Foxy's Cat Fight Regatta

	Our Crew Aboard Rainbow Rider

Every year, Foxy and the West End Yacht Club host the annual Cat Fight Sailing Regatta sponsored by the Catamaran Company. The races take place on the Saturday closest to Halloween.

Catamarans of varying sizes congregate in Great Harbour, Jost Van Dyke to fight it out for the coveted, "Baddest Cat Award". The races are followed by the awards ceremony, a buffet dinner at Foxy's Tamarind Bar & Restaurant and an incomparable halloween party ... BVI style!

The West End Yacht Club is known throughout the Caribbean for their "Come One, Come All" approach to sailing races. Our only real race rule (which is actually enforced) is that if one yacht hits another, both yachts will be disqualified regardless of which cat is at fault.

Depending upon wind and weather, there are usually two races in the Cat Fight Regatta. The first is a short, triangular course which starts at the mouth of Great Harbour off Jost Van Dyke with the windward leg heading off towards Cane Garden Bay. Then around the windward mark, leaving Sandy Cay to port and the last leg is downhill to the start/finish line.

Provided wind and weather cooperate, the second race is somewhat more challenging. This time the course takes sailors up around Sandy Cay leaving the island to starboard. A nice long reach around Great Thatch Island always separates the wheat from the chaff as distance is made between the lead racers and the also rans. Then its back up to the windward mark and then down wind to the start/finish line.

Because of the friendly atmosphere, this regatta attracts veteran racers, bareboat charter guests and racing newbies from all over the Caribbean and further afield. Everyone is welcome to enter the race as long as they have a catamaran, know the rules of the road and have the desire to make their boat go fast.

All the race committee asks is that all catamarans entering the Cat Fight be seaworthy, carry coast guard required safety equipment and that you don't hit the committee boat. The cardinal rule for all West End Yacht Club races is to have fun! Our crew certainly does and though we have managed to win our division three years in a row ... (on three different boats I might add) ... the Budweiser blow up sofa on the bow pretty much sets the tone for our racing style!

Rainbow Rider puts up a wake on the windward leg to Sandy Cay

The results for the 2006 Cat Fight are as follows:

Over 40ft Class:
First Place: Bahia 46 - Rainbow Rider
Captain Mike Fallis & The West End Yacht Club Hoolligans (including me)

Under 40ft Class:
First Place: Norseman 400 - Scubadu
Captain Joe Mellen

Second Place: Island Spirit 40' - Aristocat II
Captain Mike Kneafsey

Third Place: - Tabascocat (not sure of make and model)
Captain Jon Pruden

Fourth Place: Island Spirit 37 - Sanctuary
Captain Jason Gras

The Baddest Cat Award went to captain Jason Gras ( a bareboat participant) aboard the yacht, Sanctuary!

Sanctuary may have won the prize ...		but who was the Baddest Cat?

As we sat down to dinner, a black cat (fitting addition to any Halloween Party) appeared. She brushed up against my leg and did all the usual feline things to make herself appealing. I reached across the table to grab my camera. She was not at all impressed when I took her picture instead of feeding her a tasty morsel! For that look, I think she should win the honourary "Baddest Cat Award"!

Rounding Sandy Cay - Scubadu follows the crew of Rainbow Rider

The 2006 Cat Fight was somewhat more challenging than usual thanks to the marvelous missing mark! Our crew aboard Rainbow Rider was mostly manned by aging sailors with less than perfect eyesight. After rounding the eastern tip of Great Thatch Island, (with a commanding lead on the rest of the fleet) we tried to spot the windward mark so that we could set our course.

My eyesight is particularly poor close up, but my long distance vision isn't too bad. However, a good half hour after rounding Great Thatch, none aboard (including some with much younger eyes) were able to see the windward mark!

We finally resorted to calling the committee boat on VHF to ask what they did with the mark. We were assured it was out there so we continued to hunt ... all the while losing ground to the rest of the fleet which were quickly catching up with us as we zig zagged all over the race course. Lou Schwartz of the Jolly Roger finally spotted it and as we rounded, I took note that it was less than a foot above water!

Joe Mellen on Scubadu - forces Rainbow Rider to tack at Sandy Cay

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