'Sail Barbados' to be held in January 2004 after a seven year break

Wednesday, December 24, 2003

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados: In January 2004, the Barbados Yacht Club and the Barbados Sailing Association will host an around the island race. AT&T Wireless will sponsor the race, dubbed Sail Barbados 2004, in association with Cariaccess Communications, Avaya, Banks Beer and Mount Gay Distilleries. 

The Round the Island Race has been held on occasion in the past as a chance for local sailors to experience a longer race than usual. The race provides a unique opportunity for sailors and spectators to view sights of Barbados that are not available from the land. The last time this race was held was in 1997, when Bizzy Williams set the amazing record of 4 hours 59 minutes on his catamaran, the Silver Bullet. 

The race will take place on Wednesday, 21 January 2004, the Errol Barrow public holiday in Barbados. This date was chosen because it is before the regional racing circuit starts up, and thus will not interfere with established regattas such as Heineken, Antigua Race Week, or Barbados' own Mount Gay Regatta. The time of year should also provide sailors with strong, reliable trade winds, necessary for the race to be completed in a reasonable time. 

Entrants will be divided into various categories: Racing A & B, Cruising, Liveaboard, Catamaran and Windsurfer. It is expected that the race will attract boats from some of the neighbouring islands such as St. Vincent, Grenada and St. Lucia and Antigua. The race is expected to take between 6 and 12 hours, depending on the size of boat. 

The entrance fee will be US$50, and boats in the Racing and Cruising categories must have a valid 2003 CSA certificate. Persons interested in entering the race may visit the website, www.sailbarbados.com, or email info@sailbarbados.com or sailbarbados@cariaccess.com 

The deadline for entries is Tuesday 20th of January 2004, at 5:00PM, after which will commence the skipper's briefing at 6PM, at the Barbados Yacht Club.

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