competent and comfortable as sailors than we had been at the beginning of our voyage. In some ways, it felt as if we were just getting to the good stuff, and could feel the itch to just keep cruising the world with no time limit in sight. The lessons we had learned were numerous, but perhaps the greatest lesson was not specifically about sailing. We discovered that if you set your aim high and dream big, experiences that seem a bit too good to be true, experiences that perhaps seem a bit too far out there to become reality, can indeed come to fruition. And that with the right combination of focus, planning and hard work, you can live out your daydreams. But when your daydreams do come alive, they might be accompanied by a whole slew of experiences that you hadn't anticipated, but that ultimately made the entire experience that much richer. As we walked away from Hellenic Sky we were filled with a sadness that the trip was over, but also a small but quickly growing feeling that this was not really an end, but just the beginning of our relationship with a new sport, a lifestyle and a source of adventure that could take the span of many lifetimes to fully explore: sailing. — tyler drogin Carib Regatta Charter: A Winning Idea Cruising languidly in exquisitely warm turquoise waters and indulging in the local rum meets most sailors' needs. But how about turning up the heat on that sailing vacation by chartering bareboat specifically to compete in one of the Caribbean's colorful annual regattas? In late March at the British Virgin Islands Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival, a fleet of 28 chartered barePage 110 •
Latitude 38
• May, 2017
Waste out of Sausalito, and on Murphy’s Express 27, named Bob's, which he keeps at the Richmond Yacht Club. With their combined racing experience, the team won the Scrub Island Invitational Race and took first overall in the Bareboat 1 division of the regatta. Murphy says the BVI is a racing venue not to be missed. "Racing a sailboat with friends in the BVI — what is there not to like?" he challenged with a big smile. "The weather is close to perfect with 12 to 15 knots of breeze. It’s a very different experience from racing on San Francisco Bay; all sailors should experience this paradise at least once in their lifetime." Henry ultimately got used to the creature comforts on board — like electric
L to R: Anthony, Warwick, Amy and Ed came to have a little fun in the sun and went away with division honors — and a bottle of Champers.
The big Beneteau sloop 'JogFund' slices through deep blue BVI waters. Unless she's racing, she's kept in charter all year round.
winches — and enjoyed the camaraderie within the fleet. "There’s something exciting about racing in a place you’re not completely familiar with, deciphering the course and agreeing where the marks are!" she laughed. "Not being familiar with the courses, we were always on the lookout for locals in order to follow their lead." The crew is already discussing its 2018 Caribbean racing charter. — michelle slade
AMY HENRY
Although it may be hard to see in the magazine, this night shot captures a brilliantly clear sky, heavily salted with stars and constellations.
boats, mostly from the T ortola-based fleets of Sunsail and Moorings, raced in three divisions: Bareboat 1, 2 and 3. As Sausalitobased sailor Warwick Dunnett will tell you, chartering for regattas in far-flung destinations is totally doable, and offers a mix of cruising and racing fun. Dunnett keeps a Beneteau Oceanis 50 in the Conch Charters fleet, based in Tortola. He purchased JogFund from Moorings seven-plus years ago. When it "aged out" of that company's program he moved it to Conch, where it's available for charter year round. Conch takes responsibility for all maintenance, eliminating the potential headache of absentee ownership. Dunnett makes it down to the Caribbean annually to take the boat cruising and racing. This year, he sailed with friends in his second BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival. Local Bay Area racing regulars Amy Henry and Anthony Murphy raced on JogFund with Dunnett and friend Ed Jerbic. Henry races regularly on the J/105 Hazardous BVISR / WWW.INDRIDABERY.COM\
TYLER DROGIN
WORLD OF CHARTERING
Readers — In addition to the BVI Spring Regatta, the large annual events that are most receptive to bareboat entries are St. Maarten's Heineken Regatta and Antigua Race Week.