An epic recap of the 52nd Antigua Sailing Week! Video published May 4, 2019.
KPMG Youth 2 Keelboat Race Day 4 | Antigua Sailing Week
Big breeze and huge Caribbean surf spiced up the action for KPMG Y2K (Youth to Keelboat) Race Day! Y2K is all about getting young Antiguan sailors into the yachting industry. Aptly two youth teams showed tremendous camaraderie and quick thinking in the face of adversity. KPMG was well represented at the daily prize giving by John Applegate, Lisa Brathwaite, Christopher Brome, Michael Edghill and Bertram Alexander. Today's winners were presented with celebratory bottles of champagne and all of the 40-strong young sailors racing at Antigua Sailing Week were invited onto the stage to much applause. Antiguan guitarist Joshu provided the sounds with a perfect acoustic set from the main stage.
Reggae in the Park Race Day | Antigua Sailing Week 2019
20 knots of trades powered up the action on Reggae in the Park Race Day at Antigua Sailing Week. Over a thousand people from 21 nations enjoyed the spectacular conditions on the south coast of Antigua. Two races were held for most classes – the CSA Racing Classes were launched today with a full on foam-up on the Windward Course. The Bareboat Classes and Club Class raced short, sharp, windward-leeward courses off Rendezvous Bay.
In three Bareboat Classes, 26 teams from Australia, Austria, France, Germany, Great Britain, Switzerland and the USA are competing at Antigua Sailing Week. Competition at the top is intense. After five races, Alexander Pfeiffer’s KH+P Bavastro is leading Bareboat 1 by a single point: “I have been coming to Antigua Sailing Week since 1992,” commented Alexander Pfeiffer. “I can only remember one race which had to be postponed due to lack of wind in all those years. The sailing conditions are so reliable here and the people are so friendly. We also race against people that we do not know, which is very interesting. Even my team has been put together just for the regatta. We will be enjoying Reggae in the Park tonight for sure because we are moored right next to the stage!”
In Bareboat 3, Hans Steidle’s KH+P Barbuda is leading the class, with Michael Cannon and Neil Harvey’s KHS&S Contractors from Florida, who have been the overall bareboat champions for the last two years, in second place. However, with a discard kicking in for the next race, there is virtually nothing between the two teams.
Hans Steidle has a young team who have sailed together on Lake Constance for many years: “We have grown up together racing Optimists, 420s, and now J/70s,” commented Matthias Steidle. “We are all in our 20s, but the youngest is Luitpold Lindner. This is our first time to Antigua and we are really loving the fantastic sailing conditions and the fun ashore. We will definitely be going to Reggae in the Park and tomorrow, we will take the opportunity to see more of Antigua with an island tour.”
In Bareboat 2, Peter Zauner’s Tintoret leads the class. The Bavarian team was runner-up last year and will be hoping for victory in the 52nd edition of Antigua Sailing Week. Tintoret is having a great battle with Jakob Oetiker’s Swiss team racing KH+P Botero and Nicholas Jordan’s Ananda.
Today it was the turn of the Double-Handed Class for some bay watching. Their courses included a downwind slide round to the west coast of Antigua and a blustery beat back to the finish. Philip Asche’s American Swan 44 Freebird won the race.
The Multihulls had a spectacular course southeast of Antigua, including a long beat east along the rugged coastline, followed by a succession of blast reaches in full offshore conditions. Robert Szustkowski’s HH66 R-SIX won the race. Antigua Sailing Week video above published Apr 30, 2019.
The second day of Antigua Sailing Week was Fever-Tree Race Day, with the impressive fleet mixing it up in gorgeous weather on the south, east and west coast of Antigua. The Bareboat fleet, Double-Handed and Club Class started off Windward Beach with fresh trade wind in the high teens. The six CSA racing classes raced off Rendezvous Beach on tight round the cans courses with more sheltered but gusty conditions in a packed out race area. The Multihulls course took the flyers down the west coast past some of the best beaches in Antigua.
In CSA 1, Sir Peter Harrison had a wonderful birthday. His magnificent British superyacht Sojana scored two bullets adding to their win on day one. Sojana is unbeaten so far at Antigua Sailing Week. “We are probably the most difficult boat to manoeuvre at the regatta. With so many boats around us on the Rendezvous Course it was terrifying just getting in a position to start. Throw in two races and its double the stress,” commented Sojana's navigator, Jonny Malbon. “It was a tricky day but also a really good one. We had five hoists and drops, endless tacks and gybes, with most of the moves just a few minutes apart. Getting it wrong on a boat like Sojana you will pay a very high tariff. The boss is super-pumped at getting two bullets on his birthday - the team did an awesome job today.”
In CSA 2, Ker 46 Lady Mariposa, skippered by Dane Jesper Bank won the first race, but a sixth in the last race has shortened their class lead to just one point. Sir Hugh Bailey's Antiguan team racing Farr 45 Rebel won the last race to move up to second in the class, ahead of Vittorio Biscarini's Italian Mylius 15E25 Ars Una, purely on countback.
Racing in CSA 3, Irishman Adrian Lee is enjoying his sixth Antigua Sailing Week. For this edition Adrian is at the helm of his Swan 60 Lee Overlay Partners II and leads the class after winning the last race today. After three races, Lee Overlay Partners II is tied on points with Mark Jagger's British CNB 60 Theia of London. Ondeck Antigua's Farr 65 Spirit of Juno retired from the last race, dropping to third for the class. Antigua Sailing Week video above published Apr 29, 2019.
See also English Harbour Rum Race Day (video), and Peters & May Round Antigua Race 2019 (video).
Antigua Sailing Week, 27 April to 3 May, 2019. Official website: sailingweek.com - schedule
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