Antigua
Sailing Week - Famous Antiguan Conditions For
Day Four
Nelson's
Dockyard, Antigua, April 29, 2004 - After a day
of Lay Day fun on Pigeon Beach yesterday, Antigua
Sailing Week returned with a vengeance today with
6-8 foot seas and winds topping 30 knots testing
crew and equipment as they raced off the south
coast of Antigua.
Two
inshore races were held today for division A,
while division B boats had one race albeit with
the course taking them off out to sea and the
big swells. Spinnakers shredded, mainsails blew
and deck hardware popped in winds that although
strong were shifty as they swirled off the shore.
After the first race in division A, there was
a steady stream of boats heading back to Falmouth
Harbour for repairs. One was Atalanta II, the
fresh out of the box Farr 70 with Jim Brady on
main trim and sharing tactics with Mumm 30 world
champion Luca Santella. Launched March 21 in Newport,
USA, and off on its delivery to Antigua April
4, her first regatta outing is also her shakedown
sail - and a hard one at that.
Tom
Hill's Reichel-Pugh 75 Titan XXII reveled in today's
conditions storming home to two wins putting her
in second place in Big Boat Racing I. "We
did a good job getting off the line. We made a
game plan before the start that the pin end was
favored and thought that there'd be some nice
shifts off the shore," said tactician, Peter
Holmberg. "Good first legs and then when
it's blowing this hard, the table turns our way
a little on the downhill. They [Morning Glory
and Pyewacket] get us upwind still but once it
gets over 25 [knots] Titan will get up and plane
and go almost as fast or faster than them downwind.
We maximized the downwinds, went full speed and
tried not to crash."
Titan
sailed a reasonably clean race barring one broach
out of a gybe caused by a jammed sheet that cost
them 20-30 seconds. Pyewacket continued to have
problems including a torn spinnaker at the first
windward mark of the first race. Morning Glory
had problems too including a spinnaker drop that
went awry. At the end of today's racing Morning
Glory leads by five points and barring disaster
is in good shape to take class and fleet prizes
tomorrow.
In
the battle of the Swans in Big Boat II, Chippewa
and Aspiration each won a race today, Chippewa
leads the class by two points but it all comes
down to tomorrow between the two.
In
Racing III, Transpac 52 Rosebud, Ker 55 Aera and
Swan 56 Lolita were first, second and third respectably
in both races today. At twenty-seven points behind
Morning Glory, Frank Savage's Lolita is out of
the running for the fleet prize but is fifth overall.
Beneteau
First Class 10 Guardian Star opened up her lead
the "Caribbean class", Racing IV with
a second and a first place today. Carlo Falcone's
Caccia Alla Volpe and Dougie Myers' Legacy tussled
their way around the courses today in some close
racing that resulted in a protest that was thrown
out by the jury. Legacy is second in class, three
points ahead of Caccia and a battle will reign
tomorrow. Jamie Holmes' Lost Horizon II did not
finish the first race and never made it back for
the second and is out of the running.
With
a second and a first today, J/44 Mabuhay II's
grip on Racer/Cruiser I looks insurmountable,
six points head of Swan 48 Crescendo. Matt Abbiss'
Disco Inferno is lying third.
John
Duffy's Jagga from the UK notched another two
wins on its wheel today and is tied for first
place with the BVI's Pipe Dream with Peter Haycraft
at the wheel. Tango Mike and white Lady are tied
for third.
Donald
Tofias' W-76 White Wings earned her first win
today in Performance Cruiser I on the division
B course. Back after a Caribbean sabbatical, White
Wings is competing as non-spinnaker boat for the
first time because flying one "hammered"
its rating. "But you still have to go downwind,"
said Donald, "so we elected to use two headsails
and a spinnaker pole and it has worked out very
well".
"Today
we were going 11 1/2 knots downwind on that long
leg." Having taken the gun three times so
far, today was the first win on corrected time
as well. "There are a lot of small boats
in the fleet, there are a few boats that we owe
twenty and thirty minutes to that we have to beat
by twenty or thirty minutes and the races aren't
long enough to stretch it out especially to windward
but we're having a good time."
Pavlova
II, Richard Burbidge's Swan 43, continues to lead
Performance Cruiser III after another win today
with Antigua's Trouble and Sky Hunter from the
UK tied for second place.
David
Cullen's Farrfly has a ten point lead over La
Bauling in Cruising I after another win today.
Doug De Cluitt's Columbia 50 is third.
Beneteau
50 Island Flyer continues to cement her lead in
Bareboat I taking lin hours and securing her lead
on corrected time. Nanuk trails by five points
with Grant four points behind her.
Antigua
veteran Jan Soderberg has found his feet with
Rosco in Bareboat II winning by a substantial
margin today. Helidore and Foudre will be battling
it for second place tomorrow.
DSD
Carnival and Durley Dene are four for four in
Bareboat III and VI respectively. DSD Carnival
lead the Bareboat fleet by a comfortable margin
of 10 points with Soderberg's Rosco second. Carrie
On, another Bareboat III boat is third in fleet.
Dudi
Coletti's Laurel leads Bareboat IV and Alexander
Pfeiffer's XL leads Bareboat V. Special mention
goes to Geomat Blanchet and SAP Blanchet in Bareboat
IV. These entries from Guadeloupe are crewed by
school children sailing for the first time with
their teachers at the helm.
Tomorrow
sees the last official day of racing with the
Ocean Race. Saturday, the prize giving is preceded
with the Second Annual Bareboat Challenge Championship
Race.
The
Lord Nelson's Ball and prize giving wraps the
event on Saturday evening.
For
more information on Antigua Sailing Week visit:
www.sailingweek.com.
Stanford International Bank Limited is a diamond
sponsor of the event. Platinum sponsors are Air
Jamaica, Cable & Wireless, English Harbour
Rum and American Express. LIAT is a Silver sponsor
while Sticky Wicket Restaurant and Going Places
Travel are Copper sponsors.
