Annual St. Croix Regatta cancelled

ST. THOMAS - The HOVENSA oil refinery closing has had major effects on the local economy, and it has started to spill into the Caribbean sailing regatta season.

The 2012 St. Croix International Regatta has been canceled because it couldn't acquire a major sponsor for the event, but as regatta committee members scrambled to look for financial support, news of the HOVENSA closing became a major factor in the final decision.

"HOVENSA closing further defined 2012 as a transitional year for this event," said St. Croix Yacht Club General Manager Matthew Tove, who also serves as a regatta committee member. "There are many variables going on in our community, and holding a regatta should not be the focus right now."

The St. Croix Regatta was scheduled for March 10-12, and was supposed to celebrate its 20th anniversary this year. Last year's event was the first leg of the Caribbean Ocean Racing Circuit, also known as CORC, and raised funds to help uninsured hospice patients.

Continuum Care V.I. Inc., St. Croix's first hospice, recently terminated its relationship with the St. Croix Yacht Club - last year's race was called St. Croix Yacht Club's Hospice Regatta - so the 2012 race was already going to be scaled down, Tove said. But the regatta committee did not want to put the yacht club in a possible money pinch.

Regatta director Vicki Bandola could not be reached to provide financial figures from past regattas.

"As the clock was ticking down, the HOVENSA news just sealed it," said Tove, who became the yacht club's general manager in August. "This is just not the year to do this. Even though it's customary for lots of boats to sign up at the last minute, we had to be cautious."

Without a flagship sponsor, the regatta would have to rely strictly on registration fees, and when only three boats signed up in advance, a decision to cancel was made.

"There were a lot of issues to factor in, but with the financial mess we have going on here, they felt the right decision would be to pass on it this year," said former committee member Richard Biffle, who has been an active sailor at the St. Croix Yacht Club for the last three years.

"It's on hold for now and I think everything will be evaluated. We're already working toward next year's race. I'd be very surprised if this was the actual end of the regatta."

The other CORC races from last year included major regattas in Puerto Rico, St. Thomas and Tortola. St. Thomas' Rolex International Regatta (March 22-25) and the BVI Spring Regatta (March 29-April 1) are the only CORC events currently scheduled for this season.

The fourth race in the series, the Puerto Rico Heineken International Regatta, was slated for March 16-18, but it had to be postponed because Puerto Rico scheduled government primary elections the same weekend, which restricts big events that are connected with alcohol consumption.

"It's a shame because I had that date locked in since October," said Puerto Rico Heineken Regatta director Angel Ayala, whose race attracted more than 40 yachts last year. "We consider our regatta to be a huge event and a big party, but I can't fight the government on this. We're looking for a new date, but nothing is confirmed until our sponsor approves."

Ayala said he hopes to re-schedule the regatta for Memorial Day weekend in May, and catch U.S. stateside sailors before they head back to the mainland for summer.

Having a major sponsor in place essentially can make or break the Caribbean's top-tier regattas, St. Thomas Yacht Club manager Bill Canfield said.

"Sponsors can only do so much," Canfield said. "As far as Rolex goes, we're looking good, and we're hoping for a lot of great entries. I know BVI and St. Barths is looking good, too."

Canfield and his staff are gearing up for next month's Rolex Regatta, which is considered to be the Caribbean's biggest sailing event and regularly attracts sailors from around the world. The St. Thomas Yacht Club is also hoping to pull in other regional sailors who may have had St. Croix or Puerto Rico circled on their calendars.

"These are tough times, and when it comes down to it, the stronger regattas will survive and it appears the weaker ones will have a harder time holding onto sponsors," Canfield said.

For more information on the upcoming Rolex International Regatta, call the St. Thomas Yacht Club at 775-6320 or log-on to www.rolexcupregatta.com and www.styc.net. Information on the St. Croix Yacht Club can be found at www.stcroixyc.com.

- Contact sports writer Aaron Gray at 714-9102 or email agray@dailynews.vi.

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