Picture: The fleet drying out their sails in Nanny Cay after arriving.
Author: Caribbean 1500 Press Release

Last evening was the official prize-giving ceremony for the competitive side of the BVI fleet in this year's Caribbean 1500 Rally. The awards evening was followed by a buffet dinner at Peg Leg's, adjacent to the beach.

Blackbird took the overall victory on corrected time in the Cruising Division, earning them the Steve Black Trophy, named in honor of the events founder. Blackbird also took top honors in Cruising Class A. In Class B, the Catalina 470 Lady narrowly edged Dancing Lizard by a scant 52 minutes on corrected time to take the top spot in that division. Fat Cat took home the multihull prize, and earned applause for being the first boat over the finish line in Tortola, completing the course in just under six days. (Comocean placed 11th out of 29 boats in her class!)

The Nanny Cay prize-giving event honored each participant who completed the rally. Crews were called to the stage and given a commemorative plaque to acknowledge the accomplishment. For several of the crews, the event marked the completion of their first-ever ocean passage, so the occasion was a notable one.

Sialia took home the special prize for Best Log (submitted to the C1500 via the crew). Each day they sent in detailed and humorous reports from life at sea, and were recognized for their efforts. Sialia also took honors for having the youngest crewmember on board, Amy Minnikin. Amy turned 15 during the voyage, and the crews attending the event last night gave her a much-deseved round of 'Happy Birthday.' Though young, Amy likely has more experience than many of the participants, racing and cruising in Nova Scotia for much of her young life. She shared the journey as crew with her mom Paula.

Just as the prize-giving was getting into full swing right before sunset, Bella Corsa made their entrance into the channel at Nanny Cay to much applause, and were greeted on the dock with cold rum punch and a very warm welcome, just in time to join the participants for dinner.

Following the awards ceremony, crews were invite upstairs to Peg Leg's for a buffet dinner. The restaurant was reserved for Caribbean 1500 participants, and each table was set with both red and white wine. The place filled quickly, and chef Vaughn rolled out a tremendous effort from the kitchen staff - all of whom were dressed in official Caribbean 150 t-shirts - serving local dishes and even dessert.

Overnight, several more yachts made it to Nanny Cay, including Siesta, Kinship and Sea Monkey. Oceano2 was assisted into the marina by the Nanny Cay towboat early this morning.

As the late arrivals continue to make their way south, World Cruising staff are remaining on island to keep office hours and greet the crews. Thursday, November 24, there is a second prize-giving of sorts, to honor those participants still currently at sea. That will take place at 4pm on the beach bar, with drinks and pizza, and a few more special prizes. Unofficial results will be calculated and announced for those boats who did not make the official finish line by the time limit.