ANTIGUA SAILING WEEK MAGAZINE 2011 HOT OFF THE PRESS
Sunday 5th December 2010
The Antigua Sailing Week team is pleased to announce the publication of the official Antigua Sailing Week Magazine for 2011. The Magazine, one of the key tools for promoting Antigua Sailing Week, is used by the organisation to inform potential participants about the event for the forthcoming year.
As part of the planning process for 2011, the Steering Committee took the decision to return to issuing the Magazine during the Antigua Charter Yacht Show which begins today, 6th December, as it’s the first major event of the Winter 2010/11 yachting calendar and therefore the 2,000 visitors who are in Antigua taking part in the show will be fully informed about the dates and events and help spread the word to wherever they sail to next.
Paul Deeth, Chairman of the Charter Yacht Show and member of the Steering Committee for Antigua Sailing Week said: ‘There are great synergies between the two events. Even though there are only a few boats that participate in both, they are two of the biggest yachting events, not just in Antigua but in the entire Caribbean, and therefore offer an excellent opportunity for Antigua as a destination to promote the entire season to our visitors.’
The Sailing Week Magazine includes the articles you would expect such as a calendar of events, general registration information, a summary of last year’s results and social side and, more specifically, there is information for people who may wish to charter a yacht with contact details for the companies that operate professional charter businesses.
So what does Antigua Sailing Week 2011 have to offer that is new you may ask? On the surface they may appear small but in reality there are some fairly big changes. One of the major changes is that the team, having canvassed participants from the past few years, discovered that most sailors want to be in the same port every night, or at a minimum in a marina. The main reasons stated were ease of provisioning, embarking and disembarking the yachts and security. Of course the obvious choice from which to base the event therefore is English Harbour. As a result, in 2011 the yachts will not be stopping overnight at Dickinson Bay. Races will be based out of English and Falmouth Harbours each day apart from Thursday when there will be a race to Jolly Harbour with overnight mooring at the marina, with the exception of some of the bigger boats which will return to English Harbour.
So what of the beach bash you cry? Well do not despair, organisers have been working hard to ensure that the entire week will still deliver a fantastic event for the yachtsman, and also be the end of season jump up everyone expects. This will include the new Galleon Beach Bash on Sunday, 24th April, the big party at Shirley Heights on Tuesday night (the night before Lay Day) and Friday will see an evening prizegiving with free entry to partipating sailors. The traditional Dockyard Day and Beating of the Retreat will be held once again on Saturday and will end with the English Harbour Street Party, the same party that contained the launch of Carnival in 2010. And, finally, on Sunday - you guessed it, the Big Chill Out, The Dickenson Bay Beach Bash. So for 2011 it’s from Beach to Beach and everywhere in between!
Something else to mark on your calendar is that 2011 really will be a year when Antiguans and Barbudans will have time to participate as Easter Day is the first day of racing, followed by Bank holiday Monday, and the day after the Dickenson Bay Beach Bash is none other than Labour Day.
Registrations are going well for Antigua Sailing Week 2011 with 31 boats already signed up. The Planning Committee is encouraged by such a large number of early entries and are cautiously optimistic about an increase in the number of entries expected for 2011
On the water, the biggest changes will be to classifications and course lengths. Courses are being designed to ensure that boats of all sizes will race on courses appropriate to them with a focus on having all boats racing for approximately three to four hours each day. That means the crew will not be exhausted by extended times on the water, and hence will have more energy to party!
The Magazine is being added to skippers’ bags for the Antigua Charter Yacht Show and will begin to appear in locations around the island during the week.
