Sailors prepare for Cancer benefit

and Tobago Sailing Association has been particularly good.

Enthusiasm is high with about 25 to 30 boats participating each week. This is more than the total number of participants for many of the international regattas held throughout the Caribbean.

For the most part there have been good wind conditions and crews have been flying spinnakers on a regular basis in both the Racing and the Racer Cruiser

Classes, taking their skills to a higher level.

Foreign participants who take the trouble to come to Trinidad for this unique Benefit Regatta can be sure of a high standard of sailing and organisation.In the Racing Class the Melges 24, Super Goose has had great success, often sporting an extremely

young crew fresh from highly competitive dinghy sailing.

Another fast small sport boat, the Henderson 30, Slippery when Wet will also be very much in contention, returning from the Heineken Regatta in St Maarten, where they were third in their class.

The extremely experienced crew on bmobile High Tension, has been bringing their recently acquired Mumm 36 up to scratch and can never be discounted.

Also within challenging range are the Henderson 35, Enzyme and the two Beneteau First 10s, Bacchanal Woman and the recently refurbished Wajang,

former Tension, a Beneteau First 10. Two new boats joined the Racer Cruiser Class I this season—Cochise, a J39 and Top Gun, a C&C 37R, Lawrence Aqui’s new boat, adding interest to the competition between these bigger boats.

The crew on Joia has sharpened their skills, taking on the big Frers, Titan M, the evergreen Hunter 43, After Hours.

In Racer Cruiser II, the biggest of the classes, scores are very close with San Juan 34 Nirvana, Excalibur 36, Merlin and J 24, Jahaji Bhai battling for supremacy

and the rest of the fleet not far behind. In the Navigator Class a small, but keen group, led by the She 36, Tangalanga, enjoy racing the slightly shorter courses for fun.