Sojana wins Lord Nelson Trophy at Antigua Sailing Week

One Hundred and sixteen teams from 37 different countries raced in the 51st edition of Antigua Sailing Week. Strong trade winds blew all week delivering heaven-sent conditions to over 1,000 competitors. Over 3,000 revellers attended Reggae in the Park, featuring international reggae artist Tarrus Riley and Peter Harrison's superyacht Sojana was awarded the coveted Lord Nelson Trophy after a perfect scoreline of seven race wins in CSA 2.

"This is fantastic. It is the second time we have won the Lord Nelson Trophy and I am really thrilled to win it again," commented Peter Harrison, owner of Sojana. "We have had beautiful crew work, everybody was really on their game. We had our boat restored three years ago and have new sails and the crew have all done her justice."

"This week has been amazing, with perfect conditions for Sojana; breezy and lumpy and full-on. We have pushed ourselves and the boat. The crew is very diverse; we have a couple of young guys from the National Sailing Academy of Antigua and professional sailors from all over the world. We broke a few things, but always repaired them. It has been an epic week and the boss is super-happy. This is his favourite regatta, because it's intense and fun," said Sojana crew boss, Jonny Malbon.

The turbo-charged Volvo 70 Warrior sailed by Stephen Murray Jr. won CSA 1, scoring a win in all but the first of seven races: "These were extreme conditions; right out of the Antigua Sailing Week brochure and it was brilliant sailing. If you were skiing you would call it powder days! I am so proud of the team. It is the best crew I have ever sailed with and it's humbling to be around them."

Robert Szustkowski's Polish HH66 R-SIX was the winner of the Multihull Class, winning four out of five races. Seamus Hourihan's American Gunboat 55 Thirst was second and John Streicker's American Leopard 45 Spellbound was third. "We feel great! Another success!" laughed Robert Szustkowski. "We have had such a great time here for the last two years and of course we will be back next year."

OnDeck's Antiguan Farr 65 Spirit of Juno won CSA 3 after an epic battle with Oyster 82 Starry Night of the Caribbean. "This is marvellous," commented OnDeck's Peter Anthony. "I tell you what this has done, it has re-engaged me. I did fall out of love with sailing as for a little while it was just a business, but once again I absolutely love sailing."

Mark Chapman's Trinidadian modified Ker 11.3 Dingo was victorious in CSA 4, winning the class in the very last race by a single point from Bernie Evan-Wong's Antiguan RP37 TAZ. "We came from behind, taking two wins after Wadadli Lay Day; it was a good effort from the guys. It was really tough, but everybody got together and we came through in the end. I have been racing in the Caribbean since 1983 and this is the big one. Everyone is so happy."

"It has been a fantastic week," commented Alison Sly-Adams, President of Antigua Sailing Week. "We have been fine-tuning this format for six years and it finally is where we want it to be; an amazing competition on the water, with fantastic camaraderie ashore. Sailing always comes first at Antigua Sailing Week and we have noticed that the daily prize givings are great to get people together, but the hard partying has been focused into the unique and relaxed Reggae in the Park, which really suits the international crowd. The Final Awards Ceremony at Nelson's Dockyard, works with the planned rhythm of the regatta, giving the sailors a memorable night."

"This year the Youth to Keelboat Programme has been a great success with 26 young sailors racing on boats. We do listen to the sailors and chatting with John Burnie, who knows the Caribbean sailing scene so well, he told me that Antigua Sailing Week is having a renaissance. It feels so right, and it is perfect for the sailors," concludes Sly-Adams.

Entry is now open for the 52nd edition of Antigua Sailing Week, which will take place from 27th April to the 3rd May. For more information go to: 

https://www.sailingweek.com/

RESULTS:

Provisional Results: https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=4286

ENDS/.... Louay Habib/Race Reporter

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NEXT YEAR'S DATES:

Save the date for the 2019 Antigua Sailing Week - 27th April to 3rd May.

ANTIGUA SAILING WEEK:

For full details on Antigua Sailing Week, the Peters & May Round Antigua Race including daily news, photos, videos and results, visit the official website: http://www.sailingweek.com

Antigua Sailing Week is held annually at the end of April and the 51st edition commenced with the Peters & May Round Antigua Race on Saturday, April 28, 2018. Five days of competitive racing off the rugged south coast of Antigua wraps up on Friday, May 4, 2018.  Antigua Sailing Week is considered one of the Caribbean's most prestigious regattas with 145 yachts participating in 2017.

The second annual Antigua to Bermuda Race starts May 9, 2018. For more information visit http://www.antiguabermuda.com

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Antigua Sailing Week