Tuesday, 12 July 2011 – Road Town, Tortola: Having had to settle for 2^nd place last year, Team Anguilla vowed to return to the British Virgin Islands in 2011 and take the Premier’s Cup International Youth Regatta Championship Title…and that they did!

Anguilla was among eight teams competing in the 13^th Annual Regatta, organized by Kids and the Sea (KATS) and the Rotary Clubs of the BVI and sponsored by Digicel BVI, the BVI Tourist Board, Nanny Cay Resort & Marina, Oil Nut Bay, The Moorings and LIAT. The other teams were from Antigua, 1^st timers Grenada, Puerto Rico, St. Croix, St. Lucia, Tortola and the USA, which copped the Mackie Sportsmanship Award.

It was a close race between the teams from Anguilla and St. Croix, with Anguilla getting the edge by a mere 4 points. According to Race Coordinator Tom Gerker, “this is the first time in 18 years that the first placed team did not start in ‘St’. Anguilla left last year vowing to win this year’s event; they practiced all year for the event, competed hard, made few mistakes and maintained outstanding sportsmanship and fellowship.”

All teams raced in IC24s, with winds on Saturday of 12-15 knots with a 1-2ft chop, while Sunday was squally with winds as low as 10 but gusting up over 20, with up to 3ft chop.

The points standings at the end of the July 8^th to 10^th regatta were Anguilla – 42; St. Croix – 46; St. Lucia – 66; BVI – 68; Puerto Rico – 71; Antigua – 103; Grenada – 115 and USA – 135.

As part of its Platinum sponsorship, Digicel last month presented a $10,000 cheque to KATS, supplied phones for the team members to call home while here, special shirts for the Frozen T-shirt competition, a Bouncy Castle for the kids’ activities and Double Top Up on site.

Digicel signed a 5-year contract with KATS in 2009 to sponsor the annual regatta.

Ends…

About Digicel

After ten years of operation, Digicel Group Limited has 11.5 million customers across its 32 markets in the Caribbean, Central America and the Pacific. The company is renowned for delivering best value, best service and best network.

Digicel is the lead sponsor of Caribbean, Central American and Pacific sports teams, including the Special Olympics teams throughout these regions. Digicel sponsors the West Indies cricket team and is also the title sponsor of the Digicel Caribbean Cup. In the Pacific, Digicel is the proud sponsor of several national rugby teams and also sponsors the Vanuatu cricket team.

Digicel also runs a host of community-based initiatives across its markets and has set up Digicel Foundations in Jamaica, Haiti and Papua New Guinea which focus on educational, cultural and social development programmes.

In 2004, Digicel developed Digicel Rising Stars – an annual talent show to support aspiring young music artists in the Caribbean. The show has spanned the Eastern Caribbean, Haiti, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago ranking as one of the top-rated shows.

Digicel is incorporated in Bermuda and its markets comprise: Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Bermuda, Bonaire, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominica, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Nauru, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, St Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos and Vanuatu. Digicel also has coverage in St. Martin and St. Barts in the Caribbean.

Visit www.digicelgroup.com  for more information.