Beautiful Virgin Islands

Friday, Aug 29, 2025

Island Hops sails to victory @ 2022 Halyard Challenge

Island Hops sails to victory @ 2022 Halyard Challenge

Scheduled for mixture of island racing and Windward-Leeward courses, the 2022 Halyard Challenge saw 8 boats take to the race course on Saturday, January 29, 2022, on a challenging day for the six trimarans due to light winds under 12 knots.
Early intentions by Island Hops


The first race took the fleet from a start line in Road Harbour, past Hog Valley Red to starboard and Dead Chest to port before heading up to a finish line set to the west of Cooper Island.

Mark Sanders' Corsair 31 Island Hops set their intention for the day, taking their first of four line honours finishes and the race win.

Ting a Ling makes presence felt


Race two was the first of the windward leeward races with a short course set between Cooper Island and Salt Island.

According to a press release from the Royal Virgin Islands Yacht Club (RBVIYC) on January 31, 2022, it was “a deliciously challenging piece of water” with interesting wind shifts, holes and the odd navigational distraction.

The first race went to Ting a Ling with one lap of the course completed. Island Hops came in second and Lucky 7 third.

Airgasm


Race three was set for two laps of the course and it was Barney Crook and his team on Airgasm who took the win.

Getting away cleanly from the get go, they led around the course until the final seconds when the larger Island Hops pipped them for the gun. The win on corrected time was secured for Airgasm with Ting a Ling taking another second and Island Hops third.

Island Hops & Ting a Ling battle to the finish


The final race of the day, after everyone had dragged themselves away from the delights of Cooper Island Beach Club, was a downwind drag race back to Road Harbour.

It was all to play for between Island Hops and Ting a Ling, as just one point separated their overall scores.

Sanders and his crew of Richard Wooldridge, Colin Rathbun and Steve Davis took the final victory and with it the overall win.

Tied on points with Ting a Ling after four races they clinched it on countback with two race wins to Haycraft's one.

Sam Talbot on Trike saved their best until last taking third in the final race but retiring from race one due to sailing the wrong course and putting a dent in their score card, which they could not recover from.

Cruising Class


The cruising class were set to race out of Road Harbour around Ginger Island and finishing off Cooper but due to the light winds the course was shortened to round Copper instead. Becky and Kanga's Jeanneau 42 Aira was not surprisingly first home after 2 hours and 17 minutes of racing and had done enough to take the win on corrected time from Wicked Winch.

The second race for the cruisers was a straight shoot out from the start line off Cooper Island to Road Harbour and this time it was David Lake's Hunter 30 Wicked Winch who claimed the win

Race prizes were donated by Cooper Island Beach Club.

Results


Trimarans

1. Island Hops (Corsair 31) - Mark Sanders - 7pt

2. Ting a Ling (Corsair 27) - Chris Haycraft - 7pt

3. Airgasm (Corsair Sprint 760R) - Barney Crook - 14pt

4. Lucky 7 (Corsair 750) Eddie Brockbank - 17pt

5. Trike (Corsair 31) Sam Talbot - 21pt

6. Whoop Whoop (Corsair 27) - Gerard Krrakman - 21pt

Cruising

1. Aira (Jenneau 42 DS) - Becky & Kanga

1. Wicked Winch (Hunter 30) - David Lake

Team Trike.

Multihulls lining up for their first start.

Mark Sanders of Island Hops is a proud skipper, having won the 2022 Halyard Challenge with Island Hops.

Team Whoop Whoop.

Trike on the horizon.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
×