The final day of racing at Antigua Sailing Week featured a full schedule of racing for all classes, with teams from over 20 countries competing, making for a welcome return after the disruption of travel for the last two years.
On the final day, the trade winds delivered, as they have done all week, with competitors enjoying 18 knots of breeze and a moderate sea state.
Provisional race winners on Antigua & Barbuda Tourism Race Day were: Ocean Breeze, Mahana, OMII, Blitz, Scarlet Oyster, Hermes, Kai, NSA Spirit, GFA Caraïbes – La Morrigane, Tosca, Holding Pattern, PepsiMax ~ Montebello, Schrodinger, Aproache Nevis, KHS&S Contractors, Braque, and Belafonte.
CSA Bareboat Focus
With 29 entries, Antigua Sailing Week has the largest Bareboat fleet of the 2022 Caribbean season. Supported by Dream Yacht Charter, Bareboat teams raced in four classes. Hats off to Hartmut Holtmann’s KH+P Yacht Charter which has organised the logistics for Bareboat teams here for over 20 years.
Half of the Bareboat teams were organised by KH+P. It is an international affair in Antigua with teams competing from Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States.
Double-Olympian, Sir Karl James, who is the Sailing Manager of Antigua Yacht Club, has been racing in Bareboat 3 with Alice Martin’s Painkiller team from Chicago.
“I believe Bareboat is the most competitive class here. There are some of the best people in the world in this class,” James commented. “I have sailed with Alice’s team before and I enjoy sailing with nice people and racing as competitively as this is always good.”
Bareboat 1
Schrodinger, sailed by a team from the Royal Southern Yacht Club (RSYC) from Hamble UK and skippered by Stevie Beckett won the class, having won five races. Second was Sweet Disposition with a team from Haarlem Netherlands, skippered by Rene Verbrugh. Third was a German crew on KH+P Bermuda, co-skippered by Helmut and Christa Haas.
In 2018, the young team RSYC won an all-expenses paid trip to Antigua Sailing Week, including a charter bareboat entry, by winning their club’s Summer Series. Due to the pandemic, they had to wait until this year to take it up.
This was Chloe Drakari-Phillips first participation. She raced on Schrodinger: “It has been really, really good, hot, sunny, eventful. Nicer weather than the Solent for sure!”
Bareboat 2
In the one-design Dufour 460 Class, Joaquín Vázquez’s crew from Madrid, Spain on Aproache Nevis was the winner. The all-Spanish team scored eight wins from nine races. Marcus and Suzan Zinth’s team from Bavaria, Germany racing KH+P Culebra was second. Ulrich Dobler’s KH+P Exuma with a team from Esslingen, Germany was third.
“It has been a fantastic week, the wind and the weather have been perfect, like always. I have come to Antigua many times. I organise Spanish teams to come here and I really recommend Antigua. I travel all over the world and this is one of the best regattas anywhere,” Vázquez said.
Bareboat 3
Neil Harvey and Michael Cannon’s KHS&S Contractors ~ Girl, from Florida USA, scored eight wins from nine races to win the class. Thomas Sparrer’s Meant To Be, with a team from the Weiden YC Stuttgart Germany, was second. A close third was Alice Martin’s Painkilller 3 from Chicago, USA.
“What a wonderful week this has been,” Harvey said. “We love coming to Antigua for the fantastic coastline, the consistent wind and the beautiful teal-coloured water. Most of all, we love the people of Antigua and those that come here from the four corners of the world.”
Bareboat 4
Adrian Leutenegger’s Braque, with a team from Lake Constance, Switzerland was the winner, scoring five wins from nine races. Martin Sager’s KH+P Rubens with a team from Switzerland was second and Fabio Muzio’s SqueakyBrat II with its Italian crew was third.
“The whole team did a great job today as they have done all week,” Braque’s Adrian Leutenegger said. “This has been a very nice regatta and we have really enjoyed our first trip to Antigua. I am sure we will return in the future.”
After five days of thrilling racing, the 53rd edition of Antigua Sailing Week has concluded. Special prize winners will be announced and the overall winner will be decided and lift the Lord Nelson Trophy.
Full results: https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=14323
Louay Habib
