The final day of racing at Antigua Sailing Week saw a return to steady winds of 10-12 knots that gradually built to 13-14 knots, accompanied by plenty of tropical sun. The big boats in CSA Racing Class 1 had a 20-mile course in conditions that had Roy Disney’s Volvo 70 Pyewacket hitting speeds of 15-17 knots.
CSA Bareboats and the CSA Cruising classes all sailed an 11-mile course starting and finishing off Rendezvous Bay, west of English Harbour. The winners in each of these classes today were boats notching up their first victory at the regatta.
Stephen Clarke’s Australian team on the Moorings 44.3 Sorrel is the only crew to have scored podium finishes in every race in the CSA Bareboat class. “Today we led off the start and stayed ahead right round the course, though it got very close at the end,” he says. “The top four boats in the Bareboat class are all identical, so it’s like one design racing where winning the start can make a big difference.”
“We’ve had a great time – Antigua Sailing Week has got to be the most enjoyable regatta in the Caribbean, if not the world,” Clarke continues. “It’s very different to racing at home, where we lose around one third of our race days because there’s either not enough wind, or because there’s too much. But here you can always sail and it’s usually fabulous.”
Stephen Clarke’s Australian team on the Moorings 44.3 Sorrel © Paul Wyeth/pwpictures.com
Eduardo Lentz’s Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 44 Voilactus took victory in today’s CSA Club Class A race, ahead of Geoffrey Evelyn’s Jeanneau Sun Magic 44 Dandelion and Allessandro Alonso’s Harmony 52 Sao Jorge.
The CSA Club Class B race today was won by Gary O’Grady’s Tradewind 35 Cara of the South, ahead of two local boats: Sandy Mair’s First 35 Cricket and Carrack and Tyden Jones’ J/30 Absolute Properties (Blue Peter).
O’Grady says today’s race was, “Absolutely fantastic! It was just perfect conditions for us – exactly what we were hoping for and we did everything right as a crew. We’ve been together as a team all week, including the young sailors from the National Sailing Academy. They know their jobs on the boat now and just automatically do the right things without having to be asked.”
Gary O’Grady’s Tradewind 35 Cara of the South © Paul Wyeth/pwpictures.com
CSA Racing Classes 2, 3 and 4 all sailed two short, sharp races with plenty of action today. In CSA Racing Class 2 Woody and Carolyn Cullen’s Swan 58 WaveWalker took another victory in the first race, ahead of Wayne Zittel’s X-Yachts XP50 DNR, Don Terwilliger’s Beneteau First 47.7 Dauntless and the largest boat competing this week, Lennart Davidsson’s 79ft Sparkman and Stephens designed Kialoa lll. However Dauntless prevailed in the second race, with a comfortable advantage ahead of WaveWalker.
Don Terwilliger’s Beneteau First 47.7 Dauntless © Paul Wyeth/pwpictures.com
Steve Rigby’s chartered J/122 El Ocaso won both today’s CSA Racing Class 3 races. Local boat Jim Vos’ RP37 Warthog finished fourth in the first race, breaking a winning streak, in which they had taken five of the previous six races. However, the competition in this class is so tight that she missed out on second place by only 21 seconds. Their second race, however, was less tightly contested, with almost six minutes separating the first four boats.
Steve Rigby’s chartered J/122 El Ocaso © Paul Wyeth/pwpictures.com
Katy Campbell’s Salona 45 Panacea X took line honours for the second time this week in today’s first race for CSA Racing Class 4, but dropped to third on corrected time in an impressively close finish. Carlo Falcone’s 47ft IOR racer Caccia Alla Volpe took their fifth consecutive race win, ahead of Patrick Holloran’s First 40.7 Caipirinha. Again margins were super close, with Falcone achieving victory by only 21 seconds, while the next three boats were a scant 18 seconds apart on corrected time.
“We were sailing extra shorthanded today, with only nine on board, so we’re pretty happy – the boat goes better with 12 crew,” says Campbell. “I’m really proud of the team for pulling out all the stocks today and it helps that we had stronger winds.
“Three of the team are girls from Antigua’s Y2K (Youth to Keelboat) programme who’ve been absolutely phenomenal,” she adds. “They’re running our trim team and to see the growth and progression in their skillset is fantastic – they’ve gone from needing detailed instruction to taking ownership of their jobs. It’s really amazing.”
Katy Campbell’s Salona 45 Panacea X © Paul Wyeth/pwpictures.com
Racing today was sponsored by the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, with the daily prizegiving held in the exquisite and historic setting of Nelson’s Dockyard, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The overall prizegiving sponsored by Antigua Charter Yacht Meeting will take place later in the same venue, when the winner of the prestigious Lord Nelson Trophy – awarded to the CSA 2, 3 or 4 class winner with the fastest overall corrected times calculated on a time-on-distance basis – will be revealed, and a slew of special prizes presented. The day will conclude with live music from the band 1761.
Provisional Results HERE
For more information about Antigua Sailing Week visit the official website: www.sailingweek.com.
ENDS/…Rupert Holmes/ASW
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