Fresh Conditions at Antigua Classic

English Harbour, Antigua (April 22, 2017) – Mother Nature turned up the volume for the second day of Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta, sponsored by Panerai. Seventeen knots churned the water into rowdy seas, giving skippers and crew the chance to up their game. Since it was the Butterfly course, yachts were tested on every point of sail.

The extra wind was welcomed, especially by the big girls. The 138’ magnificent Herreshoff gaff rigged schooner, Mariette of 1915, kept her crew of two dozen hopping, thankfully leaving no time to sing the bawdy sea shanty that wowed the crowd at last night’s competition.

Captain Charlie Wroe and helmsman Trevor Murphy drove hard, hitting 13 knots, yet placed 2nd behind the 62’ Hereschoff schooner, Mary Rose, in Vintage Class A. The victory for Mary Rose was well earned given that her newly repaired foremast was restepped only an hour before the race began.

In Vintage Class B, Mat Barker’s The Blue Peter, a 65’ Alfred Mylne Cutter placed first on corrected time to even the score with the 77’ Fife Yawl Latifa. The two boats, along with Anne Marie, a 57’ Harris gaff yawl are old friends – their last race was in Cowes, in 1938!

Local boat Don Ward’s Frolic, a 44’ Luders yawl, remains in first place overall Classics GRP Class A, as does Alexis Andrews’ Genesis, the 42’ Alwyn Enoe sloop in Traditional Class; Juno, the 65’ Nat Benjamin Schooner in Classics Class C; Vagabundo, a 42’ German Frers Bermudian ketch in Vintage Class C; Chloe Giselle, the latest Sean McMillan 65’ Spirit Sloop in Spirit of Tradition Class and youngest in the fleet; and Chronos, 157’, Klaus Roder Staysail Ketch in Tall Ship Class. The other classes saw upsets today raising the bar for tomorrow’s contest.

Four races will be held, one daily, through to April 24.

Event details – Scoreboard – Facebook

Lots of activity in the Dockyard after racing – photo by Ted Martin

Source: ACYR