Antigua's Mega Yacht Challenge Dates Set
Imagine a race with all the vessels over 100 feet, held fairly close inshore in the open sea off Antigua's south coast. There is usually quite a big sea running with the swells coming all the way unhindered from Africa. All races are approximately between 12 and 30 miles and downwind sails are allowed.
Now a mega yacht is a very big vessel by anybody’s standards. The J Boats such as Ranger and Velsheda are eligible as are all large yachts, which normally are not catered for in any regattas. This is a sight which, once seen, is not easily forgotten. It is not uncommon for the world’s top tacticians to be on board. Many of the skippers and crews look forward to this event with child-like enthusiasm. Added to all this is the fact that every race is a "pursuit race", meaning that slower boats go off first with faster boats attempting to catch them before the finish. As far as I know, this sort of thing is only attempted in very few other places in the world. So once again, Antigua is at the forefront of a yacht race enjoyed by everyone.
This event is now the 5th annual Mega Yacht Challenge, organized by the Antigua Yacht Club Committee, and it goes without saying that the Captains and Crews of these huge vessels really have a blast. Hold in mind that many of our entries may be brand new yachts designed by the world’s foremost designers. But they will be racing against several older designs that raced regularly for the Americas Cup between the two World Wars.
We at All at Sea are really looking forward to supplying our readers with photographs and text of an event which will probably make the small hairs at the back of your neck bristle like mine.
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