An island tour on fast forward is the best way to describe the courses and conditions for most classes on the second day of racing in the 43rd St. Thomas International Regatta (STIR). The one-design VX One class sailed round-the-buoys, as winds remained in full force with continual gusts over 30 knots making for some wet and wild rides. The VX One fleet pow-wowed in the morning to discuss wind conditions and seven brave teams decided to venture out. It paid off as the teams who did race had a blast and suffered much fewer capsizes than the first day. One of those racing was 15-year-old St. Thomas junior sailor, Christopher Sharpless. “It was so windy that one of the teams wanted to add a third crew member for extra weight,” says Sharpless, who sailed with St. Croix’s Charles ‘Toro’ Goodrich’s Matadora and trimmed the mainsheet. “The boat is fast, scary fast. Going downwind is so much fun. I’d like to see a class of VX Ones here all the time to sail.” For full information about the Round the Rounds and St. Thomas International Regatta, including results, photos, social schedule and more, please visit www.stthomasinternationalregatta.com.

For the first time, a VX One fleet of 11 boats will be mixing it up with its larger brethren out on the turquoise waters of the British Virgin Islands in the 45th edition of the BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival. Sailors from around the globe, including Australia, Canada, St. Croix and the USA, have teamed up to form the first VX One fleet to race the Caribbean Cup March 25-27 at St. Thomas and April 1-3 in the BVI Spring Regatta; an exciting new addition to both events which brings new competitors into the mix. Toro Goodrich and his crewmember, Manuel Gutierrez, grew up together in St. Croix and are looking forward to returning to the Caribbean to race Spring Regatta for the first time: “Doing the STIR and Spring Regatta is a (sailing) bucket list. Being able to charter a VX One with my best friend made the decision to join both events this year that much easier,” Goodrich said. He thinks the VX One is a great one design boat for the Caribbean, with its modern design and fairly simple controls, small crew requirements, and ease to dry sail. “The asymmetrical spinnaker helps create fun downwind tactics, it’s a fun, simple, fast and exciting boat to sail,” Goodrich added. Michael James, from Brisbane, Australia, is also heading into his first Spring Regatta. He’s owned a VX One for almost two years and was inspired to travel to the BVI to meet up with other VX One owners and to race with the VX One fleet in its inaugural Caribbean cup during the BVI Spring Regatta. “There are very good sailors in the VX One fleet. I think it will be a tough regatta to place in,” James said. He added, “It’s a great Caribbean race-boat because it’s fast, simple and fun. Did I mention FAST?” Tim Pitts, organizer for the Class and Class VP, said: “To date we have 11 boats signed up, and I think the competition will be stiff, with the Aussies being the boats to beat.” Pitts has been racing his VX One for four years and loves the fact that the boat is inexpensive to move around and can be sailed with just 2-3 people. “We can send six boats from the US to the Caribbean for the cost of going to Florida from Newport!” This will be Pitts’ ninth Spring Regatta, and he’s looking forward this time to being on board the VX One: “It’s a great boat to show off and an amazing boat for the Caribbean. I’m looking forward to sailing hard and owning my rum and coke every day!” The inclusion of the VX One sport boat fleet was facilitated when BVI Spring Regatta combined efforts with St. Thomas and the STIR Regatta, providing a unique racing opportunity for sailors to race two International regattas over 10 days. Judy Petz, Regatta Director, said: “It’s exciting that 11 of these boats will be shipped from Miami to the Caribbean for these two events which lead off in just a week. We hope this will become an annual event and a fantastic opportunity for other One Design classes to join in the competition. Registration for this year’s event kicks off at noon on March 28, with the Opening Party at 6pm. March 29 brings on the Nanny Cay Challenge, a 31-nautical mile jaunt around Tortola for the Nanny Cay Cup and challenge for the fastest mono and catamaran record around the island, with the Scrub Island Invitational the following day setting the stage for a competitive and challenging week of racing in the spectacular waters of the BVI. For more information, visit www.bvispringregatta.org.

That’s a wrap for BACARDI Miami Sailing Week (March 10-12), with five events enjoying Bacardi hospitality and mostly strong winds. On the VX One course, one team managed to run away with the championship title despite the dynamic conditions on the race course. Winner Marcus Eagan took the lead on day one of racing and continued to dominate the fleet throughout the weekend. Crew member Andrew Eagen (USA 177) said “the biggest challenge we thought we would face this week was sailing three up. This was the first time we have ever sailed with three people in the boat, but because it was so windy it definitely worked to our advantage. Having an extra set of eyes that could tell us what was going on out on the race course was a huge help.”
VX One Results (Top 5 of 21; 8 races, 1 discard)
1. USA 177 Marcus Eagan, Andrew Eagan, Jen Wulff – 10 pts
2. USA 187 John Potter, David Guggenheim, Tara Berkinsky – 13 pts
3. USA 185 Phillip Norris, Christina Norris, Bruma Perez – 37 pts
4. USA 175 Ched Proctor, Michael Norris, David Lutian – 43 pts
5. USA 110 Rod Favela, Daniel Ponton, Ryan Vittmberga – 44 pts
For complete event information, visit www.miamisailingweek.com.

Download the Trailer Parking Request form now by clicking here.

(VX One Winter Series Results 2015 & 2016-1)

The final stop of the VX One Winter Series took place on February 13-14 at Sarasota Sailing Squadron with near perfect conditions for the seven races. Marcus Eagan’s Cajun Underwriting continued to dominate the 21-boat fleet with a scoreline of 1,1,1,(3),1,1,3 for 8 net points. Sam Padnos’ TWD followed in second place with 17 points and Brian Bennett in third with 28. Full results are available by (clicking here). Eagan also earned the 32-boat Winter Series victory which encompassed events at SSS and Pass Christian Yacht Club. John Potter took second in the series, with Dustin Brennan’s Marks-O-Lot Hero in third, Emily Billing’s Jailbird in fourth and Kevin Gillman’s Giddy Up in fifth.

The VX One Class will be a vital part of the St. Thomas International Regatta (STIR) set for March 25-27 hosted out of the St. Thomas Yacht Club. The 12 VX Ones are among a fleet of 80-plus yachts registered to race. The VX One Class holds its first international event, the VX One Caribbean Cup, a two-leg series that starts with STIR and concludes at the BVI Spring Regatta. This exciting and fast-growing Class is now sailed in nine countries worldwide. One of the dozen 19-foot VX One’s competing in this one-design Class is Australia’s Andrew York aboard his Australia Two. “I look forward to sailing against my U.S. VX One friends in good breeze and open water,” says York, whose sailing credits include representing Australia in 12 World Championships in four different classes, competing in two America’s Cups and coaching at a national and Olympic level. York’s crew are fellow Aussies, the father and daughter team of Rob and Nicole Douglass. Together, the Douglass’s have won multiple Australia Tasar titles and two World Championships. Separately, Rob is a Spiral National Champ and Nicole has competed on Australia’s Women’s World Match Racing Team. One of the U.S. teams York will be testing his skills against is George Gamble aboard My Sharona. “Beautiful clear warm water, great competition and a stiff breeze is what we’re looking forward to,” says Gamble, who won the J/111 World Championship and finished third at the VX One North American Championship last year. It’s a family affair for another U.S.-based VX One team on Commando. Helmsman Andy Walford, will be joined by crew of wife, Beth, and eldest son, Richard. “As club level sailors, we are looking forward to some warm water sailing in the brisk breezes of the Caribbean and a competitive regatta,” says Walford, who grew up dinghy sailing in the UK before moving to the U.S. in the late 1980s where he sailed in the 505 Worlds in 2004 and Melges 24 Worlds in 2011. “The VX One is well suited to the conditions to provide a really exhilarating ride. Along with the shore activities, it’s going to be a great vacation.” Check out STIR on Facebook (www.facebook.com/stirvi), Twitter @stycvi and Instagram #STIRSTT.

Join the 2016 VX One Caribbean Cup for the opportunity for VX ONE racing in two of the Caribbean’s most legendary regattas — St. Thomas International Regatta (STIR) and BVI Spring Regatta (BVISR).

In between the racing, enjoy life on “island time” with friends – or bring the whole family!

Marcus Eagan’s Cajun Underwriting dominated the standings at the VX ONE Midwinter Championship to claim the title with 18 points. No races occurred on Sunday due to high winds at host Sarasota Sailing Squadron in Florida, after seven races were completed Friday and Saturday. Brendan Healy’s Jenny XII placed second with 33 points, and Christopher Alexander’s Isabelita Con Queso rounded out the top three with 39 points. Eagan is also the current VX One North American Champion. Sailing with brother Andrew, Cajun Underwriting won four races and finished with a line of 1,1,2,1,1,7,5. The other race winners were Healy, Alexander and Sam Padnos’ TWD.
The top five:
1. Marcus Eagan, Cajun Underwriting, 18 points
2. Brendan Healy, Jenny XII, 33 points
3. Christopher Alexander, Isabelita Con Queso, 39 points
4. Dustin Brennan, Marks-O-Lot Hero, 45 points
5. Jeff Eiber, This Side Down, 50 points
Twenty-five VX Ones competed in this event. Photos are available on the VX One Class Facebook page, and complete results may be found by clicking here.

Registration for the 2016 BACARDI Miami Sailing Week & Bacardi Cup International regatta is officially open. This year, the event is scheduled for March 6-12, 2016, with 4 participating one design classes including the VX One. Go to http://www.yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=1548 to register your boat and take advantage of the reduced registration fee. The first 30 boats will receive a fun surprise in the mail. The NOR has been posted and additional information on the event can be found at www.miamisailingweek.com.

Gulfport, MS (October 11, 2015) – The top 49er team in the country showed their diversity on the race course this weekend and captured one of US Sailing’s most intriguing championships. Brad Funk (Largo, Fla.) and Trevor Burd (Marblehead, Mass.) successfully acclimated to VX One to win the Championship of Champions (Oct 9-11), hosted by Gulfport Yacht Club.

US Sailing’s Championship of Champions is recognized as one of the more unique adult racing events in the country. All helms qualified for this event by winning a one-design class National, North American, or World Championship in the qualifying year (2014 – 2015). Twenty teams were tested in the VX One this year on the waters of Mississippi Sound.

Funk and Burd got off to an outstanding start on Friday by notching three consecutive bullets. However, Kenny Wolfe and Virginia Hannan of the MC Scow class were the most consistent team through Friday’s five races and took a six point lead into Saturday. They won the final two races Friday to take the lead. All five races were conducted in the afternoon in moderate to light breeze.

Despite back-to-back 10th (Friday) and 11th (Saturday) place finishes, Funk and Burd took command on Saturday en route to a 24-point lead through another six races in moderate to heavy winds.

On Sunday, the breeze was heavy in morning with chopping conditions. Wind speed reached 15 knots in the morning and dropped to 6-8 knots later in the day.

Funk and Burd placed third, sixth and second in Sunday’s three races to seal the win. Christopher Alexander (Ocean Springs, Miss.) and John F. Dane (Pass Christian, Miss.) of the VX One class won two of three races Sunday to finish second. Mike Holt (Soquel, Calif.) and Edward Conrads (Sausalito, Calif.) of the International 505 placed third overall.

“I was able to apply my skill sets from sailing the Laser, Vanguard 15, and the 49er, to this boat,” said Funk. “I sailed the VX One a couple times before as crew and I was able to give some intel to Trevor. We were able to get good starts and when we hit the pressure we were strong on the downwinds.

“There was a really relaxing and fun group of people here from different niches of sailing. I had heard about several of these talented sailors, but never raced against some of them. I think we all started to figure out the boat, and when we did, the racing got tighter and tighter.”

Funk and Burd will compete at the 49er World Championships in November for a chance to qualify Team USA for the 2016 Olympic Games in the 49er (Skiff) competition.

Three days of racing was preceded by a special VX One boat clinic and technical briefing on Thursday led by Brian Bennett, designer of the VX One.

The championship is named in honor of Jack Brown who was noted for his service as a judge, regatta organizer and member of US Sailing Committees.

Final Results (Top 5 of 20; 14 races, 2 discards)
1. Brad Funk/Trevor Burd, 1-1-1-2-[10]-[11]-2-5-4-2-7-3-6-2- ; 36
2. Christopher Alexander/John F Dane, 6-12-5-8-2-8-[14]-2-3-5-[15]-1-11-1- ; 64
3. Mike Holt/Edward Conrads, 12-3-2-[14]-[17]-6-1-3-8-1-14-2-7-6- ; 65
4. Chris Raab/Donovan Brennan, 8-4-8-6-9-[12]-[15]-4-7-4-5-5-3-4- ; 67
5. Kenny Wolfe/Virginia Hannan, 2-2-3-1-1-13-[16]-10-12-3-12-4-[15]-5- ; 68

Event website – Scoreboard – Entry list

Report by Jake Fish, US Sailing