Drama for Round Antigua Race

Antigua (April 27, 2019) – The Bajan TP52 Zingara (Conviction), chartered by Canadian Richard Reid, won the Peters & May Round Antigua Race, the prequel to five day Antigua Sailing Week which starts tomorrow.

Thirty three yachts entered the 53-mile race around Antigua, with high drama right from the get-go as the Dovell 100 SHK Scallywag tore their enormous mainsail after a tangle with TP52 Zingara. The magnificent 115ft Farr ketch Sojana was noticeably absent after fouling their propeller before the start.

The Zingara team, including Olympian and Volvo Ocean Race winner Richard Clarke, took Line Honours and the Peters & May Trophy for the overall win. Second overall was Pamala Baldwin’s J/122 Liquid, with a young team skippered by Jules White. Ker 46 Lady Mariposa, skippered by two-time Olympic Gold Medallist Jesper Bank, was third.

“We didn’t really expect to have a run-in like that with Scallywag, we ended up having to race with no instruments after the Windex was ripped off the top of the rig,” commented Reid. “However, after that it was awesome! First of all because we raced around a beautiful island and we worked really well together as a team. You know, adversity always does pull a gifted team together – we are really looking forward to a great week!”

Baldwin’s J/122 Liquid put in a great performance, scoring second overall and winning CSA 2 ahead of two well sailed teams; Ross Applebey’s Oyster 48 Scarlet Oyster and Bernie Evan-Wong’s RP37 Taz.

“We didn’t really sail to our potential but we came in first place for our class,” noted Baldwin. “There is plenty to come from Liquid because it’s a great crew. We have come in on podium the whole season and we are definitely here to sail hard this week, work her really hard on our home at Antigua Sailing Week!”

In CSA 1, Zingara was the winner, with Lady Mariposa, a newcomer to Antigua Sailing Week, in second place. On Deck’s Farr 65 Spirit of Juno, skippered by Arran Chapman was third; a great start to the defence of their class win at last year’s Antigua Sailing Week.

In CSA 3, Michael and Chloe Hough’s Spirit 64.5 Chloe Giselle, class winner at last week’s Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta was the winner, ahead of Swan 60 Lee Overlay Partners II, skippered by Adrian Lee who has won class several times at Antigua Sailing Week with his former yacht, a Cookson 50. Mark Jagger’s Bordeaux 60 Theia of London, skippered by James Richmond, was third.

In the Double-Handed Class, Philip Asche’s Swan 44 Freebird was the winner, racing with Ronald Canizares, representing the New York Yacht Club. Hotel California too was second. Owner Stephen Schmidt is famous for sailing around the Caribbean single-handed and was joined for the race by Han de Bruyn Kop. In third place was Henry Rourke’s Open40 Raucous, racing with Mark Hodgkin.

Full Results for the Peters & May Round Antigua Race… click here.

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Antigua Sailing Week is held annually at the end of April and the 52nd edition will commence with the Peters & May Round Antigua Race on Saturday, April 27, 2019. Following that will be five days of competitive racing off the rugged south coast of Antigua, which will wrap up on Friday, May 3, 2019. Antigua Sailing Week is the last big regatta of the Caribbean season.

Source: Louay Habib