04/12/09 to 4/29/09

Day 1, Start of Race 1 ‘Classics’ Class

TOY BOAT TOY BOAT TOY BOAT

FRED’S REPORT
It’s regatta time in Antigua. Each year in, mid-April, the Antigua Yacht Club hosts the “Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta”, prior to ‘Antigua Race Week’. This is an event specifically for older restored wooden vessels, as well as newer yachts built in the ‘style’ of the classics. There are many schooners & gaff cutters, as well as more modern wooden ketches and sloops. An 1889 gaff cutter ‘Thalia’ had been restored by a family and made a great photo pointing to the weather mark. The regatta is a series of four races is held over four days. In addition, there is the “Concours d’Elegance” competition for specific groups of the yachts. Of course partying must be had at all times (Rule #1).

Velsheda under sail & Ranger at the dock

The Antigua Yacht Club race committee runs a very relaxed & friendly supervision of the classics as the crews coax every last knot out of their varnished beauties. Great Caribbean sailing weather was had for all the races. As the courses were mostly out & back 20+ milers, we had time to relax and snorkel the outside reefs of Falmouth & English Harbor area during mid-day. We found a big ole’ green moray eel out on the reef east of Falmouth. This was the first ‘big’ moray we’ve seen down here.

Classics Racing

The Parade of Classics through English Harbour (view from Fort Berkley)

On the next to last day of racing, the ‘Sail Maine’ organization held an after-race party at the yacht club that included free food and drinks…..we’re there! They had volunteers staffing the booths, serving your choice of beers, wines, rum punch, etc. Two giant Wahoo cooked to perfection, as well as BBQ chicken and a killer imported Maine lobster bisque…….yummmmm! Many of the folks helping came from Maine, hiding out from the last of winter, smart! Met Robert Eddy, from Camden, who builds custom yacht models, priced between $100 to 200K for the finest in detail and hand carved hull forms. We’ll be stopping by, at his invitation, to see how they’re built, when we go to “down east” in ’10. (Is a catamaran model twice as much since there are two hulls?)

Festivities back at the Antigua Yacht Club

On Monday we headed out with Bob & Lynne from ’Leap of Faith’ to the eastern bays of Green Island. After a fairly choppy three-hour trip around the eastern coast, we found ourselves anchored in the lee of West Bay. It was quite breezy, so we just relaxed for the evening. Next morning we moved around to Rickett Harbour and explored the reefs in the area. We found a brown spotted moray, which posed for a close-up, as well as many unafraid squirrelfish, due to the visiting day boats bringing guests from several resorts on the main island.

Underwater Life at Green Island (Squirrelfish, Moray & a Peacock Flounder)

We took a dinghy trip over to ‘Harmony Hall’ with Bob & Lynne to check it out. They have a well-presented art gallery, upscale restaurant, as well as a beautiful view of the east coast and bays of Antigua. We said hello to the resident patrol kitties and many hummingbirds in the flowering trees. We stayed for a delicious lunch and some photos before heading back to the boats.

Harmony Hall

That afternoon it was back into the water for another snorkel. A group of twenty squid had taken up residence under the boat and became comfortable enough that I could be floating within an inch or two of some of them. Normally squid keep away at least six or more feet when swimmers are in the water, so this was a special treat.

Fred’s friendly squids