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Nightlife
A night by night listing of places to
be!
CLICK HERE |
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Tours
& Excursions
Discover
Antigua by air, road, or sea
on one of exciting tours
CLICK HERE |
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Villas
Need a villa for the crew? –
check out our listings here
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Antigua Sailing Week
Over the last two decades, Antigua Sailing Week has
developed into one of the biggest events in the
World Sailing calendar, as well as one of the most
fantastic times to visit
Antigua and take advantage of an island wide party. From
small beginnings, the regatta has developed into the
3rd and final race of the
Caribbean
Big Boat Series. |
Leg 1
starts in St. Maarten, as the
Heineken Regatta in
early March , followed by the
BVI Spring
Regatta at the end of March, beginning of April. The
ultimate finale of the series is a week of hard racing that
has become Antigua Sailing Week. The run up to Sailing Week
builds with the Classic Yacht Regatta (link to page), and
the
Megayacht Challenge, both also in Antigua.
Antigua
Sailing Week is then the last event in the Caribbean Sailing
Calendar, and where the competitors in the Big Boat series
compete for the ultimate prize. |
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Antigua
Sailing Week began in 1967 with only 10 boats, and has grown
to over 200 entries each year. You do not however need to be
a sailor to enjoy the festivities of Sailing Week in Antigua. The race
is accompanied by many non-competing yachts who tag along to
see the action, and there are fantastic look out points
around the island from which to spectate. |
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The races
are from
Dickenson
Bay,
Falmouth Harbour and down the West Coast, and each evening
there are parties wherever the yachts finish racing for the
day. Antigua Sailing Week has a real carnival atmosphere
with locals, yachtsmen and holiday makers dancing, eating
and drinking the nights away |
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Half way
through the week – there is a day off racing for most of the
yachts, and the sailors enjoy layday. This is meant to be a
rest day for everyone involved, however festivities begin at
1pm in Nelson's Dockyard, and hundreds of people join in
everything from beer races to rubber raft races.
The last
race is on a Friday – the English Harbour Race where you can
watch the boats moving out from 500 feet up at Shirley’s
Heights. The finale of Race Week is however the day after
when Dockyard Day allows the locals to come out and enjoy
the Carnival Atmosphere. On Saturday Afternoon the minister
of Tourism awards prizes for each of the races, and at 6pm
the Antigua and Barbuda Police performs ‘Beat the Retreat’
form the balcony of the old Officers Quarter’s in Nelson’s
Dockyard.
The final
event is the Lord Nelson's Ball on Saturday evening – a
black tie affair with live music, and the final prize-giving. |
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Antigua
Sailing Week is a non-profit organisation, that is sponsored
and operated by the Antigua Hotels Association. The planning
for the event is a year long role for the team involved and
starts each year as soon as the event is finished.
To visit
Antigua at a truly magical time of year, try Antigua Sailing
Week.
For more information on this years sailing events and
parties check our
events listing
and visit:
www.sailingweek.com
Tel: (268) 462 8872
Fax: (268) 462 8873 |
