37th Oyster Regatta Antigua - Day 1
by Louay Habib 7 Apr 2016 06:24 BST
4-9 April 2016
Oyster Regatta Antigua 2016 day 1 © Oyster Yachts / Tim Wright /
www.photoaction.com
Worthy Celebration
Race Day One from English Harbour to Nonsuch Bay, sponsored by Raymarine
The south coast of Antigua provided shifty conditions for the first day of racing at the Oyster Regatta Antigua with the wind oscillating between south and south east and varying in strength from 6 to 16 knots. A course taking some of Antigua's greatest landmarks was sensational; Curtain Bluff, Shirley Heights and York Island. The final destination, Nonsuch Bay, is one of the most stunning natural bays in Antigua and was a fitting location to end a wonderful day's racing.
Principle Race Officer and Oyster Group CEO, David Tydeman, set a reaching start for all yachts with staggered time intervals of three minutes. Equally matched groups of yachts started together, producing several highly competitive encounters. None more so than in Class 1 between Maxim Kudryashov's Oyster 885, Guardian Angel and Oyster 885, Lush, sailed by Eddie Jordan. The two magnificent Oysters, both with spinnakers flying, were locked in a duel for several minutes, before Guardian Angel managed to pull away from Lush and extend a healthy lead on the water, taking line honours by just over 13 minutes from Lush. However, Terry Snow's Oyster 72, Magrathea, kept playing the shifts to their advantage and corrected out to win Class 1 for the first race, ahead of Lush and Guardian Angel.
"That is the first time I have raced Magrathea. So it feels great." smiled Terry Snow. "I have to put it down to teamwork. We went out for a practice yesterday and today we were very focused on looking ahead and anticipating the moves. I have to say Ross Applebey did a great job on the strategy and that was part of a great effort by all of the team."
Henrik Nyman's Swedish Oyster 625, Delicia took line honours and the win on corrected time in Class 2. Two Oyster 575s had a battle royal for second place. David and Leslie Joyce's Ayesha II and Dick Hammill's Spirit enjoyed a close race. Ayesha II was in second by less than three minutes after time correction.
"We have had a wonderful race." commented Delicia's Henrik Nyman. " Delicia is a beautifully built boat and we were very happy with the project manager Jean Pierre Cardin, who excelled both technically and with the interior design during the build. As far as winning, we are just a team of friends with no professionals on board, I wouldn't have it any other way."
Owner Focus: Manfred Kerstan, Oyster 825, Albatros
Some people are blessed with a fire that burns inside and Manfred Kerstan is a man with tremendous energy and a love for life. One of his first adventures in Oyster 825, Albatros was to sail to Antigua for the Oyster Regatta from Venezuela. Manfred and his crew sailed upwind for four days and on arrival, Manfred led the crew ashore to hike up to Shirley Heights for sundowners and dancing but he was still up at dawn preparing Albatros. Quite extraordinary for a man who will be turning 80 next month. Born in Berlin in 1935, Manfred sold his business on 1979 and has been virtually at sea ever since, clocking up over 250,000 nautical miles.
"Sailing gives me freedom, I can choose to stay where I am or I can pull up the anchor and go. I don't really like regattas, but I do like to sail to wonderful places with nice people. I own a house which I like to stay in sometimes but I have no car just a bicycle, I am a sailor and the sea is my home.
I have been around for 80 years but I can still do my jobs on board and I love to go sailing and come to a beautiful bay like this. (Nonsuch Bay). My Oyster 825 has a shallow draft compared to other designs and I do not need a commercial crew - I love to sail with the people I meet, so many sailors are really nice people and sometimes that is not the same with a professional crew.
I have done 21 ARCs and also other Atlantic crossings and sailed around the world. I never ship it any where. As far as my next adventure, I have sailed through the Pacific but far too quickly and I didn't really experience it and Colombia, that is a place I would love to experience more."
After racing the Oyster fleet anchored in Nonsuch Bay, one of the most stunning locations in Antigua. At the Prize Giving, class winners received the fantastic prize of Flir Night Vision Cameras from regatta sponsor, Raymarine. After the awards, the Oyster family enjoyed a seated dinner of a sumptuous beach barbecue from award-winning chef, Mitchell Husbands.
Racing at the Oyster Regatta Antigua continues on Wednesday 06 April, with a race from Nonsuch Bay to Jolly Harbour Marina on the north west tip of Antigua.
Full regatta report including results here.
For more information about Oyster Yachts visit www.oysteryachts.com