Competitors at this year’s Antigua Sailing Week 2005 (April 24-30) will have the chance to compete in the event’s first ever Around Island Race.

To ease their way into lay day, the yachts in Big Boat 1 and 2 and Racing 3 will be sailing anti-clockwise around Antigua in a 44-mile race on Tuesday 26 April. Starting and finishing off Curtain Bluff, the yachts are expected to complete the race in four to six hours if the typical Antigua Sailing Week winds of 12-18 knots hold true.

“We thought that because the boats are getting so fast we could include this race,” said Tommy Paterson, race committee chairman. “My Tartan 10 takes eight hours on a normal day and these new boats are more than twice as fast so ideally will do it in four hours. It gives these ocean greyhounds another record to add to their lists and a race more in keeping with the sailing for which they are designed.”

The rest of Division A will be sailing the South Coast Race while Division B will be racing the Falmouth Harbour Race from Jolly Harbour. For more information on Antigua Sailing Week visit: www.sailingweek.com.