(Originally published in 2012)
The Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta
We were rounding the southeast shoreline of Antigua on our way from a few weeks anchored off the leeward shoreline of Barbuda – back in “civilization” again after several weeks of just hanging out on the hook. As we moseyed on down along the windward coast of the big island we were headed for Falmouth Harbour on the very south coast of Antigua. Falmouth and English Harbours serve as home base for the annual Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta, one of the world’s premier classic boat venues. We were scheduled to meet up with friends to participate as crew aboard their boat for the races. Annie and I along with our good friends Chuck and Terri aboard Maker’s Match, had been invited to share in this adventure of a lifetime along with Chris and MaryLiz aboard their 32 foot Westsail Wandering Albatross. Chris and ML had already managed to jump through the hoops necessary to qualify their boat for the regatta.
Apparently they produced documentation that the Westsail 32 was a fiberglass recreation of sorts based on an older wooden sloop and by proving its pedigree, so to speak, they managed to gain entry into the classic boat race. As you may already be aware, the Westsail 32 is considered a classic cruising boat but also is fairly widely considered as not carrying much in the way of speed – heavily built and dependable but notoriously slow. Needless to say, throughout the days that we were there and racing, the presence of such a famous piece of classic plastic in this world-renowned classic wooden boat race did not go unnoticed by the participants. And the longer we were there, the more noticed we became.
Fidelis motored into Falmouth Harbour and we found ourselves a spot a few rows off the shoreline from the yacht club and in a position that allowed easy dinghy access. We met up with Chuck and Terri and also with MaryLiz and Chris and made plans for some racing practice. My racing experience was limited to a season of Chesapeake Bay racing back when I lived in Baltimore while Annie’s experience was strictly in the realm of liveaboard cruising. Chuck and Terri, who lived aboard their catamaran, had a background in Hobie racing up in North Carolina. Chris was an experienced racer. We decided that Chuck and I would crew aboard WA with Chris and MaryLiz, while Annie and Terri would serve as shore crew.
Preparations were begun when Chris and MaryLiz brought Wandering Albatrossalongside both of our boats — first Maker’s Matchwhere they proceeded to offload much of everything that wasn’t bolted down, then once again alongside Fideliswhere they offloaded the remainder. Anchors and rodes, books, removable furniture items, everything stowed in lockers on deck and below decks – all of it stashed, or more accurately piled on our decks in an effort to reduce weight and improve sailing efficiency. Several hundred pounds of weight was shed this way. It was obvious that Chris was taking this thing seriously. Wandering Albatrosswas not going to be just another pretty face. We got together in the evening and quietly celebrated our reunion, talking and partying, speculating on what the upcoming days held for us – reminiscing and strategizing. As we took care of business the radio was crackling with requests from regatta participants. Everybody was looking for crew. Some yachts were looking for experienced racing crew, others for somebody familiar with this or that position. All of the big yachts were looking for people simply to serve as ballast if nothing else. What an opportunity for anybody who wanted to go for a sail on some of the most beautiful classic wooden yachts in the world! Here they were on the VHF and just begging…. If you should get the opportunity to be in Antigua during this race, take advantage of this chance of a lifetime!
Next morning the racing crew (Chris, MaryLiz, Chuck, and Doc) got together aboard WA and sailed out of the harbor. We did a dry run around the racecourse. Winds were light and Chris decided it was time to unveil his secret weapon – a brand newly made lightweight Genoa that he had had designed and built just for this race. All of us were impressed with Chris and MaryLiz’s preparation and dedication to the task at hand. We were much less impressed by our own lack of precision and relative ineptitude when it came to practicing our sail changes, getting sails down and the new canvas up and flying efficiently. We made several practice runs while we learned the drill and saw a slow but steady improvement. There might actually be some hope for us after all. We were about as ready as we were ever going to be.
Next day dawned bright and early and we headed out for the racecourse. Along with 8 other boats, we had been assigned to a class entitled Classic Class A. We sailed out toward the course, the breeze next to nothing as we ghosted along. Wandering Albatrosswas almost never motored. The diesel engine had been removed when they first got the boat and replaced with a Solomon Technologies electric motor and a large bank of batteries down in the bilge. Chris and MaryLiz were extremely seasoned sailors, having sailed her down from the coastal United States through the Bahamas to Luperón in the Dominican Republic, then all the way down through the Lesser Antilles to South America and back to Antigua. Motor use was limited to about 6 hours before they had to tie up ashore and recharge at a shore outlet, so the motor was used exclusively for motoring into and out of difficult harbors and anchorages. Everything else was done under sail. So as we maneuvered to cross the starting line, Chris’s judgment and skill at handling the boat was pretty impressive, heading up and falling off with precision so that our sails were full and drawing optimally as we crossed the starting line. Once we started, the race was slow and at times tedious and our progress was frustrating but we made it around the course doing acceptably well against the visible competition. The actual competition was difficult to evaluate as we were racing among nearly fifty vessels in all classes ranging in size from around 30 feet on up to probably 70 feet or more. At the turns, in spite of the classic yacht status of the boats involved, skippers did not shy away from challenging encounters and near misses at the corners. Nobody ran into anybody, but at times it was a wonder. Here and there a powerboat with professional photographers aboard to film the action maneuvered in and out of the competitors. Similarly an occasional aircraft hovered overhead, getting pics of the action. With the light breeze nobody performed great, but we had fun, our sail changes were okay, not great, the air of competition was all around, and everybody was out to turn the best time possible. We crossed the line second, not far behind Carina, a pilot cutter in our class. We were excited — not bad for our first day out! We headed back to the yacht club where we tied up alongside with the other competitors and wandered over to the yacht club to check out the results. Unbelievably on 20 April 2007, with an elapsed time of a little over three hours, corrected to two hours and twenty-two minutes and change, Wandering Albatrosshad finished to a corrected first place time in her class of nine sailboats. Our first win!
After the race we wandered the docks gawking at the amazing array of classic wooden boats on display. There were some spectacular large schooners from around the world, both wooden and metal, and other smaller but no less impressive boats varnished up and attracting lots of viewers. Even Wandering Albatrosslooked great with everything polished up and varnished out to look her best. Celebration was called for. We all headed up to the yacht club in the evening for a few Stella Artois’s on draft, courtesy of the yacht club, and some live entertainment and dancing. Nothing too serious – we had another race next morning and needed to stay focused.
Next morning dawned early and we were off to the racecourse for a similar day with even lighter conditions but a similar performance. Two other boats in our class, Carina, who had crossed the line in front of us the day before, and Apsara a ketch, had been fighting it out for second place closely behind us, but we had the satisfaction of hearing the winning gun as we crossed the finish line first. Once again our time corrected out to a first place finish and we had our second win. As on the previous day, out on the course the immediate competition was between us and whoever was in front of us or whoever was trying to overtake us from behind, regardless of class. We had repeated little competitions with a classic Carriacou wooden sloop that kept challenging us and, with its longer waterline, was just a tad faster than we were. Each little contest of that nature served as an incentive to trim our sails a little more precisely and sail a little faster. Now, with two wins under our belt, Wandering Albatrosswas becoming a force to be reckoned with!
We enjoyed a similar evening of partying, celebration, and relaxation with another early morning to follow. The weather dawned similar to the previous two days. We were apparently getting an early taste of the upcoming light breezes of summer. However, on this day during the race the breeze picked up a little and was a touch more forceful than the preceding two days. We were keeping our eyes on Apsara and Carina, not that far back, now that we had a grasp on whom in our division represented the biggest challenge. Once again we finished first in both actual and corrected time for our third straight victory. Three down and one to go! What a thrill!
The following day offered slightly lighter breeze and was more like our first day had been. We sailed a good race but so did Carina and Apsara. Carina crossed first to hear the winning gun with us just a few minutes back. Apsara crossed a couple of minutes behind us but managed to handicap out for the win, with WA officially taking second. We had had a spectacular run and had made our way into Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta history. We got looks from other competitors, and the other captains knew the boat. That evening at the awards presentation we had to walk up to the podium twice to receive not only the trophy for winning our class, but also a trophy for 3rdplace among all yachts under forty feet — a stellar performance overall. An anonymous comment from someone in the crowd as we walked up to the podium for our trophies pretty much summed it up for all of us, “Wandering Albatross,that’s that little Westsail that kicked everybody’s ass!”
You bet your life, baby – that was US!
And so ended our competitive sailing adventure. We had undertaken the race for the experience and the memories of having sailed in one of the world’s great sailing regattas. We had hoped not to embarrass ourselves and maybe enjoy some competition out on the water. Winning was beyond our wildest expectations. It truly remains one of the most cherished memories of our cruising lives. If you get the opportunity and are traveling south through the Leeward Islands in the Spring, make it a point to visit Antigua during the regatta. The classic wooden boats from all over the world seen here all decked out and presented in all their splendor are things of beauty not likely to be found all in one place at any other North American venue, let alone the opportunity to go aboard and serve as crew on some of them. If you have the chance, DO IT! Happy sails!
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