2 0 10 B VI REG A TT A
“I’m so pleased the weather provided such good conditions because I wanted this regatta to be as memorable for our owners and their crews, as it was for me.” Alan Brook, Oyster Marine
“I’m so pleased the weather provided such good conditions because I wanted this regatta to be as memorable for our owners and their crews, as it was for me.” Alan told the fl eet at the fi nish. His particular brand of humour and engaging style that has encouraged so many cruising sailors to try their hand at racing, will be a hard act to follow but with the Brook’s own Oyster 56 now nearing completion, he and his family will be welcome competitors when this regatta moves to Grenada next year.
Oyster yachts are renowned ocean leviathans, designed to make long passages in comfort and style. Over 30 have already circumnavigated the globe, and all in this regatta had crossed the Atlantic. For several crews, this sailing week around Tortola was but a precursor to further adventures. Mariusz Koper’s Polish Oyster 72 Katharsis II was one of 12 Oysters to have competed in last winter’s ARC event and is now heading south to explore the white wilderness and wonders of the Antarctic – a special trip to mark his 50th birthday.
T e Oyster 655 Gundamain spent last year exploring the nordic regions, sailing as far as Spitsbergen.
Now, having crossed the Atlantic, this already seasoned crew are heading for the Panama Canal before cruising through the Pacifi c en route to their home port of Sydney. T e Oyster BVI Regatta was the fi rst experience anyone on board had of racing, and they were tentative. T ey needn’t have been. With some gentle encouragement over the radio from Alan Brook, we started with the skipper’s pre-race instructions ringing in our ears. “T e closest I want to see us to any other yacht is 500 yards”. We certainly started that way but as Gundamain began to hit her stride, so the adrenalin began to rise, and aſt er passing fi ve yachts, including two Oyster 82s on the last leg of the fi rst race, they were bitten by the competitive bug.
Robin and Carla Stoop have a similar itinerary to Gundamain. T ey too set out aſt er the regatta bound for Panama aboard their
Oyster 82 Rivendell, looking forward in particular to a stopover in Galapagos, before continuing their cruise to New Zealand.
T ese Oyster events bring together sailors of every persuasion. Within the fl eet, sprinkled with Olympic aspirants past and present, were hardened cruising folk, others who are setting out to explore the oceans for the fi rst time, and some who had simply jumped at the chance to spend a week soaking up the Caribbean sun. A few had serious intentions on winning, so it is of particular credit to Alan Brook and his race team, as well as Liz Whitman’s masterful arrangements ashore, that everyone went away having enjoyed the regatta so much. It is also a credit to the Oyster yachts themselves that while the latest models invariably shone at the front, the two oldest yachts, Samantha Simmonds’ 16-year-old Oyster 55 Ostrika and David and Tamsin Kidwell’s Oyster 435 Twice Eleven ended up sharing the honours with two of the newest Oyster 72s Katharsis II and Magrathea.
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