It’s a new event designed for teams that already have boats in the Caribbean — and want one more serious week on the water before heading north. The focus is simple: tight logistics, professional race management, and four straight days of fast racing.
Antigua and Barbuda is set to debut the inaugural Antigua Racing Cup from April 9-12, 2026, a new purpose-built performance regatta designed to slot cleanly into the Caribbean racing season.
The event is being positioned as a natural extension of the region’s existing spring circuit, targeting the high-octane racing teams already active across major events like the St Maarten Heineken Regatta, the BVI Spring Regatta, the RORC Caribbean 600, and transatlantic arrivals coming in via the ARC and the RORC Transatlantic Race.
A Regatta Built Around Performance
Organizers are pitching the Antigua Racing Cup as a quality-first event aimed at performance-oriented teams rather than a mass-participation festival regatta.
Race courses will be tailored to the boats competing, with the flexibility of virtual marks allowing for precision and quick adaptation to conditions. An International Jury will oversee the regatta, reinforcing the professional structure and consistency of results.
The core identity is competitive: clear class splits, fair racing, and course design that allows boats to perform as intended.
Why Antigua Makes Sense for This
Antigua already functions as one of the most established sailing hubs in the Caribbean, with deep infrastructure for visiting programs: boatyards, shipping options, marine services, and a strong base of experienced race management.
The Antigua Racing Cup is centered on the island’s south coast, using race areas close to Falmouth and English Harbour — a meaningful advantage for crews managing fatigue, schedules, and turnaround time.
With shorter transits to the course, teams can spend more time racing and less time motoring, particularly valuable for crews coming off offshore races or tight Caribbean calendars.
Designed to Complement the Circuit
The timing is one of the key selling points.
Early April places the Antigua Racing Cup at a logical moment in the season: after the winter offshore events and key spring regattas, and before boats and crews begin shifting back to Europe and North America for summer campaigns.
Rather than trying to pull boats away from other events, the Antigua Racing Cup is being designed to capture boats already in the region — offering a condensed, professional, four-day finish to a Caribbean season.
Dual Scoring: CSA and IRC
A notable competitive feature is dual scoring under both CSA and IRC, a move intended to reflect the mixed fleets that regularly show up in Caribbean regattas.
Race organizers and competitors have pointed to dual scoring as a practical solution that makes the event more inclusive for visiting international teams and local Caribbean programs, without forcing owners to alter how they campaign their boats.
The goal is smoother transitions between offshore and inshore racing, with fewer barriers for teams moving through the circuit.
Early Momentum, Including Multihulls
The entry list is already beginning to take shape, including the first multihull addition: Adrian Lee’s HH66, Lee Overlay Partners III.
The early mix of teams reflects the regatta’s intent — drawing in programs already active across the Caribbean, including returning Antigua Sailing Week competitors, offshore veterans, and locally based high-performance boats.
A New Anchor Event for Antigua
The Antigua Racing Cup also reinforces Antigua’s long-running position as one of the Caribbean’s most important sailing destinations, anchored by English Harbour, Falmouth Harbour, and the island’s established regatta culture.
The event is supported by the Antigua and Barbuda Ministry of Tourism, the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, and National Parks Antigua, further strengthening the destination’s strategy of using sailing and marine sport as a key pillar of tourism.
With its debut set for April 2026, the Antigua Racing Cup is aiming to become a serious new fixture on the Caribbean racing calendar — focused, professional, and built for teams that want to go fast.
Guy Britton
2026-02-12 23:29:00