AND IF SAILING IS YOUR THING .............

"Whatever you're in to is fine with me ........ Just leave me a bowl of clean water, some dogfood and a bit of shade if you can manage it, and get on and do your stuff" ..... "I would have thought you needed both hands to play the bagpipes, so why go go all the way out on the bowsprit in order to do that 'Titanic' thing ....... Anyway, what do I know ... I'm just a dog, right? ........"

About two thousand people have descended on the docks at Falmouth Harbour, ANTIGUA for "CLASSIC WEEK", an event of traditional vintage yacht racing that also includes modern 'wanabees' made to look like old ones ....... Every photo is worth a double-click just to see the details .........



The activity and the movement of gear is incredible ........ Varnish work is carried out in between sails being delivered that have arrived in containers from all over the world ........... The trash and garbage is removed daily by small trucks attempting to negotiate the narrow docks that are filled with people, boat gear and sails ... A real Carnival with flags flying denoting countries, products, and everyting else .....



This is the J-Class yacht "VELSHEDA", built in the 1930s and fully restored with modern materials ............. A truly beautiful 'Classic' that has about forty crew members when racing........ And on the narrow docks are two boxes painted in the same colors as the hull and with the same gloss finish whose function is to hold the crew's shoes ....



The other J-Class yacht in this year's event is "RANGER" with a clean deck and tiny hand rails to cling to ................. Wait till you see the actual racing and forty crew members in action and hanging on 'for dear life' ....



Yachts have come from as far away as Norway, Iceland, England and Brazil and as for their crews, well they range from as far away as Kiwi-land, South Africa and Australia ..........



And this is the dinghy dock on a very quiet morning ..... But you should see it in the afternoon, when dinghies are backed up in rows three deep ..... PANERAI, one of the sponsors, provides great coffee and croissants for the early risers which includes the latest edition of the 'New York Times' and in the evening they provide lots of free wine and hors d'ouvres ....... What a life we 'cruiser groupies' lead ...........



There are always those last minute things and then the final crew briefings .......... Very necessary to ensure that the effects of last night's party are no longer in evidence ........ The lady in pink, giving the crew the "what for" is the owner of that beautiful Classic yacht " SPIRITED LADY " ......... She is also the owner of that cute English Spanial pooch ......... Good boat name, don't you think .......



But don't be fooled by all that 'traditional' stuff ......... The crews are very well catered for, and down below there is a great deal of 'yachty-type luxury'......... Just take a look at the jazzy washer/drier setup that is all hidden beneath the flush teak decks of a classic ocean racer ....... But wait till you see these yachts on the water ............... AWESOME ......... Here's a sneak preview of just one of them, taken from the hill overlooking the start line with the telephoto lens ................ The others taken on the water will be so much better ....