ANTIGUANICE YACHTING INSIDER NEWSLETTER

The 21st Karibik Trophy with 12 crews and 80 participants visited more than eight Caribbean islands between Martinique and St. Martin.  Antigua and Barbuda were the focus of the two-week event with six days total being spent there. Two of the three regattas took place along the coast of Antigua with the final awards party was held at Jolly Beach Resort with the presence of the Hon, John Maginley, Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation.  Upon arrival in Antigua, the crews enjoyed a warm welcome in Nelson's Dockyard on Friday the 26th of November with the participation of Collin James, the new committee of the Antigua Sailing Week, Ann Marie Martin from Nationals Parks, John Duffy from the Marine Association and special gifts and welcome drinks were offered by Calbert Francis of Antigua Distillery,.
 
Though some of the participants had visited Antigua up to 10 or more times previously for Antigua Sailing Week and former Karibik Trophies, repeat visitors and newcomers alike enjoyed the great variety of different impressions of the islands: historic places such as the Dockyard, natural bays at Green Island anchorages, the famous Antigua Yacht Club with a nice and warm welcome, the party on Shirley Heights and a modern marina as Jolly Harbour. The next impressions were the endless beaches of Barbuda, the bird sanctuary, as well as a very nice lobster party with the local representatives on the beach of Codrington Lagoon, before the crews continued for the final part of the event to St. Barth and St. Martin.
 

The competition among the crews in the regatta had a very exciting ending, as the first three place finishers had the same result points as each of them had won a first, second and third in the three races on different days. The overall winner, skipper Wolfgang Goeken had just become German champion in the Conger class, the second place finisher, Robby Nitsche, just had won the Heineken Regatta 2010 bareboat overall, but also several trophies during the past 10 Antigua Sailing Weeks.  The third-place finisher, Hans-Christian Wulff, has successfully participated in Sailing Week many times over 18 years and won the overall bareboat trophy at Heineken Regatta twice. But everybody else was happy too, and the last one won a special trophy, a 5-litre wooden barrel filled with 5 year old English Harbour Rum. Everybody received a bottle of the famous Antiguan "Susie's Hot Sauce" with special Trophy logo as a small ‘everybody’s’ Trophy.
 
We hope that many of the participants will come back, either for Antigua Sailing Week or the next Karibik Trophy which will again visit Antigua and Barbuda in November 2011.

Results:
Three crews were ahead on points , each had points and a respective first, second and third place won 6th According to the rule then the crew, the race had finished first the last, overall winner of this year's Caribbean Trophy declared.
1st Place  Wolfgang Goeken and crew on Harmony 42
2nd Place  Robby Nitsche and crew on Harmony 47
3rd Place  Hans-Christian Wulff and crew on Harmony 47

For the best catamaran was Luke Hummler crew with a special award. And for the most carefully sailed yacht without injuries at the very end of the standings, there was a 5-liter wooden barrel as a new challenge cup with a good 5 years old English Harbour Rum , the Calbert Francis by the Antigua Distillery hand delivery charged was in on.

Article and photos compliments of Hartmut Holtmann of KH+P Yachtcharter.