Caribbean Compass Yachting Magazine September 2016

INCREASED
SLOOPS FLEET IN
CHALLENGING RACES
by John Everton
When J Linton Rigg started the Carriacou Regatta in the mid-1960s, his aim was
to revitalize the boatbuilding trade in the village of Windward. The cash prizes in the
regatta added an incentive to build more vessels to carry cargo or to fish, or to do
CARRIACOU REGATTA FESTIVAL 2016
Day Three was seriously squally in the harbor before, during and after the start of
the last race in the regatta. Soon after the start we saw the mainsheet man on New
Moon fall overboard with the mainsheet wrapped around his foot. The boat hardly
broke stride before the rest of the crew hauled him back aboard by the mainsheet
and his dreadlocks.
Little did we on Wet Dream know at the time that we would soon be a lot wetter for
a lot longer. As it turns out, that day was the only day I did get back to my own boat
in Tyrell Bay before dark; mainly because Wet Dream capsized two marks from the
windward side when we were knocked down by a heavy gust.
With assistance from “Ms Allison” Reef Tours’ boat and the Grenada Coast Guard,
we were towed — while standing on the port side of Wet Dream’s keel, with the sails
in the water — into Paradise Beach, where the boat spent the night. Next morning
we took all the gear off her, got her upright, bailed out, reloaded with her gear and
towed around to Windward by Glen from Hillsborough, who has a tuna long-liner.
Thus ended another Carriacou Regatta and another Caribbean sailing adventure.
DAVON BAKER (2)
SEPTEMBER 2016 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 20
both. Rigg commissioned local shipwright Zepherin McLaren to build the legendary
decked sloop Mermaid of Carriacou, which went on to win the first three Carriacou
Regattas. Since then, Regatta has become the biggest annual holiday in Carriacou.
This year’s regatta, held July 29th through August 1st, celebrated a muchimproved
turnout over last year’s, with five A Class and five B Class decked sloops.
Racing in A Class were Glacier, American Eagle and Margeta O II from Windward;
Free in St. Barth, now based in that northern island; and Beauty, which is based in
Petit St. Vincent and was built in Carriacou’s sister isle of Petite Martinique by
Baldwin de Roche. (Another beautiful vessel built by Baldwin was CCC, the sleek
vessel with low freeboard built to beat “the Mermaid” — which she did).
The B Class vessels included Marie Stella, New Moon, Wet Dream, Small Pin and an
atypical plywood go-fast entry, New Version.
It turned out to be a challenging regatta, nothing new for Windward. The first day’s
race, around the island, featured an after-dark finish back into Windward for many
of the vessels owing to the fact that the course around the island was counterclockwise
this year, which meant several hours of tacking back and forth to end up
virtually in the same place, or worse, thanks to the foul tide off the southwest end
of Carriacou. Glacier was able to gradually work her way to Windward, but the rest
of the fleet was caught for hours, unable to overpower the adverse current with zero
to ten knots of wind for most of the afternoon.
Racing with Hope McLawrence and Roderick on Hope’s boat, Wet Dream, we
arrived back in Windward at 9:00PM after tacking back and forth between Kendeace
Point and the outer reefs off the windward side of Carriacou for two and a half hours
in the dark.
On Day Two, the wind was up to 15 to 20 knots with higher gusts. The racing
featured a course from Windward to the town of Hillsborough on the lee side of the
island, by way of The Sisters rocks off the west side, etcetera, followed by a second
long race in the afternoon — another long day, and it was again well after dark when
we left the boat anchored in Hillsborough harbor for the night.
There were also races for Long Open Boats, Small Open Boats and Stern Boats;
despite a torn sail, this Stern Boat (at left) won its class
At right: New Version displays evolving boat design and construction
Carriacou Regatta 2016
Decked Sloops
Provisional Results
A Class
1) Glacier Calvin Patrice
2) Free in St. Barth Cal Enoe
3) Margeta 0 II Cyril Compton
B Class
1) New Version Frankie Bethel
2) Marie Stella Michael Bethel
3) New Moon Dave Goldhill