Antigua Classic Yacht Club Regatta 2019 Programme

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The Antigua Yacht Club presents the 33rd Annual

PHOTOGRAPH BY CORY SILKEN

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CLASSIC ELEGANCE: SCHOONER JUNO

PHOTOGRAPH BY TIM WRIGHT

We welcome back the stunning 65ft gaff schooner Juno, a typically superb design by Nat Benjamin. Built by Gannon and Benjamin of Vineyard Haven in 22 months and launched in 2003, she is another unique masterpiece from one of the few boatyards in the world currently designing, building, repairing and maintaining custom-made, plank-on-frame vessels, using traditional methods, tools and materials. The

PHOTOGRAPH BY CORY SILKEN

quiet dedication and unpretentious passion found in Nat Benjamin, his partner Ross Gannon and the whole of Vineyard Haven is also reflected in the owners of Juno – and her skipper Scotty DiBiaso, who maintains that racing aboard Juno is for the pure pleasure of the sport: there is never any yelling or screaming, with consistent wins over the years at the Antigua Classics – maybe a lesson here…?

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Russamee

PHOTOGRAPH BY TOBIAS STOERKLE

Designed in 1961, Russamee was built in Thailand in 1972 using just adzes and yet creating a strength never before seen in a wooden boat. This enabled her to survive the worst ever recorded hurricane in the South China Sea in November/ December 1974, turning up at the Hong Kong Yacht Club on 12

Christmas Eve. Unscathed by Hurricane Ophelia in 2005, she was one of just two yachts on anchor to survive Hurricanes Irma then Maria when they hit Puerto Rico in 2017, so she was the natural choice for the Arne Frizzell Prize for Seaworthiness at the Classics 2018 Concours d’ElÊgance!

PHOTOGRAPH BY RICHARD SHERMAN

Voted winner of the John Leader Trophy in 2018 for doing the most to encourage folks to get involved in sailing classics, Ocean Star is an 88 ft gaff rig foresail, Marconi mainsail, built

by Bailey Marne Metals in 1981 in Norfolk, VA. Owned by

Seamester, she is a sailing school vessel offering academic semesters at sea for college students and encouraging young sailors to learn the feel of the sea in the traditional, classic way.

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PHOTOGRAPH BY CAMERON RIDDELL

PHOTOGRAPH BY LUCY TULLOCH

ABOVE:

Theodore with his father, Dassa Spencer, on board Eros at the 2018 Classics.

LEFT:Theodore at the helm of Eros with mentor Gary Jobson.

YOUNG AND UP AND COMING ANTIGUAN SAILOR:

Theodore Spencer GILLY GOBINET

Theodore is 12 years old and got his first taste of sailing about four years ago at the AntiguaYacht Club at their annual Summer Camp – and has never looked back. Sailing dinghies as often as he is able since, his favourite is the Optimist – ideal for his age and size. Racing whenever he can, he has been very successful in various regattas both in Antigua and elsewhere, including St Martin and Chile. We look forward to seeing him as one of the five young sailors representing Antigua here in July 2019, when the Antigua Yacht Club hosts the Optiworlds, with about 65–70 countries taking part and over 250 participants.

Theodore’s ambition is to advance to Lasers then on to keel boats – although he has already had some practice on

the latter, racing on Carriacou sloop Zemi at the Antigua Classics two years running, and in 2018 he was on the fabulous Eros, chartered by the Mill Reef Yacht Club. At the helm on Eros was the well-known Annapolis-based sailor, TV commentator and author Gary Jobson. Editor-at-Large of ‘Sailing World’ and President of the National Sailing Hall of Fame, he took the very enthusiastic Theodore under his wing and at one point, encouraged him to take the helm and see for himself what it was like to drive this magnificent schooner.

Needless to say, sailing and racing are now Theodore’s choice of career and we wish him every success in all his endeavours.

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CONTRIBUTORS The Classics Committee greatly appreciates all the generous contributions from the photographers and authors mentioned below, without whom this Programme would not be possible.

Tim Wright’s amazing action shots of racing in the Caribbean taken from a tiny inflatable boat continue to amaze and delight as seen in his regatta archives at www.photaction.com +1(784)4573212 Jane Coombs is a Founding Member of the Regatta and has been contributing her meticulously researched and highly enjoyable articles and photos since the inception of the event. jccomfortzone@gmail.com +1(268)7203926

Rob Peake is Editor of Classic Boat Magazine. www.classicboatmagazine,co.uk Den Phillips is an established marine photographer, specializing in black and white classic and traditional boats. www.DenPhiliips.com den@denphillipsphotos.com +44(0)1621850276 Beverly Factor has incorporated her passion for sailing and racing in her collection of action images. www.beverlyfactorsailing.com +1(949)6732555

Lucy Tulloch grew up sailing in the Greek islands where she developed a passion for photography. In the Caribbean for over Jody Sallons-Day’s love of photography and sailing started 20 years, her images are always very evocative and her articles aged 7 and never stopped. She started www.leadingimage.org compulsive reading. www.thelucy.com +1(268)7206868 as a go to place for Caribbean image makers, always willing to Jan Hein is a freelance writer, photographer, educator and recommend their services. dcr@leadingimage.org cruising sailor and her highly creative talents have produced Gilly Gobinet is a writer and editor, artist and illustrator. some wonderfully illustrated articles over the years; she is www.gillygobinet.com www.originalcaribbeanart.com also a Race Reporter for the Regatta. janhhein@gmail.com gillygobinet@me.com +1(268)4646084 Alexis Andrews is a photographer with a passion for Carriacou Ellinor Walters is a content strategist and producer, sloops, as shown in his award-winning documentary Vanishing Sail specializing in wind and water sports, former editor at Sailing and the West Indies Regatta in St Barths, which he founded.

World Magazine. She now runs her own brand, Ellevated www.vanishingsail.com www.westindiesregatta.com Creative, out of Newport, RI. +1(268)7244435 +1 843.367.3999 ellinor@ellevatedcreative.com Ted Martin’s sailing photos have graced these pages over the Robin Stout currently has a column in Cruising Outpost years, including his iconic shore-side shots of participants and Magazine and writes/photographs for other publications. Lives social events of the Regatta, brilliantly “capturing the moment” & cruises aboard an Aleutian 51. each time. www.photfantasy.zenfolio.com +1(268)7263148 stoutsails@gmail.com robin@cruisingoutpost.com Tobias Stoerkle is a Germany-based photographer whose Cory Silken combines his two passions: photography and stunning images are a testimony to his special interest in sailing, and his superb images continue to capture the spirit of sailing, particularly classic yachts. every regatta he covers, as showcased in his Newport Gallery. www.sailing-photography.com www.blende64.com www.corysilken.com +1(617)8696767 +49(0)75526114 Ed Whiting was called “the photographer from the blue” on Richard Sherman is a full-time professional nautical one trip, and it stuck. and nature photographer. His work ranges from serene www.fromtheblue.co.uk ed@fromtheblue.co.uk landscapes and seascapes to dramatic sailing images and +44(0)1373 303550 +44(0)7973445242 (mobile) beautiful colour abstracts. +1(610)4535163 Rich.RSPhoto@gmail.com Tom Cunliffe is a yachting journalist, author and broadcaster. www.RichardShermanPhotography.com tom@tomcunliffe.com Martha Blanchfield is a racer/writer/photographer and editor and founder of www.renegadesailing.com, a digital magazine covering international waterside lifestyles with an emphasis on yachting. martha@renegade-pr.com

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Jude Harrison is an accomplished sailor and author and has made Antigua her base for over 35 years whilst running a series of boats named Dione. captain@dionesky.com

PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBIN STOUT

PUBLISHERS The Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta Programme is published annually by the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta (ACYR), Antigua Yacht Club, Falmouth Harbour, Antigua. +1 (268) 460 1799 info@antiguaclassics.com www.antiguaclassics.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Jane Stark seamistgraphics@gmail.com EDITOR & ADVERTISING: Gilly Gobinet +1 (268) 464 6084 gillygobinet@me.com All rights reserved. Written permission is required for reproduction of all or part of this publication. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the contents, the ACYR cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. The advertising content and the claims and opinions expressed therein are the sole responsibility of the individual advertisers.The views and statements made in any of the articles or listings are also the responsibility of the respective authors.

This Programme is printed on environmentally-friendly paper certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC).

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ACYR 2019 TABLE OF CONTENTS 15 – 16 – 19 – 20 –

Young Antiguan Sailor Theodore Spencer- Gilly Gobinet Contributors Schedule of Events Welcome from the Governor General Antigua Sailing Week 21 – Welcome from the Commodore of the Antigua Yacht Club 22 – Classic Committees 23 – Words from the Chairman 24 – Sponsors 28 – Young Sailor Sue Agusti – Gilly Gobinet 29 – Regatta Information 30 – Safety on the Water 31 – Thanks to our Volunteers 32 – What is a Classic?

34 – Spirit of Tradition Class 38 – Single-Handed Race 2018 40 – Concours d’Elégance 2018 41 – Impressions – Rob Peake 46 – Mah Jong – Jan Hein 49 – Vendia – Jude Harrison 52 – Eros – Lucy Tulloch 56 – Ticonderoga – Martha Blanchfield 58 – Schooner Ruth – Jan Hein 62 – Tom Cunliffe – Gilly Gobinet 63 – Roy Boughton 64 – Klaus Röder – Gilly Gobinet 65 – Nazz Alexander – Jan Hein 66 – Classic Vehicle Rendezvous – Jane Coombs 68 – Entries 2018 70 – Trophy Winners 72 – Donald Tofias and S&S PHOTOCREDIT: Photograph

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by Robin Stout

Schedule of Events 2019 NB All events, except for the Gig Racing and Cream Teas, will take place at the Antigua Yacht Club WEDNESDAY 17th APRIL 0900-1800hrs – Arrival, Registration & Inspections (Upstairs at the Antigua Yacht Club Events Centre) All skippers must register to receive important information, including course maps. No registrations are accepted after 1800 hrs 1800 hrs – Welcome Party on the lawn of the Antigua Yacht Club THURSDAY 18th APRIL

0900-1200 hrs – Judging of the Concours d’Elégance 1200 hrs Skippers’ Briefing for the Single-Handed Race 1400 hrs – CLASSIC SINGLE-HANDED RACE 1700 hrs – Skippers’ Briefing for Main Races From 1800 hrs – Concours Prize Giving, Single-Handed Race Prize Giving and Sea Shanty Competition

FRIDAY 19th APRIL

1000 hrs – RACE 1 1800 hrs – Daily Prize Giving followed by Dock Party

SATURDAY 20th APRIL

1000 hrs – RACE 2 1700 hrs – Daily Prize Giving 2000 hrs – Open Mic Night at the Antigua Yacht Club

SUNDAY 21st APRIL

1000 hrs – RACE 3 BY MICHAEL KAHN PHOTOGRAPH 1330 hrs Parade of the Classics in English Harbour in front of Slipway 1800 hrs – Daily Prize Giving

MONDAY 22nd APRIL

1000 hrs – RACE 4 2100 hrs – Main Prize Giving at the Antigua Yacht Club

TUESDAY 23rd APRIL

1400 hrs Gig Racing at the Admiral’s Inn 1500 hrs Cream Teas at the Admiral’s Inn

Any changes to the events listed above together with a full schedule of parties, social events and activities will be available at Registration, the Skippers’ Briefing, via Social Media, on notice boards and on our Website

www.antiguaclassics.com Many thanks to GEESTLINE for shipping the Programmes 19

WELCOME MESSAGE FROM THE GOVERNOR GENERAL OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA This illustrious and spectacular Regatta and one of our most important annual sailing events is now in its fourth decade – most certainly a major achievement!

I join Lady Williams in extending our greetings to the Captain and Crew of all yachts taking part in the 2019 Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta. Some of you are regular participants and some of you are attending for the first time, but you are all equally welcome. Sailing your beautiful vintage, classic and traditional boats here from all over the world is a testament to the magical and memorable atmosphere that is the hallmark of this Event, set against the amazing historic backdrop of English Harbour and Nelson’s Dockyard. Our famously superb sailing conditions, thanks to the trade winds, are not least among the attractions that draw you to our shores.

Full marks to the Antigua Yacht Club, that hosts the Regatta, and to the organisers of the Antigua Classics. There have been a few changes since last year: Carlo Falconi, owner of our flagship, the stunning vintage yacht Mariella, is now Chairman and we are sure that his contribution to making these races even more competitive and enjoyable will be highly appreciated. Of course, without our loyal and faithful volunteers, we would not be here at all. We express our sincere gratitude to you all for your efforts and dedication to ensuring the success of the Regatta from year to year.

Sincerely,

His Excellency Sir Rodney Williams KGN GCMG KSTJ MBBS Governor General of Antigua and Barbuda

ANTIGUA SAILING WEEK 27TH APRIL TO 3RD MAY 2018

PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBIN STOUT

Antigua Sailing Week invites you to “Race, Chase and Celebrate” in 2019. This world-famous event showcases some of the most professional racing in the Caribbean, yet is also a must-do for cruising and bare-boat crews. With over 100 boats every year it includes everyone, from world-class award winning skippers to casual sailors along with their friends who want some fun.

Crews, keen to get in a little training the day before the official event commences and participants of the preceding Antigua Classics can take part in the optional Peters & May Round Antigua Race on the first Saturday. After this exhilarating one-day warm up, sailors are challenged with a variety of race courses off Antigua’s south coast, the ever-present trade winds encouraging tacking and gybing duels in the deep blue Caribbean waters.

Spectators are encouraged to get involved too, whether it’s viewing the action from Shirley Heights, hiking to viewpoints via trails along the coastline, or signing up for one of the daily Chase the Race tours.

Antigua Sailing Week is also renowned for its epic mid-week entertainment, and the highly anticipated 10th anniversary of Reggae in the Park is not to be missed. www.sailingweek.com • www.facebook.com/sailingweek • www.twitter.com/sailingweek

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PHOTOGRAPH BY ALEXIS ANDREWS

WELCOME FROM THE COMMODORE OF THE ANTIGUA YACHT CLUB

Schooners Aschanti IV and Columbia PHOTOGRAPH BY ED WHITING

All of us at Antigua Yacht Club (AYC) would like to offer a warm welcome to the 2019 Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta (ACYR), whether you are an old friend or a new one.

AYC is proud of the ACYR and we hope that you’ll have a wonderful week enjoying all that we can offer, from the fantastic trade wind sailing on azure seas to the social events held at the AYC under the stars.

While you are here, you may wish to consider becoming a member of the AYC so that you can take full advantage of all our facilities and, if you are heading away for a summer season in another part of the world, you can fly our burgee with pride and hopefully take a little bit of our sunshine with you!

Our season has been extended this year and in July, the AYC will be hosting the 2019 Optimist World Championships, an event we’re very much looking forward to.

We’d like to take this opportunity to wish you Bon Voyage, see you all next year and have a great summer.

Franklyn Braithwaite

Franklyn Braithwaite, Commodore of the Antigua Yacht Club

PHOTOGRAPH BY ED WHITING

Guiding Light rounding the mark 21

PHOTOGRAPH BY TOBIAS STOERKLE

STEERING COMMITTEE Chairman Emeritus – Kenny Coombs Competitor Liaison – Tommy Paterson Chairman – Carlo Falcone Treasurer – Janie Easton Vice Chairman – Cameron Fraser Financial Advisor – Don Ward Programme Editor, Sponsor Liaison, Social Media & Advertising – Gilly Gobinet SAILING COMMITTEE Carlo Falcone Tommy Paterson Cameron Fraser

Don Ward Gerald Rainer Poul Hoj-Jensen

RACE COMMITTEE Race Officer – Stephen Parry Ratings Officer – Sandy Mair

Results – Luiz Kahl,Yacht Scoring International Judge – David Pelling

ORGANISING COMMITTEE Regatta Co-Ordinator – Leslie Arnold Press Officer – Ginny Field Race Reporters – Louay Habib, Jan Hein Chief Dinghy Wrangler – Chris Bartlett

Single-Handed Race – Tim Wall Gig Racing & Cream Teas – Flip Bamford, Jude Harrison,Lynn Bardoe Registration – Rowena Dery Trophy Support – Sheila Dixon

COMMITTEE BOAT TEAM Steve Spanis Caroline DeGavre Annie Morcom

Mike Rose Luiz Kahl Angela Parry

SUPPORT Antigua Yacht Club – Karl James, Dave Fitzmaurice, Nesie Nicholas-Gore Inshore Mark Boat – Winston Harris m/v Jackie Jane Offshore Mark Boat – Rowan “Archie” Bailey m/v White Eagle Paramedics – ABSAR Safety Patrol – Antigua Barbuda Coast Guard Ambassador at Large – Mat Barker 22

Tim DeGavre Stephen Parry

PHOTOGRAPH BY TOBIAS STOERKLE

WORDS FROM THE NEW CHAIRMAN A very warm welcome to all participants, old and new, to the 32nd edition of the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta, a “must-do” event for any classic boat aficionado.

The objective going forward is to bring new excitement and energy to the Regatta while maintaining the spirit of the event. With a primary focus on the sea and to popular acclaim, we have introduced new courses designed to suit all boats, large and small, fast and slow, so that the racing will be both more interesting and exciting as well as safer.

In addition, we have instituted a new class – the pre-1976 design Historic Class – to highlight the more recent classics. We have also brought back the Dragon Class.

One key focus is to try and improve the accuracy and transparency of the ratings.

Of course, the time-honoured traditional Concours d’Elégance, Single-Handed Race and Parade of the Classics will take place as usual. Meanwhile our well-attended and highly enjoyable shore-based parties and events will continue.

Naturally none of the above can take place without the loyal support of our sponsors, both local and international, and the continued devotion of our generous army of volunteers recruited from all over the world and who continue to make it all happen: we certainly couldn’t do it without you and you all have our gratitude.

That being said, it remains for me to extend my warmest thanks to my predecessors, especially Kenny Coombs. This brings back happy memories of racing against him on s/y Lucia in the Mediterranean Regattas and inviting everyone to come to the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta.

Looking forward to seeing you out there on the water!

Ciao!

Carlo Falcone 23

2017 SPONSORS 2019

2019 TIME WELL SPENT at the ANTIGUA CLASSIC YACHT REGATTA The Historical Brand Celebrates its 315th Anniversary & the release of 1703 Master Selection Edition 2018 Every great story begins with a time and a place: this one started in 1999, since when MOUNT GAY Rum has been a proud sponsor one of the finest and most exclusive regattas in the world, the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta.

But for more than three centuries, Mount Gay Distilleries Ltd. has also perpetuated a long-standing Barbadian tradition, producing the world’s oldest refined rums. Only the finest sugar cane molasses and pure water filtered through the coral heart of the island are selected to create Mount Gay rums.

Crafted from Mount Gay’s oldest reserves, 1703 Master Select 2018 blend includes 10 to 30 years-old single- and double-pot and column-still rums. The precious batch is hand-bottled, hand-labelled, with a limited edition of 13,830 decanters for the entire world: the expression of craftmanship and tradition.

Let’s celebrate the spirit of the tradition with MOUNT GAY RUMS! Mount Gay is owned by Rémy-Cointreau SA. www.mountgay.com-www.facebook.com/mountgayrum- #mountgayrum® © 2016 Mount Gay Distilleries Ltd. Mount Gay Rum® Please SAIL FAST and DRINK RESPONSIBLY PHOTOGRAPH BY ED WHITING

PHOTOGRAPH BY CORY SILKEN

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2019 SPONSORS PHOTOGRAPH BY JAN HEIN

CARIB BEER Legendary since 1950

PROUD SPONSOR OF THE ANTIGUA CLASSIC YACHT REGATTA 2019 Distributed by Brydens Ltd

Official Clothing Sponsor

Concours d’Elégance Sponsor

Admiral’s Inn & Gunpowder Suites has been a strong supporter of the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta, hosting the gig racing and cream tea and welcoming crews for the past 20 years. As a historic boutique hotel with friendly personal service set in UNESCO World Heritage buildings brimming with character and beauty we are the perfect spot to stay or dine for those who appreciate classic yachts. Dine on the waterfront at Pillars restaurant while surveying the 18th century Georgian buildings or enjoy a post race meal at Boom while overlooking the spectacular infinity pool and Nelson’s Dockyard.

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2019 SPONSORS

Lyman-Morse loves coming south for Antigua Classics and welcomes all participants to join the third annual Camden Classics Cup, July 26-28th in beautiful Camden, Maine. Lyman-Morse’s two yards are set amongst pristine cruising waters and are conveniently located along Maine’s spectacular coastline. We provide oceans of experience at our full-service marina and service yards in Camden and Thomaston. With 110-ton haul-out capabilities, heated indoor refit and storage bays for vessels up to 150’, and 100+ skilled craftsmen between both locations, our team has the ability to get your project done on time and budget. Come see us!

www.lymanmorse.com

Our mega yachts RHEA (54 m), CHRONOS (54 m) and KAIRÓS (38 m), built in classic style, combine an authentic sailing experience without the compulsion of a firmly pre-planned route along the most beautiful islands and coasts, with generous comfort and the service of an attentive, professional crew. Mostly weekly cruises in the Mediterranean in the summer and the Caribbean in the winter can be booked per person, per cabin or – for friends, families and corporate events – as a full charter of the whole vessel.

Sail and relax as if on your own private yacht for a time!

Further details and itineraries: www.sailing-classics.com

Internet Sponsor

Drinking Water Sponsor Soufrière Spring Water is pure mineral spring water and bottled at the source on the pristine volcanic island of Montserrat. The water passes through 25 million year old extinct volcanic rock which enriches the water with vital minerals.The water is lightly filtered and UV treated resulting in a clean and alkaline mineral spring water.The new 500ml bottle is 100% biodegradable and will not leach any harmful chemicals into your body as a traditional PET plastic bottle.It can be composted completely back to organic material.

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2017 SPONSORS 2019 Dockage Sponsors Dockage Day Sponsors ANTIGUA YACHT CLUB MARINA & RESORT Situated in Falmouth Harbour, the full service AYC Marina is ideally located for all services in English and Falmouth Harbours. Boats drawing up to 22ft can be accommodated stern to/alongside and all berths have water, cable TV, electricity (110/220, 380V up to 400amps).

We offer duty free fuel facilities and pumps directly to your slip at 250ltr/minute. We host participants in Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta followed by Antigua Sailing Week. The AYC Marina Resort comprises a 19 room hotel with 30 executive suites fully equipped with a fitness centre,Turkish steam bath, and Spa.

West Indies Oil is Antigua’s premier oil storage and petroleum products provider for all needs, including yachts participating in the 2019 Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta, of which it is a proud sponsor.

Tel: +1(268) 460.1544 | Fax: +1(268) 460.1444 aycmarina@candw.ag www.aycmarina.com VHF Ch. 68

Head Office: Friars Hill Road, St. John’s, Antigua Tel: +1 (268) 462 0140 www.westindiesoil.com

WEST INDIES OIL COMPANY LTD

Local Partners

A long standing supporter of the ACYR and a mark sponsor.

Located in Falmouth for almost 30 years, Chippy provides high quality woodwork, including decks and spars on many of the charter and private yachts visiting Antigua.

Proud sponsors of the outer mark since 1990, Woodstock offer a full refit service and are the Caribbean agents for Teakdecking Systems.

Facilities include: metal fabrication, on-board MIG & TIG welding, paint refinishing, composite construction, marine diesel engineering, teak decking and, of course, fine joinery. The Woodstock Trophy is presented each year to the Best Restored Yacht.

Tel: +1(268) 460 1832 Cell: +1(268) 464 2447 (CHIP) bardoe@candw.ag

Tel: +1(268) 463 6359 • office@woodstockboats.com www.woodstockboats.com

International Media Partners

www.classicboat.co.uk

www.woodenboat.com

Local Business Support Friends of Antigua – Ondeck – Clubhouse at the Antigua Yacht Club Caribbean Alliance – Bar B’s at the Antigua Yacht Club – Carib Bean Coffee Co Admiral’s Inn – South Point Restaurant – La Brasserie, Antigua Slipway

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Sue Agusti on the rail of Paloma VI at the 2018 Antigua Classics with Bella Holden and Maurice Belgrave Jnr – and her father and skipper Jordi Agusti Arbosse at the helm PHOTOGRAPH BY TIM WRIGHT

ANOTHER YOUNG SAILOR RACING FOR ANTIGUA:

Sue Agusti GILLY GOBINET

Born in Spain and now aged 14, Sue Agusti has been sailing since she was 15 days old, crossing the Atlantic when she was two on her family’s 34ft Galatea Paloma VI. Her extensive travels on this hardy live-aboard, which accommodates her father, mother and younger brother, include visits to Gambia and Cavo Verde as well as Dominica, Martinique and Guadeloupe in the Caribbean, the final destination being in Antigua, which has been the Agusti family’s base since 2016.

As well as being excellent at sculling (as demonstrated at the Classics Gig Racing event) she has become a very accomplished Optimist sailor and will be representing Antigua at the Optiworlds here in July 2019 as one of a team of five participants maximum allowed from each country taking part.

Her experience on keel boats, as already indicated, is extensive and she has raced in the Antigua Classics on Paloma VI three years running. She enjoys the challenge of upwind sailing and racing best and we are delighted that this talented young sailor has joined the sailing scene here in Antigua with such enthusiasm and we wish her all the best for the future.

RIGHT ABOVE:

Designed by JM Alfoso Allende, 34 ft Paloma VI was built by Astilleros Udondo in 1964 in Bilbao, Spain.

RIGHT BELOW: Jordi Agusti receiving the Special Mention for a Family Live-aboard at the 2018 Concours d’Elégance.

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PHOTOGRAPH BY TIM WRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH BY RICHARD SHERMAN

Regatta Information REGISTRATION: All captains must register to confirm arrival and receive important information. The Registration Desk, located upstairs in the Antigua Yacht Club Events Centre, will be open on Wednesday 17th April only, from 0900 to 1800 hrs. REGISTRATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED AFTER THIS TIME. RULES: The regatta will be governed by the rules as defined in 2017– 2020 World Racing Rules of Sailing. The CSA Classic Rating Rule will apply for all boats except Spirit of Tradition, Historic and Dragon classes.

For Spirit of Tradition and Historic boats, the CSA Main Rule will apply.

For Dragon – one design to Dragon Class rule.

Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta (ACYR) Minimum Safety Rules will apply.

The sailing instructions may change some racing rules. Any changes will appear in full in the sailing instructions ADVERTISING: Boats may be required to display advertising chosen and supplied by the organizing authority.

ELIGIBILITY: To be eligible for Vintage, Classic and Traditional and Tall Ship types – boats to have a full keel, are of moderate to heavy displacement, built of wood or steel and of traditional rig and appearance. Old craft using modern materials, such as epoxy or glass sheathing, or new craft built along the lines of an old design are acceptable. Boats built of other materials may be accepted if they have a gaff or traditional schooner rig.

For the Classic GRP class, boats should have a full long keel with a keelhung rudder, and be a descendant of a wooden boat design.

Spirit of Tradition class boats are eligible.

For the new Historic Class – Yachts designed & built before the end of 1976 in any material with any keel configuration are eligible. Examples include Sparkman & Stephens designs, Nautor’s Swan and Baltic. Yachts will be accepted or rejected by the Steering Committee and any decision is final and not appealable.

Dragon class boats are eligible.

Only monohulls are eligible Boats not fitting into the above categories may apply in writing, with documents and photographs or drawings to support their request for entry.

Any boats unknown to the Regatta shall submit photographs or drawings of the hull and rig for acceptance and class assignment.

ENTRIES: All entrants should register at www.antiguaclassics.com/ registration To be eligible for the Concours d’Elégance and the Single-Handed Race a boat must be a participant in the Regatta .

FEES: .

Before March 1

After March 1

Up to 50ft

US$6/ft

US$10/ft

51ft to 99ft

US$8/ft

US12$/ft

Above 100ft

US$10/ft

US$14/ft

Any measurement fee incurred for verification will be charged directly to the yacht by the CSA measurer..

SAILING INSTRUCTIONS: Sailing instructions will be issued at the Skippers’ Briefing on Thursday 18th April at 1800hrs.

VENUE: Racing will take place off the south coast of Antigua. On-shore events will take place at the Antigua Yacht Club.

COURSES: Course cards will be handed out at registration.

SCORING: All races completed will count. One race is required to complete a series.

DOCKAGE: Limited free dockage is available at the Antigua Yacht Club Marina. For further information on dockage contact the dockmaster..

CONCOURS D’ELÉGANCE: To take place on the morning of Thursday 18th April; please enter at Registration..

SINGLE-HANDED RACE: A Single-Handed Race will take place on Thursday 18th April in the afternoon, after Concours d’Elégance judging.; please enter at Registration PRIZES and PRIZE GIVING: A list of prizes and trophies to be awarded will be given in the Sailing Instructions. The Prize Giving Ceremony and Party will be held on the evening of Monday 22rd April .at the Antigua Yacht Club.

DISCLAIMER: Competitors participate in the Regatta entirely at their own risk. See rule 4, Decision to Race. The OA and AYCR will not accept any liability for material damage or personal injury or death sustained in conjunction with or prior to, during or after the Regatta.

FURTHER INFORMATION: please contact us at: Antigua Yacht Club, English Harbour, St. Paul’s, Antigua & Barbuda Telephone/Fax: +1 268 460 1799 Email info@antiguaclassics.com www.antiguaclassics.com TRADEMARKS/COPYRIGHT: The names Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta, Antigua Classic Regatta and Antigua Classic Week, together with the Regatta Logos, marks, & motifs are copyrighted and/or trademarked by the Antigua Yacht Club and may only be used with the express written permission of the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta Committee.

Classes

TRADITIONAL: Fishing or cargo vessels, built or converted to sail.

VINTAGE: Yachts with a full keel in original condition designed and launched before World War II. CLASSIC: Yachts with a full keel designed and launched after World War II. CLASSIC GRP: Fibreglass yachts with long keels and descendants of wooden boat design.

SPIRIT OF TRADITION: Yachts built recently using modern methods and design, but retaining the original grace and style of the old classics.

MEASUREMENT AND RATINGS: All entrants in the CSA Classic Rule division must complete the full ships data form currently available on the ACYR website. Additional information and/or some measurement may be required before a final rating can be issued.

HISTORIC: Yachts designed & built before the end of 1976 in any material with any keel configuration.

All entrants in the CSA Main Rule divisions of Spirit of Tradition and Historic will require a full 2019 CSA certificate.

DRAGON: The original Dragon was designed by Johan Anker in 1929.

Organizing Authority is the International Dragon Association.

Dragon – one design to Dragon Class rules

TALL SHIPS: Sail training and passenger vessels.

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The Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta has enjoyed a good safety record throughout its history; however, here are a few tips on safety that can help keep the Regatta safe and fun. (Every captain, helmsman and bowman should know the rules of the road and the racing rules.The larger yachts are skippered by professionals who know these rules so it pays for the cruisers to read up on them as well to avoid a dangerous situation.)  Don’t make any sudden course changes in the path of a larger and faster yacht coming up behind you.

Most of the incidents are caused by this.

Sail your course and look behind you before making a course change even if you have rights. Make your change early.

Common sense must be paramount, and it is dangerous to push your luck.  In the same manner that anyone would not challenge their rights with a supertanker, skippers and crews of smaller yachts must consider the

PHOTOGRAPH BY BEV FACTOR

SAFETY ON THE RACE COURSE implications when a large gaff rigged yacht is required to alter course. For example, it can take 3–4 minutes to get the preventers off, pull in yards of sheet by hand, get sails between the masts down on deck, before the helmsman can even start to turn the wheel to change course!  It takes some time before a larger yacht answers the helm, and on some bigger classics with direct steering it can require two people to turn the wheel fast enough to try and avoid a collision.

Forcing any big yacht into a crash jibe can be disastrous! Manoeuvring takes time and planning and at 10 knots, a boat will cover half a mile in just 3

minutes and furthermore, when a large yacht turns, it pivots in the middle, so her stern actually comes closer to you as her bow bears away.  It always pays to keep an eye out for the larger, faster yachts coming up from behind, especially at a mark rounding where the big yachts need a wide turning space. Give them room to get to the outside, and everyone will get around safely.  It’s not easy to imagine what it takes to manoeuvre a large yacht, unless you have been racing on one. The safest thing is to do is keep clear, at a distance and enjoy the magnificent sight as they majestically sail on by.

Antigua Barbuda Search and Rescue (ABSAR) has been providing emergency medical and rescue services to the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta for many years. We are proud to be a part of this extraordinary event.

ABSAR is a non-profit organisation of volunteers dedicated to saving lives. Based at the Antigua Yacht Club and the Antigua Yacht Club Marina, we are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We specialise in search and rescue, emergency medical, and marine fire response. In 2018 we have provided logistical support for 2 search and rescue calls, launched our rescue boat for 11 emergencies, and supported 10 regattas. We treated over 1260 sick or injured patients in the Medic Station and responded to 71 emergency calls in our response vehicles.

ABSAR relies on your donations for its existence. We need your help…‘so that others may live.’

ABSAR | Antigua Yacht Club Marina | Falmouth Harbour | Antigua Tel: + (268) 562.1234 | VHF: Marine Channel 16 info@absar.org | www.absar.org 30

Three Cheers for our Volunteers!

LESLIE ARNOLD, REGATTA CO-ORDINATOR

It is an honour to write this volunteer thank you letter. I have been coming to Antigua for Classics for nine years now and feel like this is home to me.

So many people from all walks of life come together to make this regatta a success. From the organizing committees – who start the next regatta the minute the last one is finished, the AYC members and friends and locals who help out for everything sailing down island, the sponsors who put in many hours for our enjoyment and to the cruisers who arrive in April – together we made Classics an enjoyable event. We all toil tirelessly for T-shirts, which will be worn with pride and commitment for many years. I appreciate the skills and expertise and hard work that everyone brings – we could not do it without you.

My goal last year was to “make it work” and I think everyone focused on that. It is a lot of details to deal with and sometimes we have to make do with what we have (like the internet!). I am so happy that everyone rolled with the punches and got through with energy and smiles. I hope that everyone renewed friendships and made some new friends as well. Let’s also remember friends who have passed on this year – Devin Taylor and Joanne Gordon – two very wonderful volunteers who left us too soon. I raise my glass for a toast as they join others we miss dearly.

I am already looking forward to next year! Meanwhile I am looking forward to seeing everyone again this year and to meeting new folks as well. Together let’s take Antigua Classics Yacht Regatta into the next 30 years.

LEFT TO RIGHT:

Chris Bartlett – lead wrangler, Devin Taylor, Mike Stout, Antony “Tony” Hawkins, Miles Bettridge, John Blair, Rene Foree and Billy Quinn.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBIN STOUT

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PHOTOGRAPH BY BEVERLY FACTOR

PHOTOGRAPH BY TOBIAS STOERKLE

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PHOTOGRAPH BY TIM WRIGHT

What is a Classic?

Most people in the yachting scene know a genuine ‘Classic’ when they see one – a yacht built in the 20s and 30s, with lines of beauty and grace, acres of canvas, fine craftsmanship and gleaming varnish are good examples.

The survivors of that golden era are unmistakably ‘Classic’ yachts. Perfect examples include Tuiga, Mary Rose, Eilean, Mariette of 1915, Coral of Cowes, Aschanti IV, Cora, and hundreds of others which are being kept to high standards..

Recently we have all seen fine examples of the craftsmanship of yesteryear carried on in modern vessels, like some of the designs from Bruce King, Andre Hoek and many others.

Examples of these exceptional craft include Athos, Whitehawk, and Rebecca. They all have the fine lines of a Classic but are built and rigged using modern techniques and materials.

Classics like Juno, Elena, Rebecca of Vineyard Haven are true replicas built in recent times, using traditional methods and materials.We must also include in our definition the wonderful traditional workboats of the past that are now being restored and sailing the seas as yachts, like the Carriacou sloops.

To be eligible for the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta, all entries must have a full keel, be of moderate to heavy displacement, built of wood or steel, and be of traditional rig and appearance.

Old craft restored using modern materials such as epoxy or glass sheathing, or new craft built along the lines of an old design, are acceptable. Vessels built of ferro-cement may be accepted if they have a gaff or traditional schooner rig.

Fibreglass yachts must have a long keel with a keel-hung rudder and be a descendant of a wooden hull design.

Exceptional yachts not fitting into the above categories may be eligible for entry in the Spirit of Tradition Class, which was initiated in Antigua, and is described in another section.

BELOW, FROM LEFT TO RIGHT:

The Blue Peter, 2018 winner of Vintage Class; Aschanti IV, overall winner of the 2018 Regatta; Iris J, smallest boat at 30ft in 2018.

PHOTOGRAPH BY TIM WRIGHT

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PHOTOGRAPH BY RICK TOMLINSON

In 1996 the SPIRIT OF TRADITION CLASS was established in Antigua for vessels built along ‘classic’ lines using modern techniques and materials.Yachts in this class must have a ‘look’ that is true to a traditional design and must demonstrate excellent craftsmanship and tradition, both on deck and in the hull, such as the Bruce King designed Alejandra.

Other excellent examples include Rebecca or the Andre Hoek designed Marie and Athos. They may, however, have modern under-bodies and appendages and use modern technology in their rigs such as Adela or Ranger, or be modified with carbon fibre like Velsheda.

The Spirit of Tradition Class 34

The Committee is looking for yachts that are exceptional and those whose owners have gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure that their vessel maintains the beauty and lines characteristic of fine yachts built in the past.

All new yachts who feel they are acceptable for entry into this class must complete a Pre-Entry Form on our website www.antiguaclassics.com and include photographs of the hull, rig and deck layouts. If the yacht is approved and accepted the Committee will direct you to an Official Entry Form online. Acceptance into this class is provisional for the first year.

Entries in the Spirit of Tradition Class must be measured and have a current CSA measurement certificate.

The Spirit of Tradition Class has its own trophy structure; the legendary yacht, Ticonderoga, sponsors the trophy for First Overall in this class.

It is the Regatta Committee’s hope that by creating the Spirit of Tradition Class, we can continue to encourage the future building of exceptional yachts that will keep the Classic traditions alive.

Previously accepted vessels need only apply for reentry by email to entry@antiguaclassics.com OPPOSITE:

127ft Andre Hoek Truly Classic Atalante ABOVE: 2013ft Andre Hoek Athos BELOW: 76ft Joel White W-yacht Wild Horses

PHOTOGRAPH BY TED MARTIN

PHOTOGRAPH BY CORY SILKEN

PHOTOGRAPH BY ONNE VAN DER WAAL

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PHOTOGRAPH BY JAN HEIN

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PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBIN STOUT

Single-Handed Race TIM WALL

Initial light winds delayed the start of the 19th Single-Handed Race in 2018 but it was well worth the wait to see in the Large Classic Class (over 45ft) the amazing spectacle of 115ft schooner Aschanti IV yet again handled with such enthusiasm and skill by skipper Karl-Peter Ebner (given the yacht’s size an exception was made for two observers below decks as well as the usual one on deck as is required for all the other competitors). Pat Ilderton also put on an impressive performance on his beautifully restored S&S Mah Jong.

The largest boat ever to take part in this race was the 125ft refurbished Fife sloop Cambria (whose owner/skipper claimed that this was his most enjoyable race ever), with the newly launched 104ft Christoffel’s Lighthouse (now known as Emmaline) as the exciting competition. Local competitor Don Ward, winner of the Small Classics Class (under 45ft) in his Luders 44 Frolic, has been a passionate advocate and frequent winner of the Single-Handed Race for a number of years on various boats, including Lone Fox, Winsome and Libertine.The latter, a 46ft Spirit Yacht, put Don in the Big Girls class, but thanks to light winds and Don’s skills, he beat all the other salts hands down. The only close call he had over the years was when, at the helm of 64ft Lone Fox, he had a port/ starboard encounter that resulted in a clipped bow that sent the offender back to harbour; a rare third place finish was Don’s achievement that afternoon.

Having sold Frolic, we are looking forward to his new Eagle44 Willpower, a new build by Leonardo Yachts, achieve the same success in this compelling event.

It was reassuring to see a Carriacou sloop back to take part last year: Sweetheart came a respectable third to Oliver Greensmith’s nippy Abeking & Rasmussen Seefalke II’s second.

Yachts registered in the Regatta are automatically entitled to enter the Single-Handed Race. We look forward to a 38

ABOVE: Start

of the Single-Handed Race

OPPOSITE ABOVE:

Such a spectacle to watch the highly-skilled skipper Karl-Peter Ebner perform a veritable marathon, running from bow to stern and back again on this normally heavily-crewed magnificent 115ft schooner Aschanti IV, to win first place in the Large Boats Class. She went on to win overall prize from 2018, as well as many other trophies - a just reward for the talented skipper.

OPPOSITE CENTRE: Owner

Pat Ilderton skillfully helms 1954 Mah Jong round the course. Gannon and Benjamin did a fantastic refurbishment job on this beautiful 52ft S&S yawl, winning her both the S&S and Classic Boat Magazine prizes for best restoration plus first prize in the Professionally Mantained Classic Class in the Concours d’Elégance.

OPPOSITE BELOW:

Mah Jong rounding the mark with ease.

good turnout this year and, of course, the trade mark and irresistible Dark and Stormy Cocktails, so beloved by Classics founder Kenny Coombs, that form an integral part of the Prize Giving and Sundowner Celebration of this illustrious race, which reaches its 20th anniversary this year. Many thanks to Committee Boat Samsara and Committee crew.

“SAIL SAFE…HAVE FUN!”

PHOTOGRAPH BY JAN HEIN

PHOTOGRAPH BY JAN HEIN

PHOTOGRAPH BY JAN HEIN

PHOTOGRAPH BY JAN HEIN

PHOTOGRAPH BY ED WHITING

2018 Race Results SMALL CLASSICS UNDER 45 FT NAME AND YEAR BUILT

LOA IN FT

Frolic 1967

44

Don Ward

1

Seefalke II 1936

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Oliver Greensmith

2

Sweetheart 1987

36

Roger Conradi

3

Guiding Light

37

Roy Boughton

4

SKIPPER

PLACE

LARGE CLASSICS OVER 45 FT Ashanti IV

115

Karl-Peter Ebner

1

Mah Jong

52

Patrick Ilderton

2

Honourable Mention awarded to Roy Boughton PHOTOGRAPH BY JAN HEIN

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PHOTOGRAPH BY DEN PHILLIPS

Concours d’Elégance: Judging in Antigua TOM CUNLIFFE

When my wife Roz and I were asked to join the Concours team at Antigua last year, you could have knocked us down with a strand of dry seaweed. Roz has done more than her time with the fine wet-and-dry while I started out as a deckhand polishing the binnacle on a Yankee schooner so I guess we qualify, but we’d a tough challenge ahead. The judges were a transatlantic bunch with Rob Peake from Classic Boat and the two Cunliffes representing the Old World. A strong west-side contingent was headed up by the sponsor Bill Lynn, of the Herreshoff Marine Museum, with a mid-ocean wild card in the shape of the inimitable ‘Scrim’, a shipmate of mine from the days when we had hair down to our shoulders and owners gave us sideways looks.

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Concours d’Elégance 2018 RESULTS VINTAGE CLASS (PROFESSIONALLY MAINTAINED) Ticonderoga – 86ft L. Francis Herreshoff designed ketch built in 1936 owned by Scott Frantz.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ELLINOR WALTERS

ABOVE LEFT AND RIGHT:

Judges: Tom & Roz Cunliffe, Rob Peake, Bill Lynn, Jerry Bardoe, Joe Gage, Nicolai Bohachevsky and Michael “Scrim” Strzalkowski.

BELOW: Former Co-Chairman Jane Coombs presents Martin Halpern with the well-deserved Arne Frizzell Prize for Seaworthiness to Russamee.

VINTAGE PRIVATE (PRIVATELY MAINTAINED) The Blue Peter - 65ft Marconi cutter designed by Alfred Mylne built in 1929 owned by Matt Barker.

CLASSIC CLASS (PROFESSIONALLY MAINTAINED) 1) Mah Jong –52ft Sparkman and Stephens yawl built in 1957 by Cheoy Lee of Hong Kong, owned by Patrick Ilderton.

2) Columbia –141ft Starling Burgess design schooner built in 2014 skippered by Seth Salzman.

CLASSIC CLASS (PRIVATELY MAINTAINED) 1) Jonathan – 60ft Sparkman and Stephens sloop built in 1962, owned by Jos and Mickey Van Veen.

2) Paloma V1 – 32ft Ocean racer built in 1964 owned by Jordi Agusti Arbosse.

TRADITIONAL (PRIVATELY MAINTAINED) 1) Sweetheart – 36ft Carriacou sloop designed by Zepharin MacLaren and built in 1987 on a beach in Carriacou using hand tool, owned by Charles Carey-Morgan.

2) Genesis – 42ft Carriacou sloop designed and built by Alwyn Enoe in 2005, owned by Alexis Andrews.

PHOTOGRAPH BY RICHARD SHERMAN

Concours prizes are often dished out for making a classic yacht look like she’s brand new. Antigua is more grown-up.

After all, how do you compare a replica fishing schooner, a 1957 S&S racing yawl, a family run 32-foot Spanish sloop, a Hoek-designed fast cruising yacht and a group of Carriacou sloops built on the beach without plans?

As we gathered in the club on judging morning we were handed clip-boards (yes, really!) that divided the boats into sensible groups with points awarded for an eclectic selection of merits. Varnish and polished winches were only part of the picture. Correctly in my view, further questions explored such esoteric issues as hanging in with the boat’s original ethos.The only missing tick-box was for ‘soul’. Points were not given for the quality of refreshments offered to the committee.

SPIRIT OF TRADITION (PROFESSIONALLY MAINTAINED) Atalante – The first Truly Classic 127, designed by Andre Hoek and built in Claasen Shipyards in the Netherlands, launched in 2015.

ARNE FRIZZELL TROPHY Awarded each year to the boat that Arne would have most admired for her seaworthiness and timeless tradition: Russamee – designed in 1961, she was built by Thai boatbuilders using adzes at a 3 century old yard near Bangkok, owned by Martin Halpern.

SPECIAL MENTION Paloma VI – this 32ft Ocean Racer is true live-aboard for owner Jordi Agusti Arbosse and his family, who sailed here to Antigua from Spain, where she was built in 1964 OVERALL WINNER isTiconderoga

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PHOTOGRAPH BY ELLINOR WALTERS

PHOTOGRAPH BY ELLINOR WALTERS

PHOTOGRAPH BY ED WHITING

PHOTOGRAPH BY JAN HEIN PHOTOGRAPH BY JAN HEIN

PHOTOGRAPH BY JAN HEIN

PHOTOGRAPH BY ELLINOR WALTERS

Whether she’s just crossed the Atlantic or lives in English Harbour, any boat that sails in Antigua has to be honest.

You’ve only to poke your head past the nearest palm tree to have it blown sideways by the trade wind. This isn’t conducive to fancy brightwork and sennit yet, by and large, the standard of sparkle was so good that we were obliged to search deeper for winners. Today’s yachts tend to have accommodation like shore-side apartments. Squeezing down into the 73ft Ticonderoga’s saloon reminded us of what a boat is meant to be like. My own opinion is that when the last trumpet sounds and the sea is gathered up, those of us lucky enough to make it to the other side will 42

find ourselves in Big Ti’s saloon drinking Mount Gay with our shipmates. It’ll be a crush, but it’s all that heaven needs to be.

The true spirit of the classics sang when Russamee took the seaworthiness prize. Entering her along with the goldplaters wasn’t part of the crew’s plan. She was salty from the ocean, rust streaked her topsides and her awnings were bleached by the sun, but she had come a long way. Here was a boat that would look after you when the will to look after yourself was gone. She had soul by the bucket-full.

Some shows wouldn’t have given her a second look, but in Antigua the sea rolls all the way from Africa, the wind takes no prisoners and her people respect real boats.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ROB PEAKE

Impressions

of the 2018 Regatta

ROB PEAKE, EDITOR OF CLASSIC BOAT MAGAZINE

Motor out two minutes from the pontoons off the Antigua Yacht Club through the flat water of Falmouth Harbour, pass the twin headlands and – boom! Without warning you’re in amongst rolling ocean waves high enough to block out the horizon, flying fish zipping across their sides and the sun reflecting back an almost electric cobalt blue. To leeward, waves crash on a rocky promontory that houses Nelson’s old gun battery. To windward is the vast Atlantic, liberal dollops of it now shooting back at you from the bows.The wind is a steady 25 knots and overhead, needless to say, the sky is blue. Given that two minutes ago you were untying the bow and stern lines in total calm, the invigorating scene before you is enough to bring forth a lengthy whoop, even from the most hungover of sailors. It’s a stupendous sight, and that is before you add in the fleet of classic yachts getting ready for their start. Two Mylnes, The Blue Peter and Mariella, slide out through the waves. The replica Gloucester fishing schooner Columbia parts the seas like Moses and the Carriacou sloops, riding the big wave tops like corks, join the varied fleet, ready for a race between elderly boats off an island in the Caribbean. Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta has become known for its après-sail scene, the local flavour and the entertainment on stage each night, but one taste of the local waters and you understand that the reason to come here is the sailing.

These magnificent ocean conditions, literally on your doorstep in Falmouth Harbour, are worth it 10 times over.

At the Regatta in 2018 I sailed on three great boats, firstly the long-time Antigua entry Aschanti IV. I was one of 18 crew on board, all of us busy. Hard to believe that skipper Karl-Peter Ebner manned the boat himself in the Regatta’s Single-Handed Race two days previously. We were told our man Karl-Peter ended the race quite red in the face.

Given the heat and the 4,950sq ft (460m2) upwind sail area, he could have been forgiven for passing out. But as the boat’s owner said at the regatta Prize Giving, Karl-Peter is not just the skipper, he’s the spirit of Aschanti IV, having been at the wheel since 2001. She is a well-sailed boat, getting the run on the opposition at the start and the 43

PHOTOGRAPH BY ROB PEAKE

PREVIOUS PAGE: 1938

Mylne design Mariella (sail no 464) and 1939 schooner Eros.

ABOVE: from left the 1939 Bill Luders yawl Frolic, the 1946 George Kettenburg sloop Janley and the 1957 S&S yawl Mah Jong on the start line.

BELOW: Rob on Mah Jong. international core crew seeing her round the cans with minimal fuss and many laughs.

There was delight as we crossed the line first and in an unusual touch the owner came round to thank everyone on board personally.

How do you spot the Englishman who’s never been to Antigua before? He’s the one asking about the weather forecast. “Breezy and sunny,” came the reply with a laugh from one of my crewmates. So I left the wet weather gear at home for my next sail, on the newly restored Sparkman & Stephens Mah Jong.

Did I get wet? Well, there was a moment I found myself lying on the foredeck as if in a warm bath. In fact, I have had PHOTOGRAPH BY DEN PHILLIPS

44

colder baths at home.To be slapped across the face or back by these tropical seas is a childish thrill, eliciting a grin from everyone, every time they got dunked. My foredeck mates had spent their winter caring for Mah Jong in the Grenadines and – I kid you not – were shivering with cold. Me? I felt as though I’d be sick from the heat. Coming from Britain’s winter into Antiguan sunshine is enough to make you feel very English. So the foredeck dousings were welcome.

The full story of Mah Jong’s rebirth was told in the October 2018 issue of Classic Boat. To see her eating up the big Antiguan conditions in such fine fettle, knowing that four years ago she was lying dried out on a beach, is to marvel at yet another amazing classic yacht restoration story, one well deserving of a Classic Boat Award, voted for annually by our readers.

My final day was on board Columbia. Tom Cunliffe, introducing Columbia in the Regatta’s Parade of Sail, called her “one of the greatest work boats afloat”. It’s hard to think of a vessel like this as a work boat at all.To see the replica Columbia crashing through the waves in a yacht race off Antigua is one thing, but to think of her doing the same through angry seas off Nova Scotia 90 years ago, her hull loaded with fresh fish and her colossal sail area bulging with the ferocity of a north Atlantic gale…an image worthy of loud profanities at least.

On my day aboard, the crew, most of them newly assembled before the Regatta, were well-drilled enough to hoist the fisherman staysail. Up it went on a reach, the smoothness of the operation greeted with high-fives and hoots of enjoyment from all. As we neared the finish, the Caribbean showed its other face and a black squall rolled overhead, bringing wind and lashing rain. True to form, the big schooner loved it. We certainly didn’t reduce sail - she simply ploughed on, as solid and powerful as her namesake 91 years ago.

Chopper hovers above schooners Columbia and Eros.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ROB PEAKE PHOTOGRAPH BY ROB PEAKE

Happy times on board Mah Jong at the 2018 Regatta.

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Sporting a new topmast, for the first time in 40 years.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JAN HEIN

A Game of Chance with Mah Jong JAN HEIN

Pat Ilderton was earnestly boat shopping in 2014 when he flew to Tortola to look at one more. A 1957 woody built by Cheoy Lee in Hong Kong, it was the 52ft Sparkman & Stephens design, Mah Jong. She’d been on the hard, sunning herself for years, which sorely accentuated her old-age issues. Ilderton recalled his first impression, “An old boat – this isn’t for me,” but they launched her for a test sail and he was hooked. “My immediate reaction was, damn, this boat does feel good! So gentle and comfortable in the wind.” Whether that meeting between yacht and future owner was fate or pure chance, both have benefited enormously.

PHOTOGRAPH BY PAT ILDERTON

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Mah Jong’s next voyage, as cargo on a ship, was to Martha’s Vineyard where she was placed in the hands of wood gurus, Ross Gannon and Nat Benjamin at Gannon and Benjamin (G&B). Like many senior citizens, she was in poor shape yet through it all, the beauty of those S&S lines shone through.

That summer, the boat was de-rigged and prepped for a short road trip to G&B’s Mugwump shop. The jumbled old building would become her home for the next few years.

Inside the shed, serious dismantling began; each bit of wood preserved. The interior, dark and cramped, was removed; buckets filled with bronze screws; hardware and fittings were collected and revived for later use.The destructive downward spiral continued for months. Gannon, no stranger to tired boats and their owners’ buoyant dreams, had warned Ilderton that a proper restoration would be long in time and deep in resources. Both knew and agreed on what had to be done.

Finally, in 2015, the project took a tack. Deck beams went in followed by frames of live oak and floor timbers of Angelique.

Engine stringers were fashioned to hold the old Perkins.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JAN HEIN

PHOTOGRAPH BY JAN HEIN

PHOTOGRAPH BY PAT ILDERTON

Ilderton visited his boat frequently, taking part in structural and design decisions and throughout the restoration, friendships with the Gannon family and crew tightened.

Ilderton envisioned an open interior, space to share with family, friends and his guitar. During the winter of 2016, the sole and bulkheads were installed followed by the galley, head and nine bunks. Each aspect of living space was tricked out with trim. Wood came from the salvage pile and with it came Mah Jong’s buried treasures. When decades of varnish were removed from the old cabinet doors, small scenes of Chinese life appeared, engraved and inlayed into the teak panels. Those old stories of junks, pagodas and fishermen were incorporated into Mah Jong’s next chapter.

The cabin house and new teak decks went on as wiring, plumbing, mechanical jobs, painting and fitting of new bits continued. Mah Jong came back to life and by the summer of 2017 she was ready to launch. A yacht transport truck carried her down Beach Road on June 15 as a procession of beaming crew trailed behind. Once in

PHOTOGRAPH BY JAN HEIN

OPPOSITE:

Top – A lively reach on the Cannon Course.

Bottom – Launch day at Gannon & Benjamin.

ABOVE: TOP LEFT - Ilderton at the helm with Goldhill (far right) on the lookout. TOP RIGHT – The elegant interior. BOTTOM LEFT - Inside the infamous Mugwump. BOTTOM RIGHT – A fine performance during the Single-Handed Race the slings, a champagne bottle met the bow, saviours and supporters cheered, and she was returned to the sea. For the Gannon and Benjamin crew, it was bittersweet. Pride was countered by the end of a job they’d all had a hand in.

Their part in restoring Mah Jong to glory was over. Now it was her turn to make them proud.

Once rigged, under the guidance of Captain Alex Goldhill, she sailed off to Mystic’s WoodenBoat Show, collecting the auspicious award for Professionally Restored vessel. Then, in rock star style, Mah Jong toured the east coast, down to Charleston, before heading off to winter in the Caribbean.

The yawl was designed as a deep draught ocean racer so 47

PHOTOGRAPH BY JAN HEIN

ABOVE: Left – Working through seas during the SingleHanded Race. Right – One of many turns of the Windward Race. BELOW: Calling in another fine finish.

Ilderton and Goldhill decided to first test her legacy during Grenada’s Sailing Week. Important lessons were learned there and by the time they got to Bequia’s Easter Regatta, they were unstoppable. In Antigua for the 2018 Classic Regatta, Mah Jong was first overall in Classic Class B and earned first place in the Concourse d’Elégance for Classic Class, Professionally Maintained. Most noteworthy was the team’s humorous Sea Shanty performance with the catchy refrain, “There’s a hole in Daddy’s boat where all the money goes!”

PHOTOGRAPH BY JAN HEIN

Sandwiched between races, Ilderton and Gannon flew to the UK where Mah Jong was bestowed the Classic Boat Award for Best Restoration over 40ft. That extraordinary honour, along with a growing case of trophies is not lost on the man who chose to save this legendary vessel.

Ilderton views the journey of the restoration as his biggest reward.“The best part of the whole thing,” he said,“has been meeting and knowing these guys – the Gannons, Alex, the guys in the yard.You don’t find people like this very often.”

Fortunately, the man who had the dream of bringing Mah Jong back to life has new ones. There are islands to visit, oceans to cross and there’s the possibility of one day, retracing the boat’s famous first voyage to Newport from Japan. Stand by . . . .

PHOTOGRAPH BY JAN HEIN

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PHOTOGRAPH BY TOBIAS STOERKLE

Three Men in a Boat: Vendia JUDE HARRISON

In life, timing is everything: two men and a boat that came together when it was the right moment; one boat in serious need of TLC; one man with an eye for a classic boat in need; another man in serious need for a change in direction in life. And so the story of saving the 70ft yawl Vendia begins.

Vendia has had an illustrious career. Starting life in 1943 as #S300, a motor fishing vessel built by Nipper boatyard in Skagen, Denmark. She was built for North Sea conditions, 2.5˝ oak planks on sawn oak frames. At 55ft on deck 15.1ft wide and with a draft of 8ft, she displaced 65 tonnes. She plied her trade fishing for herring in the unforgiving North Sea for nearly 30 years.

There is no concrete evidence that she was one of the many fishing vessels that smuggled people out of Denmark into Sweden in WWII, but it would have been surprising if she did not. These plucky little vessels and their courageous crew saved hundreds who were forced to flee the heavy hand of the Nazis, hiding them behind false bulkheads at great personal risk.

In 1973 she was decommissioned and underwent major renovations. Her fish hold was converted to accommodation, she was fitted with a new engine and converted to sail

with mainsail, jib, spanker, mizzen and topsails that had her carrying 220sq m of sail. She remained a private yacht in the hands of her composer owner till 1982.

Then another change to this vessel’s unusual career: a Danish programme to help young offenders break out of the cycle of crime and delinquency took Vendia on as a school ship. Over the years she helped many lost young people, offering a helping hand to change the course of their lives. Eventually another vessel took over the role of sea school for the troubled youth and Vendia was left, alone and neglected, on anchor in Tyrell Bay, Carriacou.

That’s where Dave Buller spotted her as he sailed in on his classic Old Bob. Dave’s love of old classic yachts is well known in the Caribbean (anyone who has been around the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta will know Old Bob, famous for her fun loving crew if not for her turn of speed). Dave could see Vendia’s potential and knew she needed rescuing. Enter 49

PHOTOGRAPH BY JODY SALLONS-DAY

Dr. Mark Wibberley. Mark had started his grown up life as a biologist in England at Nottingham University, about as far from the sea as you can get in England.

He was involved with pioneer research in biotechnology, particularly with rice. Then a move to University of the West of England in Bristol to earn his doctorate developing useful products from plant root – not really the usual background for a man next headed to Cowes in the Isle of Wight to become a sailing instructor, leaving the scientific life behind. Mark ran two sailing schools, became a Yacht Master Instructor, then a Yacht Master Examiner. Plenty of background, now, for a life at sea, so when friend Dave proposed they work together to get Vendia back to her former glory, he was there.

If you’ve got a wooden boat that needs attention and you happen to be in Carriacou there is only one place to go, Windward Boat Builders, and so to there Vendia moved.

For the next one and a half years she absorbed intense amounts of tender loving care, blood, sweat and tears and of course money…. 350ft of new 2-inch planking, stem and cap rail replaced, 11 frames and new beam shelf, two new knees and many scarfed beam ends - the job list kept growing.The men of Carriacou were in their element; they know their wooden boats and can caulk a seam in their sleep. Clifford, and Kevin who is in his 80s, worked tirelessly making the hull tight and dry. With the installation of new 50

equipment, hydraulic steering, new engine, even new heads (WCs for the landlubbers), more engineering skills were needed, and that brought Richard Tillotson in as third man in the boat. New red paint and much varnish flowed till at last Vendia slid down the slips into her natural habitat.

She had become popular with the boatyard crew and was known as the Post Office boat - being red, her freshly refurbished rig had a resemblance to telegraph poles, and she was slow, although on her trip up to Antigua, in the right conditions she proved to be no slouch.

As a charter boat Vendia was never going to be ordinary.

She appealed to students and adventurers and so it was quite in keeping for guests to be welcomed with a cold beer and a fresh paint brush rather than a chocolate on the pillow!

Participation in life aboard was welcomed. And it was all hands on deck for the 2018 Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta. Even before the first race Vendia was getting attention, especially at her very well-attended dock party, and when during the Concours d’Élégance judging her extensive refit was revealed, she immediately went in for the Woodstock Restoration Trophy, which she won. Wisely Vendia had entered in the Comfort Zone category in the racing and as it happened was the only entrant in that class, consequently she got a gun at the finish of all four races! A first for the Regatta…

The good ship Vendia is what the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta is all about!

PHOTOGRAPH BY JODY SALLONS-DAY

PHOTOGRAPH BY JODY SALLONS-DAY

PHOTOGRAPH BY JODY SALLONS-DAY

PHOTOGRAPH BY JODY SALLONS-DAY

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PHOTOGRAPH BY TIM WRIGHT

Love, Desire and the White Bitch LUCY TULLOCH

There’s something wonderfully outrageous about commissioning one’s yacht with a name White Bitch. It would be daring in 2019 . . . but in 1939 England, it must have caused quite a stir. Henry Von Berge was an unusual man, and he knew exactly what he wanted to celebrate the occasion of his marriage to his new wife.

A skilled navigator and experienced sailor himself, he was inspired by the Grand Banks Schooners and wanted a strong boat for offshore cruising. In meetings with the designer, Wiliiam McKeek, he requested “exceptional strength, capable of taking care of herself and her crew in really heavy weather”. But he wanted her to sail…and sail fast.

From an article written in Yachting World in 1937: “Although she is to be unusually heavily built, the strength of her construction is dependent on ample scantlings, good workmanship and efficient fastenings, rather than mere bulk of timber.”

Nevertheless, she is 3 inch Burmese Teak planks on steel frames, with a draft of 13ft and a beam of 22ft. Von Berge had the interior designed to support ocean sailing, and to this end, there was just one, well-appointed guest cabin.

He did not want a floating guesthouse.

Nor did White Bitch suggest anything derogatory . . . it 52

references dog breeding for the Royal family at the time and his wife Jean’s family name of White.

Nevertheless, by the time she was launched at Brooks Marine in Lowestoft, England, in 1939, the largest schooner to emerge from this renowned yard, her outlandish name had changed and the magnificent 103ft Staysail Schooner Jeanry, dressed overall, slid down the railway to the pride and anticipation of all present.

ABOVE AND OPPOSITE BELOW: Under

full sail, Eros is in her element broad-reaching in the trade winds at Antigua Classics.

OPPOSITE, TOP LEFT: Chartered and sailed by Mill Reef Yacht Club at Antigua Classics, guests enjoyed Caribbean sailing at its finest.

OPPOSITE, TOP RIGHT: First mate and engineer Wilson stitching running repairs to the clew on the way out to the start line.

PHOTOGRAPH BY LUCY TULLOCH

PHOTOGRAPH BY LUCY TULLOCH

PHOTOGRAPH BY TIM WRIGHT

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ABOVE: Eros

in Monaco RIGHT: Photographer and author Lucy Tulloch captures Eros’ energy from her bowsprit as she thunders towards the windward mark.

Rumoured, but not verified, is a story that soon afterwards, in the great Dunkirk Evacuation in 1940, she was, like many hundreds of merchant marine boats, fishing boats, pleasure craft, yachts, and lifeboats that became known as the “Little Ships of Dunkirk”, she was called into the service that rescued over 300,000 allied soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk in northern France in World War II. Tragically, Von Berge was later killed in combat.

After the war, she was sold to the Greek shipping magnate billionaire, Stavros Niarchos, who renamed her Eros – honouring the Greek God of Love and Desire. She became well-known cruising the Mediterranean and was the darling of the wealthy elite. Indeed, King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain spent some of their honeymoon aboard as a wedding present from Niarchos, staying too on his Greek island. He owned Eros for about 25 years during which, for some of this time he also owned the magnificent Creole.

She was then owned by American Lucy Bancroft as Fair Sarae who sailed her on the US East coast as well as California for about 15 years.

Lucy sold her to an optimistic German, who embarked on a huge multi-million dollar refit that he was sadly unable to complete. Some boatyards would be tempted to give up on her, sending her to all sorts of unmentionable fates, but the owners of this yard had such a love for classic boats that 54

their desire to see this mission complete sealed her fate. Bill and Grace Bodle had owned three large classic, wooden schooners already, so they knew exactly what kind of project they were taking on. And it was a momentous one.

From 1990 to 2010, they loyally and meticulously rebuilt Eros to her former glory. A bowsprit was added and 20ft to the main mast. Great attention was paid to retaining her authenticity, including her original turnbuckles and her 1939 bell from the naming ceremony. Her 22,000 Admiralty bronze fittings were all recast. Her steel frames and rigging were either replaced or reconditioned. Indeed, each Burmese teak plank of her hull is original 1939, having been reinstalled following rigorous inspection.

On completion of an almost 20 year renovation, they chartered her in the Caribbean and San Francisco Bay. Eros’ current owner (American/Canadian) Cameron Riddell,

PHOTOGRAPH BY LUCY TULLOCH

had grown up in California before an adventurous family trip took him sailing around Europe including Britain, the French Canals, Greece, Italy and Malta. He knew the Bodles sailing in Greece back in the early years (where he had built and learnt to sail in a Mirror dinghy in Malta as a boy). So, when he visited his parents in San Francisco in his 20s and 30s, he watched keenly the hard work they were doing on the beloved schooner.

Finally, in 2016, Cameron and a fellow sailor partner acquired Eros following the completion of this high-quality restoration. Now, she boasted four luxurious double cabins and accommodation for five crew; she had been brought up to the high standards of today’s modern charter yachts, whilst respectfully retaining many of her original details and without losing any of the first-class elegance of her former years.

Cameron tells me about owning Eros and her future

programme. He, his partner, his family and friends enjoy some wonderful cruises and continue to welcome charter guests to keep this important piece of marine history alive.

She is a workboat, he says, not for the Concours d’Elégance.

She is ideal for private and regatta charters. They will offer the New England race circuit, including Nantucket and the Opera House Cup. It is a unique chance for guests to feel truly involved in preserving this historical yacht and to keep Eros sailing.

When I sailed with her in the 2018 Antigua Classics, Mill Reef Yacht Club guests were thrilled to be part of such spectacular action for a few days, and with renowned America’s Cup sailor Gary Jobson at the helm, and Jeremy King, Captain of an enthusiastic and competent crew, she felt just as you’d imagine those glamorous and Royal days of the 60s. And not a bitch in sight . . .

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Action on the Legendary

Big Ti

Skipper Guillaume Touhadian at the helm IMAGES BY MARTHA BLANCHFIELD

How pleased we were to have the mighty Ticonderoga, known affectionately as Big Ti, race once again in our 2018 Regatta! Designed by the late great

L. Francis Herreshoff, she was launched in 1936, starting life by unceremoniously falling off her cradle…which did not, however, deter her from becoming one of the most famous ocean racers ever built. Not the biggest sailing yacht, at 86ft overall, she nonetheless made up for that by being incredibly fast and practically unbeatable on a reach. Setting many records and winning many trophies, she became the uncontested world champion, whilst undergoing various changes in ownership, Her association with Antigua began in the 1970s, increasing in the 1990s with her new and current owner Scott Frantz. She last took part in the Antigua Classics in 2014, to great acclaim, and was accorded a similar welcome in 2018, with skipper Guillaume Touhadian at the helm.

Whilst not a trophy winner in the racing, she nonetheless took honours in being the obvious and undisputed choice for overall winner of the Concours d’Elégance, sponsored fittingly by the Herreshoff Marine Museum.

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BARBADOS’ SAILING AMBASSADOR:

Schooner Ruth TExT AND IMAGES BY JAN HEIN

One can only imagine the sight of 100ft schooner Ruth growing in size and shape on a beach in Barbados.

For over a decade, miles of materials and untold hours poured into the project and the result - the world’s first steel schooner built on a beach - is stunning.

The story of Ruth began once upon a time when owner Ian Dash was just a lad. He was raised by a mother he describes as “an indefatigable mariner from New Brunswick, fathered by a fisherman.” For his 10th birthday, she gifted him a model schooner, launching ideas of one day owning one himself.

Dash joked about those dreams during Ruth’s construction, “When folks asked if I was mentally ill, I would say, maybe insane with a pinch of madness added for flavour!”

To get closer to the sea, Dash moved to British Columbia, working as a halibut fisherman aboard a Tom Colvindesigned 52ft lug rig schooner. Sailing that vessel rekindled the desire to build one, so in 1999 he sought the designer’s services. “I wanted a fast work boat,” he said. “Somehow, my idea of 80ft grew to 100ft on Tom’s table.”

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Having moved to Barbados in 1983, he chose Carlisle Bay beach as the site, and to build the boat he chose craftsmen from Barbados, the OECS and Guyana – welders, joiners, carpenters, mechanics and pipe fitters. The keel was laid in 2003 and for seven years, Ruth sporadically grew, using Colvin’s book as a guide. Dash decided to push to the finish and from 2012 to 2014 the team worked seven days a week.

As they neared the end, the sustainable trading ship, Tres Hombres, sailed in. Two of their crew joined Ruth. Sean Parsonage was instrumental in replicating the traditional rig and Danielle Doggett became the launch captain. “I was so impressed by Danielle’s work ethic and commitment; basking in the sun, parceling, serving, designing and creating the rig,” said Dash. “She taught me about sustainable

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shipping and I determined to make Ruth pay for herself.”

On December 6, 2014, with an assist from a harbour tug, the 71.5ton schooner Ruth entered the water surrounded by a sea of supporters. The massive blue vessel, based on Canada’s grand banks schooners, was far from her roots LEFT, MOVING CLOCKWISE: Gerrit Scheper at the helm; yet onboard were a full set of sails, blocks and hardware, discussing trim with Darryl Braithwaite; spotting the mark. all hand-crafted in Nova Scotia. Tying her lineage together, stays were covered with New England pine tar and hatches introduction to racing. Her grand entrance into Falmouth Harbour coincided with the Single-Handed Race but that oiled with Barbados beeswax.

In 2017, Dash met Gerrit Scheper, a seventh-generation was the last time she or her salty crew were late for the party.

Sailing in Classics Class A alongside 141ft Columbia, 115ft Barbadian schooner captain. “It seems we have a common Aschanti and 77ft Ocean Star was both a challenge and an dream,” he said to Dash. “Are you looking for a skipper?”

Dash recalled, “I instantly thought, this was the guy!” honour. Perfect winds for the four jumbo schooners averaged Knowing Ruth’s reality he advised Scheper, “If you have any over 20 knots, churning bow washing seas and leaving a wake of indelible memories for Ruth’s captain and crew. financial obligations, this is not the job for you!”

Her team was small in number but big in force. Trainees Together they put Ruth’s 2017/2018 programme together, which included sail training for young adults and adventure Nazz Alexander and Luke Rollitt were acrobats - horsing tourism. Schooner Ruth offered Yacht Master training to two sails, hardening sheets and traversing the 100ft deck in an of her crew and already, several Barbadians have received effort to meet the schooner’s demands. Darryl Braithwaite, Standards of Training Certification and Watch Keeping past Commodore of Grenada Yacht Club, served as tactician.

At the helm, wearing a beamy smile, Gerrit Scheper executed (STCW) facilitated by the programme.

Supporters include the University of the West Indies, every tack with skill; each mark passed with just feet to spare.

Ruth’s taut teamwork spilled ashore at the end of each Barbados’ Port Inc. and Global Affairs Canada/World University Service, Canada providing funding support for race, resulting in a winning performance at the Sea Shanty Ruth’s solar powered refrigeration system. “When we’re Contest and Honourable Mention as Sailor of the year SOLAS-compliant, we’ll introduce trading between the awarded to Nazz Alexander. Throughout the Regatta, their passion for tradition was infectious.

Windward Islands, Guyana and Barbados,” Dash said.

Project Ruth’s purpose is to pass it on. “It’s incremental,” Just months after Scheper took the helm, Ruth made a relief voyage to Anguilla with 35 tons of supplies in the Dash explained. “By teaching and laying a pathway for others with this whole idea of traditional rigging and simple skills that wake of Hurricane Irma.

The 2018 Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta was Ruth’s are good or better and cost effective, we can keep it alive.”

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UPPER LEFT, MOVING CLOCKWISE: Scheper

pushing Ruth into a turn; serious Gerrit Scheper on the podium with MC Tommy Paterson at Prize Giving; a friendly Barbadian wave; Nazz Alexander and Scheper horsing the main gaff.

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GILLY GOBINET

So why study law then effectively run away to sea? Because that is where Tom Cunliffe’s passion lay – and still does today, as shown by his numerous articles, books, blogs and videos about sailing. He would have made an excellent lawyer as he certainly is a smooth talker, but it’s our luck that he chose to follow his heart rather than his head (which doesn’t seem to have been much affected either!).

TOP: Westernman ABOVE: Tom

doing his stuff at the Concours Prize-Giving

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His vast sailing experience and his gift of the gab have made him a very popular author, broadcaster and presenter of prizes at sailing events – such as the Southampton Boat Show and the Sailing Today awards. Tom thinks the trick is to attract the attention of the guys at the bar – he has a good, carrying voice and his jokes are, indeed, irresistible. This has got him into trouble, of course: he was President of the Solent Old Gaffers Association (UK) for over ten years and couldn’t seem to get out of it – his habit of standing drinks to strangers at the bar certainly didn’t help!

At the Antigua Classics last year, he was one of the judges of the Concours d’Elégance, sponsored by the Herreshoff Marine Museum, whose Executive Director Bill Lynn presented all the prizes except for the overall winner – and Tom was given the honour of doing this, announcing with great eloquence the mighty Ticonderoga, upon which he subsequently raced, as the well-deserving recipient of the trophy. He went on to MC the traditional Parade of the Classics, at which he was a natural – it was a first for him and hopefully not a last for us.

Tom reckons he really started to learn to sail properly (he claims he is still learning!) when the engine of the boat he was on broke down after he had left Hamble. His life-long love of classic wooden gaff pilot cutters is based on his preference for something that has grown from an acorn rather than built in a chemical factory. His first was the 32ft Saari, built in 1903 and designed by the legendary Colin Archer – Tom’s home with his wife Roz for five years, even though he couldn’t actually stand upright in her. Marishka followed, but was not big enough for his purposes and was soon replaced by the 35 ton pilot cutter Hirta, built in 1911. It was 15 years before the more modern Nigel Irens-designed Westernman, built in 1997 in North America, took her place.

Unable to be with us this year due to prior commitments, we very much hope they will be able to return in 2020 when Tom might like to MC our Main Prize Giving too – attracting those at the bar shouldn’t be a problem!

PHOTOGRAPH BY MARTIN KEITEL

It is with great regret that we announce that Roy has been officially reported as “missing at sea” since early December, last seen heading out in his dinghy to his 1936 Gauntlet Cutter Guiding Light in Rodney Bay, St Lucia.

He has been a regular participant in the Antigua Classics over the years, including the Single-Handed Race (see above) for which he received an Honourable Mention in 2018.

A fearless, gentle, fascinating and much-loved character in Antigua, he and Guiding Light are sorely missed.

PHOTOGRAPH BY LARS KJAERSGAARD

THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA:

the inimitable Roy Boughton PHOTOGRAPH BY LUCY TULLOCH

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Chronos and Rhea at the 2018 Classics – Rhea won the Largest Boat Trophy at 156ft.

BELOW: Racing at the 2018 Classics, Klaus Röder in his infamous “lederhosen” that he finds so practical for sailing… except when they get wet!

PHOTOGRAPH BY TOBIAS STOERKLE

GILLY GOBINET

German-born Klaus Röder trained as a boat builder in Germany but the poor pay and lack of courses in boat design, his main interest, led him to study this at the University of Southampton in the UK in 1995. He graduated with the requisite degree, plenty of enthusiasm and a fluency in English that was to stand him in good stead over the years.

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PHOTOGRAPH BY TOBIAS STOERKLE

Initially employed in Germany to design and build a 30ft open keelboat using mostly mahogany, he progressed to bigger and more advanced wooden vessels. Andreas Steidle, CEO of Sailing-Classics, had read Klaus’ thesis and had heard him give a talk on making classic yacht designs more available to the masses: this approach corresponded exactly to Andreas’ amazingly clear and concise vision of Kairós, right down to crew size, guest numbers etc and so this match made in heaven took off, much to Klaus’ surprise and pleasure. Two years later, the 125ft Kairós, with its distinctive wishbone, was launched at Ark Yachts in Turkey. The success of Kairós and of the concept of Sailing-Classics prompted the building of the second vessel Chronos, with a length of 177ft. Only four years later in 2017, an almost identical vessel, Rhea, was launched, but this time Klaus was intimately involved with the building process, working side by side both with the men in the boatyard and the crew, such as the chef, engineer etc, adapting his interior design to their work needs.

The original idea for Sailing-Classics took root in St Tropez in 2000, when Andreas met Elizabeth Meyer with her magnificent newly refitted J-Class yacht Endeavour: Why not do a charter on a classic mega-yacht? Something that would appeal to both sailors and non-sailors alike, giving a small, relatively intimate and exclusive group of about 20 or so passengers both the joy of sailing on a big, stable boat and access to glorious beaches and exotic places: something completely different from the usual, run-of-the-mill cruise ships. It could even provide the fun and excitement of taking part in a classic regatta – and thus Kairós first entered the Antigua Classic in 2011, later joined by Chronos and then in 2017 by Rhea too.

2018 was also the first time Klaus had attended the Antigua Classics, racing in the Tall Ships class, which he loved: he commented “The racing is really serious!

But the fun is even MORE serious!” Sailing on the yachts he has so lovingly designed and seeing the smiles of enjoyment on the guests’ faces is a reward in itself.

We look forward to more Klaus Röder designs from Sailing-Classics, which is now an official sponsor of the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta, and we welcome them on board our team.

Born to Sail TExT AND IMAGES BY JAN HEIN

Watching the onboard antics of trainee Nazz Alexander during the 2018 Classic Regatta, it was easy to see he has salt in his veins. Onboard Schooner Ruth he was at one with the boat, horsing halyards, tacking foresails, meeting every demand the wind placed on the vessel.Throughout the race, his comfortable smile grew exponentially as the boat gained speed and waves washed the deck.

Alexander has an “old salt” spirit though he didn’t discover it until 2017 when he spotted Schooner Ruth. The 100ft vessel needed delivery crew and within two days, he was on the boat. “I never sailed but instantly I fell in love with it,” he said. “I went aloft, sanded wood. It was such a great experience.” Back home in St. Lucia, he jumped into a Laser course before tacking to the Internet to watch everything available on sailing instruction.

Providentially, Ruth was looking for trainees. “I told my mom about it,” he recounted. “She was worried about the people and the boat and said NO!” Undaunted, Alexander introduced Ruth’s website to his father, who saw value in their programme. Though his mother was firm, she agreed to pay Ruth a visit. “She doesn’t swim but put on a life jacket and came to the boat.”

Ruth’s captain, Gerrit Scheper, recalled the day, “She wasn’t having any of it and told me, ‘this is not for my Nazz!

Her son was polite but told her, ‘I noted your opinion but I’m still gonna go.”

Tuition was the next hurdle. Alexander launched crowd funding, visited businesses and banks to find the life ring sorely needed to sail. With only 20 days left, he asked Captain Scheper for a payment plan. “I just want to be on a sailing boat.”

His passion paid off. As the Classic Regatta ended, Alexander was one step from acquiring a Yacht Master ticket. “If I get offered a job before the exam, I’ll take it to earn money but I continue to study.”

That job sailed in. The 112’ Staysail Schooner Argo, part of the Seamester Programme, granted Alexander a scholarship and the opportunity to deliver the boat from the BVI to the Azores, Gibraltar, France and Italy. Employment with the programme filled a month followed by continual studies toward the tickets that will gain this fine sailor entrance into the yachting industry. With such a short but stellar beginning, it’s hard to imagine where this story will go so stand by.

TOP TO BOTTOM:

Mah Jong’s captain, Alex Goldhill, congratulates Alexander for Special Mention for the Young Sailor of the Year Award; Horsing the main;.Star power at the Sea Shanty contest.

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PHOTOGRAPH BY TED MARTIN

More Newcomers to Classic Vehicle Rendezvous TExT AND IMAGES BY JANE COOMBS

Enthusiasts brought a colourful collection of rare vehicles to Nelson’s Dockyard for our second annual Classic Vehicle Rendezvous, held in unison with our Parade of Classic Yachts.

TOP: 1996

London Taxi and 1974 Series iii Land Rover.

MIDDLE Addison Workman and his daughter with their 1965 Morris Minor.

BOTTOM: The Wadadli girls complement Loren Donawa’s 1970 MGB Roadster.

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New participants included aficionado Jon “Gilly” Gill who brought his 1960 Land Rover Lightweight, a scaled down British Army ½ ton version designed to fit on a pallet and be transported by helicopter.This robust British icon, ideal for island life, was also represented by Dean Whitehead’s beautifully restored 1974 Series iii. Bill Christian kindly showed his 1996 Carboy Fairway, more commonly known as a London Taxi, and the Brayleys their “Spirit of Tradition” sporty, 1998 Mazda MX5 Roadster.

Beaming local resident Loren Donawa was obviously thrilled to have his smart, red 1970 MGB back on the road again and motorbike enthusiasts Bob Low and Jason Beswick definitely enjoyed the attention from the Wadadli girls!

But the overall winner for age, originality and charm was Addison Workman’s beautifully-restored 1965 Morris Minor. This fine example of British engineering and quintessential “Englishness” was manufactured by Morris Motors Ltd of Cowley in Oxfordshire from 1948 to 1971. Developed in secret during the war under the code name “Mosquito” in anticipation of peacetime products, this small family car was introduced under the name Morris Minor at the Earls Court Motor Show in London in 1948.

Workman is from Barbados but moved to Antigua in1975. The Morris Minor belonged to his wife’s Auntie Pat who recognized the historical significance of the car and refused many offers to buy. Eventually she agreed to ship the car to Antigua for restoration after a Bajan mechanic un-seized the wheels and restored the engine to running order. In Antigua the floor was replaced and a talented Rasta shaped the rusted out trunk out and the knocked out back glass and other items were ordered from a catalogue and shipped out from London.

Workman usually only drives the car seven miles from his home to Church on Sundays. He and his daughter Frances greatly enjoyed the rendezvous and the interest in their beloved family car.

PHOTOGRAPH BY TED MARTIN We would like to thank Mr. Spencer and National Parks Antigua for their continued hospitality and Automotive Arts for once again providing the sponsored prizes.

With over twenty vehicles now identified we look forward to an even bigger turn out this year. No excuses now!

PHOTOGRAPH BY JAN HEIN

PHOTOGRAPH BY TOBIAS STOERKLE

TUESDAY AFTERNOON GIG RACING

at the Admiral’s Inn - we don’t just race the big boats!

PHOTOGRAPH BY TOBIAS STOERKLE

PHOTOGRAPH BY TOBIAS STOERKLE

PHOTOGRAPH BY JTOBIAS STOERKLE

PHOTOGRAPH BY JAN HEIN

PHOTOGRAPH BY ED WHITING

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NAME

LOD DESCRIPTION

BUILT

VINTAGE CLASS VINTAGE CLASS A 1. Mary Rose 2. Mariella 3. Eros 4. Ticonderoga of Greenwich

54ft 79ft 103ft 72ft

Herreshoff Schooner Alfred Mylne Bermudan Yawl William McKeek Staysail Schooner L Francis Herreshoff Ketch

1926 1938 1939 1936

VINTAGE CLASS B 1. The Blue Peter 2. Janley 3. Seefalke II 4. Guiding Light

65ft 46ft 41ft 36ft

Alfred Mylne Cutter George Kettenburg Fractional Rigged Sloop H Rasmussen Bermuda Sloop Gauntlet Cutter

1930 1948 1936 1936

CLASSIC CLASS A 1. Aschanti IV 2. Columbia 3. Ruth 4. Ocean Star

114ft 141ft 75ft 88ft

Henry Gruber Staysail Schooner Starling-Burgess Gloucester Fishing Schooner Thomas Colvin Schooner Murray G Peterson Schooner

1954 2014 2014 1991

CLASSIC CLASS B 1. Russamee 2. Mah Jong 3. Jonathan

50ft 52ft 60ft

Leonard Hedges Staysail Schooner Sparkman & Stephens Yawl Sparkman & Stephens Sloop

1972 1957 1962

CLASSIC CLASS C 1. Free Spirit 2. Paloma VI

40ft 32ft

Luders 27 J. Alfonso Allende

1955 1964

Zepharin McLaren Carriacou Sloop Alwyn Enoe Carriacou Sloop Alwyn Enoe Carriacou Sloop Alwyn Enoe Carriacou Sloop Danish Fishing Boat Alwyn Enoe/Todd Orell Sloop

1987 2003 2015 2010 1943 2008

CLASSIC CLASS

TRADITIONAL CLASS 1. Sweetheart 2. Genesis 3. Free in St. Barth 4. Zemi 5. Vendia 6. Ocean Nomad

36ft 42ft 42ft 42ft 70ft 40ft

SPIRIT OF TRADITION 1. Atalante

127ft Andre Hoek Truly Classic

2015

CLASSIC GRP CLASS CLASSIC GRP CLASS A 1. Petrana 2. Frolic 3. Iris J 4. Zephia

TALL SHIPS 1. Chronos 2. Rhea

PHOTOGRAPH BY ELLINOR WALTERS

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50ft 44ft 30ft 36ft

John Alden Ketch Luders Yawl Bruce King Sloop Carl Arlberg Cape Dory

1968 1967 1965 1972

156ft Klaus Roder Staysail Ketch 156ft Klaus Roder Staysail Schooner

2013 2007

2018

ENTRIES

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Trophy Winners OVERALL TROPHY 2015 Whitehawk 2016 Janley 2017 Mariella Classic Yacht Owners Association 2018 Aschanti IV MOST COMPETITIVE Mount Gay Rum Trophy 2014 Nazgul of Fordell 2015 Black Watch 2016 Janley 2017 Mariella 2018 Mariella FIRST OVERALL CLASSIC AND VINTAGE Wayfarer Marine Trophy 2014 Whitehawk 2015 Whitehawk Lyman-Morse at Wayfarer Marine Trophy 2016 Janley 2017 Mariella 2018 Aschanti IV

PHOTOGRAPH BY MARTHA BLANCHFIELD

SCHOONER CLASS Nicholson’s Caribbean Yacht Sales Trophy 2015 Mary Rose 2016 Mary Rose

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FIRST OVERALL TRADITIONAL CLASS Superyachts & Supermodels Trophy 2014 Genesis 2015 Genesis 2016 Zemi 2017 Genesis 2018 Sweetheart VINTAGE CLASS Abordage Stormy Weather Trophy 2014 Lily Maid 2015 Black Watch 2016 Janley 2017 Mariette 2018 The Blue Peter CLASSIC CLASS Aschanti of Saba Trophy 2015 Whitehawk 2016 Heron 2017 Saphaedra 2018 Aschanti IV CLASSIC GRP CLASS Hinckley Yacht Services Trophy 2013 Petrana Antigua Boatbuilders and Carpentry Trophy 2016 Frolic 2017 Frolic 2018 Petrana

SPIRIT OF TRADITION CLASS – All Comers Ticonderoga Trophy 2014 Nazgul of Fordell 2015 Rebecca 2016 Wild Horses 2017 Chloe Giselle SPIRIT OF TRADITION CLASS – Spirit Yachts 2014 Nazgul of Fordell BEST ELAPSED TIME OVERALL Yachting World Trophy 2015 Elena 2016 Adix Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta 2017 Adix 2018 Mariella BEST ELAPSED TIME SCHOONER CLASS Beken of Cowes Trophy 2014 Juno 2015 Elena 2016 Adix 2017 Adix

BEST ELAPSED TIME VINTAGE CLASS Archibald Reid Trophy 2014 Mariella 2015 Atrevida 2016 The Blue Peter 2017 Mariette 2018 Mariella BEST ELAPSED TIME CLASSIC CLASS Antigua Slipway Trophy 2014 Whitehawk 2015 Elena 2016 Adix 2017 Adix 2018 Aschanti IV BEST ELAPSED TIME SPIRIT OF TRADITION CLASS Antigua Sails Trophy 2015 Rebecca 2016 Wild Horses 2017 Wild Horses BEST ELAPSED TIME GRP CLASS Sunshine Trophy 2015 Desiderata 2016 Frolic 2017 Frolic 2018 Petrana

Trophy Winners BEST ELAPSED TIME TRADITIONAL CLASS The Kenny Coombs Memorial Trophy 2015 Genesis 2016 Genesis 2017 Genesis 2018 Free in St Barth BEST PERFORMANCE

BY A LOCAL YACHT A & F Sails Trophy 2015 Mary Rose 2016 Frolic 2017 Mariella 2018 Mariella SMALLEST CLASSIC Ann Wallis White Trophy 2015 Lorema 2016 Paloma VI 2017 Calypso 2018 Iris J LARGEST CLASSIC Ann Wallis White Trophy 2015 Chronos 2016 Adix 2017 Adix 2018 Rhea

OLDEST CLASSIC Marine Power Services Trophy 2015 Coral of Cowes 2016 Charm III 2017 Anne Marie 2018 Mary Rose SPIRIT OF THE REGATTA Seahorse Studios Trophy 2014 Rainbow 2015 Windjammer 2016 Island Swift 2017 Faiaoahe 2018 Free in St Barth BEST CHARTER YACHT Nicholson Yacht Charters Trophy 2015 Whitehawk 2016 The Blue Peter MOST RESTORED YACHT Woodstock Trophy 2015 Seefalke II 2016 Janley 2017 Free Spirit 2018 Vendia

BEST PERFORMANCE GAFF RIGGED YACHT Dunlin Trophy 2014 Coral of Cowes 2015 Elena 2016 Genesis 2017 Adix 2018 Aschanti IV

BEST DRESSED CREW Jane’s Yacht Services Trophy 2015 Dragonera 2016 Desiderata 2017 Samsara 2018 Free in St Barth

SHORTENED COURSE Comfort Zone Trophy 2015 Sally B 2016 Sorca 2017 Samsara 2018 Vendia

VOTED MOST RESPECTED YACHT BY REGATTA PARTICIPANTS John Leader Trophy 2015 Coral of Cowes 2016 Columbia 2017 Spirit of Bermuda 2018 Ocean Star

MOST PHOTOGENIC YACHT Den Phillips Trophy 2015 Sweetheart 2016 Columbia 2017 Columbia 2018 Aschanti IV

BEST YOUNG SAILOR OF THE YEAR FitzRoy Trophy 2016 Aaron Ashton 2017 Courtney Coos 2018 Alex Goldhill

SINGLE-HANDED RACE Carib Bean Coffee Cup 2016 Small boats: Lorema Large boats: Sorca Spirit of Tradition: Free Spirit 2017 Small boats: Saphaedra Large boats: Stiletto 2018 Small boats: Frolic Large boats: Aschanti IV

MOST BEAUTIFUL SPIRIT OF TRADITION YACHT Pendennis Trophy 2017 Chloe Giselle TALL SHIPS World PeaceTrophy 2018 Chronos

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LIVING THE DREAM

Donald Tofias Takes the Helm at Sparkman & Stephens On August 15, 2018, a year shy of its 90th birthday, the American yacht design and brokerage firm of Sparkman & Stephens was acquired. The buyer was Donald Tofias, a former Boston commercial real estate agent and developer, and a serial owner of vintage sailing yachts such as a Concordia yawl and a Herreshoff S-Boat. He is founder of the W-Class Yacht Company, a lifelong yacht racer, and a full-time resident of the sailing mecca Newport, Rhode Island. Tofias is quite mindful that he just purchased a large chunk of yachting history – the design firm that launched the ocean racers Dorade and Running Tide along with the America’s Cup defenders J-Class Ranger and the 12-Metre boats Columbia, Intrepid, Courageous and Freedom.

Today, said Tofias, there is a market for owners who would like to recreate classic Sparkman & Stephens designs with modern construction techniques and technology. He calls the combination “spirit of tradition.” It’s one reason he bought the firm. “I never thought I’d own the company, but the opportunity came up and I pursued it,” said Tofias,

PHOTOGRAPH BY ONNE VAN DER WAL

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who purchased the business from a private investor. “I have a very active day-to-day role in the management and planning, and coordination for the company. It’s my job, as I see it, to grow the company and expand the design services, expand the brokerage services and, hopefully, find other areas that the company should be involved in.”

In addition to his passion for the company’s history, Tofias brings decades of business experience to the table.

In 1996, as he was winding down his real estate business, he founded the W-Class Yacht Company, which offers a series of one-design spirit of tradition racing sloops. Andy Green, a professional sailor based in Newport who served as a TV commentator for the last Volvo Ocean Race, sailed with Tofias at the St. Barths Bucket aboard W-Class W.76 Wild Horses. “Donald was sailing through this fleet of large boats, and he knows all the owners, and everyone knows him. Everybody waves,” Green said. “We probably had a conversation with 15 captains. I said, ‘How do you know all these captains?’ Donald said, ‘They’ve all sailed with me on Wild Horses and White Wings.’ ” Green said he expects Tofias to be a good steward of the Sparkman & Stephens legacy. “Donald has always wanted to be involved with beautiful, classic boats and to put a modern twist on their beauty. I’m glad he has the opportunity to be custodian of a classic, world-famous brand.” Tofias is approaching ownership of the company in the same way he approaches every race while on board. “We have a trademark saying. If we lose, we say, ‘Yachting is the winner,’ ” Tofias said. “When we win, we say,Yachting is the winner.’ ” Sparkman & Stephens designed 12 metre America’s Cup winners: Intrepid, winner of 1967 and 1970 America’s Cup challenges, followed Columbia, winner of the 1958 America’s Cup.