Antigua Sailing Week is the Caribbean's longest running and most prestigious sailing regatta and the 46th edition was an absolute cracker. Sailors come to Antigua Sailing Week from all over the world and this year was no exception with crew from over 20 nations coming to enjoy Caribbean racing at its very best.
The week of racing kicked off with a solid 20-25 knots of trade winds providing exhilarating sailing and no shortage of drama. In CSA1 class, the Race Committee elected to send the race boats to the Half Moon mark. The long beat into big seas offshore was rewarded with a downwind sleigh ride back. Big breeze provided spectacular surfing conditions for the second day of Antigua Sailing Week. The breeze kept up above 20 knots for the third consecutive day of the regatta. However the Ocean mark laid on Day Three for the big boats was a new addition. It took over 300 feet of line to lay the mark four miles off the leeward coast of Antigua. The sizable yachts in CSA 1 class were an awesome sight, smashing through the start line to windward through the Caribbean surf and after rounding the Ocean mark, the yachts squared off downwind, bow up, accelerating off big waves to surf at speeds of 20 knots plus.
Racing always comes first at Antigua Sailing Week but ashore there was some truly memorable entertainment and the highlight of this year's live music entertainment was "The son of Bob"-- Ky-Mani Marley played to over 2,000 people in the party venue of Antigua Sailing Week, Nelson's Dockyard. Ky-Mani judged the mood of the crowd to perfection, concentrating on renditions of his father's biggest hits with the crowd fully getting into anthems: Jamming, Could you be loved, Is this love, Three Little Birds and the thought provoking hits, No woman no cry and Redemption Song. Marley played for over two hours and the massive crowd left the Dockyard buoyed by a fantastic experience.
After
three days of scintillating race action, well over a thousand people
gathered at Pigeon Beach for Lay Day. The quarter-mile of white sand was
brimming with local vendors barbequing chicken, lobster and fish and a
fair amount of Carib Beer and English Harbour 5 year old rum was
consumed during the day and into the evening. Pigeon Beach was the
perfect place to unwind and go for a swim. For the more energetic, stand
up paddle boarding, rowing with the Sea Cadets and dinghy racing with
Antigua's National Sailing Academy were all on offer. Beach cricket was
a very popular pastime and was highlighted by the participation of
famous Antiguan cricketers Sir Vivian Richards, Curtly Ambrose and Kenny
Benjamin. The gorgeous Carib girls also joined in the fun. Music from
DJs Purist and Stiffla played into the evening ensuring a great night
was had by all.The last two days of racing at Antigua Sailing Week were held in slightly more moderate breeze and it was a thrilling return to action after Lay Day.
At the Final Awards Ceremony in Nelson's Dockyard, Richard Wesslund's J/120 El Ocaso was awarded the Lord Nelson Trophy for the best overall performance of any yacht during Antigua Sailing Week 2012. El Ocaso scored seven straight wins in CSA 4 Class but it was far from easy. Most of the races were decided by less than a minute and on several occasions by just a few seconds. El Ocaso has had a fantastic Caribbean season winning regattas in St. Maarten, BVI and finally Antigua Sailing Week.
"It has been our best season ever and winning the Lord Nelson Trophy really caps it off," said El Ocaso's Richard Wesslund. "This has been the most competitive regatta by far, we have been pushed hard in every race, often winning by just a fraction of a second. Every year the crew votes on the events we will compete in and Antigua Sailing Week was top of the list. The race management and shoreside have been absolutely first class which is so important. I would like to offer my congratulations to the management team of Antigua Sailing Week - they have put on a fantastic event." Thanks to Louay Habib for this contribution.
In CSA 4 Class, "hats off" to Jonty Layfield and crew on the J/39 SLEEPER VIII, a boat that has won innumerable events in its home waters of the Solent and England. Their 3rd place finish is one of their best performances at Antigua and, apparently, hope to come back next year and finish at the top of the podium!
In
CSA 5 Class, the J/30 BLUE PETER sailed by Tanner Jones and his local
Antiguan team managed to pull off another great result, snagging third
place and getting yet another podium finish over the few decades he's
raced the boat. How many ARW's is it now, Peter? Finishing off their
Caribbean racing season as well was the J/95 SHAMROCK VII sailed by Tom
Mullen from New Hampshire, finishing 5th in class and thankfully beating
out one of their competitors called "Girls4Sail". Hmmmm. Sailing
photo credits: Ted Martin, Paul Wyeth- pwpictures.com, Tim Wright- photoaction.com, Jason Pickering. Antigua Race Week YouTube summary. For more Antigua Sailing Week sailing information
