I'm in Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands, packing for tomorrow morning's flight to St Barths and thought it was time to check in.
The Puma Ocean racing team was invited by Netscape founder Jim Clarke to join him for a two week tour of the upper Caribbean and I've been lucky enough to tag along. Our first event was at the Aga Khan's new annex to the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda that we attend annually in Sardinia. Unlike the Maxi Worlds and other high profile grand prix events we sail in Italy, the focus of the Caribbean circuit is to race these massive cruising yachts for a few hours a day and then let the party begin!
Of the dozen boats participating, the smallest was eighty feet and the largest well over two hundred.
Our vessel, Hanuman, a replica of the 1937 America's Cup winner Endeavor II, is a little over 130 feet.
She's essentially a museum on the water that takes a lot of skill and coordination to sail with a crew in excess of 30. We got straight bullets (first places, they fire a cannon for the winner) and won the week, putting us all in a good mood as we head to St Barths for the second half of the tour.
The St Barths Bucket is another parade/race of mega yachts with a minimum length of 100'.
Minor mistakes cost tens of thousands of dollars and the logistics and expense of housing and feeding a group of forty on one of the most exclusive island destinations in the world is mind boggling. It's a true honor to not only be invited but paid to play!
Must finish packing.
Safety first!
T
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