BVI Spring Regatta March 28 - April 3
It’s the BVI Spring Regatta’s 40th anniversary this year, so get ready to party!
• www.bvispringregatta.org

The Master of the Ocean Competition, Dominican Republic Feb 23-28
Competitors test their windsurfing, surfing and kitesurfing skills in this exciting and challenging triathlon.
• www.masteroftheocean.com

Spice Island Billfish Tournament, Grenada January 24-27
The Budget Marine Spice Island Billfish Tournament offers four days of fishing and fun-filled activities.
• www.grenadagrenadines.com

St Thomas International Rolex Regatta March 25-27
This regatta promises reliable breezes, warm azure waters and world-renowned island hospitality.
• www.rolexcupregatta.com

St Maarten Heineken Regatta, St Maarten March 3-6
Follow the races in spectator boats and join the parties onshore over the course of the four-day event.
• www.heinekenregatta.com

Classic Yacht Regatta, St Maarten January 20-25
Witness the beautiful sight of Classic Yachts, Vintage Yachts, Wooden Schooners, Spirit of Tradition yachts and all the other real ‘Classic’ sail boats  race in the beautiful surroundings of the Great Bay in Phillipsburg.
• For more information, go to www.classicregatta.com

Party Time!
Get ready for Carnival – the series of festivals, parades and parties reach their peak in many Caribbean islands during the next few months, so don’t miss out…

Curaçao Carnival January - March 2011
The people of Curaçao invite you to join their biggest party of the year as they celebrate their Carnival. Be among tens of thousands of spectators along the roadside watching an impressive array of groups dancing to the beat of Tumba, their official Carnival music. A good time guaranteed.
• www.curacaocarnival.info

Dominica Carnival March 7-8 Carnival, or ‘The Real Mas’
This is a pre-Lenten festival, and usually falls in February or March each year. It is unquestionably the most festive season in Dominica and it’s hard to miss the fervour of the people’s loyalty to their favourite calypsonian or pageant during the preceding months of the Calypso Final and the National Queen Show.
• www.discoverdominica.com

Guyana Mashramani February 23
This festival has become the ultimate way of commemorating the achievement of Guyana’s republican status, and has its roots in what is present day Linden.
• www.guyana-tourism.com

Martinique Carnival March 2011
During the four-day holiday of carnival festivities, activity on the island comes almost to a standstill. Preparations for festivities begin as early as Epiphany Sunday with the election of the Carnival Queens, and last until the day before Fat Sunday (dimanche gras). The parades and parties start on Big Sunday and finish on Ash Wednesday, when the carnival effigy, the “Vaval” King, is burned.
• www.martinique.org

Trinidad & Tobago Carnival March 7-8
Often described as the world’s greatest street festival, Trinidad and Tobago Carnival is an event to behold. From the resplendent costumes to the hypnotizing beats of Soca music and the unique, exotic sounds of  the steel pan, Carnival promises to be an event of a lifetime.
• www.gotrinidadandtobago.com

Carriacou Carnival, Grenada March 7-8
In the tradition of Caribbean Carnivals, Grenada’s celebrations include calypso competitions and the parade of brightly costumed masqueraders. Unique to Carriacou Carnival is the Shakespeare Mas, in which brightly dressed Pierrots engage in a battle of wits using only lines from Shakespearean plays. The competitor without a quick reply earns a playful stroke from his opponent’s stick.
• www.grenadagrenadines.com
 

Making Music
Music lovers are spoilt for choice when it comes to events across the islands this quarter…

Casals Festival, Puerto Rico February 19 - March 12
This classical music festival was founded by Pablo Casals, a Puerto Rico native and famed cellist, composer and conductor. The festival has been drawing top musicians from around the world to perform for more than 50 years.
• www.festcasalspr.gobierno.pr

Barbados Jazz Festival January 10 - 16
The famed Barbados Jazz Festival is a week-long celebration featuring some of the finest contemporary artists in the world, with performances in diverse and atmospheric venues such as historic plantation homes, a rum factory, and Farley Hill National Park.
• www.barbadosjazzfestival.com

Anguilla Moonsplash March
Famed Anguilla reggae star Bankie Banx plays host to the annual Anguilla Moonsplash  - the Eastern Caribbean’s Premier Reggae and World Music Festival, attracting respected musicians from across the region and beyond.
• www.bankiebanx.net/Moonsplash.html

St Barts Music Festival, St Barts January 11-19
String quartets, jazz sextets, orchestras and operas raise the roofs of Catholic and Anglican churches dotted across the island of St Barts every year. International soloists, groups and singers perform at the intimate St Barts Music Festival.
• www.stbarthsmusicfestival.org