St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. Precision is a quality in great demand both in world-class yacht racing and in Swiss premium timepieces. Therefore, organizers of the St. Thomas International Regatta (STIR) are proud to announce that this year’s event will be presented by TAG Heuer.

“Our legitimacy in watersports has been inherent in our brand for many years now. The latest partnership with the America’s Cup winning Oracle Team USA made sponsorship of the St. Thomas International Regatta an obvious choice for us since many of Oracle’s key team members are also members of the St. Thomas Yacht Club. Moreover, the intensity of high-caliber yacht racing applies very well to our brand motto, “Don’t Crack Under Pressure’. The St. Thomas International Regatta is a great opportunity for us to showcase what our brand stands for,” says Christian Weissbach, president of TAG Heuer for the Caribbean & Latin America.

TAG Heuer is recognized for its reliability, its avant-garde style and for pushing the boundaries of watch manufacturer for uses on land and at sea. In 1894, the company developed its first water resistant case. The brand started its close association with sailing in the 1920s, when its timepieces were used for regatta timekeeping on Lake Geneva. Sailing has inspired the company to use new materials and create new functions. For example, in 1950 TAG Heuer unveiled its patented Mareograph, a unique sailing chronograph derived from the earlier Solunar watch, which let fishermen know when the fish were feeding. Called the Seafarer in the United States, the chronograph was the first with a tide indicator and a five-minute countdown function for sailing competitions.

Class winning skippers in the 2015 STIR will be presented with an Aquaracer Caribbean Limited Edition watch. These models are equipped with key features such as stainless steel craftsmanship, water-resistance to 10,000-feet, screw-in crown and unidirectional turning bezel. The beautiful deep sea-blue dial is imprinted with a map of the Caribbean Islands in a gold tone. The men’s version comes in a 1.6-inch case and is equipped with an automatic movement and the ladies version comes in a 1.3-inch case. These limited editions are exclusively available in the Caribbean. They are numbered on the case-back with up to 1000 units for the men style and up to 500 units for the ladies.

The eight classes eligible to receive an Aquaracer Caribbean Limited Edition watch as prize include divisions of CSA, IRC, and Beach Cats.

“St. Thomas International Regatta organizers are excited about our new partnership with TAG Heuer and their world famous timepieces. TAG Heuer has a long history of sports marketing and we feel honored to have them involved in our sailing event. Their involvement places the STIR back at the top of Caribbean events and offers 8 more reasons to attend our regatta in Cowpet Bay home of the St. Thomas Yacht Club,” says regatta director, Bill Canfield.

The St. Thomas International Regatta, now in its forty-second year, is world-renown as the Crown Jewel of Caribbean yacht racing for its fantastic round the buoys and round the islands racing, first-class race committee and friendly can-do attitude towards its competitors. Over 80 entries, including more Grand Prix yachts and a fleet of over 25 one-design IC24s, are expected in 2015.

Register online at www.yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=1219 For more information about the regatta, visit www.stthomasinternationalregatta.com. Or, follow for the latest information on Facebook www.facebook.com/rolexregatta, Instagram #IRRSTYC and Twitter @IRRSTYC

ABOUT THE SPONSOR

TAG Heuer is a Swiss Avant-Garde watchmaker founded in 1860. Its rich heritage is built on pushing boundaries and breaking rules, harnessing mental fortitude to overcome technology restraints and create daring watches and chronographs. Long-lasting partnerships with watersports teams and charismatic ambassadors drive it to break with watchmaking conventions, and as a consequence, master time with unparalleled precision. The brand’s watersport DNA, as well as the amazing athletes who belong to its dream team, reflect its core values of teamwork, mental strength, courage and ambition. Its slogan, DON’T CRACK UNDER PRESSURE, is far more than a claim–it is a mindset. TAG Heuer is exclusively sold at Little Switzerland and Jewels St. Thomas, including a TAG Heuer Boutique, on Main Street, in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas. For information, call (248) 809-5560 ext. 10110

St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. Organizers of the St. Thomas International Regatta are proud to announce that Cruzan Rum and Presidente beer, distributed by Glazer’s Premier Distributors, LLC, will provide major sponsorship in support for the 2015 regatta.

“Cruzan Rum and Presidente beer are a great fit to the sailing scene. Rum is the dominant beverage in the Caribbean and the US Virgin Islands is the home of Cruzan Rum. Presidente, which is produced in the Dominican Republic, has been exploding in popularity throughout the islands among sailors and non-sailors alike,” says Jon Charlton, vice president and general manager for the U.S. Virgin Islands of Glazer’s Premier Distributors, one of the largest distributors of wine, spirits and malt beverage products in the U.S. and headquartered in Dallas, TX.

Cruzan Rum, which is produced at its Estate Diamond distillery on St. Croix, was founded in 1760 and has been run by eight generations of the Nelthropp family albeit with changes in corporate ownership over the years. The company produces some 50 award-winning rum products in different flavors and ages. Skippers in the St. Thomas International Regatta will receive a commemorative 750 ml bottle of Cruzan’s flagship Cruzan Single Barrel Rum, a medium-to-full-bodied blend of vintage rums aged from 5 to 12 years. New this year too, the skipper winning the regatta’s most competitive class as judged by a trio of race officials will receive his or her weight in Cruzan Rum.  Continue reading…

St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Top-quality competition, razor-close finishes and camaraderie that spanned decades for some and days for others proved that in spite of a new name, the St. Thomas International Regatta (STIR) has remained the ‘Crown Jewel’ of Caribbean yacht racing. Nowhere was this more apparent than on the third and final day of sailing. No one easily walked away with a win. Plus, the podium was filled with teams representing the Caribbean, U.S., and Europe.

First time racing in the STIR proved a charm for Near Miss, Franck Noel’s TP 52. The Switzerland-based team finished by winning every race but one in the CSA – Racing O Class. That defeat came at the hands of the Netherlands’ Peter Vroon aboard his Ker 46, Tonnerre de Breskens 3, which finished second. “The racing was very good, good competition and the courses were very nice around the islands,” explains Benoit Briand, Near Miss team manager. “It would have been easy to make a big mistake and finish last in this class, but we sailed the boat properly and grew more confident as a team every day.” Continue reading…

St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Courses changed but the winds remained the blustery-same as the 69-boat fleet set sail on the second day of racing at the St. Thomas International Regatta (STIR). Shorter round-the-buoy and round-the-island races off the island’s east end combined with 20-plus knots of breeze enabled the race committee to fire off as many as five and four races, respectively, in the beach cat and one-design IC-24 classes.

“We retired during the first race today. It was just too rough and windy at the top mark in Pillsbury Sound where the currents met and there were huge faces. The Nacra 17 sails on the surface, the boat almost planes, and that makes it more skittish to sail in heavy conditions,” explains the USVI’s John Holmberg, who ultimately skippered his Flight Risk to the top of the six boat beach cat class.  Holmberg and crew Terri McKenna hope to earn one of the 10 slots up for grabs for the 2016 Summer Olympics in the Nacra 17 class in September at the ISAF Sailing World Championships in Spain. “We got back in and finished the other four races today and we won them all.”  Continue reading…

St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Boom or bust was the big story for the 69-boat fleet racing on the first day of the 41st St. Thomas International Regatta (STIR). Thirty-plus knot guests tested the mettle of equipment and crews as the fleet sailed along the island’s south shore into scenic Charlotte Amalie harbor and back again amidst a mix of sun and squalls.

“The winds were great today. We loved it,” says Australia’s Robert Date, at the helm of his RP 52, Scarlett Runner, with a 15 strong crew. Date set sail last July on a circumnavigation to race some of the world’s great regattas. He chose three events in the Caribbean – the STIR, Les Voiles de St. Barth and Antigua Sailing Week. Scarlett Runner finished fourth in the six-boat CSA Racing 0 Class, where the lead is tied on points between Near Miss, Switzerland’s Franck Noel’s TP 52, and Tonnerre de Breskens 3, the Netherlands’ Peter Vroom’s Ker 46.  Continue reading…

St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Seventy yachts from the Caribbean, U.S., Europe and Australia will take to the seas on Friday for the 41st St. Thomas International Regatta (STIR). Hosted out of the St. Thomas Yacht Club May 28 to 30, the big buzz this year is the sheer impressiveness of the fleet.

“We couldn’t be happier with the turn-out and the caliber of boats,” says regatta director, Bill Canfield. “This event has transformed from Caribbean-driven in its inception to a truly world-class international regatta.”

One of the most exciting classes to watch will be CSA Racing 0. The six boats in this class represent five nationalities and some of the hottest race boat designs. There’s the TP 52 Near Miss, from Switzerland, that won the 2012 Giraglia Rolex Cup. Highland Fling XII, Monaco’s Irvine Laidlaw’s 2011-launched TP 52, is back after losing its rig at mark one of race one two years ago. Tonnerre de Breskens 3, owned by the Netherland’s Peter Vroon, is competing in this event for the first time having won the RORC Points Championship in Europe in 2010, 2011 and 2013.  Continue reading…