Caribbean Compass Yachting Magazine - December 2019

dean barnes
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Newly appointed Race Manager Jaime Torres says: “Fifty years of experience of
hosting the world’s premier racing yachts has cemented Antigua Sailing Week as a
must-do event on the Caribbean sailing calendar.
This year, we are as inclusive as possible. Our refined Club class is specially designed
to bring the podium experience to the cruising sailor who never expected to participate
in such a high-level event. Club class is about who has the coldest beer, not
the coolest gear!”
He went on to say, “So many in our racing fleet have black or dark grey sails. For
2020, we will be implementing a mandatory proof of sail number legibility, so boat
managers, get on the ball with this.”
With entry fees increasing at the end of the year, organizers suggest participants
go for the savings and enter early.
Visit www.sailingweek.com for more information.
Act Now: St. Thomas International Regatta 2020
Carol Bareuther reports: Register now for the St. Thomas International Regatta
(STIR), set for March 27th through 29th. It’s the place to be to trade tacks and tactics
with America’s Cup, Volvo Ocean, and Olympic crews. Enter the Round the Rocks
Race, a circumnavigation of the neighboring island of St. John, on March 26th for
an extra day of competition.
STIR 2020 invites CSA racing, cruising, and bareboat classes, IRC, ORC, Multihull,
Beach Cats, and One-Design classes with a minimum length of 20 feet. One of the
hottest classes will be the One-Design. Over 20 IC24s are anticipated to be at the
start line. The fleet of Hobie Waves is growing, too.
Bring your own boat or charter. Over half a dozen outfits are offering vessels to
charter, either by the boat or as crew.
Register before January 31st at yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm and pay only
US$150, or 50 percent off the regular entry fee.
Visit www.stthomasinternationalregatta.com for more information.
YOUTH SAILING NEWS
One of the hottest classes in STIR 2020 will be the IC24s.
Antiguans Top Two SOL Regatta Fleets
The Sint Maarten Yacht Club hosted its 14th annual Sol St. Maarten Optimist
Championship on November 9th and 10th. A total of 11 races were run in top sailing
conditions of 15 knots plus.
The 31 participants included young sailors from St. Maarten/St. Martin, Antigua &
Barbuda, St Kitts & Nevis, Curaçao, and St. Barth.
Ten Optimist sailors from the Antigua Yacht Club Junior Sailing Program led by
Coach Karl James travelled to St. Maarten to test their skills. Antiguan sailors swept the
top spots of both the Championship (Blue) fleet, and the Intermediate (Orange) fleet.
Ozani Lafond (age 14) claimed first place overall in the Championship fleet, dominating
the field with 14 points overall and seven first place finishes, a third and a fourth. His
teammates Shanoy Malone and Daniel Anglin took second and third respectively, with
Alistair Knoblauch in seventh, Patrick Greensmith in eighth and Diego Ewinger in ninth.
Carrack Jones also had an outstanding regatta, taking first overall in the Intermediate
fleet on the strength of eight firsts and a third, for a total of 11 points overall. His brother
Tyden Jones placed second and Henry Greensmith took third. Emily Gaillard, the only
girl on the Antigua team, claimed fourth, only one point behind third place.
This regatta is an AHO qualifier for the Optimist World Championships.
Visit yachtscoring.com for full results.
december 2019 CARIBBEAN COMPAss pAGE 15