We've just finished the Antigua Classic Regatta.
We're writing this with a bit of a hangover - big celebrations last night!!!
We've had a great regatta. Sailing conditions have been generally light and we sailed hard and the intensity was felt by all on board. We finished each day in the top three placings of our division.
Plenty of dramas, protests and even some heated arguments (between the bigger boats) on the dock - so much for a gentleman regatta!!
We had good clean races though, and were perhaps a little lucky in the end. After the 70 foot yacht 'Lone Fox' beat us on corrected time by only one second the first day and nineteen seconds the next, the starts were becoming more aggressive and in Race 3 'Lone Fox' crossed start line early and copped a seven minute penalty which put us back in the hunt when we picked up the first placing. The last day we needed a third to clinch first overall in our class. It was a nail biting race with some long windward legs in it (not our best point of sail in light conditions) and we were in third as we approahed the line but were worried that a good performance from another competitor coming up from behind could bump us into fourth. There were some tense moments waiting at the finish line for the next few yachts, with a stop watch and calculator before we could relax and feel confident of our position. So the result was that we won our class. First place in Classic D.
The big surprise though, came last night at the prize giving when we found out we had also won the "Ashanti of Saba" trophy for fastest yacht on corrected time for all Classic Classes and not just our own. Quite a feat considering we are racing some of the best classic yachts in the world, and this was the biggest turn out in the history of the regatta with sixty four yachts entered.
I guess being consistent pays off.
Stephen went out again yesterday and got a third in the single-handed race - big boat class. He was third over the line, 2 and 3 minutes respectively behind the skinny, slippery 12 metre sloop 'ski 4' , and 'Tranquilo' a Dutch boat, brand new, aluminium, kevlar everything else, water balast, drop keel designed with a plum bow to classic lines. We had a great crew and sailed with less people onboard this year. We made more of an effort to lighten the boat and our new sails seem to have given us a boost and certainly made a difference.
We were blown away with the result and 'Long White Cloud' will have her name added to the honours board in the Antigua Yacht Club.
Paula had hand painted our crew uniforms which were a big hit, with lots of people wanting to buy or trade there own crew clothing for them.
Check out our gallery for more photos of the regatta. They were taken from on board during the racing, and from another boat during the Single Handed Race by our good friend, Helga Spit a dutch photographer we met cruising last year.