A magnificent fleet of yachts is now assembling for the 29th edition of Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta, sponsored by Panerai. Nearly every yacht that will be competing has sailed to Antigua on its own hull and perhaps that is the true mark of the essence of Antigua Classics; these are not museum pieces, they are yachts with a purpose. For some crews they are their water-born homes, for others they are an expression of passion but every one has their own intoxicating story, here are just a few of them.
Originally named Jessica, Adix was built by Astilleros de Mallorca in 1984 to an Arthur Holgate design. With a length of 213ft (65m), Adix remains one of the largest sailing yachts built since the 1930s. The three-masted schooner’s hull is built of steel with teak decks and alloy masts and displaces 370 tonnes with a draft of over 4 metres. Paul Goss has been the skipper for the Spanish owners since it was acquired in 1989 and have carried out extensive modifications at Pendennis, Falmouth UK by Dykstra Naval Architects. Adix has made several circumnavigations and attended the Fife Regatta on the Clyde on two occasions. This year, Adix won The Spirit of Tradition Class in the RORC Caribbean 600 and will be competing at Antigua Classics for the first time.
Mary Rose was the last schooner to be designed and built by Nathaniel Herreshoff and launched in 1926. Mary Rose has been owned by Gerald Rainer since 2004, who commissioned a meticulous restoration project in 2006. Gerald races Mary Rose with friends and family and whilst the owner and crew are highly competitive and successful, the bons-amis atmosphere aboard is infectious throughout the Antigua Classics family. Mary Rose has a deck length of 64ft and a displacement of 29 tonnes and has competed in Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta every year since 2011 winning both her racing class and the Concours d’Elegance.
The Marconi-rigged schooner, Sorca was built in 1978 by Murray Stephens, Nova Scotia with mahogany planking on white-oak frames with solid teak deck and this year will be making her debut at the Classics. Sorca’s original owners are believed to have made a dozen Atlantic crossings between Nova Scotia and Ireland. The Welford family and friends restored Sorca at the Lunenberg Shipyard and launched her on June 1, 2015 and sailed her to the Halifax Busker Festival and Nova Scotia Schooner Race Week before heading to the Caribbean via Bermuda. Beware of their liveaboard dog! Her name Kelowna, a city in British Columbia, means Grizzly Bear in Okanagan language.
The Pacific Cruising Class fractional sloop Janley will be making her first appearance at the Classics this year. Launched in 1948, Janley was designed and built by George Kettenburg Jr. in San Diego California. Carvel planked with Douglas fir on oak frames Janley’s deck is just over 43ft. The Pacific Cruising Class was cruised and raced extensively on the West Coast of the USA, notably the Transpac and the Lipton Cup. In 2014 Janley was bought by Cameron and Maggie Fraser of Antigua who transported her to St. Thomas before sailing her to their home where she has undergone a one year refit at Woodstock Boatbuilders in Falmouth.
Free, launched in 2015 on Windwardside, Carriacou, will join the posse of sloops racing at Antigua Classics.
Traditional sloops have been used in the Caribbean for hundreds of years but the gaff-rigged wooden boats have enjoyed something of a renaissance in recent times with a number of these simple yet beautiful boats gracing Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta. This year Genesis, Sweetheart, Jambalaya, Zemi and a new name can be added, Free, launched in 2015 on Windwardside, Carriacou, will join the posse of sloops racing at Antigua Classics. The sloop sailors are an eclectic mix of islanders and ex-pats and the banter on the dock and at sea is both rich and colourful. Many of the sloops racing this year were built by Alwyn Enoe who is one of the last boatbuilders practicing the trade passed down through generations from Scottish settlers that arrived in Carriacou in the 18th century. Free is the first boat built by Alwyn Enoe’s son thereby passing on the skills to a new generation of boat builders. The award winning film, Vanishing Sail by Alexis Andrews, about the tradition of boatbuilding in the Grenadines, will be screened at the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta on Sunday, April 17 at 7:00pm outside the Copper & Lumber Store in Nelson’s Dockyard.
The 76ft sloop Wild Horses will be competing at Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta again this year looking for her third win in the Spirit of Tradition Class. Built in Maine at Brooklyn Boat Yard. Wild Horses hull is cold-molded, a technique that involves laminating together layers of wood veneers to create a hull that is watertight, extremely strong and lightweight. Wild Horses’ owner, Donald Tofias is looking forward to the regatta with some relish. “If by chance she does not take the gold overall or make the podium, “Yachting is the Winner” especially in Antigua during April thanks to the late, great Kenny Coombs and his hard-working group of island volunteers. Antigua Classics is much more than another classic yacht regatta, it is a state of mind! This is the only place to be in the third week of April where sailors from all over the world come to compete. Ladies and Gentleman raise your sails, turn off your engines, it’s Panerai Time!”
The 29th edition of Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta, sponsored by Panerai, will be held from April 13-19, 2016. To enter the regatta or for more information: www.antiguaclassics.com