Caribbean vibes
With the migration season to the Caribbean well underway, there couldn’t be a better time to plan a trip to one of the many popular race week regattas Words: Sue Pelling
C
onstant sunshine, warm breezes, and unforgettable blue water racing and Caribbean style partying on
offer, makes it easy to understand why the Caribbean is so popular as a winter retreat.
Thanks to continuing development and expansion of marinas in places like Grenada and the British Virgin Island, the Caribbean has seen a significant rise of international interest at sailing events in the Caribbean. Events such as Antigua Sailing Week (ASW) – one of the classics – for example has had to face stiff competition in recent years as more and more regattas are introduced or relaunched.
Thankfully the organisers of events such as ASW recognised the competition of other regattas as a benefit and, with support from Caribbean Sailing Association (CSA), which promotes each event with its own identity and ensures dates rarely clash, the circuit is flourishing.
The main Caribbean race season runs from January to late April, which not only avoids the hurricane season, but it also gives overseas visitors plenty of time to make their Atlantic trip worthwhile.
Many teams, particularly pro teams, use the Caribbean circuit as an ideal shake down to the northern hemisphere race season.
For those cruising the Caribbean this season therefore, the following snapshot of what’s happening on the circuit may be useful as a guide. Either sign up as a team at one of the many superyacht regattas, or for those who happen to be based where one of the smaller regattas are taking place, there is always an opportunity to bag a place on someone else’s yacht.
©2019 STIR
longest standing regattas and offers plenty of record-breaking opportunities in the 60nm Mount Gay Round Barbados Race where it is possible for teams to win their skippers’ weight in Mount Gay Rum if they break any of the current records. This headline event is in addition to the three-day coastal series, and the unrivalled Bajan hospitality that includes the legendary Mount Gay Rum Red Cap party.
GRENADA SAILING WEEK When 26-31 January Where St George’s Bay and Mount Hartman Bay Website
grenadasailingweek.com The Caribbean season calendar has been
BARBADOS SAILING WEEK When 17-23 January Where Barbados Cruising Club, Aquatic Gap, St Michael, near Bridgetown Website
roundbarbados.com A great week of racing to kick the season off is the Barbados Sailing Week hosted by Barbados Cruising Club in association with Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc and Mount Gay. It definitely marks the start of the Caribbean race season. Established in 1936, this is one of the Caribbean’s
designed to make it possible for racing fanatics to hop from one event to the next so, after Barbados, the obvious next stop is Grenada Sailing Week, which is about 130nm away. As one of the key Caribbean circuit regattas, Grenada Sailing Week attracts keen racing sailors, including the strong Caribbean J/24 fleet, which enjoys close racing on the west and south coast of the island. Shoreside, the fine Caribbean hospitality at a variety of venues has been specially selected to showcase the beautiful island of Grenada.
RORC CARIBBEAN 600 When 24-28 February Where English Harbour, Antigua Website
caribbean600.rorc.org The RORC Caribbean 600 is a popular offshore yacht race starting and finishing in Antigua. Organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) in association with Antigua Yacht Club, this annual classic offers challenging racing on the 600nm course around 11 Caribbean
islands.RORC Caribbean 600. Not for the faint hearted!
ST MAARTEN HEINEKEN REGATTA When 5-8 March Where Simpson Bay, St Maarten Website
heinekenregatta.com St Maarten Heineken Regatta celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2020 so, as well as the high profile racing on offer, there’ll be plenty of opportunities for partying. The event also follows on from the Caribbean Multihull Challenge II (14-16 February) at the same venue, which means it is possible to compete in both for an opportunity to win a Grand Combination Prize of an Oris Swiss Watch worth in excess of US$2,000. And lets face it, the island is quite a good sport for some rest and relaxation before the next regatta gets underway.
114 | WINTER 2020 | ONBOARD
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168
