Welcome to The Interline Regatta!
An Inside Look At The Airline Industry's BVIs Bash


It's days of ssailing and nights of partying at the annual BVIs Interline Regatta

They arrive from the sky seeking the sea. Go from cockpit to cabin and use sails as wings.

Pilots and flight attendants come in for a landing in the Caribbean Sea each October for the annual Moorings Interline Regatta, a 10-day sailing journey in the British Virgin Islands. The 2012 event is Oct. 9-18.

After a single time at this event, you'll be saying over and over: "I GOTTA regatta!"

The sky – or in this case the ceiling – is the limit of fun during the Regatta.

While the regatta goes on, the "party cat" people do beer bongs.

The "party cat" people party at the Soggy Dollar Bar.

A highlight is the daily "dingy wars" after boats arrive in a harbor.

The setting is spectacular and as many as 100 boats form the flotilla, which is stocked with airline industry personnel and others lucky enough to be involved. There's a regatta, all right, but the real reason for the journey is the nightly parties in the various ports of the BVIs – Peter Island, Marina Cay and Virgin Gorda among them.

Some nights have themes – a Mardi Gras party, a doctors and nurses party and a Baywatch bash are on the schedule for 2012. PubClub.com has a a prevew of this year's regatta with all party themes and dates here.

The Moorings Interline Regatta website is linked here.

With between six and 10 people per boat, which are rented catamarans ranging in size from 44 to 50 feet, the nightly attendance reaches approximately 800 revelers.

A Mardi Gras party is on tap for 2012.

The Interline Regatta brings out happy faces and big smiles.

Toga, toga, toga!

It's a wench's body shot at the Pirate Party.

Dancing in bikinis aboard the Willie T's back bar.

Castaways party!

Oh, he's in real trouble. Arrggg!

An boat of airline employees dances at one of the theme parties.

With no early-morning flights and a mix of single guys and gals, there is ever the possibility of what Jimmy Buffett might describe as a Blue Heaven Rendezvous.

Drop anchor and drop the inflatables for the Dingy Wars!.

Yet these are airline people, and they don't wait for the party in order to party.

It stars the second they grab a mooring at the designated spot for the night. Down go their inflatables and then it's...Dingy Wars! People load into their mini boats and cruise the harbor bombarding the sailboats and all who remain on them with water balloons and super-soakers. Then the dingy crews go after each other.

The true highlight of the 10-day cruise are the nightly beach bashes.

The ensuing parties – some on a beach and all at the water's edge – are rum-filled nights of live local music, dancing and drinking to each island's Caribbean beat.

Afterward, there's always after-hours parties on host boats in the harbor. To get there, some arrive by dingy and others simply swim from boat to boat. These last as long as the last person is left standing.

Okay, there really IS a regatta with hard-working crews.

There is an actual regatta, and many indeed do compete in it when the sun rises over the glistening aqua blue waters of the Caribbean sea. It's a point of pride for the leading competitors and the event concludes with an awards dinner.

But others – the "family and friends" of the participants – spent their days cruising to the daytime delights of the BVIs, which includes diving and snorkeling locations and rum-consuming spots like The Baths, jumping nude off the back of The William Thornton (or Willie T's) and the Soggy Dollar Bar. Click on the link or a separate article on the bars of the BVIs.

It's all just another day – or in thei case, days – in paradise.