Location: Falmouth Harbour, Antigua
An early wake-up and quick cereal breakfast allowed us to swing straight into passage prep this morning for day 3 of the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta. All are donning our Sea|mester shirts and red hats. We efficiently finished all required tasks and were off the dock seamlessly, eager to go out and train a bit before the start of the race. The course of the day was “The Kenny Coombs Memorial Cannon,” a 24 miles course consisting of us going out and away from Falmouth Harbour and back several times. Kenny Coombs was the co-founder of the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta in 1987 and worked tirelessly to attract more and more classic yachts to the regatta every year until his sudden passing at the age of 63. You can read more about him here http://www.classicboat.co.uk/articles/rip-kenny-coombs-a-tribute-to-the-antigua-classic-founder/ The regatta has continued to attract those who love traditional boats and is a great way for everyone to come together to show off their vessels, race, and socialize. At 10:40, we began to approach the start line with five of our six sails up; the main, foresail, staysail, jib, and flying jib. So as not to cross too early, we de-powered the sails briefly, and right before the cannon went off announcing the start of our class, we trimmed the sails to the course and had an incredible start alongside several other large traditional boats. The rest of the morning was spent trimming the sails in and out to maximize our speed, trying to get ahead of our closest competitor Ruth. The best part about the racecourse was its setup; because the boats were going back and forth along the same line, we were able to get close to many of the boats in other classes and say hello as they went by. A few hours later, we announced our approach to the finish line and crossed with Katie at the helm! After a quick detour into Falmouth Harbour to take all our sails down and tidy the deck, we motored over to English Harbour to show her off in the boat parade. We were welcomed by cheers from all sides, as many had come down to wave and congratulate us as we went by. Once we had finished our lap around the harbor, we made our way back to Falmouth and our spot on the Antigua Yacht Club dock. Safely arrived and secured stern-to, we packed up our PFDs and had a quick debrief before sitting down for the last Oceanography lecture of the semester! Post-class, showers were most welcome, and a hearty meal of chicken and roasted vegetables was just what we needed after a long day. Before retiring for the evening, everyone reconvened in the salon for a nav master class with Ian M. and went for a short wander before climbing into bunks to get some beauty rest before the last day of racing tomorrow. Wish us luck!