43mainmast step, adzed from a massive chunk of tropical
hardwood by Bangkok builders, Arne’s unconquerable
spirit began to twitch.
As we ducked under a double berth to inspect her frames
and scantlings, we knew that here was a boat that would
survive. She had soul by the bucket-full. Her people knew
it and were justly proud of her. Many a ‘smartest-yacht’
contest would have discounted her at sight, but not Antigua.
This is an island where everybody understands why a boat
has to be strong. The sea is all around, the blustering
tradewind takes no prisoners and the people love a sailor.
Out on the water, the four race days provided the
anticipated great sailing in hard winds and big seas.
Courses run at 20-25 miles and are laid so that everyone
might be thrilled at the spectacle of the big boats
trampling the waves and the little ones somehow cutting
a path through. In deference to the nature of classic
yachting, there’s lots of reaching and not too much
beating, although the one labelled ‘windward’ has a five or
six-mile thrash more or less into the eye of the breeze.
Skippers are generous about taking guests and extra crew
in this most friendly of events. Couple this with the general
‘all these boats had sailed
long and hard to be in antigua’
benefits of being a volunteer judge and the bottom line is
that you get to sail on more or less any boat you choose. I’d
had a lifelong wish to go to sea aboard Ticonderoga ever
since I first saw her in Grenada in 1975. This was my
chance, so I pitched up with Roz in good time on Day 2.
Ti was built 80 years ago as a day sailer, but it wasn’t
long before she entered the Transpac, which is often a
reaching sleighride. Her steeply raked ketch rig and long
waterline suited the race to a tee. She won and went on to
set course records all over the sailing world. Unlike many
vintage classics, she has never been modernised in the rig
department, still hanking on her headsails and running
her main and mizzen up old-fashioned tracks.
Despite the perfect, if heavy, conditions, the ideal course
and the wonders of the yacht, we were suffering on the day
from the usual difficulties of having a scratch crew. Things
did not go smoothly, but the kerfuffle on our decks did
not detract from the sight of Columbia ripping past usAshanti IV, the
powerful 114ft
Gruber schoonerBelow left:
experienced
concours judges
know what to
look for.
Below: locally built
Carriacou sloops
i feature strongly