Antigua Regatta, visits and more....

Well, it’s all over for now. The event we’ve been preparing for and working our butts off for has come to an end. Let me begin this blog by telling you about the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta 2008 while it’s still fresh. Our “crew” (Paul and Leanne arrived on April 12th in style wearing the Meggie apparel consisting of bandanas and t-shirts sporting the “Meggie” logo. After putting them to work scrubbing the decks and getting the boat in ship shape we pulled Meggie into her position at the dock of the Antigua Yacht Club just in front of the famous Ticonderoga.
Now…Ticonderoga is a boat that Mike has dreamed about since we first started sailing. She is a 72 foot wooden Hershoff ketch famous for her magnificent beauty and racing skills and here is little Megs moored directly in front of her. We looked a bit like her sailing dinghy, as her bowsprit towered over our stern but were thrilled to be amongst such celebratory yachts. The next day was the judging for the Concours D’Elegance which is a competition between the yachts for best appearance, best maintained and with the best story. The competition is divided between the classes of boats and privately and professionally maintained. We really worked hard to make Meggie look her absolute best and really tried to pay attention to detail. So with flowers laid out in the cockpit and our new cockpit table glimmering with varnish, Meggie looked her absolute best. The 3 judges boarded Meggie with clipboards in hand and inspected every detail. After visiting below and getting the last few questions answered, they were off. So now that that was over we prepared for the racing, only after a night of good food, good drinks and great conversation as the harbour buzzed with excitement.
The next morning we awoke to beautiful blue skies and a nice steady breeze. The four of us prepared Meggie and headed out of the harbour, hoisted sails and prepared for the start. Before we knew it, the 5 minute gun had gone off and we were tacking and jibing trying to get the best start we could…then the gun shot and we were off. The wind held steady at about 16 knots and we had a great close reach to the first mark. As we rounded the mark and headed to the second we saw that the big guys(the J boats and all the huge classic schooners etc…) had started and were gaining on us. As they passed us we all were in AWE as the cameras came out and the racing subsided for a few seconds as we marvelled at the amazing company we were in. Some of the most beautiful and most famous boats in the world were sailing past us and we couldn’t have been in a better place. The rest of the race held steady with nice wind and calm seas and we headed back to our spot on the dock for the next party only after finding out we placed 3rd in our class in the 1st race.
Later that night,. Mike and I headed to the owners cocktail party / awards ceremony for the Concours d’Elegance and rubbed shoulders with the owners of yachts like Eleonora, Ticonderoga, Lone Fox and Whitehawk. Wouldn’t you know it…little Megs placed 3rd in her class in the Concours d’Elegance. All our hard work had been recognized and appreciated and we were so thrilled and pleased with Meggie and ourselves (and our crew for scrubbing and polishing). We collected our plaque with great honour.
So….the next day was race 2 and the conditions were picture perfect once again. We had a similar day like race 1 and ended up placing 2nd in our class!!! COOL. The next day our “crew” had to leave unfortunately, so after a saying our sad goodbyes, our replacement crew (our friend Anders from Elenor) boarded and we were off again for race 3. Would you believe that the 3rd race was a carbon copy of the 2nd and 1st…..picture perfect!!! This race was called the “cannon race” because the boats just reach out, reach back, reach out again then reach back again (reaching is the nicest point of sail for a sailboat)….and as you reach to each mark you pass all the boats with perfect photo ops. What a great day and again little Megs placed 3rd in her class. That night after meeting up with Mike’s dad Tony and his step mom Ann the sky opened up and POURED down all night and the next morning as all the boats hovered around the start line bobbing around with no wind and soaked to the bone…the race was abandoned. So with some disappointment, but with some relief we headed back to the harbour and realized Meggie had placed second overall in her class. Wuhoo!!!!
The last day (and before the closing ceremonies), Mike took part in the single handed race and did very well and as you had to have a second person with you (in case of emergency) he decided to take his dad who had a fantastic time. Mike took the podium at the closing ceremonies (on behalf of Meggie and her crew)and collected our trophy for second in Classic Class D racing.
Phew….so in a nutshell, THAT was the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta 2008. I’m leaving out the numerous parties, complementary gifts and great great people we met and many contacts we made. A fun time was had by all and great memories will be kept in our minds and on our cameras!
Prior to the regatta my mom was able to sneak in a week long trip and although the boat was in somewhat of a chaotic state, mom was a trooper and we had a blast. After almost 2 years it was so great to see and spend time with her and we were able to do some hiking, snorkelling and eat some great meals. She spoiled us greatly and were so happy to have her with us in Antigua.
While mom was here we had the mizzen mast down and Mike laid a new cockpit floor with brand new marine grade plywood underneath with beautiful teak laid on top. The only problem now is that we want to do the rest of the decks. Along with a new cockpit floor we also put 2 coats of paint on the cabin top, numerous coats of varnish on the cabin trunk, masts, booms and combings. So we were busy little bees getting ready for the regatta, so the award in the Concours d’Elegance was really nice to receive.
Now, I believe I left you in Dominica in the last blog. After that we sailed to the beautiful cluster of islands known as Isles Des Saintes which belongs to Guadeloupe. We spent about a week wandering the quaint little village and shops that lined the streets and enjoyed way too much cheese, baguettes and wine.
After Les Saintes we headed to Guadeloupe again as we enjoyed it so much the last time we were there. We spent about 2 weeks in Guadeloupe and hired a car again for a day and enjoyed the many many beautiful hiking trails. Our main hike we wanted to complete was up to the premiere chutes (the first waterfall). The hiking was great. We had a moderately difficult hike to the waterfall and were not disappointed in the end. Again the lush rainforest amazed us both and we were thoroughly impressed with the hiking trails in Guadeloupe. The parks and recreation department have protected numerous acres of rainforest which makes Guadeloupe one of the best islands for hiking as far as we‘re concerned. After Guadeloupe we headed to Antigua and the rest is history!
Now we are visiting with Tony and Ann (Mike’s dad and step mom) whom we are very happy to see. The last time we saw them was just over a year ago way back in Luperon, Dominican Republic.
We have a bit of work to do in Antigua once they leave and then we will sail back down to Bequia where we look forward to having a great reunion with our dear friends Jason , Tera and their little one Aja. We’re super excited to see them and can’t wait to return to Bequia. After Bequia we will finally make our way to Margarita island in Venezuela.
So…again I apologize for the long blog and promise to keep up with the blogging much better now that the regatta is over.
We want to thank Paul and Leanne very very much for all their help during the regatta and for their constant support, and just for everything. We had such a great time with them and couldn’t have imagined the regatta without them.
Ok then. Until next time….
This is Kylie and Mike signing off.
PS...Here are some more photos to have a look at.
PSS...I haven't figured out how to add a link (DUH), so for some racing pictures check out www.photoaction.com