By Dean “The Sportsman” Greenaway
Graham Harney and his crew, sailing towards the windward mark on Ting A Ling
Graham Harney’s Corsair F 27 “Ting-a-Ling” finished no less than second and scored 10 points, in six Sport Multihull races, three better than Round Tortola Race winner Barney Crook’s Corsair 31-1D “Airgasm” with 13 points, to claim Best BVI Boat in the 52nd BVI Spring Regatta.
“We are really, really happy with how the weekend went. It was a lot of last minute work, some late nights and the boat held together despite some tricky conditions,” Harney told Island Sun Sports. “And we’re just super stoked to come out on top. The fleet experienced a lot of breakdowns so it was a tough event for a lot of people.”
Harney said it was an honor to win Best BVI Boat, as he went to Antigua with Richard Woolridge’s “Triple Jack” and they won “Best Caribbean Boat” in the 600. “And now, Best BVI Boat in the BVI Spring Regatta? I feel very lucky after moving here with my fiancé 16 months ago from Canada, winning this award is very, very exciting,” he said.
In a keenly contested BareBoat 2 duel, a third place finish to start and a tie in the second race, left retired 94-year old surgeon Dr. Robin Tattersall—a two-time Olympian—on “Jitterbug,” was chasing Charlie Garrard’s Sunsail 42 Ma Piba, throughout the three days. Dr. Tattersall, who has competed in 49 of the 52 BVI Spring Regatta, couldn’t erase the 2½ point deficit on the final day and placed second with 11½ points to Garrad’s nine.
“This is my favorite thing to do,” Dr. Tattersall said. “It’s just difficult getting on to the boat. Once I’m on, it’s holding on and staying on.”
Three points separated the Performance Cruising A, with Ryan Walsh’s Baltic Kinship, Supported by Bitter End, leading Katy Campbell’s “Panacea”, a Salone 45 that won the division in both the Round Tortola Race and the Scrub Island Invitational. Walsh dropped to bullets to turn back Campbell, 12-15. Puerto Rico’s Jorge Rodriguez Grand Soleil 44 Performance finished third with 19.
There was stiff competition between Sandy Askew and her husband David Askew racing for the VX One Caribbean Cup 2025, a two-leg series. Leading after day one, Sandy—who beat David in the St. Thomas International Regatta last week—opened the door for him on both Saturday and Sunday when he pulled within a point, before she prevailed, 18-20, after she did not start the final race.
“It’s the first time I’ve ever beaten him in anything so it’s sort of fun after 35 years of marriage,” Sandy said. “It was satisfying. I know it’s tacky to brag about your kids or your spouse, but he’s very, very good, so this is fun.”
David said it’s the first time sailing the boats and he and his team were learning. “If anybody has to win other than me, why not be my wife,” he said laughing. “It’s a tough group out there, things don’t always go the way you want them to. We’re fighting hard and we gave it the best shot that we could.”
Jim Vos’ Reichel Pugh 37 “Warthog”—with an all Antiguan crew—won the Guy Eldridge award for Spirit and Enthusiasm, after claiming CSA I with 10 points, 4.2 points better than Woody Cullen’s Swan 58 “Wavemaker” who had a scoring penalty in race five, after two third and two second placed finishes.
“The guys delivered. They all came together as a team and we did what we had to do,”
Jules Mitchell said. “We’ve been sailing together for a long time, so it means a lot to win this event.”
In Jib and Main, BVI’s Walter Keenan Beneteau First 40 Libertas, sitting on a one-point splinter entering Sunday over Antigua’s Sandy Mair Beneteau First 35 Cricket, 6-7, built two picket fences to win 8-10.
Dominican Republic’s Georges Coutu Leopard 50 “La Novia” had five picket fences to win the Cruising Multihull class with six points, over Ron Boehm’s Perry Antrim 52, “Little Wing” who finished with 16 points.
St. Croix’s Peter Stanton’s IC-24 “Big Island” edged St. John’s Mike Feierabend’s “Bravissimo” 10-12.
