Island Water World Grenada Sailing Week – Petit Calivigny Yacht Club edition day 1
by Louay Habib Jan 29 11:28 UTC
January 27-30, 2022
Start CSA 1 Grenada Sailing Week – Race 1 sponsored by Grenada Tourism © Arthur Daniel
Island Water World Grenada Sailing Week, the edition of the Petit Calivigny Yacht Club, began with a glorious race of around 30 miles to Grenada’s sister island, Carriacou, sponsored by the Grenada Tourism Authority.
With bright sunshine, tropical heat and spectacular scenery, it was a glorious day on the water for 180 sailors smiling from ear to ear. Regatta sailing is finally back in the Caribbean!
Grenada and its islands provided an incredible backdrop to a memorable day on the water. Starting from Grand Anse beach, the fleet made a tour along the leeward coast of Grenada. After passing north of Grenada, the boats passed through the uninhabited islands of Caille and Ronde and over the living underwater volcano of Kick-‘Em-Jenny. In open water, the breeze rose to a solid 15 knots and light seas. Superb conditions for the approach to Carriacou were marked by the breathtaking panoramas of the Grandes and Frégate islands. The race ended at the shelter of Tyrell Bay Marina.
The Frenchman Ker 46 Tonnerre de Glen of Dominique Tian won the monohull honors for the race just ahead of the Antiguan Farr 65 Spirit of Juno of Peter Anthony. After time correction, the CSA1 winner was Global Yacht Racing’s British First 47.7 EHO1, with Katy Rota at the helm. “Boat speed was key today, and EHO1 had plenty of it!” exclaimed Richard Oswald of EHO1. Richard Szyjan’s Grenadian Hobie 33 Category 5 completed the podium in CSA1, just ahead of Spirit of Juno.
In multihulls, Stephen Bourne’s Rapido 60 Ineffable of Royal Hong Kong YC took the honors in multihulls in just under 5 hours. Robbie Yearwood’s J/24 Diehard won the J/24 class, ahead of Peter Armstrong’s Shakin and Gus Reader’s Fadeaway.
Mathew Barker’s 1930 Alfred Mylne sloop The Blue Peter was the first to finish in the classic class. Free in St. Barths was the best Carriacou Sloop of the race, beating Danny Donelan’s Savvy to second place. More Carriacou Sloops are entered for tomorrow’s Round Carriacou Race.
For many years Mathew Barker raced and sailed The Blue Peter in Grenada. “Guests aboard the Blue Peter love to come back every year. Grenada is a lovely place and the people are so lovely too,” commented Mathew. “Today was a long race, but we had a great day and finishing in Carriacou is so beautiful. The whole team at The Blue Peter were looking forward to coming here, spending a few days with the local people, and enjoy this beautiful place.”
Las Iguanas Restaurant and Bar in Carriacou Marine was the venue for the awards ceremony. Along Tyrell Bay are restaurants and bars, rustic, friendly and brimming with culture. Carriacou is laid back, reminiscent of the Caribbean of thirty years ago. Live Blues and Soca music resonates. If you are looking for a traditional Caribbean experience, Carriacou is the place to be.
Racing at Grenada Sailing Week continues on Saturday January 29 with the Round Carriacou race, sponsored by Tyrrel Bay Boatyard and Marina. Stay tuned to the regatta with great photos and stories from the sailors at: www.grenadasailingweek.com
See full results here
