November 7 – 10: Fall Charter Yacht Show, British Virgin Islands.
A fleet of crewed charter yachts will show to brokers at the Nanny Cay Resort and Marina on Tortola. “A new addition is the Mount Gay Cocktail Blending Competition on November 8, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.,” says Janet Oliver, executive director of the BVI Charter Yacht Society. “Over the years we have focused on the culinary skills among crew, but we ran a Cocktail Contest at our May show and were overwhelmed with the level of participation and the quality of cocktails created. Winning or even placing in a competition gives crew that ‘extra something’ to stand out from the rest of the fleet.” An Industry Expo, Yacht Hop and Broker & Crew Dinner are also part of the show. www.crewedyachtsbvi.com
November 7 – 11: Pirate’s Week, Cayman Islands.
Fantasy, along with cultural heritage, is the draw to this festival, which features a ‘landing’ on November 8 at 2 p.m. in George Town, Grand Cayman’s Hog Sty Bay, with boats bringing pirates ashore to ‘attack and take over the island’. “This year’s theme is Shipwrecked and we are working with the Cayman Islands Catboat & Maritime Heritage Foundation to assist us in the landing and ‘invasion of the pirates’,” says Mona Meade, marketing coordinator for the Tourism Attraction Board. “The first locally known catboat, ‘The Terror’, was built by Mr. Daniel Jarvis in Cayman Brac in 1904 as a fast sailing boat that was able to heel over without sinking. The boats were largely built by fishermen.” A Children’s Pirate Fun Day, Food Festival and Fireworks are also part of the fun. www.piratesweekfestival.com
November 11 – 14: USVI Charter Yacht Show.
Nearly 70 yachts are expected to show at IGY’s Yacht Haven Grande Marina, in St. Thomas. What’s new is a fine-tuning of key events. “With such a number of exceptional yachts and crew exhibiting we have selected ten anonymous top brokers to form a judge’s panel. These judges will follow strict criteria to assure best in show prizes are awarded fairly. Criteria include the yacht’s performance during the yacht-hop evening which this year is themed ‘circumnavigation’,” says Oriel Blake, executive director of the Virgin Islands Professional Charter Association (VIPCA). New also for yacht chefs is a ‘Culinary Concourse’ networking event with local vendors at restaurant, Blue 11, which features a demo by Chef Benji, on November 14 at 1:30 p.m. Lastly, the 2019 industry update on November 11 at 5:30 p.m. will include information about VIPCA’s facilitation of ease of charter in Puerto Rico and its neighboring islands. vipca.org
November 14 – 18: Golden Rock Regatta, St. Maarten.
Four days of racing kicks off with an opening dinner at Bobby’s Marina on November 14, followed by a first day of racing around St. Maarten/St. Martin. The course heads to St. Barths the second day, Simpson Bay via the Anguilla Channel the third and finally three round-the-buoy races in Simpson Bay the fourth day with a prize giving dinner at the St. Maarten Yacht Club (SMYC). “In addition to bareboats, we expect local teams to join us in Spinnaker and Non-Spinnaker racing classes,” says regatta director, Juul Hermsen. Due to sponsorship challenges, this event may be combined with the SMYC’s Course de L’Alliance next year. goldenrockregatta.com
November 22 – 24: Annual Regatta, Antigua.
The Jolly Harbour Yacht Club (JHYC) hosts this event, which features a skipper’s briefing, live music and free canapes on November 22. Two days of racing follow, with the first start a spectator-friendly one inside Jolly Harbour. Four races the first day and three the second, with courses set around the beautiful Five Islands area, culminate with a prize- and trophy-giving ashore at the Westpoint Bar. Classes include racer, racer/cruiser and cruiser. “The Annual Regatta was originally for the local sailors and boats, but over time more boats from away have entered,” says JHYC Commodore, Grahame Williams. www.jhycantigua.com