Antigua Sailing Week 2015 gets off to a blistering start with a new record, and more could fall

As Antigua Sailing Week 2015 gets ready to start this weekend, the

45th edition of the regatta, a record has already been broken by Lloyd

Thornburg’s MOD70, Phaedo3.

The big trimaran tore between Guadeloupe and Antigua at an average

speed of 28 knots, smashing a record that had stood for 11 years, having

last been set by the 140ft monohull Mari Cha IV.

This sets up Antigua Sailing Week for some high octane racing, and

the probability that the regatta’s own prime record, the race round the

island, will also fall.

This year the resurgent event has 121 international entries from 21

different countries racing over the five days of the regatta.

So far 43 yachts have entered the Pearns Point Round Antigua Race on

Saturday, April 25. Phaedo3 crew and a moving force in the project,

multiple world record holder and multihull expert Brian Thompson brings

the ‘green flash’ trimaran will push this record on to a new level as

well.

The CSA Racing fleet is expected to be the biggest for many years.

Jean-Paul Riviere’s Finot Conq 100, Nomad IV, will be the largest yacht

competing, with former ISAF Match Racing World Champion and America’s

Cup sailor Damien Lehl calling tactics.

Two TP52s will be duelling, Balearia, skippered by Joan Navarro, and

this year’s BVI Spring Regatta champion, Conviction, skippered by Peter

Lewis.

Besides the MOD70, there are eight other multihulls including Eduardo Perez’s foiling Gunboat G4, Timbalero III. This capsized and inverted at St Barth this month but was righted and had some repairs done at St Maarten before sailing south to continue some showcase racing.

The Gunboat 55 Toccata, owned by Chris and Carolyn Groobey, will also

be racing. Watch our for our June issue for a full review of this

remarkable and super-cool new cruiser-racer.

Some 35 teams have entered the Bareboat Class and German charter

company KH+P yachtcharter is celebrating 25 years at Antigua Sailing

Week with 18 crews participating.

Notable visitors to Antigua Sailing Week from overseas include Nigel

Passmore’s team from Plymouth UK racing J/133 Apollo 7. Norwegian

X-55 Enigma VII is skippered by Per Arne Nilsen who has competed at two

Olympic Games. Alex Sastre’s Salona 44, Pretty Vegas has sailed down

from Florida to defend last year’s win in CSA 2.

Meanwhile Ross Applebey, unbeaten all season, will be racing his Oyster 48, Scarlet Oyster.

Former Oyster boss Richard Matthews returns on Grand Soleil 56, Shinewith his team, including Irish sailing legend Harold Cudmore calling tactics.

Notable Caribbean yachts include, Carlo Falcone’s Caccia alla Volpe

and Sir Peter Harrison’s Team Sojana racing Flying Tiger while David

Cullen’s J/109, Pocket Rocket, returns to defend last year’s class win.

The racing will be topped off by the regatta’s legendary shoreside

parties and a big party night on Tuesday 28 April at Nelson’s Dockyard.

The headline act will be legendary Roots Reggae Band Steel Pulse.