Spectacle on the high seas: The best boat races in the Caribbean – USA TODAY

Melanie Reffes, Special for USA TODAY 7:58 a.m. ET June 20, 2017

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First held in 1936 when five trading schooners competed for bragging rights and small prizes, Mount Gay Round Barbados Race is one of the most anticipated of the racing season.(Photo: Peter Marshall)

Welcome to boat racing in the Caribbean, where top-notch crews vie for top honors as they race their super-fast yachts and large sailboats in some of the most prestigious regattas in the world. As thrilling for spectators as it is for the competitive crews, cool parties after hot races are hosted by bars on the beach and seaside resorts. Check out our boat racing calendar and get ready to feel the wind in your sails.

Anguilla

Its biggest party of the year on the small island across the sea from St. Martin, and the busiest time of the year for boat racing. For 12 days (Aug. 2 - 13) Anguillas Summer Festival is the hot ticket for soca raves, calypso concerts, parades, pageants, the wildly popular August Monday J'ouvert blowout beach party that starts at 5 a.m. and continues through the next morning, and schooner races that honor the islands national sport. Dating back to the early 1900s when the first organized race marked the end of World War I,boat racing is a time-honored tradition and a sight to behold for fans of the sport. The Super Bowl of races, Champion of Champions on Aug. 13 is the most important on the calendar. Thousands of die-hard fans line the sun-baked shores as the boats with giant white sails take to the high sea.

Grenada

One of the prettiest races in the Caribbean, Carriacou Regatta on Grenadas little sister isleis a watery wonderland Aug. 4 -7, when crews from around the world show off their work boats, sailboats and yachts. Also a good bet for landlubbers, the three-day summer party invites with a roster of fun stuff like donkey racing and beauty pageants. For sailing fans who like to plan ahead, Grenada Sailing Week from Jan. 29 to Feb. 3 is all about spiffy boats, spirited skippers and fans snapping photos from the beach.

Aruba

Three days of parties and two days of racing markthe Aruba International Regatta, Aug. 18 - 20. At Surfside Beach close to the airport in the capital city of Oranjestad, the summer sailing fetefeaturesraces on yachts, beach cats and sunfishes and plenty of beach barbecues, concerts on the sand, windsurfing competitions and all-day happy hours.

British Virgin Islands

One of the longest-running races on the Royal BVI Yacht Club calendar, Willy T Virgins Cup, or the Virgin's Race as many call it, is also one of the more unique in the Caribbean.Slated for Oct. 21, rules stipulate that all boats entered must have a female skipper. Racing around Tortola the largest island in the British Virgin chain and finishing at Nanny Cay on the south side between Road Town and West End,BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festivalfrom March 26 to April 1 is the most-anticipated event of the season. Now in its 46th year, the seven-day regatta is a challenging 31-nautical-mile competition with more than 150 international crews trying to break existing race records.Prizes up for grabs include dinner for a crew of 15, pricey bottles of bubbly and the all-important boating bragging rights.Hosted by the Nanny Cay Resort and Marina, Regatta Village is family-friendly for sailors and spectators who come to cheer on their favorite crew.

Barbados

First held in 1936 when five trading schooners competed for bragging rights and small prizes, Mount Gay Round Barbados Race is one of the most anticipated of the racing season. Organised by the Barbados Cruising Club in association with Mount Gay Rum and Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc., the 70-mile race around the island gets underway on Jan. 16 and continues through Jan. 24. While most boats sail for the honor of the fastest time, the consolation prize of a barrel of Mount Gay Rum for the slowest time was discontinued after two boats remained out at sea for days stalling to take the prize. Today, there are no prizes for coming in last, although trophies for the fastest boats are highly coveted.

St. Maarten

Named for the island and the sponsor,St. Maarten Heineken Regattastarted in 1980 with a modest 12 entries but today can boast that itis one of the largest sailing races in the Caribbean. Hosting 300 competitors from 36 countries, its all hands on deck for the worlds top sailors racing on the world's fastest boats.From March 1 to 4, thousands of fans party hard at beach concerts and at aprs-racing parties, fueled by an endless supply of icy green bottles courtesy of the long-time beer sponsor.

St. Barths

Now in its third decade,St. Barths Bucket Regatta(March 15-18) is a three-day contest on the water with a crowd of top-speed yachts all looking to take home the Bucket Trophy.The race attractsthe worlds most luxuriousyachts many approaching 200 feet in length to the Port of Gustavia.The invitational race started in 1995 with a fleet of four and today it is a hot ticket on the Caribbean regatta circuit, featuring the worlds finest(and largest) super yachts charging for the finish line.

Antigua

Amongthe worlds premier racing events,Antigua Sailing Weekis the granddaddy of Caribbean regattas.From April 28 to May 5, races on the south coast attract 5,000 spectators and 1,500 participants from the Caribbean, Europe, North and South America, Australia and Japan competing in smaller contests. For half a century, English Harbour, Jolly Harbour, Dickenson Bay and Nelsons Dockyard are the places to be to see 100 racing yachts measuring up to 100 feet in length.For non-racers, shore-side partying and after-racing drinking is non-stop, with special events that include beer parties at the Antigua Yacht Club and breakfast at Shirley Heights Lookout.For families who like racing, charter a spectator yacht for up-close views of the action.

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Spectacle on the high seas: The best boat races in the Caribbean - USA TODAY