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Barbados Sailing Week 2020
January 15 – 22, 20208 days · 4 racing days
- Start and finish
- Barbados
- Level
- Beginners, Experienced, Professionals
- Languages
- English
- Organizer
About the event
The Caribbean racing season opens with the Barbados Sailing Week regatta, which was previously called The Mount Gay Round Barbados Series. The regatta is organized by Barbados Cruising Club in collaboration with Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. and Mount Gay. Barbados Sailing Week will be held from January 15 to 23, 2020. This regatta is expected to attract a huge number of professionals this year.
The race route is 60 nautical miles. For skippers, this race is a dream come true and a treat in the upcoming holiday season! Indeed, if a crew of a yacht breaks one of the 20 records, then they will receive the amount of rum corresponding to the weight of their yacht skipper!
The traditional race around the island of Barbados takes place on the day of Errol Barrow - a public holiday dedicated to the birthday of the first Prime Minister of Barbados and the "Father of Independence". Given the significant status of the day, the party atmosphere prevails throughout the island, crowds of locals and visitors annually take the best spots in advance to watch the race, which runs along the Atlantic coast.
Offers and pricing
Taking part with your own boat?
Open event: skippers add their own boat and sell its places here. Staff check every offer before visitors see it.
Itinerary
- Wednesday
The first training day and meeting the participants of the regatta
- Thursday
12:00 - Registration at the Radisson Aquatica Hotel 18:00 - Briefing for skippers 19:00 - An opening party Before the start of the regatta, you have a great opportunity to have fun, make friends with your crew members, and set a positive mood for the competition.
- Friday
9:30 - Start of race 1 17:00 - Beginning of evening entertainment You will not only compete well but also have fun because the organizers prepared an exciting entertainment program every evening.
- Saturday
9:30 - Start of race 2 18:00 - Red Cap Rum Party - Distillery Brandons St Michael Try the famous rum - the favorite drink of all sea wolves, and appreciate its taste. Rum is Barbados’ trademark, and here they know what it should taste like.
- Sunday
9:30 - Start of race 3 18:00 - Party There will be an exciting evening event again, not to mention full of the exciting competition day.
- Monday
Rest day 15:00 - Polo game on the Holders Golf Course organized by the Barbados Polo Club. Regardless of whether you have played polo before, or you are new to this exciting game, today you will have a chance to participate.
- Tuesday
7:00 - The Mount Gay Round Barbados Race 17:00 - The start of evening events: win an amount of rum equal to the weight of your skipper (the heavier the skipper, the better it is for the team, so you need to feed yours well!). Relax and have fun at the closing party at the Barbados Cruising Club.
- Wednesday
19:00 - Gala dinner. Tickets can be purchased at The Beach House, St James, where dinner and party will be held. 21:00 - The party and the regatta Grand Prix awarding at The Beach House, St James. Participate in the award ceremony and enjoy live music performed by Brass Soul.
Location
The regatta begins at the Barbados Cruising Club, then you sail through the historic Carlisle Bay, and then go 20 miles along the coast of Barbados, enjoying the views of this amazing island. Then the teams will sail out into the Atlantic Ocean and sail 7 miles there accompanied by treacherous currents and strong waves. After that, your route is towards East Point for another 20 miles. And the regatta ends with an 18-mile sailing along the south coast. You are at the finish line and we are sure this regatta will be in the top of your memories!
Frequently asked questions
Yes, of course. There will be an experienced skipper and team members on the yacht. They will give you a role and teach you everything you need to know to be a useful team member and feel comfortable.
Yes, all team members will definitely try themselves in different roles to better understand each other. Standing at the helm is an integral part of training for beginners as well as setting sails, and helping the team during moorings.
As a rule, participants in the regatta live on the yacht. The boat has everything you need for a comfortable stay: nice beds, a kitchen, a shower with toilet. If you do not want to live on a yacht, then you can arrange to stay at the hotel onshore.
The crew decides altogether what kind of food they prefer to eat and makes necessary purchases. Simple dishes can be cooked, usually taking turns. Some regattas offer daily meals and intensive evening program for all crews.
We can make an invitation for a visa, but you need to apply for a visa by yourself.
Most people tolerate some seasickness easily. If you feel that you are starting to feel sick, it is best to get at the steering wheel or tune the sails. Get yourself busy, show your body that you don’t have time to get sick, you have to fight for victory in the race. There are also many quite effective medicines from sickness. If you start taking them in advance, then the probability of seasickness is almost zero.
Before each trip, we organize an online meeting where participants get to know each other and the captain. The captain will answer all your questions. The crew will have a group chat so you can get to know each other before the start of the regatta. Then you will meet in the marina.
The main rule is to dress comfortably and according to the weather.
Clothing:
- windbreaker and pants or shorts;
- shirt/jacket with UV protection (thermal underwear and fleece);
- adjustable hat/cap;
- gloves.
We recommend to purchase a long-sleeved jacket with UV protection in order to protect yourself from the sun and strong wind.
Yachting shoes should be:
- light, with non-slip white outsole;
- with the fixed heel;
- with a tightly closed nose.
During the sailing without shoes, you can fall or injure your fingers and feet on the deck. There are many protruding parts on the boat that are easy to catch. Unfortunately, even experienced sailors are not protected from unpleasant injuries when they ignore this simple rule.