2019 Antigua Bermuda Race Starts May 8 Off Fort Charlotte, Antigua

Antigua Bermuda Race -- Start off Ft Charlotte Antigua Wednesday, May 8, 2019, Antigua to port, Bermuda to Port, finish off St David’s Light Bermuda, approx. distance 935 nm.

Antigua Bermuda Race Tracker as of May 12, 17:00 AST:

Official website: antiguabermuda.com 12 May 2019:

Supermaxi SHK Scallywag (HKG), skippered by David Witt, crossed the finish line outside St David's Lighthouse, Bermuda just before 10pm local time on Saturday 11 May, taking Line Honours in the 2019 Antigua Bermuda Race in an elapsed time of 3 days 08 hours 54 mins 21 seconds, outside the record set last year by Stephen Murray Jr.'s Volvo 70 Warrior (2 days, 18 hours, 32 minutes and 48 seconds).

Antigua Bermuda Race Chairman, Les Crane gave the Scallywag's a warm welcome, motoring out to meet the boat before their finish, and was on hand to provide the Goslings Dark 'n Stormys after the 17 Scallywag crew cleared customs. SHK Scallywag crew: Skipper David Witt, Anemike Bes, Harry Bethwaite, Tom Clout, James Crampton, Nick Crones, Ferdinand Galetta, Kris Mark Galetta, Alex Gough, Phil Harmer, Jack Macartney, Matt Pearce, Ben Piggott, Trystan Seal, Miles Seddon, Lindsey Stead and Charlie Wyatt.

Several yachts are expected to finish the Antigua Bermuda Race over the next 24 hours. At 0900 AST on Sunday 12 May, Afansay Isaev Maxi Weddell (RUS) was 223 miles from the finish line. Gilles Barbot's Volvo 60 Esprit de Corps IV (CAN) are just 14 miles astern of Weddell, 237 miles from the finish.

In the race for the win after IRC time correction, Lombard 46 Pata Negra (GBR), skippered by Andy Liss is estimated to be leading by eight hours, with 261 miles to go. Three yachts are having a very close battle for the podium after time correction. Kevin McLaughlin's x-55 Rye (USA) is 300 miles from the finish and estimated to be second under IRC. Just one hour behind Rye on corrected time is Peter Grueterich's xP-44 Xpatriate (USA), which has 323 mile to go. Morgan Watson and Meg Reilly's Pogo 12.50 Hermes II (CAN) is fourth after IRC time correction, with 304 miles to go and very much challenging for the podium.

In CSA Cruising, Carlo Falcone's 1938 79ft Alfred Mylne ketch Mariella (ANT) continues to impress. Mariella is estimated to be leading after time correction by five hours from Pata Negra and Hermes II. Final results will be posted here.

11 May 2019, 17:00 AST: SHK Scallywag heads for Line Honours finish late Saturday:

Fleet positions as of 2019 May 10 17:00AST:

• Monday, May 6 – First Training day
• Tuesday, May 7 – Second Training day, 1700 Skippers Meeting – Nelson’s Dockyard, 1800  Crew Party – TBA
• Wednesday, May 8 – 12:00 Start off Fort Charlotte, Antigua
• Thursday, May 16 – 12:00 ADT Time Limit
• Thursday, May 16 – Goslings Prize Giving – Royal Bermuda Yacht Club

The Antigua Bermuda Race is organised by the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club in association with Antigua Sailing Week. The oceanic race will start from Fort Charlotte Antigua, just after Antigua Sailing Week on Wednesday 8th May. The 2019 Antigua Bermuda Race will be the third edition of the 935 nautical mile race through the Atlantic Ocean to Bermuda.

2019 Antigua Bermuda Race: The path to Bermuda - @AntiguaYC @RoyalBermudaYC @RORCRacing @IRCrating https://t.co/vMPJwEp1Gz pic.twitter.com/S89z7Smszr

— YachtsandYachting.com (@yandyfeed) May 7, 2019

Two months before the start, 20 yachts had expressed their intention to race. The 100ft superyacht SHK Scallywag, will be racing with a full complement of world class sailors. The smallest is the Open 40 Raucous, skippered by Henry Rourke, which will race double-handed. Two of this year's entries have competed in all previous editions of the race. Pogo 12.5 Hermes, co-skippered by Meg Reilly (USA) and Morgen Watson (CAN), and Hanse 43 Avanti, skippered by Jeremi Jablonski (USA), which will be racing double-handed.

"Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag's team owner, SH Lee, is very excited to be racing his 100ft' Super Maxi with his team in Antigua for the first time in the upcoming 2019 Antigua Bermuda Race," commented Scallywag skipper Dave Witt (AUS). The 100ft canting keel Scallywag (ex-Ragamuffin) is very capable of breaking the Antigua Bermuda Race record which was set by Stephen Murray, Jr. (USA) racing Volvo 70 Warrior last year (2 days, 18 hours, 32 minutes and 48 seconds). The Antigua Bermuda Race is part of the Atlantic Ocean Race Series (AORS) and is equally weighted with the RORC Caribbean 600, Rolex Fastnet Race, and Rolex Middle Sea Race. Scallywag will be picking up valuable points prior to the start of the main event for the series, the Transatlantic Race, starting June 25, 2019.

The 2019 Atlantic Ocean Racing Series consists of five races: RORC Caribbean 600, Antigua Bermuda Race, Transatlantic Race 2019, Rolex Fastnet Race, and Rolex Middle Sea Race. Three races, including the Transatlantic Race (weighted 1.5) will be required to qualify.

The 935-mile Antigua Bermuda Race is organized in association with Antigua Sailing Week and is supported by the Bermuda Tourism Authority. Yachts of 40ft and over will be racing under the IRC Rating Rule, MOCRA and the CSA Racing Rule, with the latter amended to permit boats to use their engines, subject to a time penalty. The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, with many years experience hosting the Newport Bermuda Race, will guarantee a fantastic welcome and a great party.

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Antigua Sailing Week 2019, 27 April to 3 May, LIVE Feed

Epic Highlights | Antigua Sailing Week 2019

An epic recap of the 52nd Antigua Sailing Week! Video published May 4, 2019.

KPMG Youth 2 Keelboat Race Day 4 | Antigua Sailing Week

Big breeze and huge Caribbean surf spiced up the action for KPMG Y2K (Youth to Keelboat) Race Day! Y2K is all about getting young Antiguan sailors into the yachting industry. Aptly two youth teams showed tremendous camaraderie and quick thinking in the face of adversity. KPMG was well represented at the daily prize giving by John Applegate, Lisa Brathwaite, Christopher Brome, Michael Edghill and Bertram Alexander. Today's winners were presented with celebratory bottles of champagne and all of the 40-strong young sailors racing at Antigua Sailing Week were invited onto the stage to much applause. Antiguan guitarist Joshu provided the sounds with a perfect acoustic set from the main stage.

Reggae in the Park Race Day | Antigua Sailing Week 2019

20 knots of trades powered up the action on Reggae in the Park Race Day at Antigua Sailing Week. Over a thousand people from 21 nations enjoyed the spectacular conditions on the south coast of Antigua. Two races were held for most classes – the CSA Racing Classes were launched today with a full on foam-up on the Windward Course. The Bareboat Classes and Club Class raced short, sharp, windward-leeward courses off Rendezvous Bay.

In three Bareboat Classes, 26 teams from Australia, Austria, France, Germany, Great Britain, Switzerland and the USA are competing at Antigua Sailing Week. Competition at the top is intense. After five races, Alexander Pfeiffer’s KH+P Bavastro is leading Bareboat 1 by a single point: “I have been coming to Antigua Sailing Week since 1992,” commented Alexander Pfeiffer. “I can only remember one race which had to be postponed due to lack of wind in all those years. The sailing conditions are so reliable here and the people are so friendly. We also race against people that we do not know, which is very interesting. Even my team has been put together just for the regatta. We will be enjoying Reggae in the Park tonight for sure because we are moored right next to the stage!”

In Bareboat 3, Hans Steidle’s KH+P Barbuda is leading the class, with Michael Cannon and Neil Harvey’s KHS&S Contractors from Florida, who have been the overall bareboat champions for the last two years, in second place. However, with a discard kicking in for the next race, there is virtually nothing between the two teams.

Hans Steidle has a young team who have sailed together on Lake Constance for many years: “We have grown up together racing Optimists, 420s, and now J/70s,” commented Matthias Steidle. “We are all in our 20s, but the youngest is Luitpold Lindner. This is our first time to Antigua and we are really loving the fantastic sailing conditions and the fun ashore. We will definitely be going to Reggae in the Park and tomorrow, we will take the opportunity to see more of Antigua with an island tour.”

In Bareboat 2, Peter Zauner’s Tintoret leads the class. The Bavarian team was runner-up last year and will be hoping for victory in the 52nd edition of Antigua Sailing Week. Tintoret is having a great battle with Jakob Oetiker’s Swiss team racing KH+P Botero and Nicholas Jordan’s Ananda.

Today it was the turn of the Double-Handed Class for some bay watching. Their courses included a downwind slide round to the west coast of Antigua and a blustery beat back to the finish. Philip Asche’s American Swan 44 Freebird won the race.

The Multihulls had a spectacular course southeast of Antigua, including a long beat east along the rugged coastline, followed by a succession of blast reaches in full offshore conditions. Robert Szustkowski’s HH66 R-SIX won the race. Antigua Sailing Week video above published Apr 30, 2019.

Fever-Tree Race Day | Antigua Sailing Week 2019

The second day of Antigua Sailing Week was Fever-Tree Race Day, with the impressive fleet mixing it up in gorgeous weather on the south, east and west coast of Antigua. The Bareboat fleet, Double-Handed and Club Class started off Windward Beach with fresh trade wind in the high teens. The six CSA racing classes raced off Rendezvous Beach on tight round the cans courses with more sheltered but gusty conditions in a packed out race area. The Multihulls course took the flyers down the west coast past some of the best beaches in Antigua.

In CSA 1, Sir Peter Harrison had a wonderful birthday. His magnificent British superyacht Sojana scored two bullets adding to their win on day one. Sojana is unbeaten so far at Antigua Sailing Week. “We are probably the most difficult boat to manoeuvre at the regatta. With so many boats around us on the Rendezvous Course it was terrifying just getting in a position to start. Throw in two races and its double the stress,” commented Sojana's navigator, Jonny Malbon. “It was a tricky day but also a really good one. We had five hoists and drops, endless tacks and gybes, with most of the moves just a few minutes apart. Getting it wrong on a boat like Sojana you will pay a very high tariff. The boss is super-pumped at getting two bullets on his birthday - the team did an awesome job today.”

In CSA 2, Ker 46 Lady Mariposa, skippered by Dane Jesper Bank won the first race, but a sixth in the last race has shortened their class lead to just one point. Sir Hugh Bailey's Antiguan team racing Farr 45 Rebel won the last race to move up to second in the class, ahead of Vittorio Biscarini's Italian Mylius 15E25 Ars Una, purely on countback.

Racing in CSA 3, Irishman Adrian Lee is enjoying his sixth Antigua Sailing Week. For this edition Adrian is at the helm of his Swan 60 Lee Overlay Partners II and leads the class after winning the last race today. After three races, Lee Overlay Partners II is tied on points with Mark Jagger's British CNB 60 Theia of London. Ondeck Antigua's Farr 65 Spirit of Juno retired from the last race, dropping to third for the class. Antigua Sailing Week video above published Apr 29, 2019.

See also English Harbour Rum Race Day (video), and Peters & May Round Antigua Race 2019 (video).

Antigua Sailing Week, 27 April to 3 May, 2019.  Official website: sailingweek.com - schedule
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