Posts by triplejack

Cats have nine lives, they say, but this trimaran has 10. Now moored in Nanny Cay, in the British Virgin Islands, with its blue and red livery and retro bow shape, Triple Jack stands out among the surrounding production cruisers. By rights Triple Jack should not even be here. Twice dismasted, detained in Portugal, and thrown across the bay by Hurricane Irma, she refuses to meet her maker.

A gentle race for TJ yesterday. Start in Road Harbour, passing Peter Island to starboard, Pelican Island and Indians to port, Hog Valley Green to port, finish in Road Harbour.

Triple Jack, the 44-year old Derek Kelsall designed one-off trimaran, will be making her ocean racing return in the Caribbean 600 on February 19 after a 39-year hiatus since the Ostar in 1984.

On Saturday November 18, Triple Jack, the phoenix-like Kelsall 47 trimaran built in 1979, attempted to beat her Round Tortola record of 2:33:33 she set in 2015.  With rare and brisk southerly winds, and a new a sail inventory, conditions looked good for the record-breaking attempt.


Clocking speeds in the mid to high teens, and having completed just one tack and one gybe through the whole route they crossed the line with a time of 2 hours 40 minutes and 4 seconds – just 6 minutes and 37 seconds shy of their 2015 record.

Triple Jack (TJ) is a one-off Kelsall 47 built in 1979. Now long-time residents, Richard Wooldridge and Steve Davis sailed her across the Atlantic to the BVI in 1997 and never left!

Throughout her Caribbean life, TJ (to her friends) was a constant sight on the Caribbean racing scene, giving many younger and more modern multihulls a run for their money. That was until September 6, 2017; a day to be forgotten.