REPORT: International Rolex Regatta – Day 1

St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands (March 22, 2013) – Breezes barely blowing 10 knots added an extra tactical twist to the first day of racing in the 40th International Rolex Regatta (IRR). Sixty-three boats – all but the nine-boat one-design Melges 32 class that sailed its own course in Pillsbury Sound – took their start at 11 a.m. with sunny skies and calm seas for a race downwind into the Charlotte Amalie Harbor. Once there, the fleet beat back upwind to the finish off the island’s southeast coast where cold drinks, live music and plenty of camaraderie awaited at the host St. Thomas Yacht Club. – Read on