37th Oyster Regatta Antigua - Preview
by Louay Habib 6 Apr 2016 12:22 BST
4-9 April 2016
An impressive fleet of Oyster Yachts have gathered in Antigua, West Indies for the 37th Oyster Regatta © Oyster Yachts / Tim Wright /
www.photoaction.com
An impressive fleet of Oyster Yachts, flying the flags of Germany, Ireland, Russia, Sweden, United Kingdom and the United States of America have gathered in Antigua, West Indies for the 37th Oyster Regatta.
Nelson's Dockyard in English Harbour is the starting and finishing point for the six day event, which includes four days of racing in the superb sailing grounds of Antigua, and features fabulous parties at some of the Caribbean island's most famous locations. The impressive fleet includes fourteen examples from the Oyster range, including four of the very latest models.
The superyacht dock in Nelson's Dockyard was a hive of activity on Monday 4th April with owners, their family and friends, preparing their yachts for the regatta. The Concours d'Elegance judging was the first competition. Gleaming in Caribbean sunshine, the magnificent fleet was a spectacular sight in the historic surroundings of Antigua's Georgian dockyard.
Registration for the 2016 Oyster Regatta in Antigua was followed by the Skippers' Briefing in the Copper & Lumber Hotel. David Tydeman, CEO Oyster Group, acting as Principle Race Officer, greeted the competitors.
"Welcome everybody to our 37th regatta, we have seven first-timers, which is great to see. We also have Manfred Kerstan from Albatros, who will be celebrating his 80th birthday this week and Starry Night of the Caribbean, which is taking part in their 23rd regatta. We also have young children on at least three other Oysters and two yachts, Ayesha II and Dalliance, which will be taking part in the next Oyster World Rally.
"Oyster Regattas have two main objectives, that they are fun and safe and we have two very different levels of experience on the race course at the same time. We have experienced racing sailors on high performance yachts, as well as less experienced sailors, or those with young families. The experienced sailors know how to keep the racing safe and we rely on those experts in the fleet to make the right judgement calls when there are relatively inexperienced people around them.
"Oyster Regatta's fundamental principle is to be safe on the race course. There is a comprehensive Oyster team that have come to Antigua from Britain, Hamburg and Newport, Rhode Island and we are here to help you in any way we can during the regatta, feel free to come and talk to us and we will do everything we can to assist you. Thank you all for coming, I hope we have a safe and thoroughly enjoyable regatta."
The Welcome Party for the Oyster Regatta Antigua was held at Boom, Gunpowder Suites, an exclusive part of the Admiral's Inn at English Harbour, dating back to the 18th century. The Oyster family gathered on the vast outdoor terrace boasting an infinity-edged pool with views across English Harbour and the stunning Oyster fleet.
Racing at the 2016 Oyster Regatta Antigua starts on Tuesday 5th April with a race from English Harbour to Nonsuch Bay, with a course designed to give fantastic vistas of the south coast of Antigua and the thrill of Caribbean sailing at its best.