Sailing into the Future at Antigua Sailing Week
By Mathew Channer
“Standby tack,” Canadian sailor Katy Campbell orders. The crew scrambles over the sheet lines and braces on the deck.
“Three, two, one, tack!”
I wait until the bow turns into the wind and the headsail snaps over, then crawl over the cabin top of Panacea X to the now windward side. The trim team smoothly sheets on the headsail and a competitor vessel shoots past our stern, feet away, as our Solana 45 beats eastward along Antigua’s south coast.
It is Race Day 4 of the 2025 Antigua Sailing Week (ASW), an international regatta that’s been around since 1968 when a few friends got together to go sailing and has been growing in both size and popularity ever since. Today it draws sailors of all experience levels from around the world to Antigua’s shores to battle it out across a multitude of short, technical course, average more than 100 vessels per year. This year’s entrants hail from 17 different countries and include world-renowned vessels like Pyewacket, Roy Disney’s Volvo Ocean Racer 70 and its all-star crew, all-Antiguan teams, and club class vessels chartered by enthusiastic sailors from around the world. Back on land, professionals and novices alike gather at the pop-up village each evening to connect, party, recall the day’s highs and lows, and dance late into the night to reggae. It’s a great mix of competitive sailing and community spirit and a perfect way for many sailors to close out their Caribbean season.
