The St. Thomas Yacht Club is putting final touches on plans for the 27th Annual International Rolex Cup Regatta. Sponsored by Rolex of Geneva, the racing and regatta festivities begin on Thursday, April 20, with a Welcoming Party and Skippers' Meeting at the Yacht Club, followed by three days of racing on April 21-23.
The regatta caps the hotly contested Caribbean Ocean Racing Triangle (CORT) 2000 series, which began in Puerto Rico (Heineken Cup Regatta) in March and moved to the British Virgin Islands (BVI Spring Regatta) in early April. St. Thomas Melges 24 skipper Chris Rosenberg will be seeking to defend both his Rolex regatta and CORT series titles. He has proven his determination by sailing Marriott Frenchman's Reef to an overall victory at the Heineken Cup and to first in class and fourth in fleet at the BVI Spring Regatta.
Class winners in divisions for spinnaker racing, spinnaker racing/cruising, jib & main racing, non-spinnaker racing, and beach cats will be recognized with Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner watches from A.H. Riise, the exclusive retailer for Rolex watches in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Swiss watchmaker has sponsored the regatta for all 27 years of its existence.
Over 85 racing boats are expected, ranging in size from the 16 foot beach catamarans to at least two 72 foot "Maxi" style racers. St. Thomas native son Peter Holmberg is expected to drive Equation, one of the two maxi's. This will be Holmberg's first racing return to St. Thomas since the start of his adventures in New Zealand with Team Dennis Conner.
