The initial race of the Antigua Sailing Week is a warm-up event, a race from Deshaies on Guadeloupe to Antigua, which allows the many boats coming to the regatta from the south to make the best of the passage that they would have to do in any case. I joined the team at the lookout point above the Pillars of Hercules at the remains of Fort Charlotte, enjoying the view of boats coming in from Guadeloupe as well as some of the other regatta participants practicing their moves out at sea. There is a big tree offering shade as well as a bench (which supports not only the paperwork for the Regatta but a large amount of food and drink) and this year it was a lot easier as there was an accurate list of boats that had both registered and started that morning.
The boats also finished in good time so the work was over just after lunch and while the others returned to their duties at the Regatta office I headed up the hill on the “Carpenter Rock Trail” up from Fort Charlotte to Shirley Heights, a trail which winds up and down along the stark and rugged cliffs of the coastline. It was a good walk up (made easy by white dots painted on rocks whenever there might be any doubt as to which way to walk) and then I took the “Lookout Trail” back down to Galleon Beach and from there the water taxi took me to Nelson’s Dockyard.
After the prize giving and several cold beverages with our committee boat’s team I returned to Zanshin for dinner and later returned ashore but found myself tired from the walk and quickly headed back to the boat to sleep.
