US Virgin Islands Hotel & Tourism Association

The St. Thomas Sailing Center and the St. Thomas Yacht Club were thrilled to host the 2nd Annual Hotel & Tourism Regatta on April 14. Teams from the Westin, St. John; Mafolie Hotel & Restaurant; The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas; deSIGNS; and Marriott’s Frenchman’s Cove competed in buoy racing in Cowpet Bay. The breeze was on and the teams were up for the challenge! While some team members had sailing experience, many had never been on a sailboat before. This event gave people who had never sailed a chance to steer, trim sails and race an IC-24 keelboat under the guidance of a professional coach.

Following racing, teams returned to the yacht club for lunch and an awards presentation, and, of course, sharing tales of the day’s excitement. The overall winner for the regatta was Marriott’s Frenchman’s Cove with Scott Derrickson, Raheem Malone, Meredith Higgins and Ilena Snodgrass. In second place were the Ritz Racers from The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas. Mafolie Hotel & Restaurant team came in third. Everyone who participated had an adventure and went home a winner! Thanks to Bill Newbold for driving the spectator boat and Forrest Hardy for participating on the race committee and taking photos. This is an annual event held in April or May each year.

The St. Thomas Sailing Center was created by the St. Thomas Yacht Club in December 2016 to foster adult sailing in the Virgin Islands. STSC offers sailing courses at all levels of experience and opportunities to sail whenever you want without the expense or hassle of owning a boat. We offer weekly racing programs as well as corporate regattas and group sailing events. Please consider the St. Thomas Sailing Center for your next team building event or corporate outing.