Photo credit: Rolex / Daniel Forster
International Rolex Regatta St.Thomas, US Virgin Island
With the wind blowing 20-22 knots on opening day of the International Rolex Regatta, everyone had a war story to tell when they got back to shore. The three-day event kicked off with a race to town, in which 90 boats took off from the east end of St. Thomas, where the 35-year-old event is hosted by St. Thomas Yacht Club, for the bustling waterfront of Charlotte Amalie. After the downwind sprint, the fleet reversed course and sailed back home "on the nose."
"Our kite exploded early in the first race, which isn't too surprising," said local sailing hero Peter Holmberg, whose perfect start in IRC 2 included forcing others above the committee boat while his team peeled off cleanly at the gun. An Olympic medalist who was weaned on this regatta, Holmberg led a crew from OnDeck Racing, a racing yacht charter company, in his first appearance since returning from a 10-year hiatus to sail in the America's Cup. Having mentally prepared the crew for what could go wrong in the given conditions, Holmberg rallied for a second-place finish in race one and turned in a fourth in the second race for a fourth overall. "It's all working well," he said. Read More...
