The Highland Springs HIHO windsurfing and stand up paddling event got under way on Monday in Virgin Gorda’s North Sound and will continue throughout the week.
Organiser Andy Morrell was staying busy on the first day rescuing competitors who got caught on the reef. One participant stepped on a sea urchin peppering his foot with poisonous spines, while another competitor was stuck on a reef after a heavy squall moved across the area that created rough conditions.
Despite a few perils, no one was seriously injured and all the competitors finished at Necker Island for lunch.
“It is a really a treat to have lunch on Sir Richard’s private island,” Mr. Morrell said.
The organiser was happy for the “great wind” to start the first race of the five-day event that travels around the territory. Windsurfers were reaching speeds of 20 knots.
Spectators follow the action on yachts, while competitors race from destination to destination. All told, the race will cover more than 100 miles.
Participants from around the world compete in the annual event. The windsurfing division has 15 competitors, while the SUP division has about 30, according to Mr. Morrell. This year there are three competitors from the Virgin Islands in the windsurfing division and one in the SUP competition.
“We are a little softer this year, but we are getting better depth,” Mr. Morrell added.
Some of the competitors include America’s Cup crewman Shannon Falcone of Antigua in the SUP division. And in the windsurfing division, Wilhelm Schumann of Brazil is one of the top competitors.
“We have some talent and it is going to be a fun week,” Mr. Morrell said.
On the second day of racing, the competitors started from Leverick Bay and headed along the north shore of VG to The Baths. Yesterday, they raced back to The Dogs and today they will compete around Marina Cay and Trellis Bay.
Tomorrow there will be an “event within an event,” Mr. Morrell said. The race will be the 13.5-mile Painkiller Cup starting from Trellis Bay and finishing at White Bay on Jost Van Dyke. There will be teams of three, with one member being a woman. The winner will be awarded $4,000.
“We are really excited about it,” Mr. Morrell said. “It is something new to the event.”
The last day of racing finishes at Little Thatch.
In recent years, windsurfing participation has been dwindling in comparison to the SUP division, but Mr. Morrell doesn’t have any plans to get rid of it. Instead, he is thinking about adding kite boarding to the event.
“We came up with this concept of the triple crown of watersports — wind, SUP and kite,” he said.
Aside from racing, the fleet of spectators and competitors stopped at various restaurants and bars in the territory during the week long event.
“We are off to a great start,” Mr. Morrell said. “It is just one great, big party.”