August 17/2022: In May 2014 Thomas Tangvald raced his 17-foot Puerto Rican “mini-nativo” sloop Buenadaga in Foxy’s Wooden Boat Regatta at Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands. This was the popular regatta’s 30th anniversary, so there was a big crowd there. In the photo up top you see Thomas racing the boat singlehanded, letting it all hang out on the trapeze.
Thomas also raced the boat with crew. Here we see his future wife, Christina Pasquinucci, on the trapeze. The other crew member, his then-girlfriend Stephanie Labonville, can’t really be made out, but that’s Thomas steering at the back
Here’s another shot with Stephanie on the trapeze, Thomas steering, and Christina hiking out from the cockpit
Here we see Thomas and Stephanie prepping the boat for racing back on Culebra in the Spanish Virgin Islands. To get to the regatta Thomas, Stephanie, and Christina had to sail the tiny open-cockpit sloop bang upwind into the easterly trades for some 30 miles
This nice shot of Buenadaga sailing in flat water at Culebra will give some idea of what the hard beat to Jost was like. Imagine much bigger waves, some violent motion, and lots of spray flying around all over the place
This is my favorite shot! At the prizegiving after the regatta, with Thomas and crew (Stephanie to the left, Christina to the right) celebrating after Thomas won his class in the singlehanded races
My full biography of Thomas is coming out on October 25! It is, I assure you, an amazing story.
Fortunately, you don’t have to remember to buy it in October. You can preorder a copy straight from the publisher, Latah Books, and it will magically appear ASAP in your mailbox after the pub date.
If you don’t do paper anymore, you can also preorder an electric book.
