Round Up of the Loro Piana Caribbean Superyacht Regatta 2017

By Rebecca Bradbury 14 March 2017

Three thrilling days of racing at the 2017 Loro Piana Caribbean Superyacht Regatta drew to a close in the British Virgin Islands yesterday, with charter yachts performing well across the board.

On Monday 15^th March 2017, the final day of racing at the Loro Piana Caribbean Superyacht Regatta saw a brisk wind of 13 to 20 knots propel the 17 competing yachts around a 23-nautical mile course in the Sir Francis Drake Channel.

In Class A, the 35m/115ft 35m/115ft charter yacht SHAMANNA from Nautor’s Swan and the 30m/98ft charter yacht ‘Leopard 3’ from McConaghy Boats secured second and third place respectively.

But the two charter yachts could not out-perform Baltic Yacht’s 34m/112ft sailing yacht NILAYA. Winning all three races in Class A by an average of more than six minutes, she dominated Class A and was awarded the Loro Piana Prize for overall victory at the regatta.

2017 is the second consecutive year and the third time in the past four years that NILAYA has won the trophy at the annual regatta.

Yet, the crew aboard Leopard 3 had cause to celebrate when they were presented the YCCS Perpetual Challenge Trophy, the prize for the fastest boat round the island in real time and corrected time.

sailing yacht 'Leopard 3' cuts through the water at the Loro Piana Caribbean Superyacht Regatta 2017

NILAYA wins the Loro Piana Caribbean Superyacht Regatta 2017

charter yacht P2 and charter yacht GANESHA go head-to-head at the Loro Piana Caribbean Superyacht Regatta 2017

sailing yacht FREYA wins Class C at the Loro Piana Caribbean Superyacht Regatta 2017

Two charter yachts went head to head in Class B, with both entering the final day of competition tied on points. In the end, the 38m/125ft sailing yacht P2 from Perini Navi won the final showdown over Vitters' 46m/151ft sailing yacht GANESHA.

A regular on the regatta scene, the 27m/90ft sailing yacht FREYA from Nautor’s Swan obtained her second class victory in a row and third in the last four years, winning all three races in Class C by an average of more than five minutes.

There was more success for charter yachts in Class D, however, with the 60m/197ft sailing yacht PERSEUS^3 coming from behind to win day three of racing.

The Perini Navi-built yacht suffered a problem with her roller furling system which stopped the crew from using the large headsail for half of the race’s upwind work. But the crew was able to get the issue sorted in time to score a 45-second win over the 37m/122ft sailing yacht ACTION from Royal Huisman.

All winners were congratulated at the final awards presentation last night, signalling a fantastic end to another successful regatta. Sister event, the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta, will take place in Sardinia from 30th May to 3rd June, while the Caribbean event will return to the British Virgin Islands in 2018.