The final day of racing at 2022 Antigua Sailing Week featured a full schedule of racing for all classes. Teams from over 20 different countries have been competing this year; a welcome return after the pandemic cancelled the event for the past two years.
On the final day, the trade winds delivered, as they have done all week, with competitors enjoying 18 knots of breeze and a moderate sea state.
With 29 entries, Antigua Sailing Week has the biggest Bareboat fleet of the 2022 Caribbean Season. Supported by Dream Yacht Charter, Bareboat teams raced in four classes. Hartmut Holtmann’s KH+P Yacht Charter has organized the logistics for Bareboat teams at Antigua Sailing Week for over two decades, with half of the Bareboat teams at this regatta are organised by KH+P.
Bareboat racing at Antigua Sailing Week is an international affair with teams competing from Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States. With all of the Bareboats based in Nelson’s Dockyard, there is a party atmosphere after racing. Plenty of Carib beers on the dock ensures the Bareboat family enjoy a fun and friendly après-race party every day.
Double-Olympian Sir Karl James, Sailing Manager of Antigua Yacht Club, has been racing in Bareboat 3 with Alice Martin’s Painkiller team from Chicago, USA: “I believe Bareboat is the most competitive class here; there are some of the best people in the world in this class. I have sailed with Alice’s team before and I enjoy sailing with nice people, and racing as competitively as this is always good.”
After five days of thrilling racing, the 53rd edition of Antigua Sailing Week came to a conclusion, and with that comes the close of the 2022 Caribbean international regatta schedule.
Bareboat 1
Schrodinger, sailed by a team from the Royal Southern Yacht Club from Hamble UK and skippered by Stevie Beckett won the class, having scored five race wins. Second was Sweet Disposition with a team from Haarlem Netherlands, skippered by Rene Verbrugh. In third place was KH+P Bermuda with a team from Germany, co-skippered by Helmut & Christa Haas.
Way back in 2018, the young team from the Royal Southern YC won an all-expenses paid trip to Antigua Sailing Week, including a Dream Yacht Charter Bareboat entry, by winning their club’s Summer Series. Due to the pandemic, they had waited so long to finally come to the regatta. The team normally race a King 40 Cobra in the Solent UK.
This was the first Antigua Sailing Week for Chloe Drakari-Phillips who raced on Schrodinger and commented. “It has been really, really good, hot, sunny, eventful. Nicer weather than the Solent for sure!” Team mate Hugh Ward added: “We were a bit jealous watching King 40 Blitz winning all their races. It would be brilliant to come back and race our King 40 Cobra or a decent raceboat here.”
Bareboat 2
In the one-design Dufour 460 Class, Joaquín Vázquez’s team from Madrid Spain, racing Aproache Nevis was the winner. The all-Spanish team scored eight wins out of nine races. Marcus and Suzan Zinth’s team from Bavaria, Germany racing KH+P Culebra was second. In third place was Ulrich Dobler’s KH+P Exuma with a team from Esslingen, Germany.
“It has been a fantastic week, the wind and the weather have been perfect, like always. I have come to Antigua many times. I organize Spanish teams to come here and I really recommend Antigua Sailing Week. I travel all over the world and this is one of the best regattas anywhere,” said Joaquín Vázquez.
Bareboat 3
Neil Harvey and Michael Cannon’s KHS&S Contractors ~ Girl, from Florida USA, scored eight wins out of nine races to win the class. Thomas Sparrer’s KH+P Meant To Be, with a team from the Weiden YC Stuttgart Germany was second. A close third was Alice Martin’s Painkilller 3 with a team from Chicago, USA.
“Thank you, Antigua! What a wonderful week this has been,” smiled Neil Harvey. “We love coming to Antigua for the fantastic coastline, the consistent wind and the beautiful teal-colored water, but most of all the people of Antigua and those that come here from the four corners of the world.”
Bareboat 4
Adrian Leutenegger’s Braque, with a Swiss team from Lake Constance, was the winner, scoring five wins out of nine races. In second place was Martin Sager’s KH+P Rubens with a team from Segelclub Hallwil Switzerland. In third place was Fabio Muzio’s SqueakyBrat II with a team from Circeo Yacht Vela Club, near Gaeta Italy.
“The whole team did a great job today as they have done all week,” commented Braque’s Adrian Leutenegger. “This has been a very nice regatta and we have really enjoyed our first trip to Antigua. I am sure we will return in the future.”
The 53rd Antigua Sailing Week Race was on April 30-May 6, 2022.
