Acyr2017programme

The Antigua Yacht Club presents the 30th Annual

Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta 19th–25th April, 2017 PROGRAMME

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PANERAI

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MOUNT GAY DISTILLERIES pRESIDENTE

NatioNal Parks authority oNdeck oceaN raciNg aNtigua yacht club MariNa chiPPy FiNe yacht WoodWork Woodstock boatbuilders

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ACYR2017 TAblE Of COnTEnTs 4 Governor General’s Welcome & Sailing Week 5 Commodore’s Welcome 6 Classic Committees 7 Welcome from the Chair 8 Sponsors 12 Regatta News 13 Race Information 14 Regatta Information 15 Race Maps 16 Safety on the Course 18 Contributors 23 What is a Classic?

24 Three Cheers for the Volunteers – Kirsti Pickering 26 Memoirs of a Chairman’s Wife – Jane Coombs 29 Way back when – Kim Devin 30 Concours d’Elégance – John Steele 32 Marguerite T – Michael “Scrim” Strzalkowski 34 Single-Handed Race – Tim Wall 40 The Spirit of Tradition Class 42 The Introduction of the Spirit of Tradition Class – Donald Tofias 44 For the Love of Schooners – Malcolm Banks 48 Three Decades of Delicious Sailing – Lucy Tulloch 52 The Traditional Class – Alexis Andrews 54 A Broad Reach down Memory Lane – Frank Pearce 56 A Blast from the Past 58 Fife’s Magic Dragons of English Harbour – Jane Coombs 60 Boatbuilding & Restoration in Antigua – Gilly Gobinet 64 The Spirit of the Regatta – Jan Hein 66 Remembrance of Things Past 67 Tall Ships 68 2016 Entries 70 Trophy Winners COVER IMAGE

by Cory Silken, featuring Mary Rose, Adventuress thIs IMAGE Onne van der Wal

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Welcome from the Government of AntiGuA & BArBudA Message of congratulations from the Governor General The Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta is now an established staple on our marine calendar and is a highly anticipated event during our sailing season.This year is a very special one for the Classic Yacht Regatta in that it marks the 30th year of hosting top class schooners and other classic yachts from across the globe.

This is indeed a noteworthy achievement and important milestone in a special event which not only brings excitement to the participants and event hosts alike, but also serves as an important contributor to the economy. It therefore gives me great pleasure to join my wife Lady Williams in extending special congratulations to the organizing team and participants on the achievement of this important milestone.

This celebration is made even more special in a year when our own Nelson’s Dockyard, one of the host harbours for the Classic Yacht Regatta, has been declared a World Heritage Site. Indeed these two achievements can only be the result of the significant and selfless contributions of many persons working behind the scenes to enable the successful outcomes that we can celebrate today! A heartfelt thank you is expressed to all those unnamed individuals who continue to work in the interest of our nation’s development.

Happy 30th year to the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta! Happy Sailing! Best wishes for a successful 2017 event.

Sincerely,

His Excellency Sir Rodney Williams gCmg, kgN, kSt.j, gCfo, mBBS (uWI) governor-general of Antigua and Barbuda

Antigu SAiling Week celebrAteS 50 yeArS AntiguA of fAbulouS cAribbeAn yAcht rAcing!

April 29 to MAy 5, 2017

photograph by cory silken

In April and may 2017, Antigua Sailing Week will be celebrating 50 years of yacht racing in Antigua. following on from the 30th Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta, the granddaddy of Caribbean regattas, the 50th Antigua Sailing Week, will then take place from April 29 to may 5, ending with the inaugural Antigua to Bermuda Race starting on may 12.

To celebrate the 50th Antigua Sailing Week, organisers are planning a week-long island-wide party. Serious racing will be followed daily by a wide variety of social events, including a music festival, which will take place at venues around the island for sailors, residents and visitors alike. The now-famous Peters & may Round Antigua Race precedes the full week of racing, is scored separately and provides an excellent opportunity for classic yachts still in Antigua to be part of the excitement of Antigua Sailing Week’s 50th. for those less serious racers who don’t want to miss being a part of this illustrious event, organisers have added a new Club Class to the racing line-up to make the 50th even more inclusive.

Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of Antigua Sailing Week’s 50th once-in-a-lifetime month-long celebration of 50 years of yacht racing in Antigua!

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photograph by alexis andrews

WelcoMe froM the coMMoDore of the AntiguA yAcht club

photograph by cory silken

photograph by lucy tulloch

Welcome to our little bit of paradise, whether you are returning or visiting our island for the first time.

Antigua Yacht Club is proud that we are able to run Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta and have the facilities, the people and the superb sailing conditions for it to continue as a World Class Event that attracts beautiful boats and wonderful people from all around the world.

We continue to improve our little bit of real estate and hope you enjoy the beer garden and dancing the night away on the new, improved apron in front of the Club. Also, why not take the opportunity to sample the widely differing menus of our two on-site restaurants, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner?

We’re also working hard to develop our Youth Sailing Programme and have had Antiguan youngsters representing their country at various regattas, as far afield as New Zealand. We also hosted OPTINAM again during the summer of 2016 for 120 youngsters from 21 countries, and are looking at the possibility of hosting The optimists Worlds in the not too distant future.

While you’re here, we’d love it if you would take the time to become a member, rates are competitive, and not everyone has the kudos of being a member of a World Class Yacht Club, based here in the Caribbean.

We realise that most of you will be returning shortly to other parts of the world, and whether it be by sea or by air, we wish you Bon Voyage and look forward to welcoming you back next year.

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Franklyn Braithwaite, Commodore of the Antigua Yacht Club

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STEERING COMMITTEE Chairman Emeritus Co-Chairs Founding Members

photograph by cory silken

Kenny Coombs Jane Coombs, Alexis Andrews Julian Guildersleeve, Tony Maidment

ORGANISING COMMITTEE Fleet Captain Regatta Coordinator Sponsor Liaison at Large Press Officer Programme Editor Trophies Gig Racing Single-Handed Race Registration Hospitality Coordinator

Tony Maidment Kirsti Pickering Kristi Chesher Ginny Field Gilly Gobinet Clare Cupples Flip Bamford Tim Wall Rowena Dery Leslie Arnold

RACE COMMITTEE Race Coordinator Race Officer Rating Officers Results Jury

Clare Cupples Stephen Parry Tony Maidment, Richard Archer Luiz Kahl,Yacht Scoring David Pelling

COMMITTEE BOAT TEAM Gunner Steve Spanis Flags Tim and Caroline DeGavre Timekeeper Anne Morcom Communications Mike Rose Spotter Fran Nobbs Recorder Angela Parry Finisher John Nobbs SuPPORT Antigua Yacht Club Inshore Mark Boat Offshore Mark Boat Paramedics Safety Patrol Ambassadors at Large

Karl James, Dave Fitzmaurice Winston Harris m/v Jackie Jane Rowan ‘Archie’ Bailey m/v White Eagle ABSAR Antigua Barbuda Coast Guard Alexis Howard, Malcolm Banks and Mat Barker

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Welcome from the chAir Welcome everyone to this special 30th celebration of the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta.

Thirty years, in which hundreds of salty craft of every description and thousands of sailors have found their way to our small island and raced in our sparkling blue seas.

Since our humble beginnings in 1987, Antigua, in mid April, has increasingly become “the place to be” for classic, vintage and traditional boat enthusiasts from all walks of life to come and share their passion.

When we decided to develop the small classic class in Sailing Week into its own event, we were all quite young without a grey hair in sight and had no idea what we were starting or what it would become. It has indeed proved to be a fascinating journey.

Lifelong friendships have been formed and unforgettable experiences and memories that will be with us forever. As one of our regular competitors likes to say, “this is my Christmas, my favourite time of the year!”

We offer a warm welcome to all our regular competitors and first timers alike. We honour your commitment to your vessels irrespective of size or budget. We know what it takes to keep an old boat alive and sailing or to bring a Spirit of Tradition yacht from the seed of an idea to completion and we salute you for your vision and enterprising spirit.

There would be no prospect of a Regatta without our sponsors, both local and international, who have supported us loyally over the years. We invite you to enjoy meeting them and learning more about their products and services. We are very proud to be the opening Regatta in the prestigious Panerai Classic Yacht Challenge series since 2006.

We would also like to welcome our Committee Boat, Race Committee and the small army of volunteers who arrive from who knows where every year to give their time cheerfully to take care of all the finer details that make this event fall into place.We have arranged some special events to showcase our world famous Caribbean hospitality and to celebrate this special year in style.

So, enjoy our perfect, trade wind sailing that these old girls love the best, take care of the boats and each other and please sail safely and respectfully – and most of all, have fun!

We look forward to seeing you next year from 18 to 24 April 2018.

JANE COOMBS

ALExIS ANDREWS

photograph by cory silken

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2017 SPoNSoRS

PANERAI

CLASSIC YACHTS CHALLENGE There remains one area of competitive sport in which beauty still prevails over performance, elegance trumps speed and passion counts more than investment. This is the world of classic sailing, in which the Florentine luxury sports watchmaker Officine Panerai is the undisputed protagonist through its sponsorship of the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge, the leading international circuit of its kind, now in its thirteenth season.

Since its debut in 2005, the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge has expanded to include ten of the world’s most prestigious classic yacht regattas, divided into two circuits, one on the mediterranean Sea (Les Voiles d’Antibes and Régates Royales in france; Argentario Sailing Week and Le Vele d’Epoca di Imperia in Italy; Copa del Rey in Spain) and one in North America (Corinthian Classic Yacht Regatta in marblehead, mA; opera House Cup and Sail Nantucket Regatta in Nantucket, mA; Newport Classic Yacht Regatta in Newport, RI).

The PCYC regatta roster also includes two unique events, which for geographical reasons are not included in either of the circuits,

yet nonetheless represent two not-to-be-missed fixtures for their prestige and long tradition: the Panerai British Classic Week in Cowes, on the Isle of Wight (uk), and the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta, which every year opens the PCYC season and this year marks the 30th Anniversary for the event.

“We are sincerely proud to be again alongside the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta to celebrate this special anniversary. This regatta has been telling a story made of real passion, precision and craftsmanship for so many years: our best wishes to all the people who make this possible”, says Angelo Bonati, CEO of Officine Panerai.

In honour of its historical associations with the sea, Officine Panerai has been committed to the promotion of classic yachting culture for many years. By lending its support to these important competitions, the Italian high-end watchmaker hopes to enrich the events with new elements and excitement, and to encourage the participation of yacht owners and enthusiasts around the world.

www.panerai.com www.paneraiclassicyachtschallenge.com

photograph by cory silken

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2017 SPoNSoRS

To celebrate its 314th Anniversary, Mount Gay unveils a new rum: 1703 Master Select for more than three centuries, mount gay has perpetuated a long-standing Barbadian tradition, producing the world’s oldest refined rum, using only the finest sugar cane molasses and pure water filtered through the coral heart of the island.

All mount gay rums are made from a blend of single column and double copper pot distillates and matured in toasted oak barrels. 1703 Master Select is a blend of both rum distillates, ranging from 10 to 30 years, delivering elegance and a complexity of aromas in a full body with a smooth finish. Allen Smit, our Cellar Master, has hand selected 100 of his most mature casks for this blend. Each batch is bottled, labelled and packed by hand, resulting in a special limited edition.

MOUNT GAY Rum has been proudly sponsoring one of the finest and exclusive Regattas in the world since 1999.

What better way to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the world renowned Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta than by drinking a glass of finest Mount Gay 1703 Master Select in its honour!.

Mount Gay is owned by Rémy-Cointreau SA. www.mountgay.com-www.facebook.com/mountgayrum- #mountgayrum® © 2016 Mount Gay Distilleries Ltd. Mount Gay Rum® Please Drink Responsibly photograph by tobias stoerkle

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2017 SPoNSoRS Presidente Beer brings you the true essence of the Caribbean! Nothing else can compare to its refreshing, smooth and lively taste. That’s why every sip becomes a celebration! Considered as The True Taste of The Caribbean, Presidente Beer is crafted by brew masters who profoundly understand the Caribbean taste and lifestyle.

Presidente is a brand of Pilsner owned and produced by Cervecería Nacional Dominicana (CND), the largest and most prestigious beer company in the Dominican Republic. Since 1929, Presidente Beer has been brewed and bottled

by CND and is the dominant beer in its market. The distributor in Antigua is kennedys Ltd.

Official Clothing Sponsor ondeck Antigua’s base is in the heart of the sailing community in falmouth Harbour, where we operate an RYA and mCA training school offering training for both professional and leisure sailors on sail and power boats. We can take people from novice to ocean Yachtmaster and also for mCA STCW training and renewals. . ondeck also caters for corporate events, bareboat charters and day sailing.

As the clothing sponsor, we offer a range of Classics, technical and leisure gear which can be branded for yacht crews and ordered in advance Contact details pa@ondecksailing.com +1 268 562 6696

photograph by lucy tulloch

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2017 SPoNSoRS Dockage Day Sponsors

ANTIGuA YACHT CLuB MARINA & RESORT Situated in falmouth Harbour, the full service AYC marina is ideally located for all services in English and falmouth Harbours. Boats drawing up to 22ft can be accommodated stern to/alongside and all berths have water, cable TV, electricity (110/220, 380V up to 400amps).

We offer duty free fuel facilities and pumps directly to your slip at 250ltr/minute. We host participants in Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta followed by Antigua Sailing Week. The AYC marina Resort comprises a 19 room hotel with 30 executive suites fully equipped with a fitness centre,Turkish steam bath, and Spa.

Tel: +1(268) 460.1544 | Fax: +1(268) 460.1444 aycmarina@candw.ag www.aycmarina.com VHF Ch. 68

ANTIGuA & BARBuDA NATIONAL PARKS AuTHORITY Established in 1984 to preserve and maintain the historical sites of Antigua and Barbuda, the NPA is the caretaker of numerous beautiful sites such as:The Dow Hill Center, Shirley Heights, fort Berkeley and Nelson’s Dockyard. Located in English Harbour, Nelson’s Dockyard is one of the safest and most beautiful natural anchorages in the Caribbean, as well as one of only two working georgian dockyards in the world.

Tel: +1(268) 481 5021/5022 natpark@candw.ag|| www.nationalparksantigua.com

Local Supporters CHIPPY FINE YACHT WOODWORK

WOODSTOCK BOATBuILDERS

A long standing supporter of the ACYR and a mark sponsor.

Located in falmouth for almost 30 years, Chippy provides high quality woodwork, including decks and spars on many of the charter and private yachts visiting Antigua.

Proud sponsors of the outer mark since 1990, Woodstock offer a full refit service and are the Caribbean agents for Teakdecking Systems. facilities include: metal fabrication, on-board mIg & TIg welding, paint refinishing, composite construction, marine diesel engineering, teak decking and, of course, fine joinery. The Woodstock Trophy is presented each year to the Best Restored Yacht.

Tel: +1(268) 460 1832 Cell: +1(268) 464 2447 (CHIP) bardoe@candw.ag

Tel: +1(268) 463 6359 • office@woodstockboats.com www.woodstockboats.com photograph by cory silken

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Regatta News New Trophy from Pendennis This year the highly reputable boatyard Pendennis, that built the stunning Rebecca and successfully re-fitted the lovely threemaster Adix, will be offering a new Trophy for the most Beautiful Yacht in the Spirit of Tradition Class

Classic Boat Magazine joins Antigua Classics as International Media Partner We are delighted and proud to be working together with the prestigious Classic Boat Magazine to bring news as it happens during the event to a global audience.

photograph by onne van der wal

A Tribute to Kenny Coombs for the Antigua Yacht Club

photograph by bruce amlicke

john Bertola and mary Avery of Superyachts Supermodels are pictured right presenting a finely detailed model of the Coombs family yacht Cora to jane Coombs as a gift to the Antigua Yacht Club in honour of her late husband kenny, the Antigua Classics Chairman of 26 years. On the cabinet beside them is another of their 1.50 models of the vintage Committee Boat Flying Buzzard These impeccable creations join a list of nearly 300 highly prized models that john has built at his studio in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex for such discerning clients as the Aga khan, The Sultan of Brunai and several j Class owners. They are built of wood, aluminium and brass using solely hand tools and each one represents at least 800 man-hours. Cora will enjoy pride of place in the Antigua Yacht Club for evermore thanks to their thoughtful and well-received donation.

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Race Information 2017 WEDNESDAY 19th APRIL

0800 – 1800 hrs Arrival, Registration and Inspections (All captains must register to receive important information. No registrations accepted after 1800hrs)

THURSDAY 20th APRIL

judging for the Concours d’Elégance CLASSIC SINGLE-HANDED RACE Skippers’ Briefing at 1700 hrs

FRIDAY 21st APRIL

RACE 1

SATURDAY 22nd APRIL

RACE 2

SUNDAY 23rd APRIL

RACE 3

MONDAY 24th APRIL

RACE 4 PRIZE GIVING CEREMONY AT 2030 HRS

TUESDAY 25th APRIL

Afternoon gig Racing at 1400 hrs and Cream Tea Party at 1500 hrs at the Admiral’s Inn

ALL RACE STARTS (EXCEPT SINGLE-HANDED) ARE AT 1000 HRS A full schedule of events, including parties, social events and other exciting special activities to celebrate our 30th year, will be available at registration, the Skippers’ Briefing and on our website www.antiguaclassics.com and Facebook. photograph by tobias stoerkle

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Regatta Information OBJECTIVE: To encourage owners and crews of classic and traditional yachts to sail alongside each other on courses designed to be without the tight quarters of other events, so that racing is fun and safe for hard-to-manage and older vessels of any size. The emphasis is on sailing together rather than on racing, as well as on the enjoyment of the ideal conditions of the Caribbean Sea. REGISTRATION: All captains must register to confirm arrival and receive important information. The Registration Desk will be open on Wednesday 19th April only, from 0800 to 1800 hrs. Registrations will not be accepted after this time. ANY YACHT NOT PROPERLY REGISTERED WILL NOT BE SCORED IN THE RESuLTS.

COURSES: Examples of courses can be seen on the website and on the page opposite. Official course cards will be handed out at the Skippers’ Briefing. Each course is approximately 24 miles, but maybe shortened to suit prevailing conditions. Starts and finishes are immediately outside falmouth Harbour.

SCORING: The Low Point System A4 will apply. one race completed will constitute a series.

DOCKAGE: up to date information will be posted on our website.

CONCOURS D’ELÉGANCE: To take place on the morning of Thursday 20th April; please enter at Registration..

RULES: Racing will be governed by World Sailing’s RRS 2017-2020.

Antigua Classic safety rules will apply.

SINGLE-HANDED RACE: A Single-Handed Race will take place on Thursday 20th April in the afternoon, after Concours d’Elégance judging.

ADVERTISING: Advertising will be restricted to Category A (no advertising allowed).

PRIZES and PRIZE GIVING: A list of prizes and trophies to be awarded will be given in the Sailing Instructions. The Prize giving Ceremony and Party will be held on the evening of monday 24th April at 2030 hrs.

ELIGIBILITY: All sailing yachts should have a full keel, be of heavy to moderate displacement, built of wood or steel and be of traditional rig and appearance. old craft using modern materials such as epoxy or glass sheathing, or new craft built along the lines of an old design are acceptable.

Vessels built of other materials may be accepted if they have a gaff or traditional schooner rig. fibreglass yachts must have a full long keel with a keel-hung rudder, and be a descendant of a wooden boat design. Yachts not fitting into the above categories may apply in writing with documents and photographs or drawings to support their request for entry. All entries are subject to approval by the Committee, whose decision is final.

ENTRIES: All yachts unknown to the Regatta must complete a PreEntry form (available on the website www.antiguaclassics.com) and submit it along with photographs of hull and rig for approval. Previous entrants should email entry@antiguaclassics.com and will be sent the codes to update their online entry. Information is available on the website and from the Antigua Yacht Club. Official Entry, entry fees and any requested documentation should be submitted no later than1st April 2017 to avoid late fees.

A YACHT IS NOT AN OFFICIAL ENTRY uNTIL THE RATING INFORMATION IS SuBMITTED, THE RATING INFORMATION COMPLETED AND THE ENTRY FEE PAID IN FuLL. To be eligible for the Concours d’Elégance and/or the Single-Handed Race, a yacht MuST be an Official Entry.

FEES: .

Up to 50ft 51ft to 99ft Above 100ft

Before march 1 $6 US/ft $8 uS/ft $10 uS/ft

After march 1 $10 US/ft $12 uS/ft $14 uS/ft

Entries will NoT be considered after 17th April 2017. Please enter early MEASUREMENT AND RATINGS: All measurements must be given on the Entry form and attached sail declaration. A Classic Simplified CSA rating will be issued for each yacht. The Committee reserves the right to question information submitted on Entry forms.

Any measurement fees incurred for verification will be charged to the yacht. Spirit of Tradition yachts must obtain a current CSA measurement certificate from a measurer and submit it with their Entry Form.

SAILING INSTRUCTIONS: Sailing instructions will be issued at the Skippers’ Briefing on Thursday 20th April at 1800hrs.

VENUE: up to date information will be posted on our website

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TRADEMARKS/COPYRIGHT: The names Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta, Antigua Classic Regatta and Antigua Classic Week, together with the Regatta Logos, marks, & motifs are copyrighted and/or trademarked by the Antigua Yacht Club and may only be used with the express written permission of the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta Committee.

Official merchandise and crew uniforms can be supplied by our official merchandise supplier, ondeck ocean Racing.

DISCLAIMER: Competitors participate in this Regatta entirely at their own risk. See Rule 4, Decision to Race. The organising Authority (the Antigua Sailing Association) together with the Antigua Yacht Club and the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta Committee, will not accept any liability for material damage, personal injury, or death sustained in conjunction with or prior to, during, or after the Regatta.

FURTHER INFORMATION: please contact us at: Antigua Yacht Club, English Harbour, St. Paul’s, Antigua & Barbuda Telephone/Fax: +1 268 460 1799 Email info@antiguaclassics.com www.antiguaclassics.com

Classes

TRADITIONAL: fishing or cargo vessels, built or converted to sail.

VINTAGE: Yachts with a full keel in original condition designed and launched before World War II. CLASSIC: Yachts with a full keel designed and launched after World War II. CLASSIC GRP: fibreglass yachts with long keels and descendants of wooden boat design.

SPIRIT OF TRADITION: Yachts built recently using modern methods and design, but retaining the original grace and style of the old classics.

TALL SHIPS: Sail training and passenger vessels.

Note 1 Classes will be sub-divided according to performance, size, type and rig.

Note 2 Spirit of Tradition Class, Classic gRP and Tall Ships will each be sailing for a separate prize structure.

rAce mAPS

photograph by cory silken

SINGLE-HANDED RACE THuRSDAY, 20TH APRIL

RACE 1 ‘OLD ROAD’ FRIDAY, 21ST APRIL

RACE 2 ‘THE BuTTERFLY’ SATuRDAY, 22ND APRIL

RACE 3 ‘THE KENNY COOMBS MEMORIAL CANNON RACE’ SuNDAY, 23RD APRIL

RACE 4 ‘WINDWARD’ MONDAY, 24TH APRIL

Full details and course maps will be given at the Skippers’ Briefing but to give you a taste of what to expect, here are typical courses which take the best advantage of wind, sea, scenery and skill.

The Committee will make final course decisions based on the weather and sea conditions prevailing at the time.

SPectAtor informAtion

For those unable to take to the water, the racing fleet may be enjoyed from a number of vantage points. You can reach the Shirley Heights area by road or by hiking up the ‘Lookout Trail’ or the ‘Jones Valley Trail’ which both start along the road leading to Galleon Beach. Please take care not to trespass on private property. Blacks Point and the surrounding area, known as Middle Ground, may be reached by taking trails leading up from Pigeon Beach or from Fort Berkeley which is accessed from Nelson’s Dockyard.

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The Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta has enjoyed a good safety record throughout its history; however, here are a few tips on safety that can help keep the Regatta safe and fun: (every captain, helmsman and bowman should know the rules of the road and the racing rules.The larger yachts are skippered by professionals who know these rules so it pays for the cruisers to read up on them as well to avoid a dangerous situation).  Don’t make any sudden course changes in the path of a larger and faster yacht coming up behind you. most of the incidents are caused by this.

Sail your course and look behind you before making a course change even if you have rights. make your change early.

Common sense must be paramount, and it is dangerous to push your luck.  In the same manner that anyone would not challenge their rights with a supertanker, skippers and crews of smaller yachts must consider the

photograph by tim wright

SAfety on the rAce courSe Eilean with Old Bob – this colourful ketch has been a lively and entertaining competitor over the years and her vibrant spirit has been so missed at the last couple of Regattas that other participants took to wearing t-shirts with “Where’s Old Bob?” on the back! implications when a large gaff rigged yacht is required to alter course. for example, it can take 3–4 minutes to get the preventers off, pull in yards of sheet by hand, get sails between the masts down on deck, before the helmsman can even start to turn the wheel to change course!  It takes some time before a larger yacht answers the helm, and on some bigger classics with direct steering it can require two people to turn the wheel fast enough to try and avoid a collision. forcing any big yacht into a crash jibe can be disastrous! manoeuvring takes time and planning and at 10 knots, a boat will cover half a mile in just 3

minutes and furthermore, when a large yacht turns, it pivots in the middle, so her stern actually comes closer to you as her bow bears away.  It always pays to keep an eye out for the larger, faster yachts coming up from behind, especially at a mark rounding where the big yachts need a wide turning space. give them room to get to the outside, and everyone will get around safely.  It’s not easy to imagine what it takes to manoeuvre a large yacht, unless you have been racing on one. The safest thing is to do is keep clear, at a distance and enjoy the magnificent sight as they majestically sail on by.

Antigua Barbuda Search and rescue (ABSAr) has been providing emergency medical and rescue services to the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta for many years. We are proud to be a part of this extraordinary event.

ABSAR is a non-profit organisation of volunteers dedicated to saving lives. Based at the Antigua Yacht Club and the Antigua Yacht Club Marina, we are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We specialise in search and rescue, emergency medical, and marine fire response. In 2016 we answered 14 search and rescue calls for which logistical support was provided, launched our emergency rescue boat 9 times, activated the Emergency Beacon 2 times, responded to 85 emergency calls in response vehicles, treated 505 medical patients and supported seven regattas.!

ABSAR relies on your donations for its existence. We need your help…‘so that others may live.’

ABSAR | Antigua Yacht Club Marina | Falmouth Harbour | Antigua Tel: + (268) 562.1234 | VHF: Marine Channel 16 info@absar.org | www.absar.org 16

2017 SPONSOR

Our Maritime training centre in Antigua is approved by the MCA and RYA to run the most internationally recognized courses for both commercial and leisure boat users.

We also offer Caribbean cruising, Corporate incentives, Regatta charters and Transatlantic sailing

• Official clothing supplier to Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta • RYA Training base in Falmouth Harbour • MCA STCW 95 Courses available • Caribbean Regattas • Professional & friendly crews

antigua@ondecksailing.com (268) 562-6696

CALm, uNSPoILED, PRoTECTED Sail into history in the most beautiful marina in the Caribbean

Simply dock and enjoy.

nelson’s dockyard marina • 54 slips • bow moorings • three phase electricity • 24 hour security • cable television & internet • water • restaurants, stores, hotels & tours • waste oil disposal • immigration & customs • restrooms • shower & laundry • host to every major regatta & show in the Antigua yachting calendar.

Book your berth online now and visit us at www.nelsonsdockyardmarina.com for more information email: info@nelsonsdockyardmarina.com telephone: +1 (268) 481-5033/5

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The Classics Committee greatly appreciates all the generous contributions from the photographers and authors mentioned below, without whom this Programme would not be possible.

Cory Silken is a nautical and portrait photographer. Whether capturing the action at a regatta, setting the mood for a brochure, or making stunning images for a new book, Silken has a classy and refined creative palette to make photographs that are truly memorable. www.corysilken.com +1(617) 869 6767 Jane Coombs is well-known for her line of greeting cards and sepia images of the classic racing circuit. She is a founding member of the ACYR and has been contributing her photographs and meticulously researched articles to this Programme since the Regatta began. jccomfortzone@gmail.com +1(268) 720 3926 Tim Wright spends most of the year afloat in the Caribbean region where he is now considered the leading practitioner of marine photography. Working from a tiny 12ft inflatable gives him incredible manoeuvrability, allowing him to get frighteningly close to the action.

Tim’s photographs are a mainstay of the Regatta Programme. www.photoaction.com +1(784) 457 3212 Lucy Tulloch grew up sailing in the Greek islands and has been passionate about photography from a young age. Living in the Caribbean for over 20 years, her love for traditional sailing boats is evident in her images. As a marine photographer she is known for her candid action shots from getting down and dirty in the scuppers.

She exhibits her work at local art galleries.

More at www.thelucy.com +1 (268) 720 6868

Jan Hein is a freelance writer, photographer, educator and cruising sailor. janjhein@gmail.com Ed Whiting was called “the photographer from the blue” on one trip, and it stuck. He is passionate about water, especially our seas and oceans, and hopes that this resonates in his photography, capturing both the joy of sailing and the beauty of the experience and the skills involved. www.fromtheblue.co.uk ed@fromtheblue.co.uk +44(0)1373 303550 +44(0)7973445242 (mobile) Anna-Karin Sundquist is a Swedish designer, artist and photographer and writes for cruising magazines. On her Aphrodite 37, she has sailed the Med, Cape Verde, Brazil, Surinam, the Caribbean and the Bahamas.

Her love of art and classic yachts has taken her to Maine and the uS east coast. www.sailunicorn.com www.artbyak.se anna@sailunicorn.com Tobias Stoerkle is a German-based photographer with a particular interest in sailing, especially classic yachts. www.sailing-photography.com – info@sailing-photography.com www.blende64.com – info@blende64.com +49 (0) 7552 6114 Heike Schwab covers all major regattas in the Med., the Middle East, the uS west coast and Australia. www.HeikeSchwab.com +49(171 313 0814

Gilly Gobinet is an artist & illustrator, writer & editor. www.gillygobinet.com www.originalcaribbeanart.com, gillygobinet@me.com +1 (268) 464 6084 and +1 (268) 461 0761

Tug captain Frank Pearce writes regularly for the local nautical press. A marine surveyor and yacht enthusiast, he has restored several classics. tugman99@yahoo.com

Stephen Moore is a photographer and videographer steve@stevemoorephotography.com +1(268) 764 3629

Joseph Jones’ work captures the spirit of Antigua and Barbuda and can be seen online at www.josephjonesphotography.com +1 (268) 774 7317

Michael “Scrim” Strzalkowski www.scrimbones.com scrimbones@gmail.com Phones:Antigua +1(268) 772 5275 uK (+44) 7855055698 Facebook page: Scrimbones Allan Aflak has been photographing sailing regattas in his native Antigua for more than 25 years. Owner of Island Photo, Antigua’s largest photo-related business. allanaflak@gmail.com +1(268) 464 1163 Ted Martin’s enthusiasm for capturing a precious moment or a breath-taking landscape shows in his professionalism, creativity and fine finished product.Visit his gift shop inside Nelson’s Dockyard. www.photofantasyantigua.com +1 (268) 726 3148

Alison Langley is a professional nautical photographer based in Camden, Maine. She travels world-side to shoot the classics, including the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta. www.langleyphoto.com info@langleyphoto.com Onne van der Wal Onne used to love racing yachts but now has settled down as a full-time professional marine photographer, based in Newport, RI. www.vanderwal.com +1(401) 935 1635 Yachtsman Malcolm Banks is a Member at Large of the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta and one of its Roving Ambassadors. malcolmbanks@gmail.com

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA PARTNER Classic Boat magazine has joined the Antigua Classics as an International Media Partner. Visit www.classicboat.co.uk.

photograph by cory silken

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Alexis Andrews is a commercial photographer based in Antigua since 1985. While his iconic megayacht images have been featured in magazines and luxury charter advertising, he also has a passion for the Carriacou Sloops which has led to creating the West Indies Regatta in St. Barthelemy and a new award winning feature documentary called Vanishing Sail. + 1 268 724 4435 www.vanishingsail.com www.westindiesregatta.com.

Donald Tofias is the Founder, President & Yacht Developer of the W-Class™ Racing Yachts: from 22’ feet up to 135’ feet long.

W-Class™ Yacht Company, llc, One Washington Street, Newport, Rhode Island, uSA. +1(401) 619 1190 racing@w-class.com www.w-class.com Bruce Amlicke is a sailor and photographer who has been cruising on his sailboat for nearly 30 years and in the Caribbean for the past six years. His travels can be found at www.sv-wild-matilda.com and photographs at http://sv-wild-matilda.smugmug.com/. His work has been featured in numerous publications and in several books. While his specialty is wildlife photography, his works span the full range of the art. He can be contacted at bruce@sv-wild-matilda.com

PuBLISHERS The Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta Programme is published annually by the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta (ACYR), Antigua Yacht Club, falmouth Harbour, Antigua. +1 (268) 460 1799 info@antiguaclassics.com www.antiguaclassics.com gRAPHIC DESIgNER: jane Stark seamistgraphics@gmail.com EDIToR & ADVERTISINg: Gilly Gobinet +1 (268) 464 6084 gillygobinet@me.com All rights reserved. Written permission is required for reproduction of all or part of this publication. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the contents, the ACYR cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. The advertising content and the claims and opinions expressed therein are the sole responsibility of the individual advertisers. The views and statements made in any of the articles or listings are also the responsibility of the respective authors.

This Programme is printed on environmentally-friendly paper certified by the forestry Stewardship Council (fSC).

Angie Park-Sayles has worked extensively in television, then as a Technical Writer at Yale university and subsequently in the .com niche.

At present she is enjoying the simple island life as Office Manager at Gannon and Benjamin in the company of talented shipwrights and very friendly crews and sailors, as well as freelancing as a Multimedia Producer in what little spare time she has. +1(508) 693 4658 GandB@GannonAndBenjamin.com www.GannonAndBenjamin.com Jason Pickering is based in Antigua. See his superb yachting, Caribbean island and underwater photography at www.jasonpickering.com +1(268) 770 1143 Nora Wall is best-known for her extensive culinary talents, but her creativity is also reflected in the “salty dog” shots she takes of the Single-Handed race each year. nora.pelicanpt@candw.ag

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photograph by onne van der wal

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photograph by cory silken

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this page: Mary

Rose and Heron opposite above: Two very contrasting classics: the tiny 25ft Folkboat Lorema alongside the magnificent 221ft 3-master Adix opposite below: Columbia and Alexa

What is a Classic?

Most people in the yachting scene know a genuine ‘Classic’ when they see one – a yacht built in the 20s, 30s, with lines of beauty and grace, acres of canvas, fine craftsmanship and gleaming varnish are good examples.

The survivors of that golden era are unmistakably ‘Classic’ yachts. Perfect examples include Tuiga, Mary Rose, Eilean, Mariette of 1915, Coral of Cowes, Aschanti IV, Cora, and hundreds of others which are being kept to high standards.

Recently we have all seen fine examples of the craftsmanship of yesteryear carried on in modern vessels like some of the designs from Bruce King, Andre Hoek and many others. Examples of these exceptional craft include photograph cory silken Athos, Whitehawk, and Rebecca.They all have the fine lines of a Classic but are built and rigged using modern techniques and materials. Classics like Juno, Elena, Rebecca of Vineyard Haven, and others are true replicas built in recent times, using traditional methods and materials. We must also include in our definition the wonderful traditional workboats of the

photograph by jane coombs

past that are now being restored and sailing the seas as yachts, like the Carriacou sloops.

To be eligible for the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta, all entries must have a full keel, be of moderate to heavy displacement, built of wood or steel, and be of traditional rig and appearance.

Old craft restored using modern materials such as epoxy or glass sheathing, or new craft built along the lines of an old design, are acceptable. Vessels built of ferro-cement may be accepted if they have a gaff or traditional schooner rig. Fibreglass yachts must have a long keel with a keel-hung rudder and be a descendant of a wooden hull design. Exceptional yachts not fitting into the above categories may be eligible for entry in the Spirit of Tradition Class, which was initiated in Antigua, and is described in another section.

photograph by lucy tulloch

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Three cheers for the 2016 volunteers Without volunteers, the Regatta would simply not happen. I am struggling to put down in words how vital their role is in putting the whole event together. There are so many people to thank. It’s a daunting task, and I simply can’t name everyone.

photograph by ed whiting

Here goes: firstly, I have to thank the Committee Members who gladly donate their time and energies throughout the year, namely Julian, Jane, Alexis, Clare, Tim and Tony. Their collective contribution is what makes the Regatta happen, and their support and patience for me this first year has been much appreciated.

We also have an enormous number of volunteers from both Antigua and others who come or sail from miles away to be here and to help out so selflessly. Too numerous to name, but thank you to all of you.

Thanks to our Roving Ambassadors; Alexis, Malcolm and Mat for spreading the word. Leslie is in charge of hospitality and our volunteer coordinator and deserves a special photograph by jane coombs

mention for whipping everyone into shape, and recruiting volunteers year round. So three cheers to the boat wranglers, the hostesses, the parade team, the cream tea ladies, gig race organiser, the stage decorators, the tent and sign putteruppers, and all our other truly wonderful volunteers: my heartfelt thanks to everyone.

It is true: we cannot do this without you all! kirsti pickering, regatta coordinator Special thanks to our local businesses for your support and help, in particular: The Admiral’s Inn; Slipway, West Indies Oil, Digicel, Signs and Impressions, CE Bailey’s Supermarket; Two Cents.

photograph by jane coombs

photograph by jan hein photograph by jane coombs

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photograph by ed whiting

photograph by jane coombs

The Vision of Vineyard Haven Harbour GILLy GobIneT

Pictured above is the sidetracking of the 31ft gaff sloop Artemis, designed by Nat Benjamin, onto the railway prior to her launch in September 2016.

Put a master carpenter and builder together with a brilliant artist and designer and it’s not surprising that you get amazing boats of overall beauty and enduring quality. The combined enthusiasm of the very talented – and modest – Ross Gannon and Nat Benjamin and their partner Brad Abbott at their boatyard in Vineyard Haven has enabled us to enjoy some of their stunning yachts at the Antigua Classics: the magnificent schooners Juno (a regular participant), Rebecca of Vineyard Haven and the 45ft masthead sloop Eleda. The long-standing dedication, enthusiasm and team spirit of the boatyard crew have also contributed greatly to the creation of these wonderful vessels.

This is truly the realisation of the vision of Vineyard Haven Harbour.

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photograph by tim wright

Memoirs of a Chairman’s Wife JAnE COOMBS

One evening in 1986, three schooner captains met for a customary sunset rum in nelson’s Dockyard.

Captain Uli Pruesse, the irrepressible German master of what was then one of the largest sailing yachts in the world, the 114ft Aschanti of Saba, suddenly banged his fist on the table in excitement, setting the rum glasses jumping, and declared that what Antigua needed was a Schooner Race!

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As the sun went down and glasses were filled yet again, the idea was brandished about in earnest.Tony Fincham, owner of the Antigua based ferro-cement schooner New Freedom, proposed that perhaps his annual Tall Ships Race to Guadeloupe could be built on. Kenny Coombs, captain of the restored New York 40 Vixen 11, thought schooners alone would be too limiting and it should be open to all traditional craft.

By the end of the evening they had settled on the concept of a Classic Yacht Regatta to be held prior to Antigua Sailing Week in mid April.The rest, as they say, is history.

Before long the legendary Jol Byerley, a veteran classic sailor himself, had came onboard with much sage advice and ex-Whitbread sailor Julian Gildersleeve helped shape the event into a bona fide Regatta held under the auspices of the Antigua yacht Club, as it is still to this day!

In those first few years, a dozen or so yachts would scamper off to Guadeloupe, only to find they invariably ran out of wind several miles from the finish line due to the enormous wind shadow of such a lofty island! Customs and Immigration posed a problem too for a party ashore so we partied in style on the elegant Committee Boat Kalisma. By 1991 we had decided for many reasons to hold three races off the south coast of Antigua.

Local businesses supported us with prizes, Wayfarer Marine of Camden, Maine and CSR became our first sponsors and the original few trophies were donated.

I offered wifely support to Chairman Kenny for the next fifteen years, coordinating shore side shenanigans such as The Edwardian Ball, the Parade of Classics and the Henley-on-Thames style Cream Teas and Gig Racing at The Admiral’s Inn. The Yacht Club clubhouse was considerably smaller then, and the dock was very short indeed. Falmouth Harbour Marina did not even exist and the yachts

opposite:

Aschanti of Saba, where it all started… clockwise from top left: Tony Fincham; The Edwardian Ball and Concours Prize Giving; Young Sunshine, son of John Shearer, erstwhile owner of Eilean, receiving Mariella’s trophy (circa 1990); Captain Uli Pruesse; Karen Lynne and Katie sailing Selkie in the Gig Racing.

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above: Kenny

and Jane

above left: Girls

in national madras costumes on Committee Boat Zeetigre in 1997

below: A

very young Shannon, now an America’s Cup sailor, receiving a prize for Mariella, owned by his father, Carlo Falcone

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would parade past for all to see.The volunteers were a handful of local residents and the stage a low, tiny affair, barely 8ft square. I used to do the accounts in an hour on one side of a sheet of A4. Computers and smart phones were not even on the horizon and entries came in by snail mail or the latest state of the art technology – the fax machine!

I remember organising party rental paraphernalia on a hand-held VHF from the start line, determined to race my extremely non-competitive 26ft Harrison Butler Cora and take photos for next years Regatta programme with the other hand! I must have resembled an octopus!

I actually overtook a boat one year too! It was Rainbow (the Cornish Crabber, not the J Class, I hasten to add). For me, though, the highlight of the last 30 years was reaching at hull speed for the Curtain Bluff mark sandwiched closely between the mighty J’s Shamrock and Endeavour. I thought it best to just pick a tree on the shore and steer as straight as I possibly could and not look round. I will never forget the thunderous sound of them passing though.

There would follow a quick dash home to change into my fetching oyster pink Edwardian costume (noting the very un-Edwardian red sailing nose) for the Concours d’Elégance Prize Giving. The Edwardian Ball was great fun, with people cobbling together suitable outfits from their dressing up boxes or bringing very fancy hired costumes from overseas. Looking back, it was so much fun, which is why we have decided to re-instate it again.

It’s funny the things you remember looking back. The Sangermani Tivoli whiling away the time towing water skiers across a becalmed start line full steam ahead.

The year the giant blow-up Bacardi bottle was stolen from the AYC roof and rigged on the foredeck of one of our prominent Spirit of Tradition yachts for the start of the race. High jinx indeed. I have an idea that our Chairman might have had something to do with that one. The owner was not amused but it did give the sponsor more exposure!

The years I loved the best were when we had surprise top winners. brilliant yachtsmen and women on a shoe string budget just sailing their hearts out.

People like the barefoot brickhill family with their tribe of flaxen haired children who took First overall with their engineless Looe Lugger Guide Me in 1992.

And Lynn Roach, a Welsh cruising toolmaker who sailed his sleek 41ft vintage sloop Seefalke to win the premier prize with some friends from back home. I remember him being terribly worried about what he would do with the watch!

There have been so many amazing characters and boats come through our start line over the years.They are just way too numerous to mention but we have so enjoyed sharing time with you all. That seed of a rum-fueled idea one evening in 1986 became an institution, the best party of the year and we all love it dearly.

Organising the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta way back when!

KIM DeVIn

Jane Coombs was the first to organise the Regatta, back in the day. My initial involvement was helping with the typesetting of the Programme – yes, it was so long ago, it was still called “typesetting” – for the layout. At the time, there were only two laser printers on the island and I was one of the very few who actually owned a computer. Can you believe that?

After Hurricane Hugo in 1989 I was also one of the very few people with a working telephone (land line, of course). I had businessmen queuing at my gate for weeks, begging for the use of it for their work! because of my apparently cool, calm and collected attitude in such times of crisis, I was later asked if I would consider helping with the organisation of the Regatta as a whole. (Appearances can be So deceptive – little did they know!). The funny thing was, I wasn’t interested in sailing and my sailing friends all thought it such a waste that I refused every offer of sailing adventures on some of the world’s finest yachts. but that did not mean that I had no love for the Classics, on the contrary: I loved watching these fabulous classic yachts flying through the water – who would not be

captivated and enchanted – but from a different point of view: shoreside. And there I was happy to stay, organising the event on dry land.

There were certainly fewer of us on the Organising Committee then, and all of us dealt with every aspect of the Regatta. Everyone’s opinion on the racing, the social and financial aspects, the sponsors and so on were taken into consideration and we worked well together as a small but efficient team. everyone helped each other and with what ever needed to be done. The budget determined how much specialist help could be brought in, very often at the last minute as and when (and if)! the money came in.

As the Regatta has grown over the years, the need for dedicated jobs became apparent: we now have a Press officer, a Sponsor Liaison, a Race officer, a Measurer, a Ratings officer, a team of Committee boat volunteers, a person in charge of all the many trophies that have accumulated over the years, boats to place the inner and outer marks. Someone is in charge of organizing the ammunition for the gun on the Committee Boat. Someone else polishes all the beautiful trophies. The t-shirts have to be ordered for all those involved, including the ever bigger group of faithful and loyal volunteers without whom the Regatta would not exist. There are so many things to do and to organise these days, it all sounds totally exhausting.

And yet, “exhausting”, in the nicest possible sense of the word, was what I also felt it to be, back in the day, as did Helen Spooner, who was also Regatta Coordinator for many years – exhausted but very happy to be part of such a wonderful event as the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta.

photograph by jason pickering

left to right: Kim Devin, Helen Spooner and current Regatta Coordinator, Kirsti Pickering

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photograph by anna sundquist

photograph by anna sundquist

photograph by steve moore

photograph by steve moore

John Steele presenting the Classic Class (privately maintained) trophy to Stevie, owner of Segue

photograph by jan hein

photograph by steve moore

Concours d’Elégance john steele

Welcome to the 2017 Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta’s Concours d’Elégance. It’s hard for me to believe, but this year is the 30th anniversary of this wonderful Regatta!

My first Classics was in ’95 aboard Tree of Life, a 70ft schooner we built at Covey Island boatworks in nova Scotia for Kelly Kellogg to circumnavigate. “Captain Crunch”, as we called him, took the Concours very seriously and had his crew dress in Edwardian period costume – shirt, tie and bowler hats for the lads, gowns and bonnets for the ladies. I shaved my beard into mutton-chops – what fun it was! Kenny asked me to write a bit for the following year’s Programme and so began my involvement with this publication.

My next Concours was in ’97 aboard Marguerite T. Scrim and I owned her back then and had just completed a full restoration.When we re-poured her internal concrete ballast, we put back the empty wine bottles we had found inside the concrete in her bows. Inside one bottle, we placed the story of our rebuild in words and pictures. Scrim’s contribution was an elegant two liner: “Eternity is Marguerite T’s goal, so keep the concrete beneath her sole.”

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Since ’95 I’ve had the honour to sail in a dozen Classics aboard a wonderful mix of vessels I’ve helped build – Tree of Life, Marguerite T, Maggie B, Farfarer, PaPa 1 and Columbia and have been a Concours judge for six years. Every year has been as memorable as it was exciting – racing among many beautiful classic yachts, meeting a new batch of enthusiast classic sailors, hearing their always interesting stories: “…she’s been in our family for sixty years, …we found her a wreck and spent ten years to rebuilt her, … started with a set of drawings and a pile of wood and here we are !“ We hope you will enter your vessel in this year’s Concours.

This event is a key part of what this Regatta is about. And to steal my old mate’s words – eternity is the Antigua Classic’s goal, so help us make it happen and share your boat’s soul !

Please note that all entries in the Concours d’Elégance must be fully paid up entries in this Regatta

photograph by steve moore

Concours d’Elégance 2016 RESULTS Sponsored by the Lunenburg Ship Alliance photograph by steve moore

photograph by steve moore

judges: John Steele, Brian Harrison, nikolai Bohachevsky, Jerry “Chippy” Bardoe, Al Hutchinson, Michael “Scrim” Strzalkowski, Joseph Kinley and Peta Townsend. overall winner – Nordwind traditional class (Privately maintained) 1. Genesis 2. Jambalaya 3. Free in St. Barths spirit of tradition (professionally maintained) 1. Dragonera 2. Wild Horses 3. Braveheart classic class (privately maintained) 1. Segue 2. Island Swift 3. Paloma VI vintage class – privately maintained 1. Bellona 2. Janley 3. Seefalke

photograph by steve moore

photograph by jan hein steve moore

vintage class (professionally maintained) 1. Nordwind 2. The Blue Peter arne frizzell prize (Greatest Attention to Structural Integrity, Safety) Island Swift photograph by steve moore

special mention of the jury Adix

photograph by steve moore

photograph by steve moore

photograph by steve moore

photograph by steve moore

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In the 1993 Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta Programme, the cover featured Michael ‘Scrim’ Strzalkowski’s Bristol Channel pilot cutter and Jane Coombs and Mimi Steadman wrote an article about her, describing her journey from April 1893, when she was launched at Rowles Yard in Crockerne Pill, just up the creek from Bristol, England to her arrival in Antigua one hundred years later. The article ends: “…Scrim (Michael) had structural work done in Antigua last spring and sailed her to Rhode Island where restoration work will be completed. He dreams of fully restoring, and even sailing her to Bristol, where to this day she remains a local sweetheart greatly revered for her famous racing record. It would indeed be an appropriate way to start the indomitable Marguerite T off on her second one hundred years”.

This article, by Scrim himself, takes up the story from when it ended in 1993 main photo:

Marguerite T at the 2005 Antigua Classics.

inset: Cover

of the 1993

Programme

Marguerite T and the Concours d’Elégance MICHAEL ‘SCRIM’ STRZALKOWSKI

…but instead of going to newport, Rhode Island for restoration, I had heard that nova Scotia could be an ideal alternative.The local enthusiasm for traditional sailing vessels, knowledge of their construction, and a favourable Canadian dollar made up my mind. on arrival in Lunenburg, nova Scotia, Marguerite T was indeed greatly admired, and after various meetings, a partnership with John Steele of Covey Island boatworks was forged, and restoration ensued. Contrary to some popular beliefs that a partnerships in sailing vessels can end in tears, John Steele and I became the greatest of friends and remain so to this day; not to mention a love of Nova Scotia, it’s folk and its wonderful sailing tradition – and all because of Marguerite T sailing into port!

The restoration project took three years, and in November 1998, Marguerite T and I set off with a fine crew from the Le Have bakery wharf bound for Antigua via bermuda. In Antigua, when the Classic Yacht Regatta came round in April 1999, Marguerite T was duly entered. The Concours d’Elégance was judged on the 17th April, her birthday of 103 years young by pure coincidence.

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After all vessels had been visited, the judges came to Marguerite T for a second time and explained that they had a dilemma. They had decided on their professionally and privately maintained winners, but were so impressed with Marguerite T’s finished restoration, and its representation as the absolute epitome of “classic work boatiness”, that they were not sure how to handle the Prize Giving. Marguerite T was literally hors concours – in a class of her own. After some huddling in the main salon, one of the judges turned round and announced that a new category for “Best Restored Traditional Work Boat” would be created, and Marguerite T should have that award. It was Woodstock boat builders that sponsored that original award. So indeed a magic start for the old girl in her new dress. And so it goes for Marguerite T. Epilogue After the season in Antigua, John and I agreed that we would both take Marguerite for our own pleasure and recreation for one year each and then sell her to John’s good friend Anna Stratton of Falmouth in UK where she lives to this day, and is always part of the Falmouth Classics. A happy ending to a happy story!

photograph by max browne

photograph by alexis andrews

photograph by john steele

photograph by claire cupples

photograph by alexis andrews

clockwise from top left:

Marguerite T under full sail; Scrim aboard Marguerite T in the 1990s; Won in 1999 for best restoration, Marguerite T also won all four races in her class that year, together with the special Concours award;Scrim in 2013 making the lifetime achievement award for Alwyn Enoe sponsored by the Nova Scotia Schooner Association; Scrim holding the special Marguerite T Award for the Concours and the Carib Bean Coffee Cup Trophy (perpetual) for the Single-Handed Race, both of which he made specially for these events.

The Sailor’s Art of Scrimshaw Michael Strzalkowski arrived in the Caribbean in 1976 – penniless, but with an excellent artistic background from his parents and a strong interest in the art of scrimshaw. Always fascinated by whaling, he was drawn to Bequia and its traditional harpoon whaling at the time. He met up with expert Michael Bailey and in a rum bar, etched a design with a needle on a whale tooth Michael had already polished and coloured it with ink. The rest is (nearly) history!

Scrim bought some whale teeth of his own and found immediate success with his etchings of ships, enabling him to earn a living, at least. Upon arrival in Antigua, his pieces did very well in the Galley Boutique, then owned by Janie Easton, and the nickname “Scrim” stuck….

Eventually settling in Antigua, he branched out into jewellery, with some amazing pieces using, for example, black pearls and featuring skulls and mermaids inter alia and the combination of his unique charm and stunning work has proved increasingly popular over the years, particularly with the ladies…. More recently he is considering investing in mammoth tusks – a ‘greener’ alternative to whale bones or teeth.

For the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta, he has designed some wonderful trophies. Pictured here is the ORIGINAL trophy for the class specially created for Marguerite T in the Concours d’Elégance, the Carib Bean Coffee Cup, created specially for Tim Wall’s Single-Handed Race and the Coffee Bean Keepers (from whalebone) for the same race.

Scrim’s work is now very much in demand and we are proud both of his success and of having him as a valuable contributor to the Antigua Classics, as a judge of the Concours and as a maker and donor of these splendid trophies.

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photograph by nora wall

CELEBRATING THE 17TH ANNUAL CARIB BEAN COFFEE CUP

The Classic Single-Handed Race This highly anticipated event has grown over the years from nine boats in its inaugural year to 36 one year, over half the Classics fleet! The Millennium inspired me to propose a new racing dimension to the Antigua Classics to celebrate the unique seamanship skills of individual sailors. Regatta organiser and chairman Kenny Coombs loved the idea and told me to go for it, and the Classic Single-Handed Race was born.

The winner of the first somewhat hair-raising race was Alexis Andrews on the Carriacou sloop Summer Wind. He was presented with the Carib Bean Coffee Cup, an ingenious double-ended yacht half-hull (with a stretched out Coffee Cup likeness) carved by Michael ‘Scrim’ Strzalkowski from an antique Azorean whale tooth mounted on a purple heart plaque.The actual annual ‘keeper’ is an engraved large carved ivory Coffee Bean, also by Scrim.

In 2001, larger yachts started taking part, such as the impressive 70ft Fife yawl Latifa and the winning 56ft Arthur Robb yawl Rob Roy; thus the two classes, over and under 45ft were created. That year also marked the inclusion of a compulsory ‘observer’ aboard for emergency assistance only (based on the Honour System which has maintained safety during the 16 years since!).

In 2004, a “Classic Mega yachts” class, for over 100ft, was temporarily created for the 135ft Fife cutter Cambria and the new classic 105ft Christoffel’s Lighthouse, with adjustments being made to the starts and course.

Since 2007, a generous donation from Juerg Zimmerman of Lazy Leg, who has been the most frequent and faithful participant since the race’s inception, enabled the use of a proper Committee Boat, thereby allowing a new start line 34

to be set outside of Falmouth Harbour, greatly improving manoeuverability and safety.

In 2009, the 10th Annual Single-Handed Race was marked with the introduction of the successful “Single-Handed Race Sundowner Celebration and Prize Giving” with the complimentary “Dark and Stormy” becoming the first and ever popular signature concoction for Classics to enjoy.

Then in 2014, the “Spirit of Tradition Class” was confirmed by the entry of six various lengths of stunning Spirit Yachts, many of whom return yearly.

Over the years, the smallest entry has been the locally built 17ft Herreshoff sloop Amber. The youngest helmsman was 18-year old Gabriele of the 70ft Fife yawl Latifa. The first female skipper was Jane Coombs on her 26ft Harrison Butler cutter Cora with Jamie Enoe, skipper of the 51ft Aage Nielson ketch Saphaedra and twice winner of her class, following in her footsteps more recently.

Participants over the years have been comprised of many, varied, accomplished and colourful characters on their yachts.

Constant improvements have been made to make the course as simple and as safe as possible, taking into account the prevailing weather conditions. I am confident that the SingleHanded Race will continue to be an integral part of the Antigua

photograph by nora wall

TIM WALL, fOUnDER & RACE CO-ORDInATOR

photograph by nora wall photograph by nora wall

photograph by ed whiting

photograph by nora wall

photograph by nora wall

photograph by nora wall

photograph by nora wall

opposite page:

Fleet at the start; Founder Tim Wall; this page, clockwise from top left: Fleet at start; Sorca, winner of the Large Boats class; Free Spirit, winner of the Spirit of Tradition class; Seefalke II, Honourable Mention; Don Ward on Frolic; Patricia Nelder on Cora; Jade, the 17ft Herreshoff skippered by Rhone Kirby; right: Lorema, winner of the Small Boats class.

Classic Yacht Regatta for as long as it continues to thrive.

Last year’s Single-Handed Race saw a good turnout, but the light winds, however, were unusually out of the south, presenting a particular challenge to the Race Committee.

Other than the impossible task of changing the whole course at the last minute, the only alternative option was to request all participants to cross the (relatively long) start line on a (normally forbidden for safety reasons) starboard tack. Fortunately this decision was successful and thankfully incident-free.

The 67ft Sorca won the over 45ft Class, the 25ft Lorema won the 45ft and under Class for smaller boats, with the 56ft Free Spirit taking first place in the Spirit of Tradition class which she raced together with the Larger Classics as she was the only yacht in her class. I was delighted to award my personal choice for Honourable Mention to the beautiful locally restored 45ft Seefalke II, designed by Abeking and Rasmussen and originally built in 1936 as a training boat for the German navy. Her subsequent story is also of great interest.

And last but never least, many thanks to Philippe Fabre for loaning us his vessel Grey Dawn as the Committee Boat, and to Clare Cupples for her faithful and knowledgeable assistance, and to the reliable and dedicated Single-Handed Race Crew.

photograph by ed whiting

2016 Race Results LARGE CLASSICS OVER 45ft 1st – Sorca – 67 ft Nova Scotia Schooner 1978 Skipper: David Welsford SMALL CLASSICS UNDER 45 ft 1st – Lorema – 25 ft Ford Tunden Folk Boat 1942 Skipper: Leo Goolden 2nd – Frolic – 45ft – Luders Yawl 1967 Skipper: Don Ward 3rd – Lazy Leg – 40ft William Tripp Yawl 1969 Skipper: Juerg Zimmermann SPIRIT OF TRADITION 1st – Free Spirit – 56ft Spirit Yacht Sloop 2006 Skipper: Alistair Jeffery HONOURABLE MENTION: Seefalke II – 41ft Rasmussen Sloop 1936 Skipper: Griffith Williams 35

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Two of the Most Beautiful Yachts to Grace the Antigua Classicss Gilly Gobinet

Last year we were fortunate to watch the magnificent three-master 221ft gaff schooner Adix skimming the waves and winning four trophies: the Yachting World Trophy for Best Elapsed Time Overall, the Beken of Cowes Trophy for Best Elapsed Time by a Schooner, the Antigua Slipway Trophy for Best Elapsed Time (Classic Class) and the Ann Wallis White Trophy for Largest Classic. Her success can surely be attributed, in part at least, to her fifth refit in 2015, when Pendennis reduced her overall weight including the installation of much lighter rigging.

The stunning 139ft ketch Rebecca has been a regular participant at the Antigua Classics and her Captain Sparky is a popular figure on the dock. Designed by German Frers and built by Pendennis in 1999, she has had notable wins in the Spirit of Tradition Class over the years.

photograph by jeff brown, breed media

photograph by nick bailey

BRITISH SUPERYACHT EXPERTISE

Adix, Pendennis Cup 2014. Photo credit: Š Nick Bailey

Leaders in custom build, refit & restoration

t +44 (0)1326 211344 W W W.PENDENNIS.COM

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photograph by onne van der wal

i d a r T f o t iri

s s a l C n o ti

p S e Th

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photographs by ted martin

photographs by tim wright

In 1996 the SPIRIT OF TRADITION CLASS was established in Antigua for vessels built along ‘classic’ lines using modern techniques and materials.Yachts in this class must have a ‘look’ that is true to a traditional design and must demonstrate excellent craftsmanship and tradition, both on deck and in the hull, such as the Bruce King designed Alejandra.

Other excellent examples include Rebecca or the Andre Hoek designed Marie and Athos. They may, however, have modern under bodies and appendages and use modern technology in their rigs such as Adela or Ranger, or be modified with carbon fibre like Velsheda.

The Committee is looking for yachts that are exceptional and those whose owners have gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure that their vessel maintains the beauty and lines characteristic of fine yachts built in the past.

All new yachts who feel they are acceptable for entry into this class must complete a Pre-Entry Form on our website www.antiguaclassics.com and include photographs of the hull, rig and deck layouts. If the yacht is approved and accepted, the Committee will direct you to an Official Entry Form online. Acceptance into this class is provisional for the first year.

Entries in the Spirit of Tradition Class must be measured and have a current CSA measurement certificate.

The Spirit of Tradition Class has its own trophy structure; the legendary yacht, Ticonderoga, sponsors the trophy for First Overall in this class.

It is the Regatta Committee’s hope that by creating the Spirit of Tradition Class, we can continue to encourage the future building of exceptional yachts that will keep the Classic traditions alive.

Previously accepted vessels need only apply for re-entry by email to entry@ antiguaclassics.com

photographs by ted martin

opposite:

Rainbow and Ranger this page, clockwise from top left: Free Spirit; Sapphire; Athos; Winsome; Windrose; Savannah

photographs by tim wright

photographs by tim wright

photographs by tim wright

photograph by onne van der waal

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The Introduction of the Spirit of Tradition Class

photograph by cory silken

DONALD TOFIAS

each year, in mid April, the south coast of the island of Antigua provides the most beautiful yacht-racing destination in the world competing out of Falmouth Harbour between Curtain bluff and the Pillars of Hercules. And this year, the finest classic, vintage and Spirit of tradition yachts from europe, north America and the Caribbean come to Antigua,to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Antigua Classic yacht Regatta.

Over 30 years ago Kenny Coombs asked the organisers of Antigua Sailing Week, if he could instigate a separate Regatta just for the classic yachts.They agreed and the Antigua Classics have been thriving ever since. Well established by the 1990s, Kenny nevertheless saw the need for a separate category, for modern classics that were” in-the-spirit-of-tradition” yachts.

And so it all started to come together, the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta would expand and have a Spirit of Tradition class as of 1996 and Alejandra was the first to win the new class.

Jill Bobrow and Dana Jinkins had co-authored a beautiful book in 1995: “In the Spirit of Tradition”. I had recently rebuilt the W. Starling Burgess cutter Arawak, (formerly Christmas) which is included in the book. Arawak was a heavy wooden boat with solid teak planks, riveted to English oak frames; but our rebuild included a carbon fiber mast and an enlarged lead keel. So Arawak ended up as one of the early Spirit of Tradition yachts in Antigua, although she did not sail fast or finish well.

I decided I needed to build a larger, lighter and faster boat, in the-spirit-of-tradition, using the cold-moulded wood technique with WEST system epoxy.The idea grew into a two-boat build of the first of W-Class Racing Yachts, the W.76s: Wild Horses and White Wings were designed in 1996, built in 1997-98 and 42

launched in 1998.Their first Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta was 1999 but they were unsuccessful that year.

Kenny Coombs, the race director, was asked many times over the years “What is a Spirit of Tradition yacht?”

The reply was not always easy. Was it a wooden boat? Well, it could be a wooden boat, but it also could be steel, aluminum, fibreglass, carbon fibre with the traditional overhangs, bow and stern, like the Fifes and Herreshoffs of the 1920s, looking like a classic above the water line, but with a modern under body and fin keels with a bulb and a separate rudders. It probably would not have a reverse transom. Could it have a plumb bow and bowsprit? Maybe it could, but Kenny always asked the owner to send along some plans and photos. He could instantly see if the proposed yacht met his strict standards: many boats did not. I think in frustration, one day, with another boat that was not quite right, he said: “A Spirit of Tradition yacht? I’ll know it when I see it!”

There have been some wonderful Spirit of Tradition yachts over the years, such as the Js – Shamrock, Velsheda, Endeavour, Ranger, Rainbow and Hanuman, as well as the smaller ones, like the Cherubini Winsome and Nada or Taru, not forgetting Savannah, Windrose of Amsterdam, Patriot and the André Hoek Athos, as well as Hetairos and more recently the Spirit Yachts

photograph by tim wright

The W-Class™ Racing Yachts have been consistent winners over the past 16 years in the Spirit of Tradition class at the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta, making podium ten times. Wild Horses also had the fastest elapsed time in 2000, and the fastest elapsed time again in 2013, winning the Antigua Sails

Trophy. She is back again this year, eager to take part once again in this wonderful Regatta.

Kenny we all salute you! Stand up on the second floor of the Antigua Yacht Club, look about you out onto the marina below and see what you have created!

photograph by cory silken

opposite and this page:

Wild Horses at the 2016 Classics and Wild Horses neck and neck at the 2000 Classics above: White Wings

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photograph by ed gifford

For the love of CLASSIC SCHOONERS

text by malcolm banks • photographs by tim wright

the marvellous thing about schooners is their complexity! they seem to have more lines than any other yacht, they certainly have more sails…. and usually they have more crew too!

top:

Juno and Heron of 1915

bottom: Mariette

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Over the years, schooners great and small have enjoyed the friendly racing in Antigua.The whole Classic Regatta began with a meeting in 1986 on a schooner – Aschanti of Saba – when Captains Kenny Coombs and Uli Preusse held a meeting to do something about the fact that all the classics had been shunted into an odds and sods class at Antigua Sailing Week! A proper schooner race was what they wanted, and the rest is history…

As time has gone by, all the great and the good of the schooner world have raced in Antigua. These include the three-masters Adix and Shenandoah, the stunning big-class Herreshoff replicas Elena and Eleonora and the highly original and beautifully restored Marriette of 1915. Mention must, of course, be made of Altair and the amazing Adventuress, as well as Juno, Rebecca of Vineyard Haven, Heron and all the New Englanders. But it’s not always about the gaff: we must not forget the wonderful staysail schooners as well: Aschanti of Saba, of course, that was the original meeting venue where the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta was actually created, and other notable and spectacular boats such as Lion’s Whelp and Mary Rose, great competitors over the years.

But what makes a schooner so different?

Is it the fact that on the gaffers you may have to bunt up (or drop and rehoist) two sails every time you tack? Or maybe the wonderful spectacle, when after rounding the weather mark, a veritable cloud of sail goes up for the long reach or downwind leg? Mention a gollywobbler to a sailor who has only sailed on a sloop, and he or she will surely think you are perhaps verging on the rude.

But as sails go, the golly is possibly the best sail in the wardrobe downwind. It

fills up a huge gap between the masts. Allied with a big balloon jib and maybe a main top staysail, eight-sail reaching becomes a reality.

But the staysail schooners themselves also have some really interesting sails.

Upwind they have a Queen Anne: main masthead to fore mast, head and tacked down to the deck, there is not another inch that a sail could fill.

Last year in Palma, seven big-class schooners – Elena, Eleanora, Mariette of 1915, Kelpie, Shenandoah, with Antiguan flagged Germania Nova and Naema, overwhelmed a start line for a race around the bay. Five of them have been regular visitors to Antigua.Two had Antiguan flags! Can we expect to see such a magnificent spectacle off Falmouth and English Harbour one of these years? I certainly hope so!

top left: Mary

Rose, Adventuress and

Juno

top right: Adventuress middle: Lion’s Whelp bottom left: Elena

and Juno

bottom right: Altair, Eleanora

and

Aschanti of Saba

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Three Decades of Delicious Sailing (and never enough…)

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS Lucy TuLLOcH

30 years of Classic Regattas in Antigua…that’s a lot of sail changes, a lot of salt, a lot of sailing, and of course, quite a lot of fun. i’ve only done the past 25 so i don’t think i qualify as an old-timer…yet. but i have a cocktail of stories from these years, so come, gather round with a glass of rum and reminisce with me…

Everyone knows we have a prevailing wind direction, but we don’t always have the same strength…a few years ago, it blew a proper hoolie the entire regatta with terrifying start lines, huge waves crashing on to pounding foredecks, lee rails buried under exploding quarter waves, skippers wrestling with the helm and sea water everywhere.

Four boats were dismasted, sails were torn but no one was hurt.

How hard to believe then that in 1992, doldrum-conditions had the yachts ghosting across the start line…only to drift back across it…then, in a quiet, almost imperceptible puff, we sailed over the line once again… Crew swam to cool down and I remember there was even a diving competition. It was that year, that Guide Me, a 40’ 1911 engineless Looe Lugger from Cornwall, England entranced the other boats in these

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air-less races and gave her the nickname The Jesus Boat.

Jono, at the helm, coming up to a rounding mark, with his slim figure and long hair, seeing that someone had just lit a cigarette; paused before calling the tack, stood on and the fiddler on the foredeck played until she drifted past the mark, and while the rest of us, wallowing in the glassy waters, watched the Jesus Boat dipped her lug and drift past us as though with a wind all of her own…

By contrast, the docks after racing are always a gale of activity. There’s very serious rum-drinking at the sterns of the Carriacou Sloops; families of musicians playing in cockpits as you wander along the dock and children doing acrobats in the rigging; swathes of sailcloth cascading on the quay whilst a bronzed, blonde mother repairs torn sails on her sewing machine; jumping into a pick-up to drive into the rainforest to collect bamboo to pole out the jib or the delicious feeling of a bucket of fresh water on one’s head after a hard-day’s salty racing and watching the J-Class crew polish their bronze dorades next to you.

Who could forget the image of Kenny Coombs – calm, focused, Figurehead of the Regatta, silver-haired and smiling, tilting his head towards the wind feeling the 55m regal Elena pick up her skirts in the stiff breeze; especially when the back drop might be a J Class or two (or three) sailing politely in the lee of an 7.5m 1947 Folkboat.

In 1996 it was natural that the Spirit of Tradition class was born for the new yachts built in the tradition of these old Classics in today’s yards with modern materials. Ranger, W-Class and the Spirit Yachts all now race with their own kind and a fast and competitive fleet it is too.

Somewhat older, to great excitement, Michael “Scrim” Strzalkowski’s legendary Bristol Channel Pilot Cutter Marguerite T celebrated her 100th Anniversary in 1991. She was older than the 40m Brigantine Eye of the Wind who spent 50 years running cargo in the Baltic and drifting for herring in Iceland and sailed our Antiguan waters in 1993. A mere nipper, compared to the 1856 32m Gaff Schooner Isla Ebusitana. Built in Valencia, she once ran cargos of dynamite between Ibiza and Spain in the Spanish Civil War. In 1993, when she raced in Classics, she was the oldest ship still in operation under sail in the world at the time, and magical it was to have her here.

And how can we celebrate these 30 years of Classic Regatta without mentioning Woodstock Boatbuilders, a long-time Sponsor, who have not only worked on many of these pedigree Classics but also restored the 1930 6M Nada that had lain derelict in English Harbour for many years. She went on to win, not only the hearts, but every one of her races at Classics.

Ancient or new, gleaming or rough (boats and skippers), it is these both that make Antigua’s Classic Regatta the sailor’s favourite and will, I believe, for many more years to come.

opposite top: Doldrum

start in 1992 opposite bottom: Whitehawk top left: Velsheda top right: Guide Me below: Gaia

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Traditional, yet innovative.

Mastering the right balance.

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The Traditional Class:

BAGGY SAILS & BAGGY WRINKLE Alexis Andrews

Among all the beautiful ladies sailing at the Antigua Classics of 1994, there was one small island-built fishing vessel – no varnish or polished fittings, only bright paint covered her rough decks. Summer Wind had been brought here by an Antiguan gentleman called Eddy Barreto and although completely out of her league in our prestigious event, she would play a major role in the revival of West Indies boatbuilding.

Since 1987 I had been photographing the Classics – working with film, I preferred the quality of transparency (which limited my sales to competitors as they had all gone home by the time my film came back from the lab in Miami).

Tim Wright on the other hand, had the market nailed from the start, delivering prints from his boat after the races. His nerve and style were hard to beat which is why the thought occurred to me that perhaps sailing an island sloop instead could be interesting…

Like many good dreams I put that one aside – until the day I saw the same vessel again, painted even brighter and NOT FOR SALE! The year was 1997 and she was being “fixed up” by the infamous Frank “Spot a Bargain” Pearce who was salvaging her frail wooden frames from a recent sinking in Falmouth Harbour. She had been idly swinging to her mooring when an aggressive helmsman rammed her broadside during an Antigua Yacht Club Thursday afternoon race…Insurance settled and Frank made his move.

I managed to convince my friend that he stop covering the girl with paint and sell her to me – which is how I became the proud owner of my first Carriacou Sloop.

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What happened next was a twenty-year affair of passion and respect for these gentle vessels and the families of Windward, Carriacou that build them.

Around the same time, the even more infamous Charles Hambleton bought Eddy’s second Sloop, a stunning new 39’ er from Petite Martinique named Summer Cloud and the race was on! Our starts and finishes took place on the dock (neither of us had engines), my approach was to arrive early and brief the crew. Charles’ briefings always took place the night before, in the bar! Just before the start of the cannon his crew were assembled onboard but no captain in sight. Racing was important to us all so I went to his house and threw cold water on him…arriving at the dock one of his crew passed him his bottle of oxygen and off we went!

Since those early heady days, eight new Carriacou Sloops and a schooner have been launched, all sailing in past Antigua Classics. Frank Pearce went on to restore the last island trading vessel form Windward: the mighty 50’ Tradition now based in Anguilla and Summer Wind sailed all the way to Newport where she resides to this day.

Enoe’s brand new Free in St. Barth arrives in Antigua; Cal Enoe. opposite bottom left: Carriacou Corner at the Antigua Yacht Club Marina. this page, clockwise from top left: Summer Wind 1994;, Tradition; Summer Wind; Charles Hambleton, Summer Cloud; Classic Boat cover; below:Genesis opposite page top left and right: Cal

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photograph by tim wright

photograph by ted martin

above: The

impeccable Dr. Phil main photo: Curlew and her skinnylegged skipper in 2003 opposite, top left: Lorema top right: The real-live raven-haired figurehead bottom: Veracity

A Broad Reach down Memory Lane Frank Pearce

I arrived in Antigua in 1989 after my first Atlantic crossing from Portugal in the 42ft Holman sloop Whirlaway.

Soon afterwards, I was very excited to meet kindred spirits Jane and Kenny Coombs, the founders and power behind the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta, then heading for its fourth year.

Such was my enthusiasm for the Antigua Classics that, upon arriving in Bequia in January 2000, any time I saw a traditional yacht sail into the bay, I would pay a visit, rowing around Port Elizabeth in my little varnished clinker-built Pram dinghy, to tell the crews all about this fantastic Regatta.

Advertising in those days was minimal and the event was not as widely known as it deserved to have been. I recall some dubious crews thinking that it might all 54

be too posh for them. I explained that this was an event for all types of classic yacht, from the largest, most spectacular yachts in the world to the smaller liveaboards and the traditional converted working boat: the Regatta was a truly cosmopolitan event. (I hope my rowing around the bay did help it to expand!).

Whirlaway took part in four glorious Antigua Classic Regattas. My next yacht, Curlew, was a 47ft ketch (and sister ship to the famous Omoo) and is pictured

here in 2003 bucking over the choppy seas with her skinny-legged skipper (me) clambering up the ratlines to try to identify the offshore mark 4 miles to seaward, a critical course due to the sometimes unpredictable currents, and tricky without GPS.This would probably have been The Cannon race, a four mile reach out to sea and back twice, which meant that yachts of all sizes would be fast reaching to and fro, overtaking each other or on reciprocal courses.

photograph by jason pickering

photograph by joseph jones

The sight, especially during the year that the four J Class yachts attended, was almost without parallel. Being passed by a J doing 20kts with 30 crew on the windward rail with another three J’s to come, was, to use a cliché, awesome.

After one designated race, and whilst returning to the docks, there would be an organised Parade of Classics. An approach channel would be created through the mass of moored and spectator boats, and as each yacht passed close to the dock, following each other closely, a commentary was given. For many years it was delivered with panache, by Jol Byerly. The docks and jetties would be packed with spectators and each yacht would “strut its stuff ”, crews wearing colourful uniform clothes, some yachts playing live music on deck.

On one yacht of about 70ft, I noticed a full-sized figurehead, and realised that it was a real live beautiful raven-black haired girl, standing on the stem head, leaning forward against the pulpit and out over the water, dressed in a flowing black Cutty Sark dress and white shirt, looking beautiful and absolutely like the real thing. Robert Burns would have admired her as “she was vuantie”.

anchored RIB, flying a white ensign and he dressed overall in Morning Suit and Top Hat – how wonderfully eccentric.

But things don’t always go to plan of course, during one Sail Past on Whirlaway, as we approached the spectator-laden docks, I failed to notice that there was a floating line in the water just near the jetty: the engine grunted and stopped, Parade yachts were ahead of us and behind us. Oh dear! Lucy, my crew, fortunately already in her regular bikini, sees the problem, “Rope around the prop”! She dives in, swims down and with the ease of a dolphin, untangles the rope and is back on deck in a flash to cheers from the jettyand air horns blowing; she takes her bow, as she should. I hide my head in shame!

At the end of each day’s racing, competitors would moor stern to at either Nelson’s Dockyard or the Yacht Club Marina and up on deck usually from one of the luggers (Veracity, Ibis or Guide Me), out would come the

fiddles, guitars, bodhráns (drums) and mouth organs – Celtic sounds wafting over the docks, friends gathering on the dock to hear and share a rum.

One spectacular Loo Lugger was Guide Me, sailed by father, mother and kids; she set two huge dipping lugsails and was fast. I recall her roaring past us, wife at the helm leaning on the 8ft tiller, long dress and hair blowing in the wind and kids working the sails. At the prize giving, this humble yet competent family won a whole bunch of prizes, large silver cups and so on, and were visibly embarrassed.

And so, this grand event carries on, still guided by Jane Coombs assisted by the many volunteer helpers and still attracting some of the most beautiful yachts in the world, some grand and some diminutive, such as Leo Goolding’s 25ft prize-winning Folkboat Lorema, testimony to this young man’s enthusiasm and seamanship, and the wonderful scope of the Regatta. photograph by h. schwab

Her cutty sark, o’Paisley harn, That while a lassie she had worn In longitude tho’ soreley scanty, It was her best, and she was vauntie.

Tam o’Shanter – Robert Burns At the end of the designated channel and as a turning mark, would be Dr Phil, in his 80s, standing rigidly upright in an 55

A BLAST FROM THE PAST A Letter from Captain Harold Neel to the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta - April 1999

Every year about this time I find myself looking back at the last year to figure out why I am still in the Caribbean. This year it is your fault. It’s your fault because of last year. Last year I once again came to your Regatta against all odds. I do this over and over because I respect what you are doing.To gather together vessels representing the timeless art of sailing is a noble enterprise, and I would feel as though I was a slacker if I did not contribute to the cause by attending. I keep hoping to sail into the Pacific where there would be too much ocean between us for me to throw myself into utter destitution with this yearly cycle. Alas, not this time.

And it’s all your fault. Since you are responsible for this annual passage of mine, then you are to blame for what happened last year when I was there, which is why I am still here. Last year, while walking your docks strewn with all those glorious vessels I met a girl. A sailor chick. I had been sort of looking for a sailor chick and well, anyway, I met this girl and we had a wild passionate thing through Race Week until she sailed off in one direction and I in the other. I was stricken, writing poetry, sending long faxes that never caught up with her, and leaving messages never collected. I had about given up and thinking it must have all been a dream when low and behold a neighbour with an SSB reported I was being sought after. We connected over the shortwave and the next thing you know she was in Tobago. She was not alone.

Suddenly I went from single-handing to having two permanent crew. Admittedly, the second crew member had very little sailing experience, being yet unborn.That’s right. Capt. Harold was to have a baby, imagine that! Brand new schooner trash. So the Pacific was put on hold and Trinidad became the port of call until it was time to head back to good old St. John for the birth of our little sailor chick Layla Shanti Neel. She will be enjoying her anniversary of being this year at your Regatta. See why I figure it’s your fault I am here?

The good news is that Mom is a Kiwi and thus the Pacific is now mandatory as a family outing. Thus directly after your Regatta we are flying to Texas to show the little one to my Mom and then are heading for the San Blas and on through the Canal. So in a way it might be your fault that I finally make it!

In preparing for this trip, about the last thing we need is to go to Antigua and party for a couple of weeks but I would hate to be a slacker at the last minute. I have once again gathered a bunch together who will pay for the food and beer (they call me Tom Sawyer around here) and thus pulled it off at the last minute again. So I am looking forward to seeing you and yours again and gracing the festival of the year with some hip, hip hoorays and plenty of aaaarrrrgghhhss!

We should be with you by Wednesday. It will take us a while as this great north wind we are now having will surely die out and go SSE before we head that way. I often speak of how honoured I was by receiving the Spirit of the Regatta award last year and hopefully we will have Cassiopeia up to speed and in the trophies this year. Thanks again for organising this Regatta and doing it in a way that is always so much fun as well as being a truly Classic event.

Fair Winds Captain Harold, Kirsty, Layla and the good ship Cassiopeia. note:The schooner baby Layla Shanti Neel will now be 18 years old. If anyone knows the whereabouts of this delightful family and the schooner Cassiopeia now please do get in touch with us. photograph by cory silken

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photograph by tim wright

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photograph by tim wright

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photograph by tim wright

Fife’s Magic Dragons of English Harbour photograph by jane coombs

JANE COOMBS

Over the last 50 years Antigua has been home to a few examples of the remaining 50 of over 600 yachts designed between 1880 and the Second World War by the great designer William Fife 111 of Fairlie, Scotland, the legendary “grand old Wizard of the North”. One only has to follow the cove-line to the bow to see the trademark scrollwork Chinese dragon to confirm their fine pedigree and magical quality. Kept alive by their dedicated local custodians, and passing the baton when necessary, these yachts will survive for many years to come and we are extremely proud to have been part of their story.

DIONE Originally built by William Fife III for whiskey baron Edwin Teacher Junior in 1912, the 52ft. topsail yawl Dione was later converted to a Bermudan cutter.

This low, sleek beauty was brought to Antigua in 1993 by our dear late friend Si Macy following a two-year re-fit in Hamble, UK. Si’s family had been coming to the island since the ’50s and his grandfather had owned the legendary schooner Freelance. Si lived in Antigua for the rest of his life, cherishing Dione and racing at Antigua Classics from 1994 to 2002. She was eventually purchased in 2008 by Hans Albrecht, the owner of Nordwind and given a 100th birthday refit in Argentina, sailing into her second century more beautiful than ever.

There was great excitement when she 58

sailed into Antiguan waters again as a Bermudan yawl in 2013 to win many prizes at a very blustery Classics.

MARIELLA The 80ft yawl Mariella has been a permanent resident of Antigua since 1993 under the ownership of our very own Antigua Yacht Club Marina owner, Carlo Falcone. She was originally designed by Fife and built by his close friend Alfred Mylne in 1938 for another of the Teacher clan, Ronald, who owned her for 32 years. Since 1993 she has competed in most Antigua Classic Yacht Regattas except when she was either in re-fit or sailing 22,000 miles around the world with the family for two years.

Often First Overall winner and Olympic sailor Carlo ensures her constant

success rate on the podium. Damaged in Hurricane Gonzalo in 2014 she has just returned from a major 18-month refit at Cantiere del Carlo in Viarregio, Italy and is set to race again in 2017.

ADVENTURESS It took residents a little time to recognise Adventuress on her return to Antigua in 2012. But slowly it dawned on them that this magnificent, 83ft, complex gaff schooner before them was their much loved old familiar boat Isabel from the early days of chartering in Antigua. Originally built by William Fife III in 1923 she was commandeered as a German patrol boat and scuttled at the end of the war in France. Raised with the new name Isobel she joined the Caribbean charter fleet in the mid

opposite: Dione

at the 2001 Antigua Classics. inset: Our dear, late friend Si Macy. this page, top: Mariella

at the 2002

Antigua Classics. middle: Adventuress bottom: Eilean ’70s under the ownership of Henk van Beever and his partner Janie Easton. She eventually fell into the hands of Victor Janovich in 2000 who undertook an incredible 100,000 man hour re-fit at Rockport Marine, Maine.

Our very own, late, great, legend Kenny Coombs became her Sailing Master and subsequently her captain bringing her back to Antigua to race in the 2013 and 2014 regattas. Many of her old admirers were invited out to sail on her daily training sails and experience one of Kenny’s spectacular “harbour burns” of Falmouth!

EILEAN The 72ft ketch Eilean was built in 1936

by William Fife III towards the end of his life. She had been purchased by architect and master craftsman John Shearer in the mid 70s in answer to a life long love affair with the boat he had sailed on as a child, then skippered by his uncle.

Eilean traversed the Atlantic 14 times, often singlehanded by John, chartered the Caribbean and starred in the internationally successful 1982 Duran Duran video “Rio” which was shot locally. Following damage by a collision with a ferry she took up residence in the mangroves here for many years.

John worked devotedly on her trying to restore her but gradually the project slipped away from him. In 2016 she was rescued by Angelo Bonati, CEO of our sponsor Officine Panerai and given a new lease on life with a painstaking 2½ year re-fit at the Cantiere del Carlo boatyard in Italy. (Incidentally, 1936, the year of Eilean’s original launch was also the launch of the first Panerai watch, the Radiomir.) Her much celebrated return to participate in the 2012 Classics was rewarded with the coveted Woodstock Trophy for The Most Restored Yacht.

photograph by tim wright

photograph by alison langley photograph by ted martin

59

above: working

on the mast of America

below: Manni and Arnold aka the Twins working on the mast of Mary Rose opposite, below left

Nada

below right: Janley photograph by john shears

Boat building and restoration in Antigua GILLY GOBINET

Jerry “Chippy” Bardoe first trained as an apprentice engineer to become an armourer in the British Army where he learned to fix anything, whatever it was made of. This experience stood him in good stead when he arrived in Antigua in 1974 from the UK. He knew Graham Knight, of Antigua Sails, being friends since the age of fifteen and he suggested Jerry come and have a look at what was happening on the yachting scene.

He started doing various jobs in the Dockyard including dive work, engineering and fishing!

He then ran a boat out of St Barths for 18 months until he heard that his friend John Foote was looking to start up a woodwork business in English Harbour. This was a new challenge for Jerry, who joined John in his garage workshop and began working on wooden boats. He found he liked the smell, the feel of wood and the clean working atmosphere and gradually became a fully-fledged boat carpenter (he claims it was because he couldn’t plane a straight line!).

John Foote returned to the UK and the rest is history, as Jerry proved to be very good at boat carpentry and so became known as “Chippy”! Much in demand over the years, he particularly remembers when he helped re-build Vagrant at Antigua Slipway, rebuild the mast for America, and do major work on Cambria – in between times building masts, laying decks etc. Jerry has also given a good start to most of the other boat builders in Antigua who have worked for him before going out on their own.

A keen sailor himself and former Commodore of the Antigua Yacht Club, Jerry has been a regular participant at the Antigua Classics. He is nevertheless always on hand to deal with on-the-spot repairs during the Regatta (Robin Tattersall was most impressed when Jerry made and installed a new bowsprit for the next day’s race!). One of 60

the regular participants he’s worked on a lot has been Don Ward’s Winsome, replacing the entire deck!

Jerry loves the Antigua Classics and has taken part in every regatta since 1987. He particularly remembers sailing on the gaff cutter Zobeide, the wishbone ketch Sintra, the winning Whitehawk and of course, the stunning Rebecca, which he thinks is really the ultimate sail as well as being the prettiest.

There probably isn’t a classic wooden boat in Antigua that shipwright Joe Gage, better known as just “Gage”, hasn’t worked on. Born in Antigua, Gage began as a house carpenter, going on to work in Antigua slipway in 1976, where he spent photograph by manfred schweizer

the next 16 years or so honing his skills on the restoration and rebuilding of wooden boats. In the early days, Gage worked under the supervision of David Simmonds, English surveyor and manager of the Slipway, and whose meticulous approach to the craft was much appreciated by him. Thanks to David, Gage always worked on the understanding that any short cut is a bad cut.

Gage has been his own boss since the 1990s and his dedication, reliability and experience have meant that he has always been in demand. Building masts and yardarms are what give him the most pleasure, such as on Sea Cloud, using Douglas fir for the solid work and spruce for the hollow.Teak decks are another speciality (Jerry “Chippy” Bardoe will not work on one without him) and he did considerable deckwork on Ghost in 2007.

He has also worked on all the Carriacou traditional working boats, including the sloops – Genesis, Sweetheart (which no longer leaks!), Summer Cloud, Ocean Nomad and the schooner Jambalaya. He has worked on many classic yachts, particularly the 1931 Edson Schock gaff rig ketch Vileehi, as well as Snipe, Pedlar, Cora and Mary Rose.

Like many other committed craftsmen, he is self-taught and takes a quite pride in his work. Always modest, he never seeks the limelight and yet his work glows with professionalism.

For Andrew robinson, arriving in Antigua in 1990, it was love at first sight. Knocked over by Hurricane Hugo in 1989, with trees growing out of the holes, stood the 6 Metre Fifedesigned Nada, in a boatyard in St. John’s. Lovelorn but penniless, Andrew persuaded hotelier Paul Deeth to buy Nada (and pay him) to restore her at The Inn. Then Hurricane Luis delayed the restoration project and Paul sold The Inn. Due to a total misunderstanding, the new owners bulldozed the boat before anyone realized what was happening, leaving basically just the photograph by alison langley

lead keel! Undaunted and still driven by his passion, Andrew mortgaged his house and set about the total restoration of his beloved Nada. By this time, Woodstock Boatbuilders had been established, where the work took place, after initially lofting her out at Nicholson’s Powder Magazine (where Boom is today, across from the Admiral’s Inn).

Andrew faithfully followed the original Fife plans for this 6 Metre racing boat, for which the rules and specifications were stringent. But he was lucky enough to be able to assemble a dream team both to consult and to physically help with the restoration. Naval architect Ian Howlett,Technical Chairman of the British International 6 Metre Association, and Tim Streete, Chairman of the Classic 6 Metre Association, provided both technical expertise and considerable enthusiasm and support.

Robbie Doyle built the sails, (based on the original Ratsey and Lapthorn classic designs of the 1930s). Andy Postle, 6 Metre sailor and racer – and rigger – built the mast and rig. Sea trials went like a dream and Nada went on to win the SingleHanded Race and take first in her class in the three other races at the Antigua Classics in 2006.

Andrew now has a house of his own and Nada, bought by Sir Peter Harrison, is now based in Cowes, England where this fantastically fast 6 Metre boat recently came second in the European Championships, skippered by Poul Hoj Johnson.

Meanwhile the Woodstock team carried out a rebuild of Andrew’s own gunter-rigged Carriacou sloop Summer Cloud, a frequent and successful participant in the Traditional Class at the Antigua Classics over the years, to optimise her for the Carriacou Regatta – the oldest sailing regatta in the Caribbean, with no handicaps. Changes included making Summer Cloud three feet longer, carrying the transom back, fitting an taller mast and moving it back three feet, re-adjusting the ballast and strengthening the internal structure. With a Marconi mainsail, a photograph by tim wright

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bit of telegraph pole pushed up inside the mast off a Nicholson 32 to make it the correct length, the bowsprit off a broken spinnaker pole, the boom the top end of a Swan‘s aluminium mast, the mainsail from a Bahamas boat and the jib donated

by Ondeck – Summer Cloud was a true Carriacou-style racer!

Amongst the various restorations and re-builds by Woodstock Boatbuilders, the most recent and a very successful one was on the 1948 Janley, winner of the coveted and prestigious Panerai watch in 2016. Janley is a 46.33ft fractional rigged sloop, designed by George Kettenburg and locally owned by Cameron Fraser, himself a classically-trained furniture maker and therefore most appreciative of the type of work involved in the restoration of wooden boats.

Andrew has always been inspired by the Antigua Classics, both as a participant and as a builder and restorer. It took just over a year to restore Janley, with the dates of the 2016 Antigua Classics acting as the goal and focus: to get everything done in time for the Regatta! However, Andrew emphasises that if it had not been for Jim Child, in charge of the re-building of both Nada and Janley – and every other restoration project undertaken by Woodstock – none of this would ever have happened! He has been an invaluable and dedicated member of the boatyard team for many years and deserves much of the credit for its success.

Andrew’s first experience with the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta was in 1992, when he entered his 41ft Berthon Gauntlet (originally launches as Lollypoppet) Pegasa. He fondly remembers how helpful Kenny was in running this truly Gentlemen’s Regatta.

Born and raised in South Africa, Manfred Schweizer trained as a cabinetmaker and draughtsman. It was only when a master carpenter friend asked him for help in rebuilding a wooden boat that he became interested in working on such craft (and realized early on that there were very few square angles on boats!).

He learned his engineering and shipwright skills from a highly talented and experienced German marine architect and went on to build wooden boats for The Multihull Company, including Catariba, a 70ft wooden catamaran custom designed for windsurfing charters. He was then engineer on Catariba on her trip to Antigua for the Boat Show in the early 90s after which he worked on her doing charters out of the BVI. Catariba was subsequently lost in a hurricane and Manfred captained various sailboats, both privately-owned and charters, in the Caribbean.

However, he completely fell in love with classic wooden yachts when he bought the 1957 41ft Arthur Robb sloop Pedlar (originally known as Moonlight II) in 1995 here in Antigua. He entered her in the 1997 Classics, during which she seemed to be taking on an inordinate amount of water.

It later turned out that 18 frames needed replacing, as well as rebuilding the mast step. It took him until 2001 to complete this work and she entered the Classics again, this time with no leaks. However, she still needed extensive work, including 62

photograph by manfred schweizer

photograph by manfred schweizer

photograph by manfred schweizer

photograph by manfred schweizer photograph by gilly gobinet

photograph by manfred schweizer

replacing the chain plate bolts, replacing 14 steel frames with wooden ones and seven keel bolts. She went on to do well in the 2004 and 2005 Classics, her last entry being in 2006. She was dismasted in 2007 and since then Manfred has built two new wooden masts, restoring her to the yawl that she was originally designed to be. Pedlar is still a work in progress but future participation in the Antigua Classics is on the agenda!

Meanwhile Manfred created his own business, Shipwright Services, servicing the marine industry in general and classic wooden boats in particular. His workshop has been at North Sound Marina at Crabbs for the last six years and it is there that he has supervised an extensive refit of the 1926 Herreshoff Mary Rose over the last four years. Most of the time, Manfred does all his own labour but for very big jobs, such as Mary Rose, he employed Antiguan shipwright Gage and the varnishing and painting talents of two brothers, Manni and Arnold, known simply as “Twins”.

The owner of Mary Rose also commissioned Manfred to build an 11.6ft Columbia Herreshoff Sailing Dinghy (the original lifeboat designed by NG Herreshoff in 1905) as tender to Mary Rose.

Classic wooden boats remain his passion and restoring them to their original beauty is a constant source of great satisfaction.

photograph by tim wright

Oliver Greensmith of Antigua Boatbuilders and Carpentry is a comparative newcomer, arriving in Antigua in 2003.

Boat building runs in the family. Launched in 1999, his father built the 37ft Joshua Slocum-designed gaff rig Usqueabach in South Africa. He sailed her to England and then on to Antigua, to work with Jerry “Chippy” Bardoe. Usqueabach has participated in the Antiguan Classics several times: a colourful, very friendly boat, she never went fast but like Old Bob, often in the same class, she didn’t care as taking part was such fun. She won the Jane Coombs Comfort Zone Trophy on three occasions for the Shortened Course.

Still in South Africa, Oliver built himself the Herreshoff 28 Crystal and eventually sailed her here to Antigua. Crystal has also been a regular participant in the Antigua Classics.

Oliver’s first job was with Jerry Bardoe, but then, after a season of working on yachts, he was able to open up his own workshop in Jolly Harbour, where he built the 17ft Herreshoff Amber for himself. Amber also took part in the Antigua Classics, being the smallest to ever participate in the Single-Handed Race. A developer was so blown away

by Oliver’s work on Amber that he ordered five more Herreshoffs. Unfortunately the whole project fell through and Oliver was left with the five unfinished ones. However, over the years, he completed them and managed to sell them all (Jade taking part in the 2016 Single-Handed Race).

Like Andrew at Woodstock, Oliver was also involved in the rebuilding of a Carriacou sloop – this time the oldest one, Summer Wind. First owned by veteran Antiguan sailor Eddie Barreto, then by Frank Pearce and later by Alexis Andrews, she was eventually bought by Brian McNally of Mill Reef. After a few years, Summer Wind started literally falling apart at Antigua Slipway. Brian had used the very experienced Antiguan shipwright Joe Gage to rebuild the topsides and he asked Oliver to complete the hull.

However, over the years Oliver found that the carpentry side of his work became more lucrative than the boatbuilding side, the latter taking second place – that is, until he came across Seefalke II. She was sailed here in 1996 by Welsh engineer Lynn Roach – the only 50ft Windfall known to have crossed the Atlantic. Seefalke achieved further fame by being the overall winner of the 1998 Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta.Years later, after a trip to the USA, Lynn Roach eventually abandoned both her – already in a sorry state in need of a lot of TLC – and his workshop, returning to the

photograph lucy tulloch UK to tend to his ailing Mother. Seefalke II wasbyhauled out at North Sound Marina in Crabbs where she languished between 2011 and 2012, when Oliver’s father-in-law bought her and offered to sponsor her re-build.

The re-building of Seefalke II started in Oliver’s then workshop at Cobbs Cross. Work was completed in 2015, just in time for the Antigua Classics – they were still screwing stuff together on the morning of the first race! And last year, she was awarded a special Honourable Mention at the Single-Handed Race by Tim Wall, so impressed was he by Oliver’s meticulous re-building work, her resulting beauty and her fascinating history. Designed by Abeking and Rasmussen, and originally named Seesturm, she was built in Germany in 1936 for the German Navy as an officer training ship. Seized along with similar yachts by the British Navy in 1945, she was allocated to the Royal Marines. Sold in the 1990s, she was renovated by Lynn Roach who sailed her without engine to Lisbon, Brazil and Antigua. Hurricane Mitch dismasted her on a trip to Newport but she eventually returned to Antigua and the rest is history…

opposite: Various

stages in the building of the 1905 Herreshoff Columbia, T/T Mary Rose; Shipwright “Gage”

above left: Seefalke

II

above right top: Seefalke above right: Haul-out

II in 2013

of Seefalke II at North Sound Marina,

Crabbs Peninsula 63

The Spirit of the Regatta text and photographs by jan hein

Antigua was the final landfall of a nine-month journey that began in Washington State. Aboard our small boat, we’d encountered the best and worst of ocean voyaging and we were more than ready to celebrate the victory of reaching the island in one piece.

It was Easter week, 2007.The Cricket World Cup was in full swing and the migration of megas was underway. We busied ourselves with repairs in Falmouth Harbour, stopping only to listen to the cacophony of horns as each gin palace slipped away.

The bay steadily emptied, heading toward season’s end until one morning, a magnificent schooner appeared. Soon after, a few more polished classics came in and we began to wonder: what’s up?

A trip ashore for a glance at posters told all – the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta was just days away and luck had dropped us right in its centre.

It wasn’t as though we needed more time at sea but the thought of joining one of those delightful old vessels sent us in pursuit of a ride.

The night before the kickoff, we sailed our dinghy past the docks, each crammed with captains and crew – drinks in hand, faces beaming, a camaraderie flowing like a rising tide. We joined the action, quickly finding one old friend after another. It was hard to tell if it was happy hour or a family reunion. Soon, we would learn, it was both.

We were on the ‘wait-list’ as crew on a Carriacou Sloop but when Ira Epstein, a long-lost friend said, “Sail with us, we’ve always got room for family,” – we jumped at the chance to join team Lone Fox. Racing that year, reunited with more old friends while all the while adding new ones, was nothing short of magic. Somehow, strenuous, salty work became a labour of love and the crew that climbed the stage together at the awards ceremony to collect a trophy were bound by the spell of the Antigua Classics.

photograph by lucy tulloch

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They call it, ‘The Gentlemen’s Race,’ because it runs by a different set of rules.

Small boats stay out of the way of the big girls; ‘giving room’ trumps a lead; disputes are rarely filed. The office is staffed like a welcome wagon with room for visitors and weary sailors and unlike other races in the region, there is no protest room.

The locals feel the difference. Phil Braithwaite, a staff member of the dockside grocery remarked, “This is my favourite race. Everyone is so friendly.” And they are, poking their heads in the store to tell him hello. The ladies at the Dockyard Laundry enjoy the extra business they get that comes without frenzy.

It’s as if the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta takes place in it’s own time zone with days of hard racing, nights of endless parties yet nothing seems to happen in a hurry – unless you’re late to the start!

Mornings are a time to roam the docks, grab coffee and chase down the day’s sandwiches. Post race is beer-o-clock, crews mixing to share stories and congratulations. And daily, each circle of friends adds a few new links.

One year I found myself racing on the infamous Pink Lady – ten bikini clad women on a slow but very pink boat. We garnered attention galore, of course; landed on four magazine covers; listened to ear-burning stories, and formed friendships to last a lifetime. In five days we grew from crew to tight friends because that’s what happens at the Antigua Classics.

I’ve raced on boats big and small, live-aboards, charter-boats and yachts of the rich and famous. I’ve sailed alongside a baron, near rock stars, with the onepercenters who move and shake the world. Yet on that race course we’re all just there to enjoy a sail spiced with a bit of competition.

Last year I raced on Columbia, the 141’ replica of a Gloucester Fishing Schooner and sweetheart of the 2016 Regatta. Many of the impressive buildteam were aboard along with owners, Brian and Mimi D’Isernia and Captain Karl Joyner. The privilege of that ride was not lost on me yet at the end of the first day, their welcoming demeanor folded me into their team – in true Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta style.

Each year there is a trophy given for Spirit of the Regatta, presented to a vessel that stands out in the basic component of the race.The purple clad crew of Veracity won it in 2009; party hosts Galatea took it in 2010; endurance for a long rebuild cinched the award for Charm III in 2012; and last year, Island Swift, skippered by Jojo, who first went to sea aged one, was the clear winner..

In reality, it is the entire fleet that finds its way to Antigua each year that makes up the Spirit of Regatta. And the prize goes to each crew lucky enough to be there.

opposite, clockwise from top left:

Ira driving his Lone Fox. It was one pink event after another . . .

Segue Scary Mary, Psycho Betty and Killer Bee on Pink Lady.

Daisy, Mimi and Brian D’Isernia (Columbia’s owners)

this page, clockwise from top left: Columbia cutting through the fleet.

A spirited boat with sweeps – Veracity.

Captain Karl Joyner and John Steele.

Make way for the Pink Lady.

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Remembrance of Things Past It was a huge pleasure to be part of the Classics for many years, both as representatives of Wayfarer Marine Corporation, an early and longtime sponsor, and as crew on some of the world’s most spectacular and swift vessels. We have such vibrant memories of the races and all the wonderful people with whom we dashed about those beautiful decks, hoisting, trimming, easing, and trimming some more. Among all the after parties, the Edwardian dinners, held in the first few years, stand out as the most memorable. Pulling together our period-appropriate costumes, and seeing what others had come up with, was such fun! rick and mimi steadman

Good Luck with the 30th Classic Regatta. Kenny’s annual talks will always be remembered and set a standard for all competitors. I was lucky enough to take part in 19 Antigua Classics starting in 1989. I am still looking for somewhere to display all the brass plates! peter hutchinson (Yacht Rainbow).

The only regatta I would sail 4000 miles to take part in. nick skeates (Yacht Wylo) One understands the joyous feel of sailing on and amongst the lovely classic yachts that are drawn to this beautifully executed event. Since 1993 we’ve sailed classic yachts and been part of the graceful evolution of this event. jim and amy murphy (Yachts Whitehawk and Sapphire)

Antigua Classics never disappoints! Glorious old boats galore, new guardians with a shared passion for maintaining and sailing them. Rigs, gigs, parties and zany crews. Antigua Classics is where I always felt my boat and I belonged.

Ahhhh De Classics Man! “sir” phil kerin (Yachts Dunlin, St. Briac and Sintra crew.)

Having sailed for many years on the 134ft ketch Alejandra, helping to create the Spirit of Tradition Class and later returning with the 164ft Eleonora (replica of Westward) we are delighted to be returning to Kenny’s island, Antigua to take part in his legendary regatta for the 4th time with the 180ft replica of the 1911 Elena, a yacht that Kenny sailed thousands of miles aboard. steve mcclaren (Yacht Elena) I sailed in Antigua Sailing Week in 1986 when the idea of a separate classic event was being hatched. Being a classic enthusiast since my early days I swore I would return which I did six years later and repeatedly on my own classic boat, the 53ft. Bjarne Aas sloop, Snipe. The event was never a disappointment and over the years several good friendships were hatched. olaf damm

The Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta is such a unique event, just to enter you have to sail to an island a thousand miles out into the Atlantic. In no other regatta is so much passion and determination required to race such beautiful ageing classics. Delicious madness. Long may it live!

I think I have missed only three Antigua Classics this century.

But that was three too many. The gathering of great boats and people, the wind, the ambiance, the informality, the transformation of the entire village in combination with the friendly reception by all locals, the blend of Range Rovers and donkeys…just makes Antigua so much better than any other sailing event world wide. trygve bratze (Yacht Sincerity)

Antigua and the Classic Yacht Regattas bring together people who have become friends and entrust their wellbeing to each other. Joy, laughter, determination, professionalism and competitiveness rule our minds and the waves. gerald rainer (Yacht Mary Rose)

A floating family of salty souls drawn together by their love of a hand sawn frame, their lust for a finely hewn line with a weakness for a rum fueled yarn. kirsty morrison (Pink Lady)

I have competed in 20 Antigua Classic Yacht Regattas. I have no interest in ever owning a boat that would not qualify for this wonderful event. don ward (Yachts Winsome and Frolic)

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fred ackee

opposite l to r: Myrna

Snyder and Martin Thomas; Kirsty Morrison; Peter Hutchinson; Olaf Damm; Jim and Amy Murphy; this page: “Sir” Phil Kerin; Nick Skeates; Gerald Rainer, Fred Ackee, Trygve Bratze, Don Ward , I’ve been lucky enough to have sailed at Antigua Classics since the early 90s as skipper of Windrose and as crew on such amazing yachts as Mariette, Altair and more recently Adix, often with winning results.

How do you compare one of the most seemingly relaxed but enjoyable regattas, created by a group of Corinthian yachtsmen and women that encompasses all sizes and types of some of the finest yachts afloat with any other sailing event? alexis howard (ex captain of yacht Windrose)

The regatta continues to hold deep meaning for me and my family. Our memories of it centre around a ‘coming together’ of like minded people who share so much in common; a sense of adventure, community, of friendly competition, and shared values. I can’t think of the regatta without laughing at some of the zany antics we pulled...water balloon fights and fancy dress parties. The regatta has brought so much joy to so many. martin thomas and myrna snider (Yacht Sintra)

Captain Uli and the Tall Ships World Peace Cup Master Mariner Ulrich Hans Wolfgang Preusse (to give him his full title) was a major contributor to the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta story. Hailing from a seafaring family in Hamburg, Germany, he was a passionate and lovable character and one of the founders of the regatta in 1987 when he was captain of the schooner Ashanti of Saba. He then went on to work for the Star Clipper Line as master of first the 360ft, four-masted Star Clipper and later the 439ft five-masted ship Royal Clipper.

Through his sheer hard work and determination, Uli’s Tall Ships World Peace Cup Competition at Antigua Classics swelled to six ships in 2004 with Tenacious, Sea Cloud, Zenobe Gramme, Stavros Niarchos, and Fleurtje joining the fleet. Sadly Uli was to pass away the following year but he created a sight here that will never be forgotten.

He was a great leader and teacher and would explain to his enraptured passengers the ways of the sea and ships. “You must love every wave” he said. So they did, and they loved him too.

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2016

ENTRIES

NAME

LOD DESCRIPTION

BUILT

VINTAGE CLASS VINTAGE CLASS A 1. The Blue Peter 65ft 2. Nordwind 86ft

Alfred Mylne Cutter Henry Gruber Bermudian Yawl

1930 1939

VINTAGE CLASS B 1. Mary Rose 54ft 2. Charm III 50ft

Herreshoff Schooner John Alden Staysail Schooner

1926 1928

VINTAGE CLASS C 1. Janley 46ft 2. Seefalke II 41ft 3. Bellona 43ft 4. Guiding Light 36ft 5. Cora 26ft 6. Lorema 25ft

George Kettenburg Fractional Rigged Sloop H Rasmussen Bermuda Sloop Max Oertz Ketch Gauntlet Cutter Harrison Butler Cutter Tord Sunden Folk Boat

1948 1936 1925 1936 1937 1942

CLASSIC CLASS

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CLASSIC CLASS A 1. Adix 178ft Holgate 3 Masted Gaff Schooner 2. Alexa of London 121ft Julius Strawinski Gaff Rigged Cutter 3. Columbia 141ft Starling-Burgess Gloucester Fishing Schooner

1983 1992 2014

CLASSIC CLASS B 1. Argo 112ft Langan Staysail Schooner 2. Chrono 157ft Klaus Roder Staysail Ketch 3. Kairos 109ft Klaus Roder Staysail Schooner

2005 2013 2007

CLASSIC CLASS C 1. Heron 52ft 2. Seljm 98ft 3. Sorca 55ft 4. Juno 65ft

John Alden Gaff Schooner Anselmi Boretti Staysail Schooner Murray Stevens Nova Scotia Schooner Nat Benjamin Gaff Schooner

2003 1980 1978 2003

CLASSIC CLASS D 1. Paloma VI 32ft 2. Segue 34ft 3. Island Swift 35ft

JM Alfonso Allende Ocean Galea 32 Paul Johnson Venus Ketch Nick Skeates Gaff Cutter

1964 1992 1998

Dawn over Falmouth Harbour, Antigua

NAME

LOD DESCRIPTION

BUILT

photograph by ed whiting

TRADITIONAL CLASS TRADITIONAL CLASS A 1. Zemi 2. Genesis 3. Free in St. Barths 4. Sweetheart 5. Jambalaya

42ft 42ft 42ft 36ft 65ft

Alwyn Enoe Carriacou Sloop Alwyn Enoe Carriacou Sloop Alwyn Enoe Carriacou Sloop Zepharin McLaren Carriacou Sloop Jassie Compton Windward Islands Schooner

2010 2003 2015 1987 2002

SPIRIT OF TRADITION SPIRIT OF TRADITION CLASS A 1. Dragonera 2. El Oro 3. Rebecca

75ft Joel White Ketch 68ft Whitbread Ketch 140ft German Frers Ketch

1975 1974 1999

SPIRIT OF TRADITION CLASS B 1. Wild Horses 76ft 2. Free Spirit 56ft 3. Braveheart of Sark 75ft

Joel White Sloop Sean Macmillan Spirit Bermudan Sloop Andre Hoek Cutter

1998 2006 1997

CLASSIC GRP CLASS CLASSIC GRP CLASS A 1. Frolic 44ft 2. Petrana 50ft 3. Desiderata 54ft 4. Tamasha 59ft

Luders Yawl John Alden Ketch John Alden Schooner Herreshoff Ketch

CLASSIC GRP CLASS B 1. Lazy Leg 40ft William Tripp Yawl 2. Calypso 30ft John Alden Cutter 3. Synia 38ft William Tripp Masthead Sloop

1967 1968 1976 1979 1969 1978 1978

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Trophy Winners PANERAI TROPHY 2011 Lone Fox 2012 Lone Fox 2013 Sumurun 2014 Whitehawk 2015 Whitehawk 2016 Janley FIRST OVERALL Mount Gay Rum Trophy 2011 Bolero 1948 2012 Mariella 2013 Sumurun 2014 Nazgul of Fordell 2015 Black Watch 2016 Janley FIRST OVERALL CLASSIC AND VINTAGE Wayfarer Marine Trophy 2010 Sumurun 2011 Lone Fox 2012 Saphaedra 2013 Sumurun 2014 Whitehawk 2015 Whitehawk Lyman-Morse at Wayfarer Marine Trophy 2016 Janley FIRST OVERALL TRADITIONAL CLASS

photograph by jan hein

Superyachts & Supermodels Trophy 2010 Genesis 2011 Zemi 2012 Zemi 2013 Genesis 2014 Genesis 2015 Genesis 2016 Zemi

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SCHOONER CLASS Nicholson’s Caribbean Yacht Sales Trophy 2010 Astor 2011 Juno 2012 Mary Rose 2013 Juno 2014 Mary Rose 2015 Mary Rose 2016 Mary Rose

SPIRIT OF TRADITION CLASS – All Comers Ticonderoga Trophy 2010 Rebecca 2011 Velsheda 2012 Rebecca 2013 Wild Horses 2014 Nazgul of Fordell 2015 Rebecca 2016 Wild Horses

BEST ELAPSED TIME VINTAGE CLASS Archibald Reid Trophy 2009 Mariella 2010 Sumurun 2011 Bolero 1948 2012 Mariella 2013 Sumurun 2014 Mariella 2015 Atrevida 2016 The Blue Peter

VINTAGE CLASS Stormy Weather Trophy 2009 Mariella 2010 Sumurun 2011 Bolero 1948 2012 Mariella 2013 Sumurun 2014 Lily Maid 2015 Black Watch 2016 Janley

SPIRIT OF TRADITION CLASS – Spirit Yachts 2014 Nazgul of Fordell

BEST ELAPSED TIME CLASSIC CLASS Antigua Slipway Trophy 2008 Eleonora 2009 Stormvogel 2010 Aschanti IV 2011 Elena 2012 Stormvogel 2013 Stormvogel 2014 Whitehawk 2015 Elena 2016 Adix

CLASSIC CLASS Aschanti of Saba Trophy 2010 Aschanti IV 2011 Lone Fox 2012 Saphaedra 2013 Stormvogel 2014 Whitehawk 2015 Whitehawk 2016 Heron CLASSIC GRP CLASS Hinckley Yacht Services Trophy 2010 Sunshine 2011 Sunshine 2012 Sunshine 2013 Petrana 2014 Desiderata 2015 Petrana Antigua Boatbuilders and Carpentry Trophy 2016 Frolic

BEST ELAPSED TIME OVERALL Yachting World Trophy 2010 Sumurun 2011 Elena 2012 Lone Fox 2013 Stormvogel 2014 Whitehawk 2015 Elena 2016 Adix BEST ELAPSED TIME SCHOONER CLASS Beken of Cowes Trophy 2009 Astor 2010 Aschanti IV 2011 Elena 2012 Elena 2013 Seljm 2014 Juno 2015 Elena 2016 Adix

BEST ELAPSED TIME SPIRIT OF TRADITION CLASS Antigua Sails Trophy 2009 Rebeccs 2010 Rebecca 2011 Velsheda 2012 Firefly 2013 Wild Horses 2014 Rebecca 2015 Rebecca 2016 Wild Horses BEST ELAPSED TIME GRP CLASS Sunshine Trophy 2013 Petrana 2014 Desiderata 2015 Desiderata 2016 Frolic

Trophy Winners BEST ELAPSED TIME TRADITIONAL CLASS Windy Ridge Marine Services Trophy 2008 Genesis 2009 Ocean Nomad 2010 Mageeta-O II 2011 Zemi 2012 Zemi Alwyn Enoe Trophy 2013 Genesis The Kenny Coombs Memorial Trophy 2014 Genesis 2015 Genesis 2016 Free in St Barths BEST PERFORMANCE

BY A LOCAL YACHT A & F Sails Trophy 2009 Mariella 2010 Summer Cloud 2011 Mariella 2012 Mariella 2013 Mariella 2014 Mariella 2015 Mary Rose 2016 Frolic SMALLEST CLASSIC Ann Wallis White Trophy 2010 Springtide 2011 Springtide 2012 Springtide 2013 Springtide 2014 Springtide 2015 Lorema 2016 Paloma VI

LARGEST CLASSIC Ann Wallis White Trophy 2009 Rebecca 2010 Rebecca 2011 Marie 2012 Athos 2013 Kairos 2014 Chronos 2015 Chronos 2016 Adix

MOST RESTORED YACHT Woodstock Trophy 2009 Korby 2010 Galatea 2011 Bolero 1948 2012 Eilean 2013 Dione 2014 Adventuress 2015 Seefalke II 2016 Janley

OLDEST CLASSIC Marine Power Services Trophy 2010 Galatea 2011 Atrevida 2012 Coral of Cowes 2013 Dione 2014 Coral of Cowes 2015 Coral of Cowes 2016 Charm III

BEST PERFORMANCE GAFF RIGGED YACHT Dunlin Trophy 2009 Eleanora 2010 Old Bob 2011 Elena 2012 Tuiga 2013 Adventuress 2014 Coral of Cowes 2015 Elena 2016 Genesis

SPIRIT OF THE REGATTA Seahorse Studios Trophy 2009 Veracity 2010 Galatea 2011 Rosa 2012 Charm III 2013 Angus Davis 2014 Rainbow 2015 Windjammer 2016 Island Swift BEST CHARTER YACHT Nicholson Yacht Charters Trophy 2010 Lone Fox 2011 Lone Fox 2012 Lone Fox 2013 Sincerity 2014 Whitehawk 2015 Whitehawk 2016 Discontinued

SHORTENED COURSE Comfort Zone Trophy 2010 Usquaebach 2011 Cora 2012 Cora 2013 Malamok 2014 Lilly Bolero 2015 Sally B 2016 Sorca MOST PHOTOGENIC YACHT Den Phillips Trophy 2011 Elena 2012 Tuiga 2013 Adventuress 2014 Grayhound 2015 Sweetheart 2016 Columbia

SINGLE-HANDED RACE Carib Bean Coffee Cup 2012 Small Boat: Sunshine Large Boat: Kate 2013 Small Boat: Aquila Large Boat: Saphaedra Spitit of Tradition: Spirit of Rani 2014 Small Boat: Springtide Large Boat: The Blue Peter Spitit of Tradition: Flight of Ufford 2012 Small Boat: Frolic Large Boat: Saphaedra 2016 Small boats: Lorema Large boats: Sorca Spirit of Tradition: Free Spirit BEST DRESSED CREW Tree House Body Shop Trophy 2009 Veracity 2010 Old Bob 2011 Alert Jane’s Yacht Services Trophy 2012 St. Briac 2013 Mary Rose 2014 Lilly Bolero 2015 Dragonera 2016 Desiderata VOTED MOST RESPECTED YACHT BY REGATTA PARTICIPANTS John Leader Trophy 2013 Charm III 2014 Grayhound 2015 Coral of Cowes 2016 Columbia BEST YOUNG SAILOR OF THE YEAR FitzRoy Trophy 2015 Leo Goolding 2016 Aaron Ashton

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The Antigua Yacht Club presents the 31st Annual

Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta

photograph by onne van der wal

18th–24th APRIL 2018

To enTer, visiT www.anTiguaclassics.com special discounTed raTes up To 1sT march 2018

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