The anniversary edition of the infamous AntiguSailing Week (ASW), one of the largest and most traditional sailing festivals in the Caribbean, started on the weekend under the best conditions. More than 150 teams with around 1500 sailors from 32 countries have registered. There are numerous German crews, especially in the bareboat classes.
The start of the Big Boats for the Feever Tree Race on day 2
The big boats are naturally causing a stir, this year in particular Sir Peter Harrison's Farr 115 "Sojana" and Jean-Paul Rivieres Finot 100 "Nomad IV". But there is also a lot going on in Division B, in which the charter crews compete with one another on ordinary charter yachts. Almost 50 teams have registered, more than half of which Hartmut Holtmann launched through his agency KH + P Yachtcharter.
The German Sailing Week veteran has been with many of his customers every year since 1991. A good 500 ships have sailed under the KH + P flag at ASW in the past. "This year 160 sailors on 25 yachts booked ASW through us," reports Holtmann. "One of them is Herbert Münzel, who is there for the 30th time."
The fleet of bareboat yachts at the Feever Tree Race on day 2
Other sailors have even more ASW experience. One or the other has been part of the ASW since the early years - the first took place in 1968. Including Geoffrey Pidduck and Sir Hugh Bailey, who won the coveted Lord Nelson Trophy for beating everything last year.
This year, after two out of five days of racing in the Big Boats, "Sojana" leads with three wins, ahead of Stuart Robinson's Swan 82 "Stay Calm" and "Nomad IV". In the Bareboat 1 class, Thomas Sparrer and his crew took the lead on the Sun Odyssey 509 "KH + P Bavastro" with three race wins. The German women's crew under skipper Mareike Guhr is currently third in the Bareboat 4 class on the Dufour 405 "KH + P Maxwell".
Here is a video with impressions from the first days of the 50th ASW:
Start of the 50th AntiguSailing Week 2017