Antigua Sailing Week | |
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Location | Antigua and Barbuda |
Event type | Regatta |
Established | 1967 |
Official site | www.sailingweek.com |
Antigua Sailing Week is a week long yacht regatta held in the waters off English Harbour, St Pauls Antigua. It is one of Antigua's most notable events. [1] Founded in 1967, [2] it is cited as one of the top regattas in the world with 100 yachts, 1500 participants and 5000 spectators on average annually. At its heyday, the event attracted an average 150-200 yachts [3] In 2019 the regatta was held between 27 April and 3 May and the 2020 saw the first ever cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, 24 countries were represented at the regatta. There are five main races held, including the English Harbour race, [2] and at the end of the week the event finishes with an official prize-giving ceremony presided by the Governor-General. [4] [5]
Antigua and Barbuda is a sovereign island country in the Caribbean. It lies at the conjuncture of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean in the Leeward Islands part of the Lesser Antilles.
St. John's is the capital and largest city of Antigua and Barbuda, part of the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea. With a population of 22,219, St. John's is the commercial centre of the nation and the chief port of the island of Antigua.
The history of Antigua and Barbuda covers the period from the arrival of the Archaic peoples thousands of years ago to the present day. Prior to European colonization, the lands encompassing present-day Antigua and Barbuda were inhabited by three successive Amerindian societies. The island was claimed by England, who settled the islands in 1632. Under English/British control, the islands witnessed an influx of both Britons and African slaves migrate to the island. In 1981, the islands were granted independence as the modern state of Antigua and Barbuda.
Antigua and Barbuda's transport systems include both public and privately run services. Roads in the country are paved and follow a winding and gently sloping course connecting parishes to villages and communities. Driving is on the left-hand side. The speed limit is set at 40 mph, Traffic signs posted throughout main roads in Antigua and Barbuda allow for ease of commute, and with GPS coordinates posted throughout the country, the process of navigation has become even easier.
The music of Antigua and Barbuda is largely African in character, and has only felt a limited influence from European styles due to the population of Antigua and Barbuda descending mostly from West Africans who were made slaves by Europeans.
Glandore is the name of both a harbour and village in County Cork, Ireland. Glandore is off the N71 road, about 10 km east of Skibbereen.
Antigua, also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the local population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the most populous island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Barbuda became an independent state within the Commonwealth of Nations on 1 November 1981.
Nelson's Dockyard is a cultural heritage site and marina in English Harbour, located in Saint Paul Parish on the Caribbean island of Antigua, in Antigua and Barbuda. It is the only continuously working Georgian Era dockyard in the world. It was built in the early 18th century and abandoned by the British Navy in 1889. The dockyard is named after Admiral Horatio Nelson, who lived in the Royal Navy Dockyard from 1784 through 1787.
The Antiguan Carnival is a celebration of emancipation from slavery, held annually on the island of Antigua. It is a thirteen-day festival of colorful costumes, beauty pageants, talent shows, and music. The festival begins in late July and ends the first Tuesday in August, known as Carnival Tuesday. Both Carnival Monday and Carnival Tuesday are public holidays on the island. Antiguan Carnival replaced the Old Time Christmas Festival in 1957, with hopes of inspiring tourism in Antigua and Barbuda. Some elements of the Old Time Christmas Festival remain in the modern Carnival celebrations.
Francia Great House is a historical plantation great house in Saint George, Barbados. It is on a wooded hillside near Gun Hill Signal Station.
Bethesda is a village in Saint Paul Parish on the island of Antigua, in Antigua and Barbuda.
St. John's Cathedral also known as the St. John the Divine, the Cathedral Church of the Diocese of North Eastern Caribbean and Aruba, is an Anglican church perched on a hilltop in St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda. It is the seat of the Diocese of the North East Caribbean and Aruba in the Church in the Province of the West Indies.
Antigua and Barbuda maintains diplomatic relations with the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the People's Republic of China, as well as with many Latin American countries and neighbouring Eastern Caribbean states. It is a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, the Organization of American States, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas, Petrocaribe and the Eastern Caribbean's Regional Security System (RSS).
The traditions of West Africa and the United Kingdom have the biggest impact on the culture of Antigua and Barbuda. As a crucial component of its culture, Antigua and Barbuda also has its own creole language.
The high commissioner of India in Georgetown, Guyana is concurrently accredited to Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Barbuda maintains an honorary consulate general in New Delhi.
Eilean is a 70 foot ketch designed and built in 1936 by William Fife. She was built for the Fulton brothers, who were Scottish steel merchants. The yacht was at some time in the 1960s owned by Hartley Shawcross, who sold her to a yacht charter business in English Harbour, Antigua.
Squatting in the island country of Antigua and Barbuda in the West Indies is the occupation of unused land or derelict buildings without the permission of the owner. Historically, native Barbudans were seen as squatters and after Hurricane Irma in 2017, Prime Minister Gaston Browne offered people he termed squatters the chance to buy their land.
Dow's Hill Interpretation Centre is a museum on Antigua. The hill was part of the estate of Archibald Dow, a civilian Royal Navy official, before it was acquired for the construction of fortifications. Dow's House became a residence for senior garrison officers and then the Governor of the Leeward Islands before it was destroyed by an 1834 earthquake. The museum was established in 1989 with funding from the Canadian International Development Agency and provides a presentation of Antiguan history and tours of nearby ruins.
Fort Berkeley is a historic military fort on the island of Antigua. It is located at the entrance to English Harbour in Saint Paul parish. The fort was built in 1704 and expanded in the mid 18th century. It is part of Nelson's Dockyard National Park and the Antigua Naval Dockyard and Related Archaeological Sites UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Fort Charlotte was a historic military fort on the island of Antigua, built in 1745 and later expanded. It was located at the entrance to English Harbour in Saint Paul parish. Originally called South East Point Battery and renamed Horseshoe Battery, the fort was finally renamed in honour of Queen Charlotte. The remains of the fort are part of Nelson's Dockyard National Park and part of the Antigua Naval Dockyard and Related Archaeological Sites UNESCO World Heritage Site.