igoodia makes it a triple

Third Pusser's round Tortola win for Milt Baehr reports Alastair Abrehart

The 37th annual Pusser's Round Tortola Race took place on Saturday and Milt Baehr's Jeanneau 52.2 igoodia, last year's winner, won for the third time in the racing class. Pipe Dream was second and 2004 winner, Mistress Quickly, was third. Second Nature, Bill Bailey's Hughes 38, took the cruising class.

Trimaran Triple Jack, a 28-year old Transat veteran skippered by Steve Davis, took line honours with a time of four hours and eight minutes but periods of light airs in the second half of the race put paid to her chances of a win once corrected time was calculated. Over the four-hour race Triple Jack needed to finish 46 minutes ahead of igoodia to win but missed by eleven minutes finishing only 35 minutes ahead.

With little interaction between the fleet after the first part of the race, competitors tend to race against their handicaps, where the winners are those who keep up their concentration and speed throughout the race and fall into as few wind holes as possible. "We thought as long as we could see Triple Jack we could beat her. We couldn't see her at the finish so weren't expecting to win," said Milt.

Both the racing and cruising classes started in the Sir Francis Drake Channel off Nanny Cay and then headed anti-clockwise around Tortola. The 15-yacht fleet started in a better that expected breeze of 12 knots which got patchy as the fleet headed round the north side of Tortola. After the beat east up the Sir Francis Drake Channel, the fleet turned the corner at Great Camanoe and it was a downwind run to West End where, after a quick wiggle through Soper's Hole, it was a beat back to the finish off Nanny Cay for the racing fleet. The Cruising class finished off West End.

Every boat "parked up" at some time on the 35-mile circumnavigation of the British Virgin Island's major island. The first three boats through Soper's Hole - Triple Jack, Manta and igoodia - had to tack twice to get through, while the rest of the fleet sailed straight through in one.

"This is the third year that we've won this race. We won it in 2003, were downisland for 2004, we won 2005, and now this year. What's nice about racing here [Tortola, BVI], is that you're racing against your friends," concluded Milt.

High Hopes, an IC24, was last across the line and received a Pusser's Rum Survival Kit. Sun Bum II and Balaju came from Puerto Rico for the event.

The prize giving party was held at Pusser's Landing, Soper's Hole, where Pusser's Rum ships decanters, flagons and hip flasks were awarded.

Final Results

Racing Class
1 igoodia, Milt Baehr, Beneteau 52.2
2 Pipe Dream, Peter Haycraft, Sirena 38
3 Mistress Quickly, Guy Eldridge, Melges 24

Cruising Class
1 Second Nature, Bill Bailey, Hughes 38
2 Delerious Dreamer, Ken Dunbar, Beneteau 50

Pusser's Rum, the Original Navy Rum, has sponsored the Round Tortola Race since 1989. Pusser's Rum is the Original Navy Rum that was served onboard ships of the Royal Navy for 330 years.