GUADELOUPE TO ANTIGUA RACE

Every year Antigua Sailing Week features a Guadeloupe to Antigua Race on the Friday before the week’s racing begins. The event is held in conjunction with Antigua Yacht Club and serves as a feeder race for boats coming from the islands to the south of Antigua. However, many boats already in Antigua preparing for the week’s events often take this opportunity to head south to Guadeloupe specifically to participate in this annual event.

This 42-nautical mile race is open to boats of all types, whether or not entered in Antigua Sailing Week. For those who are entered, it provides an opportunity for crews to get to know each other better both on and off the water, as well as providing several hours of crew practice to improve teamwork in preparation for the week ahead. For boats not entered in Antigua Sailing Week, the Guadeloupe to Antigua race is a fun event that, in addition to the exciting day of racing, provides an opportunity to enjoy the warm hospitality of Guadeloupe’s Department of Tourism and Le Coin des Pecheurs, the event’s hosts in Guadeloupe. In fact, it is an ideal race for Caribbean cruisers who want to have some fun but aren't prepared to race around the cans. There are no marks in the race - simply a start line and a finish line. So boats of all sorts are welcome and encouraged to participate. If you're planning to head north from Guadeloupe, why not join the fun?

The 2013 Guadeloupe to Antigua Race will take place on Friday, April 26, 2013 from Deshaies, Guadeloupe to English Harbour, Antigua. The start is planned for 9 am outside Deshaies and the finish will be off Fort Charlotte outside English Harbour. Detailed race and course information will be available online in the near future.

The Welcome/Farewell reception which features Registration and a skippers' briefing will take place from 6 to 8 pm at Le Coin des Pecheurs on the main road in Deshaies on Thursday, April 26. Be sure to attend registration to obtain your sailing instructions and pay your entry fee.

The race boasts an elapsed time record that has stood for several years now. In 2004, Bob Miller’s 140-foot Briand schooner, Mari-Cha IV, set an amazing record of 2 hours, 18 minutes and 42 seconds! It’s time that record was broken and we invite you to take on the challenge!!

Tim Right www.photoaction.com