ALL and sundry will be gunning to oust current defending champions Robert Povey and John Hanschell when the 30th Anniversary of the Harris Paints Regatta sets sail this weekend. Hosted as always by the Barbados Yacht Club, all eyes will be set on dethroning Povey from the top spot in the J24 Class and Hanschell in the Racing/Cruising Class. With 20-24 boats expected to compete in the two-day event, the crews of Povey's Hawkeye and Hanschell's Vagabond will have their work cut out for them if they intend to repeat last year's performances. In a media conference yesterday at the Barbados Yacht Club to outline details for this weekend's regatta, it was revealed that this year will see one change to the format of the competition. For the first time ever, catamarans over 16 feet will be added to the Racing/Cruising Class to add a bit more spice to the competition. With things starting off at 2:00 pm on Saturday, the J24's will have two races in Carlisle Bay that will see the vessels doing an Olympic Class J24 course, which is a Windward-Leeward race. Also during yesterday's conference, Chairman of the Sailing Committee at the Yacht Club, Neil Burke gave details for Sunday's races. "These race courses on Sunday will take the fleets up along the scenic South Coast of Barbados, where anyone on the boardwalk around the Hastings area will have a fantastic view of theses boats coming up the South Coast. They will turn around the St. Lawrence area and then they will work their way back down into Carlisle Bay. The Racing Cruisers will continue past Carlisle Bay and they will sail along the West Coast just off Brighton Beach to the Atlantis (Submarine) mark," he said. With average wind conditions anticipated over the weekend, keen competition is expected among the entries. Having been the case over the years, Grenada will be represented once again by the crew from Die Hard who have become a regular entry in the regatta. (AP) http://www.barbadosadvocate.com/newsitem.asp?more=sports&NewsID=31369
ALL and sundry will be gunning to oust current defending champions Robert Povey and John Hanschell when the 30th Anniversary of the Harris Paints Regatta sets sail this weekend. Hosted as always by the Barbados Yacht Club, all eyes will be set on dethroning Povey from the top spot in the J24 Class and Hanschell in the Racing/Cruising Class. With 20-24 boats expected to compete in the two-day event, the crews of Povey's Hawkeye and Hanschell's Vagabond will have their work cut out for them if they intend to repeat last year's performances. In a media conference yesterday at the Barbados Yacht Club to outline details for this weekend's regatta, it was revealed that this year will see one change to the format of the competition. For the first time ever, catamarans over 16 feet will be added to the Racing/Cruising Class to add a bit more spice to the competition. With things starting off at 2:00 pm on Saturday, the J24's will have two races in Carlisle Bay that will see the vessels doing an Olympic Class J24 course, which is a Windward-Leeward race. Also during yesterday's conference, Chairman of the Sailing Committee at the Yacht Club, Neil Burke gave details for Sunday's races. "These race courses on Sunday will take the fleets up along the scenic South Coast of Barbados, where anyone on the boardwalk around the Hastings area will have a fantastic view of theses boats coming up the South Coast. They will turn around the St. Lawrence area and then they will work their way back down into Carlisle Bay. The Racing Cruisers will continue past Carlisle Bay and they will sail along the West Coast just off Brighton Beach to the Atlantis (Submarine) mark," he said. With average wind conditions anticipated over the weekend, keen competition is expected among the entries. Having been the case over the years, Grenada will be represented once again by the crew from Die Hard who have become a regular entry in the regatta. (AP) http://www.barbadosadvocate.com/newsitem.asp?more=sports&NewsID=31369
