| Travelog
Twentyeight—June, 2005 Antigua 2005 has come and gone and we must admit it has been one of the wildest months we've spent in the Caribbean. We arrived the first week of April, a week before the Mega Yacht Challenge Race and the Classic Regatta and decided to do a little exploring along the Southeast coast before all the action started. Ten miles east of English Harbor is the beautiful Green Island Anchorage in Nonsuch Bay.
The bay covers several square miles and is protected from the Atlantic by a large barrier reef. The area is unspoiled by buildings but is abundant in bird and sea life We spent four days exploring all the anchorages by dinghy and just kicking back since we needed all the rest we could get before the activities began! Upon our return to Falmouth Harbor we met up with john and Diana on 2ND KISS and friends Barritt and Renee on SERENDIPITY. It had been over 18 months since the two boats were anchored together. The first event on our agenda was a Solar Eclipse party on April 8, sponsored by Mt. Gay Rum on Shirley Heights overlooking English Harbor. This old artillery/lookout station has been the site of a weekly party for many years complete with open bar, BBQ, a fabulous steel drum band, followed by a reggae group. We always seem to get in trouble on Shirley Heights which started back in 1987 when we made our first visit with John and Diana while delivering VIVA back from Europe. Eighteen years later, nothing has changed! Mt. Gay Rum decided to celebrate the April 8th partial solar eclipse with a special event. For three rum drinks you ended up with a Mt. Gay Eclipse T-shirt, a pair of plastic eclipse viewing glasses and a momentous hangover. Needless to say we ended up with several t-shirts between us.    "Solar Eclipsing" The first racing event was the Mega Yacht Challenge which is limited to yachts over 100' in length. The week before there had been over 28 entries in the "Bucket", a St. Barts regatta limited to these maxis and Antigua YC was also hoping for a big turnout. Unfortunately, due to breakdowns and other commitments, the entries were sparse. I had been asked to cover these regattas for Caribbean COMPASS and Pam and I were invited to sail and photograph aboard "DESTINATION FOX HARBOR, a 135' Dubois design.
  This isn't racing as we know it. With a full-time professional crew and chef on board, they can race the boat with five people, as all the sails are raised, lowered and trimmed by hydraulic winches below deck with just toggles and joy sticks buttons on the steering console. What a ride! The owner, Ron Joyce a Nova Scotia developer had DESTINATION built in New Zealand a couple of years before and we were surprised to learn that this was his first sailboat. Nice introduction to sailing!
 We were treated like royalty, and upon arrival were issued the "ships wardrobe" and wined and dined for the entire regatta. After two days aboard, I had a hard time getting Pam back on VIVA! The following weekend was the start of the famous Classic Regatta and In previous years we had participated in this events solely as spectators. Without a doubt, this is one of the most impressive in-the-water boat shows in the world. In the past we have cruised the docks at Antigua YC where all the boats are berthed and then watched the races by dinghy or from one of the hills overlooking the race course. No matter how close you get, it just isn't the same as being on one of the boats. This year we had been asked to skipper APSARA, a little 31 ft. ketch (38 ft. overall) by Kaj and Marla, a young American couple we met in Venezuela who had never raced before. The full-keeled boat was built in Denmark in 1957 and Kaj the owner had spent several years restoring the boat to its immaculate condition. With 60-70 boats in 12 classes, the smaller boats are started first so during the race you are passed by this impressive fleet of vintage yachts and the mark roundings are exceptionally hair raising, particularly on one of the smallest boats in the fleet. Our first two races were pretty exciting and going into the final race we were in third place with a chance to win our class. Unfortunately, after rounding the first weather mark, disaster struck when we were overtaken and hit by a 55 ft. schooner which sent the mizzen mast overboard. It all happened so fast that our first clue was a bowsprit in our cockpit.  after the collision! The impact also cracked our bowsprit and mainmast and caused considerable other damage. The owner of the overtaking yacht was in complete denial and after two protest meetings (which we won), he still denied any fault and refused to supply his insurance information. It took a visit to a local attorney to get the disqualified boat impounded, which fortunately opened the door to a survey, appraisal and subsequent settlement with his insurance company. A petty nasty introduction for Kaj and Marla to the world of yacht racing!
The following Tuesday, a match race had been scheduled between the two 135 ft. J-Class yachts RANGER and VELSHEDA, and I had been invited by the owner of RANGER to come aboard to photograph the event.
   RANGER and VELSHEDA powered up at the start A J-Class yacht is pretty impressive just viewed from the dock but it is hard to describe the excitement and raw power of sailing on one of these incredible yachts. In twelve knots of wind we were doing 10 knots upwind at an apparent wind angle of 22 degrees! With over 30 crewmembers and no lifelines or stanchions, there is only a small 2" handrail to keep one onboard. With my camera, I had the run of the decks but it was definitely "one hand for the boat" at all times. At the first leeward mark rounding one of the foredeck crew was launched overboard in a complete 360 degree back flip by a loose jib sheet. Fortunately, he was picked up and retrieved on the next downwind leg by the inflatable tender that always follows. Pretty embarrassing! In the lighter wind the boat speed was pretty equal between the two boats but VELSHEDA definitely had a better pointing angle (20 degrees!) which made for an easy victory. When all was said and done, it was definitely one of the highlights of my racing career.
Well, after almost a month of regattas, I had almost OD'd on racing and we were ready to move on up island for some more relaxed cruising. Next stop, St. Martin, St. Barts, Anguilla and Barbuda to be continued next travelog.
Best wishes to all.
Steve and Pam
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