Flying a Hull Down the Backside of Antigua

Down the backside of Antigua

by Lynn Fitzpatrick

Monday, April 28, 2008

Just because you have a shorter waterline doesn’t mean that you were destined to be rolled shortly after the start of the second leg of the Around the Island Race during Stanford Antigua Sailing Week. With the bow down and steam on, Gunboat visionary Peter Johnstone, showed everyone how to start. At the helm of BLAST, a GUNBOAT 48, Peter got a jump start on Lickity Split, Safari and Looking for Elvis, all GUNBOAT 62’s. There were some exciting crosses and some even more thrilling moments on the way to the first mark. BLAST and Cream, also a GUNBOAT 48, sailed tightly side by side with all four hulls lined.

BLAST, with GUNBOAT founder Peter Johnstone at the helm, was first across the start line, but the real challenge for BLAST lay ahead on the course. Today, everyone was looking for Elvis as he lead the fleet across the line! Go Elvis!

Elvis took the lead around the first mark and set their giant masthead asymmetric perfectly. The downwind leg secured their lead. Meanwhile, all of the GUNBOATs joined in the fun of hunting down the monohulls that had started earlier. As they bore off, GUNBOATs with solents, screechers and spinnakers hoisted, enjoyed the thrill of flying a hull. All good things must come to an end, and as the fleet continued its circumnavigation of Antigua, the wind abated, went forward and the tacking angels widened. Elvis got the furthest in the big breeze, and Bruce Slayden and his Elvis crew took line honors and won on corrected time.

Among the GUNBOAT 48’s, Cream and BLAST! were neck and neck throughout the first half of the race, but Cream surged ahead after she forced BLAST! to tack out and head toward the unfavored side of the long beat to the finish just outside Falmouth Harbor.

And although Safari and Cream sailed one hell of a race… this day belonged to Elvis! Peter Johnstone joked with John Kwitek, Lickity Split’s owner, “The fastest GUNBOAT on Earth is silver!” Johnstone was alluding to Bruce Slayden’s Looking for Elvis, which closed the gap on Lickity Split in the first GUNBOAT Shootout, a combined Heineken Regatta and Stanford Antigua Sailing Week series. After two days of racing, rather than looking for Elvis, Slayden is looking to become the Top Gun.

Down the backside of Antigua

Results from 2nd Leg of the Around the Island Race, Antigua Sailing Week:
Looking for Elvis
Cream
Safari
BLAST
Lickity Split 2
Hammer

Raising the Profile of Sailing and Sailors, World Regattas’ Lynn Fitzpatrick, has joined the GUNBOAT family for Stanford Antigua Sailing Week.

The GUNBOAT Range Continues to Grow

The GUNBOAT range continues to grow.  Morrelli and Melvin’s design for the GUNBOAT 90 is becoming a reality at the GUNBOAT yard in South Africa.  Watch for a launch date in 2009.

The GUNBOAT Class Carribean Circuit Shoot-Out

Coming into Antigua Sailing Week, Safari led the premier GUNBOAT Class Caribbean Circuit as the victor from the Heineken Regatta. Cream, the local Antiguan boat, and Lickety Split, the fastest GUNBOAT, are hot on Safari’s heels as they finished 2nd and 3rd at Heineken. Looking for Elvis is still in the picture as they arrive with a new masthead assymetric spinaker. But will Elvis, the winner of ASW 2007, have enough power to regain their title? Will Cream’s local knowledge give them enough edge over Lickty’s speed? And don’t forget Hammer and Blast, the GUNBOAT 48’s helmed by former Witbreg helmsman, Bill Bewinga and GuUNBOAT’s founder Peter Johntsone. Below are the blow by blow results from ASW 2008 and the battle to be the TOP GUN of the class’ first annual Caribbean Circuit.

Wow! The GUNBOAT Class is certainly coming of age

Raising the Profile of Sailing and Sailors, World Regattas’ Lynn Fitzpatrick, has joined the GUNBOAT family for Stanford Antigua Sailing Week.

Lickity Split Sets the Pace

for the GUNBOATs at Stanford Antigua Race Week

By Lynn Fitzpatrick

Bruce Slayden, aka Elvis, slipped his boat away from the dock at Falmouth Harbor, Antigua on a mission.  Microphone in hand, big shades, rhinestone jumpsuit on and hair greased back, he and his crew are Looking for Elvis during the first race of Stanford Antigua Sailing Week.  The crew is cruising the world, and they have been in the company of five other GUNBOATs during their Caribbean Circuit that started with the Heineken Regatta in the beginning of March.

GUNBOAT catamaran

Sunday marked the first day of five days of fun for the GUNBOATs as they set off on the first leg of the Around the Island Race.  The speedy GUNBOATs started at the tail of Division A.  Some played the shoreline and tried to catch some pressure as it dropped down off the bluffs, but Lickety Split, John Kwitek’s beautiful butter colored GUNBOAT 62, was the first to head offshore.  By minimizing tacks and being the first to the breeze, Lickety Split not only distanced itself on Cream, SAFARI, Looking for Elvis, BLAST! and Hammer, but it also sailed through the classes ahead.

The talent-laiden Division A rounded the island counterclockwise.  As the breeze strengthened and went aft, screechers, genoas and spinnakers were hoisted and the fleet surfed waves towards its overnight destination.  Lickity Split took line honors once again and was already at anchor when the rest of the GUNBOAT family arrived in the turquoise waters off Fort James.  Intrigued with the spectacular fleet, pirate ships loaded with tourists and weekend revelers dancing on the decks drew close to the catamarans and had their first Elvis sighting.  Following his crowd-pleasing act, Elvis disappeared below decks and reemerged in his swim suit and his blue suede shoes ready to party throughout the night at Fort James.

The stakes are high for the GUNBOATs because everyone has their sights set on winning the first GUNBOAT Shootout, a combined Heineken Regatta and Stanford Antigua Sailing Week series.  The GUNBOAT class is loaded with dedicated GUNBOAT owners and hotshot crews that ask to get rides on these innovative racer cruisers.   Rock stars such as GUNBOAT’s founder, Peter Johnstone; GUNBOAT’s designer, Pete Melvin; offshore catamaran racer, Cam Lewis; navigator, weather guru and four-time Whitbread sailor, Bill Biewenga; America’s Cup helmsman and J/22World Champion, Mark Sadler, and windsurfing superstars, Platt & Nancy Johnson are among the guests soaking up the GUNBOAT vibe.

GUNBOAT’s guest sailors: (L to R) Pete Melvin of Morrelli & Melvin joined Safari for both regattas in the GUNBOAT Circuit; Peter Johnstone and Torbjorn Linderson, lead spar designer and sail plan guru for GUNBOAT took BLAST to new heights at ASW; Platt and Nancy Johnson, both World Champion Windsurfers sailed on Hammer;  Mark Sadler, helmsman from South African America’s Cup Team Shosholoza helped keep Lickity Split 2 racey from the pit in both regattas ; Bill Bewinga sailed on GUNBOAT 48 Hammer along with Nancy & Platt Johnson; and finally, Cam Lewis ran the pit on Cream in both Caribbean Circuit Regattas.

Results from 1st Leg of the Around the Island Race,  Antigua Sailing Week:
Licktiy Split 2
Looking for Elvis
BLAST
Safari
Cream
Hammer

Raising the Profile of Sailing and Sailors, World Regattas’ Lynn Fitzpatrick http://www.worldregattas.com/, has joined the GUNBOAT family for Stanford Antigua Sailing Week