discard our worst score after seven races. Not having a 'throw out' forces you to sail conservatively and consistently, but we did have a bad race, and getting a chance to drop that score helped us.
The St. Thomas' Teddy Nicolosi, sailing with family and friends on Black Pearl, is first in the IC24 class going into the final day of racing tomorrow, while St. Croix's Peter Stanton on Big Island, rounds out third. This year, the class will also compete for the 2025 IC24 Caribbean Championship, sponsored by Sea Glass Properties, an event within STIR.
In the one-design VX One Class, the USA's Sandy Askew's Flying Jenny held its first place position, plus put fourteen points between second place Arethusa, driven by the USA's Phil Lotz. St. Croix native, Tim Pitts, rounds out third on Another Bad Princess. Askew's husband, Dave, on Wizard and currently fifth in the 11-boat class, enjoyed a race day that went from bad to good.
"In the first race, I was chasing my wife, and the head stay broke. We dropped out, fixed it, and missed the second race. We were back for the third, and my wife beat me, but I beat her in the fourth race. The beauty of sailing one-design is there are no handicaps, no excuses. We are still figuring out the boat, but overall, it's easy to sail, and that's the beauty of the VX One."
Kinship, a Baltic 52 helmed by the USA's Ryan Walsh, leads the CSA Racing class, while Tatihou, a Jeanneau 409, raced by the USA's Martin van Breems of the Sound Sailing Center, finished the day first in the CSA Non-spinnaker Class.
A 9-boat class of one-design Hobie waves set sail today. The UK's Ian Bartlett led the class with seven flawless first-place finishes, while St. Thomas teenagers, 12-year-old Finn Hodgins and 13-year-old Will Zimmerman, are in second.
"We sailed together last year and wanted to race again," says Hodgins, who notes that the most challenging aspect was keeping the boat flat in the water with the heavy breeze.
Fellow St. Thomas teens Lilly Brewer and Scarlett Green had a great day racing on BowDown and finished in fifth.
"The practice sail yesterday helped prepare for the winds today," says Brewer.
Schedule of Events
STIR Racing kicks off for an 11 a.m. start on Friday, March 28, for the first day of STIR racing. STIR competition follows Saturday and Sunday, with an 11 a.m. start each day. Race courses will be set off the southeast, northeast, and east end of St. Thomas and in Pillsbury Sound between St. Thomas and St. John, with specific courses for each class designated daily by the Race Committee based on weather. The Awards Ceremony starts at 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Real-time results for the Round the Rocks race are posted at 2025 Round the Rocks Results, while STIR results will be posted at 2025 STIR Results.
After each day's racing, a mix of refreshing beverages are served shoreside, along with food for sale and live music.
Strong Sponsor Support
STIR organizers thank the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism; The Moorings; Mount Gay Rum, Gosling's Rum, Tito's Handmade Vodka, Teremana Tequila, Surfside Iced Teas & Vodka, and Michelob Ultra, distributed by CC1 USVI; Sea Glass Properties; Cardow; K3; Ocean Surfari; and Crucian Gold for their strong sponsor support.
STIR 2025 is a Sailors for the Sea Clean Regatta, with green initiatives such as paperless event management and a water refill station.
For more information, visit stthomasinternationalregatta.com, Email: or Regatta Co-Director Pat Bailey at , or call (340) 775-6320. Check STIR out on Facebook (www.facebook.com/stirvi), Twitter @stirvi, and Instagram #STIRVI