Yacht Club | Boat Name | Country | Boat Type | Length | Skipper |
THE ROYAL OCEAN RACING CLUB TEAM WINS THE THIRD ANNUAL ROYAL SOUTHERN YACHT CLUB INTER-YACHT CLUB CHALLENGE ON SCARLET OYSTER.
Full results of the 2017 Challenge can be found here.
In the summer of 2014 the Royal Southern Yacht Club of Hamble, UK issued a challenge to reciprocal and other yacht clubs around the world to compete in the inaugural Royal Southern Yacht Club Inter-Yacht Club Challenge at Antigua Sailing Week 2015. The Challenge was deemed to be a great success with Ross Applebey’s Scarlet Oyster and a Guernsey Yacht Club crew taking home the first trophy.
In 2016, the Royal Southern Yacht Club and Antigua Sailing Week once again collaborated with the Royal Southern Yacht Club Team taking the trophy home. The Royal Ocean Racing Club was the winner in 2017. 2018 will see the fourth year of collaboration on this fun and highly-competitive Challenge. All yacht clubs around the world are challenged enter their boat to participate – whether racing on their own boat or on a chartered boat, even a bareboat. A weighted scoring formula will be applied to boats of different ratings and classes participating in the Challenge so the true winner can be determined.
The driving force behind the challenge is Gordon Cossar of the Royal Southern Yacht Club. Of the Challenge he says, “We are really excited to get as many clubs as possible involved. Following Antigua Sailing Week 2014, we realised that about 30 Royal Southern members had been at the final awards party and on returning to the UK we got together to discuss a challenge. We are delighted with participation in the the first three Challenge events held in 2015, 2016 and 2017 and expect much wider participation for 2018, using the same rules as used in previous years.’
Antigua Sailing Week has provided the Royal Southern Yacht Club with a complete information package containing details of everything from available race charter boats to accommodation, marinas and provisioning. The information package includes everything an Antigua Sailing Week first-timer needs to know to make plans to participate.
Chairman of the Regatta Organising Committee, Kathy Lammers, says: ‘We are delighted that of all the great events in the Caribbean regatta season, the Royal Southern Yacht Club has chosen Antigua Sailing Week as the event to feature the Royal Southern Yacht Club Inter-Yacht Club Challenge. In the first three years of the Challenge we provided yacht clubs from around the world with some of the most challenging and exciting racing they had ever experienced in the Caribbean’s idyllic conditions. We’re excited about a having an even bigger and better Royal Southern Challenge in 2018.’
The 51st Antigua Sailing Week in 2018 takes place from April 28 to May 4 and is based at Antigua Yacht Club in Falmouth Harbour. Courses are windward/leeward with increasingly more reaching legs in the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea aside spectacular headlands and picturesque Cades Reef with steady trade winds guaranteed. It is the granddaddy of Caribbean sailing events and is difficult to beat anywhere in the world.
Racing starts on Saturday, April 28 with the optional 54 nautical mile Peters & May Round Antigua Race. Five days of round the buoys racing follow, with two races on some days and a lay day on the Wednesday featuring a great beach party at Pigeon Beach. Daily post-race social events and prize givings take place on the lawn of Antigua Yacht Club which showcase the great camaraderie that the event cultivates among sailors. The week winds up with the final awards presentation on Friday, May 4 in the unique setting of historic Nelson’s Dockyard in English Harbour. On-the-water activities are complimented by great parties with a very Caribbean flavour.
The minimum time commitment required to participate is one week but a commitment of 10 days would allow for two or three days’ practice and boat prep prior to the event. Two full weeks would allow for some leisure time in addition to racing. The financial commitment includes the cost of flights, food, accommodation and the yacht.
Get a flavour of Antigua Sailing Week by watching the 2017 promo video. To enter the Royal Southern Yacht Club Inter-Yacht Club Challenge, email: roc@sailingweek.com.
1. The competition will be known as the Royal Southern Yacht Club Inter-Yacht Club Challenge (‘the Challenge’).
2. The Shield Trophy to be awarded to the winner of the Challenge will remain the property of the Royal Southern Yacht Club (‘RSrnYC’) and will remain in RSrnYC’s possession or in the possession of the organisers of Antigua Sailing Week.
3. 2015 was the inaugural year for the Challenge and the 2015 rules will remain in effect for 2018. They are designed to accommodate competitors racing in different classes. Rules for the Challenge may be modified for future years.
4. Competitors will race in the class they are allocated to by the organisers of Antigua Sailing Week.
5. The finishing positions will be decided based on a weighted scoring system with the lowest number of points winning.
6. The scoring system to be used to decide the winners of the Challenge will be the well-established results program formula used by the organisers of Antigua Sailing Week.
7. The crew of each competing yacht must have at least 50% of its crew members from the Yacht Club it represents in the Challenge. However, a concession may be granted upon application at the sole discretion of the Organising Committee.
8. The Antigua Sailing Week Organising Committee’s decision on all matters is final.
9. Club Class entrants are not eligible to enter the Royal Southern Yacht Club Inter-Yacht Club Challenge.
10. To enter the Royal Southern Yacht Club Inter-Yacht Club Challenge, email: lorna@sailingweek.com.
Suite 102 Harbour Walk,
Dockyard Drive,
English Harbour,
Antigua.
Tel: +1(268) 725-6651
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