I am at Antigua Sailing Week. I am at Antigua Sailing Week. Yesterday was the Round Antigua Race, and I was aboard SV Spirit of Juno as race crew. I am absolutely new to sailing and at times wonder what I’m doing here on the boat, let alone how I might participate as race crew.
Why Does Sail Racing Look Like Lounging?
The tone was clear. As we set off, the skipper of the SV Spirit of Juno said that we wanted to focus on the race. People were not to chat about the scenery. I literally had to catch myself at times thinking, “Well isn’t that a lovely…”
So I was confused when — hours into the race — members of our crew were lying prostrate on the decks.
The Round Antigua Race — sailing around the entire island — seemed like a game of hurry up and wait. As one on our boat put it when he said that “Sailing was about 99 percent boredom, and 1 percent sheer terror.” Someone else likened the race to a marathon — it doesn’t make sense to sprint — in this longer, distance situation.
Flying the Spinnaker in the Round Antigua Race
About an hour and a half into the Round Antigua Race we put up the spinnaker. It snapped to life with a thunderous spank. Much like a kite the spinnaker requires constant management. One person eases a sheet to fly the kite and another person uses an upright grinder to tighten it.
The spinnaker sails here are spectacular. From a distance they seem to float mid-air, unsuspended.
A Torn Mainsail Ends Our Round Antigua Race
But our race came to an unexpected and short end when we lost our main sail (again) because it developed another rip.
Then, we motored back and lost our engine. This happened just as we were about to enter the marina. I won’t soon forget the panic at putting up the jib to sail in. Fortunately, the engine was repaired just in time.
We now have a new main sail and have to install it this morning. Today we are racing around some markers. So the racing will be faster and in closer quarters.
Fun Lingo of the Caribbean: Lounging or Liming?
This blog post is called Round Antigua Race: Are We Sail Racing or Are We Lounging?
In North America we might use the terms “lounging” t mean something like “lazing about”. In Trinidad and some parts of the Caribbean, however, some people might use the term is “liming” instead. Sometimes you will even see “No Liming” signs and it means no loitering.
Liming. I wish for more of that.