Ahoy buoys!

I'm not much of a sailor, but I have learnt on my visits to the Caribbean - St Barts, The French Antilles and St Marteen (which, FYI have the most amazing Häagen-Dazs Café in Maho Reef - perfect for a well-deserved scoop after a hard day in the sun!) to follow the yachting crowd. Apart from being great fun, they have the knack of finding deserted coves, the best restaurants and the liveliest bars. When the Greek islands of Santorini and Skiathos cool down, canny yachties switch to the British Virgin Islands, 60-odd emerald splodges almost within swimming distance of one another.

And by adhering to this information, I’ve found myself lucky enough to be hanging out with the ‘haves’ and ‘have yachts’ for the BVI Regatta, a week-long sailing festival with three days of world-class competitive sailing and lots of parties! The regatta attracts around 100 boats so it has a very friendly feel to it but out on the water it's a real fight to be at the top of your class and stay there.

I’m actually part of the crew on a chartered boat in the cruising division. An experience I bought with my last bonus and I can’t wait! I was given my itinerary yesterday and by the looks of things it’s going to be lots of fun. Here is what is planned:

Day 1:

Welcome party for the sailing festival.

Day 2:

Race to the famous Bitter End Yacht Club in the North Sound, Virgin Gorda, for the Bitter End Cup. After a little R&R by the luxurious pool, the evening festivities will see an awards party and limbo jump-up at the Almond Walk restaurant and adjacent beach.

Day 3:

Lay Day beach fun at Bitter End Yacht Club enjoying sunbathing on the private beaches or water sports activities including snorkel trips and a windsurfing rally. Alternatively, take an excursion to Anegada, a nearby coral island famous for its lobster. Awards for dinghy regattas and a Nations’ Challenge Cup will be presented in the evening with a cook-out and party at the Quarterdeck Club & Pub.

Day 4:

Race back to Nanny Cay, located on the South side of Tortola (the largest of the islands) for the Nanny Cay Cup. Awards from the day’s racing complete the Sailing Festival followed by a welcome party in the Regatta Village kick-off proceedings for the BVI Spring Regatta.

Day 5, 6 and 7:

Three days of racing action and sand-between-the-toes partying under the stars at the Regatta Village on the beach at Nanny Cay Marina.

The islands are famous for their history of piracy but I’ve yet to stumble across swash-buckling pirates or half-concealed treasure troves, though I have certainly found a highly prized booty of soft sands and teal waters. The Mount Gay rum is plentiful and I’m sure I’ll come back from the regatta with a few sociable sailor friends and a few less inhibitions. All I need to do is get over this darn seasickness...