The Caribbean sailing community honored Guy Eldridge, captain of the boat, Luxury Girl, this past weekend in two ceremonies on St. Thomas.
Eldridge, a resident of the British Virgin Islands, died Friday after racing to a fourth-place standing in the Rolex Regatta. Luxury Girl had put in two solid races and returned to the mooring field in front of St. Thomas Yacht Club Rolex Racing when Eldridge fell and suffered a fatal neck injury on another boat, according to crew member Brian Edmund.
A memorial service is scheduled for April 10 at the BVI Watersports Center at Manuel Reed at Sea Cow’s Bay on Tortola. The time is to be determined.
Eldridge was honored at the Rolex Regatta on St. Thomas in two separate ceremonies on Saturday, the first with an official postponement of racing for a moment of silence on the race course prior to the start of racing.
The second ceremony followed racing at St. Thomas Yacht Club, with the ringing of the club bell and striking of the club’s U.S. colors for presentation to Eldridge’s family.
The usually noisy and sometimes raucous crowd of regatta sailors became silent during the striking of the colors and raising of the BVI’s colors.
With 12 wins out of 13 races this season, Luxury Girl had become the boat to beat in the Racer/Cruiser class in Caribbean regattas. Coming off wins at St. Croix’s Hospice Regatta and St. Maartin Heineken Regatta, the Beneteau First 10R was poised for a near sweep for the year.
This was Eldridge’s third season racing Luxury Girl. Prior to owning Luxury Girl, Eldridge was captain of Mistress Quickly, a Melges 24, friend and crew member Brian Edmund said.
Captain of sailing for the Royal BVI Yacht Club, Eldridge had a reputation for bringing many new people to the world of sailing.
“He’d try to introduce people and show them what it was all about,” Edmund said.
As many of Eldridge’s races were for fun as for serious regatta racing.
“He brought in a number of new races,” Edmund said, citing races from Tortola to Peter Island where sailors would play games on the beach and then race back to Tortola, Edmund said that
Luxury Girl will be a part of the BVI Spring Regatta, Edmund said. Crew members will take the boat out on the course and compete in honor of Eldridge.
Eldridge, a partner with the Bermuda-based law firm, Conyers, Dill and Pearman, came to the BVI in 1997 to establish the firm’s office there.
“Guy was my partner here and founded the offices,” Briant said. “He was a colleague and a friend and he was very much the anchor of the firm.”
Eldridge leaves behind his wife, Sue-Ellyn, and a step-son, William, according to the firm’s website.