{"id":8735,"date":"2018-04-26T13:45:41","date_gmt":"2018-04-26T18:45:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/?p=8735"},"modified":"2018-04-29T07:40:35","modified_gmt":"2018-04-29T12:40:35","slug":"you-never-know-where-things-will-lead-to-ashanti","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/?p=8735","title":{"rendered":"You never know where things will lead. To Ashanti…"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the best parts of being here in Antigua during the Classic Yacht Regatta is seeing the remarkable boats that congregate from all over.<\/p>\n

About a year ago, I wrote about a group, the Royal Navy Tot Club of Antigua and Barbuda<\/a>, a group that meets every evening to carry on the discontinued tradition of issuing rum to members of the British Navy, sadly stopped in 1970.\u00a0 \u00a0 I wrote about this group in a post last spring<\/a> when I first became familiar with them.<\/p>\n

Anyway, fast forward a year and I am in the process of trying to become a member.\u00a0 This involves drinking “tots” for a number of nights, 7 actually, and passing a rigorous oral exam on British maritime history.\u00a0 \u00a0 This is tougher than it sounds, both the drinking and remembering, and I have to admit that I am stressing over the test which I have to take in the next few days.\u00a0\u00a0Just how many ships went at it in the Battle of the Nile?\u00a0 What’s important about the Battle of Copenhagen?\u00a0 \u00a0Inquiring minds have to know to be a member and that’s just the beginning.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the most fascinating aspects of cruising and visiting islands like Antigua is that I am able to meet some really interesting people.\u00a0 \u00a0Case and point.\u00a0 One of the most magnificent yachts that competed in the Classic Yacht Regatta last week was Aschanti, a wonderful schooner that was built in 1954, one year before I was “launched”.\u00a0 \u00a0Not that old, right?\u00a0 However, I have to say that she’s in somewhat better shape.\u00a0 \u00a0Funny but I can’t recall being described as a “classic”.\u00a0\"\"The connection is that her owner, a very nice guy, was also working on membership to the Tot club.\u00a0 \u00a0It seems that he decided to host one of the evening meetings of the Club aboard Ashanti.\u00a0 It was a wonderful event and very well attended, as you might imagine.\u00a0 \u00a0 The club organizers set up shop in the cockpit.\u00a0\u00a0\"\"She’s a big boat so there was plenty of room to hang out.\u00a0 \u00a0Love the kiddy pool bar.\u00a0\"\"She’s a real stunner down below.\u00a0 \u00a0Forgive me for trespassing.\u00a0 I also heard that she has an awesome bathtub.\u00a0 Oh well, I didn’t see that as even I am not that bold.\u00a0 \u00a0“can I peek into your bathroom”?\u00a0 Yeah, right Bob…
\n\"\"Acres of varnish and it’s all perfect.\u00a0 I wonder how often they have to pull the spars and varnish them?\u00a0 I wonder if they varnish them in place?\u00a0 What a job that must be.
\n\"\"I had to ask what this device near the helm was for.\u00a0 It turns out it was used to display the course that the helmsman is to hold.\u00a0 \u00a0the pegs are removed and set in place to display the course.\u00a0 Pretty neat.\u00a0 In the day of autopilot I guess it’s not as vital, perhaps.\u00a0 \u00a0A lovely artifact of a different time.
\n\"\"And speaking of holding a course, they are headed toward the Panama Canal across the Pacific and expect to complete a circumnavigation.\u00a0 And, that’s in addition to a fascinating “figure eight run” that they made.\u00a0 \u00a0That’s a cruise rounding both north and South America as well as passing through the Panama Canal, twice.\u00a0 Sounds awesome.\u00a0 \u00a0I wonder if they ever need relief crew?\u00a0 I would be TOTALLY available.<\/p>\n

I’ll bet that Ashanti spends much of her time at sea under sail.\u00a0 So many megayachts motor from place to place, only putting up the sails when they are on charter or when the owner is aboard.\u00a0 It seems that Ashanti isn’t like that.\u00a0 She’s a boat that sails well and sail she does.<\/p>\n

The owner told me that “Ashanti picked me, I didn’t pick her.”\u00a0 When you are talking about a boat with this sort of pedigree that’s probably the way it happens.\u00a0 It seems that she picked well as this chapter of her life seems to be working out very well for her.<\/p>\n

As an interesting note, I had forgotten that I had seen Ashanti when I spied her in Le Marin, Martinique earlier in the season and discovered a video of her recent Atlantic crossing.\u00a0 It’s really well done and worth a look.