2004 BVI Spring Regatta - Real-Time Results System Online

Tortola, British Virgin Islands, March 23, 2004 - The BVI Spring Regatta's real-time entry and results system is now fully online and as the regatta draws closer more and more information will become available.

Developed by Carib Data, a UK-based IT and database programming consultancy, the real-time system ensures a seamless integration of the entry form, scratch sheets and race results. The system is also integrated with the Caribbean Sailing Association's (CSA) database simplifying entry if the competing yacht already has a valid 2004 CSA measurement certificate.

As yachts enter, their entry immediately appears on the official regatta web site and is added to the results programme. From March 25, preliminary scratch sheets will be available for download in the Portable Document Format (PDF) detailing the classes and yacht details including its CSA rating, sail number, owner/skipper. Also, cross-hatch sheets will be produced which will show corrected times over a variety of race durations giving tacticians and navigators a quick guide to how their boats need to perform against the others in their class. Final scratch sheets will be published on Thursday, April 1 - the night before racing starts.

Once racing starts - and races finish - elapsed times will immediately be transmitted from the finish boats and these times together with corrected times will appear online. "The results and standings will ripple as boats finish," said Carib Data's Paul Miller who has developed the programme. "As each boat finishes, their corrected time will be recorded and depending on their performance their standings may constantly change until the last boat finishes at which point the positions for that class will become provisional and subject to protests, etc."

Downloadable copies of the results will also be available as PDFs on the web site in addition to the ability to view directly online. Those interested in the minutiae of the individual races will be able "drill down" as webmasters call it and look at a detailed statistical analysis of the boats' performance against its peers.

"We're an international event, with an international following and it's important that results are readily available in formats that are easy to use. Our aim is to have results from the day's racing online and in the village well before boats get back to the dock," said Bob Phillips, BVI Spring Regatta chairman.

The 2004 Sailing Festival - a low-pressure, three-day warm up for the regatta - starts on Monday, March 29 with a welcome party at Nanny Cay. Three days of destination cruising, racing and Layday fun including the Nation's Challenge Cup, lead up to the main three-day BVI Spring Regatta starting on Friday, April 2. The expanded seven-day format has turned the traditional three days of racing action into a week-long sailing festival that takes participants throughout the British Virgin Islands. The inaugural Sailing Festival introduced this year saw 38 boats.

The three-day regatta takes place on the south side of Tortola in the Sir Francis Drake Channel on three different courses. The largest ever BVI Spring Regatta concluded last year with 138 boats.

For news, results and photos on the BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival as it unfolds, visit the official web site: www.bvispringregatta.org. For more information on Nanny Cay Marina visit: www.nannycay.com.

The BVI Spring Regatta is jointly owned by the Royal BVI Yacht Club and the BVI Chamber of Commerce and Hotel Association. The 2004 BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival is presented by Nanny Cay Marina. The BVI Tourist Board is a platinum sponsor. The Moorings, Heineken, Mount Gay Rum, First Caribbean International Bank, The Bitter End Yacht Club, and Road Town Wholesale (1975) Limited are gold sponsors. Tortola Yacht Services, CCT Boatphone, Maui Jim Sunglasses, Village Cay Hotel & Marina and Prospect Reef Hotel are silver sponsors.

Caribbean Star, Fujifilm and Dasani water are bronze sponsors.