For the 23rd year I should like to welcome you to our island, our yacht club and our classic yacht regatta. Those of you returning to this regatta will be familiar with the format, which remains mostly unchanged. Those who are new will, we are sure, enjoy both the racing under our sunny skies with fair winds as well as our hospitality and ever popular social events. The 2009 regatta was a wonderful success with boats ranging from the magnificent 140ft Frers ketch Rebecca to little Springtide, a 24ft David Boyd sloop.
Despite the global recession, the vibes are good for the 2010 regatta – we are hoping for a similar size fleet with some of the world’s most prestigious classic yachts taking part yet again, as well as the ever growing fleet of regionally built boats such as the Carriacou sloops. Our Classic Regatta Chairman, Kenny Coombs, and his army of volunteers look forward to welcoming you once again and we are always grateful for any extra help if you would like to offer your time.
Our club has seen significant changes and we now have our own restaurant, 'Cloggy's at The Yacht Club' on the ground floor as well as our 'upper deck' members bar which will be open to all for the period of the regatta.
A more significant change for the future of sailing in Antigua is that our government has recently declared 'Sport Yachting' a national sport. This will, in time, enable all young Antiguans from 8 to 18 years old to have the opportunity for dinghy sailing on their school curriculum. The Antigua Yacht Club, together with the Jolly Harbour Yacht Club, is delighted to be involved in this initiative.
The registration desk for the regatta is located upstairs at the Antigua Yacht Club and will be open from 09:00 on Tuesday 13th April. The Official Programme, racing and social schedules and general information will be available there. Antigua Yacht Club merchandise may be purchased at the AYC office while Classic Yacht Regatta merchandise will be available at the marquee on the lawn in front of the club.
Should you wish to join our club, memberships are available on a full, overseas or temporary basis. Your membership fees will help support our youth sailing programme. Information and a list of benefits available to members is available on our website at www.antiguayachtclub.com,
Fair winds and following seas!
Elizabeth Jordan
Commodore
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