It's the combination of a talented field of international sailors, tricky tradewinds blowing across interisland courses, and beachside activities like pig roasts pulsating with a reggae beat that draws huge turnouts to the Caribbean Ocean Racing Triangle (CORT) series which opened with the Heineken International Cup at Fajardo, Puerto Rico, March 19-21. The series continued with the Rolex Cup Regatta in St. Thomas, USVI, and closed with the BVI Spring Regatta in Tortola.
         The big splash in the CORT kickoff regatta in Puerto Rico was the brand new Henderson 35 Crash Test Dummies--a joint effort of St. Petersburg, FL, yacht designer Glenn Henderson and Trinidad's Soca Sailboats builder Paul Amon.
         "We put the boat in the water a week ago, and sailed it here 525 miles from Trinidad," Henderson said after day one racing where the new boat posted an impressive fifth overall in the 74-boat fleet.
         Competitors and spectators were more focused on a first-time one-design class of Melges 24s from which the Heineken Cup winner was expected to emerge. St. Thomas' Chris Rosenberg, at the helm of Marriott Frenchman's Reef, didn't disappoint. Showing his four years of experience helming a Melges, along with tune-up tips gleaned from competing in Key West Race Week and riding high from a win at the St. Maarten-St. Martin Heineken Regatta earlier in the month, Rosenberg drove to a two-bullet fleet lead in favorable light breezes.
         Freshening breezes and a fast learning curve enabled Amon to drive Crash Test Dummies to second in fleet on day two, close behind Rosenberg. In the end, it was weather and rivalry--played out by squally winds and tacking duels between Rosenberg and St. Maarten Melges 24 skipper Frits Bus' Carib Matra--which dropped Rosenberg from the leader board and elevated Crash Test Dummies into the winner's circle.

The newly launched Henderson 35 Crash Test Dummies wins in Puerto Rico with builder Paul Amon at the helm - Dean Barnes photo

         A "fast, brand new boat, and sailing with the designer, builder and sailmaker aboard, and several years of sailing experience among our crew" were Crash Test Dummies' tickets to success, said Henderson. On board were owners Tim Kimpton and Mark Chapman, tactician Doug Fisher of Sarasota, FL, trimmer Mark "Fish" Loe, foredeck Lette Davidson, Stephen Agustini and Chris Avey on mast, along with designer Henderson and Amon at the helm.
         "After every race, we tweaked the mast by moving it forward to take some of the bend out of it, as well as making other adjustments," Henderson explained, "We're not fully up to speed yet." After seeing swells of interest generated for the new boat, Kimpton joked, "I hear the price just went up."
         The real race in this fun-loving regatta--and where the bona fide winner is determined--is which of the 74 crews competing got a front row seat at the eye-popping bikini and briefs fashion show.

Chris Rosenberg got his revenge two weeks later at the Rolex Cup Regatta when local knowledge and an observant tactician helped him successfully defend his USVI title. The dual of the Melges continued with some of the Caribbean's top skippers at the helm.
         "The competition was unbelievable, and we did it for the second straight year," Rosenberg said.
         Bowing to racers' requests for more round-the-island, rather than course racing, the first day saw a counterclockwise route around the island of St. John in blustery winds and choppy seas. Mermaid II, a J/N 40 driven by Clearwater, FL, sailmaker Mark Ploch, took an early fleet lead, easily plowing through the seas while leaving the sport boats to a slower series of short tacks.
         Under the former name Titan IV, the boat had garnered two previous Rolex wins in the 1980s with Ploch sailing as tactician.
         "We concentrated on winning our class," said Ploch, who flew to the islands fresh off a 1999 SORC class win as tactician aboard the ID35 Northern Bear. "There's a lot of good skill out there, but when you're racing on time, it's hard," Ploch said.
         Dead calm seas the following day led to the first cancellation of racing in the 26-year history of the Rolex regatta and led the sailors conga line-style onto the beach where a pig roast and reggae band rocked the night away.
         Easter Sunday there was a fresh breeze blowing and a doubleheader of tricky triangular courses, which ultimately decided the Rolex Cup winner.
         "The short courses, calm seas, and light winds were all in our favor," Rosenberg said. In erratic winds at the windward mark that stalled Mermaid II, Rosenberg raced ahead. Tortola tactician Robbie Hirst "called the shifts right and we sailed right around both times," Rosenberg explained. Ultimately, Marriott Frenchman's Reef moved from fourth to first in fleet, defeating Mermaid II by less than three minutes on corrected time. The Rolex win also led Marriott Frenchman's Reef to overtake Crash Test Dummies as leader in the CORT series.

Buried deep down, ninth in fleet after the first day of racing at the BVI Spring Regatta, Chris Rosenberg said prophetically, "It's a J/24 day." Conditions and course configurations spelled a J/24-dominated regatta.
         On the last day of racing, 17-year-old St. Croix skipper Chris Stanton, at the helm of Jersey Devil--a J/24 he owns with 15-year-old twin brothers Peter and Scott--hung close to the committee boat. Emotions among Stanton and his all-teen crew roller-coastered. If the breeze started blowing, they needed to psyche up to defend their day two fleet lead. But when racing was canceled for the day due to dead calm conditions, they hooted and high-fived in celebration of winning their first major Caribbean regatta.
         "We kept saying 'no race, no race, no race,' " Stanton said. "It's a huge redemption from Rolex where we were dead last."
         The BVI circuit began with a blast as gusty winds blew 20-plus knots over the windward/leeward courses. The seven-boat J/24 class, part of the 110 yachts competing, reveled in the winds. "It turned into a real drag race," Stanton said.