Oyster Regatta Grenada - Day 2
by Louay Habib 15 Apr 2011 14:59 BST
11-16 April 2011
Pelagos Race Day
The 19-mile coastal race to Le Phare Bleu was full of excitement for the Oyster Fleet. GWM Racing set an adrenalin packed course, fuelled by strong winds, funneling around the awe-inspiring southern coastline of Grenada. The Oyster fleet was fully tuned up in a fresh easterly breeze, which showcased the grace, power and above all safety of these majestic yachts. Despite the feisty conditions, all of the competing yachts arrived in picturesque Calivigny Bay, with no more damage than a few sails in need of minor repairs.
Ole and Lotte Vagner's Oyster 62, Golden Gate had a great day on the water, executing some excellent mark roundings, including a text book gybe-set at the penultimate mark, to steal an advantage on their competitors. Golden Gate finished the day in fine style.
"Although we are Danish, we decided to call our yacht Golden Gate, as we saw it as a gateway to adventure and it certainly has been." Explained Lotte Vagner. "This is our fifth Oyster Regatta, we have enjoyed Oyster Regattas in the Mediterranean and Caribbean and it is so nice to meet up with our many friends in the Oyster family. After the regatta we will be cruising with Golden Gate to Newport Rhode Island and among other locations, we plan to visit Cuba and Miami."
Part of the reason for going to Cuba and Miami is because Ole is a keen musician and his A-Band will be performing during the tour. By all accounts Ole is an accomplished base guitarist.
"Grenada is one of my favourite places in the Caribbean. The people here are so friendly and they have not been too influenced by tourism. We are really enjoying this regatta and much of that enjoyment is due to our excellent crew, Chris the skipper and his wife Gunille are such an important part of that. Often the hard work that skipper and crew put in goes unnoticed, without them we would never be able to enjoy sailing Golden Gate, as much as we do."
During the race, Golden Gate had a close call with the Oyster 56, Asante. Although there was no infringement, Ole felt that perhaps they had come close to breaking the Spirit of Oyster sailing and as soon as Golden Gate was dockside, he offered his apologies to Andrew Walters, the owner of Asante, offering him a bottle of champagne. It was duly accepted with a smile and a gracious remark from Andrew. "The situation actually stopped us from our plan of going inshore, which would have been the wrong move, so Golden Gate actually did us a favour, it was a lovely gesture by Ole, in true Corinthian spirit."
After racing the fleet made its way into the delightful little marina of Le Phare Bleu, where a cocktail party was held on board the lightship Västra Banken, originally built in Sweden in 1900. The Oyster fleet was treated to a rather unusual musical performance, as a steel band played on board a tugboat, which sailed around the bay. It was an intoxicating atmosphere, as the sun dipped down on a perfect day and 180 Oyster guests settled in for dinner at Le Phare Bleu restaurant. A sumptuous buffet of local fayre was very well received before The Doc Adams Blues Band performed live to rapturous applause. Playing a string of all time favourites, it wasn't long before the dance floor was throbbing to the music. With a break from racing the following day, the Oyster family partied well into the night.