I am in Trinidad and plan on heading home tomorrow for about 6 weeks before returning to bring Pandora north in preparation for the rally to the Azores.
Brenda headed home on March 1st to attend to a number of art shows that she is involved in and I stuck around to be part of the Antigua Super Yacht Regatta. This regatta is designed to attract the really big sailing yachts, some over 200′ long that do not normally race and to do so in a “gentleman sort of way” over a four day series.
To see these huge yachts move around the course, piloted by professional captains and very exprienced crew from around the world is an amazing sight. On the final day or racing I was lucky to be invited out on a photo boat that had been chartered by two professional photographers.
We followed the fleet around the course and to see these monsters pass us by was breathtaking.
The Caribbean 600 is over and the 65+ competitors have returned to the dock. It was a tough race with lots of wind and rough seas so there were quite a few that had to retire without finishing the race. More than normal, I was told.
600 miles in strong trade winds make for a wet race as they wound around 10 islands giving a mix of conditions from ghosting along in the wind shadow of Guadeloupe to beating into 30kts of trades. Not my choice, that’s for sure. A tough course.
A friend and I walked up high on the cliffs overlooking the starting line. Off in the distance was the race committee and lots of others, vying for a good look down the starting line.
And down below us some going for a swim in the surf.
While off in the distance the yachts were getting ready for the start, practicing their tacks and jibes.
As the various classes started, with the smallest ones going first followed by larger boats. Even the smallest weren’t small but compared to the super-maxi…
Rounding the starting mark.
It turned out that we were in the perfect place to observe as each boat came very close to where we were and tacked.
And there was a lot of tacking to gain an advantage, sometimes coming so close to each other that it looked like they would collide.
To see these huge yachts coming at us was an impressive sight. This is Lucky that ultimately won “line honors” being the fastest boat over the course.
This boat, is owned by Roy Disney and is campaigned all over the world.
The boats that are the most sophisticated have a “canting keel” that allows them to move the keel from side to side, up to about 45 degrees. This helps keep the boat more upright in strong wind. When the keel is moved over that much the boat needs to have a long dagger board put down to keep the boat from sliding sideways. This shows the severe angle of the keel.
No shortage of crew on these giants. Every ounce of “rail meat” is needed to keep the boat as level as possible.
To see these powerful machines beating to weather was a sight.
And, to make things even more exciting, there was a helicopter buzzing all around, often hovering very close to the water and banking over us.
More often than not, they passed very close and below us. Not common to see the top of a chopper up close.
One thing that is unique about this race is that every boat, regardless of first, last or retired is greeted at the dock when they arrive. I thought that it would be fun to volunteer and agreed to be on call on Wednesday morning, from 02:00 to 06:00, when the first boats were likely to show up.
All of this was organized by Helen, relentlessly cheerful and yet runs a very tight ship. And, here with her infectious smile and enthusiasm made it all so much fun. In honor of all the volunteers they had two parties for us. it was great fun.
My “crew” of greeters. Note at least one beer at 04:00. Oh, to be young…
The first to be greeted were a few boats that had to retire as they had broken stuff. Torn sails, a track ripped off of the mast, a broken rudder, just to name a few. Even though the arrived dejected from a race that did not turn out as they had hoped, we cheered them with enthusiasm.
We had a banner that they unrolled for the photo and we delivered beer for all on board which was a big hit, as you can imagine.
As my shift was the very first one, less than 48 hours after the start, only the fastest boats were likely to be completing the race by then.
That turned out to be quite something as Lucky, a boat that used to be called Rambler 88, was the first boat to finish, earning “line honors”.
I have to say that being there as they returned to the dock around 05:00 was quite a thrill. As you can imagine, being the first to complete the race was also a reason for press to show up in force so there was quite a crowd on hand.
Check out this video chronicling the win by Lucky. It’s a short piece but full of action. She is a huge white boat. Really impressive.
As she came around the corner from behind a huge motor yacht, it was impressive to see them back into the dock in the dark.
After a hard run, skillfully guided to the dock.
Quite a crowd had been forming to greet them.
Clearly, the Lucky campaign is well run. Even before we had a chance to give them the banner, dozens of hot pizzas arrived. I subsequently learned that a local restaurant opened hours early to prepare food for the crew.
And, there was additional food on the dock in coolers and boxes that was hoisted aboard as the celebration began.
Interestingly, they have a canting keel that can be moved from one side of the boat to the other to provide more righting moment and keep the boat more level, although they still sail on their ear. As the draft with the keel down is something like 20′, they have to cant the keel about 20 degrees to reduce draft in the harbor. However, this means that the boat will heel alarmingly so they hoist three huge water bags on the opposite side of the boat to compensate for the weight of the keel and keep her fairly level at the dock.
This is one sophisticated boat and I can only imagine what it costs to move her around the world for many the many competitions that they participate in.
Only a few weeks ago they received line honors in the RORC transatlantic race from the Canaries islands to Grenada and setting a new record run for the course. This 10 minute wrap-up on the race is worth watching.
All and all, it was a wonderful experience but I can say with confidence, that a 600 mile run, island to island, is not for me. I guess that I don’t like being salty all that much.
However, to volunteer and greet them as they arrived. Great fun.
And even better… the parties.
The Caribbean 600 race. What a spectacle.