Antigua Sailing Week

Antigua closes its winter season the way it opened sailing in the Caribbean: with a week of racing that has run since 1967 and still ranks among the sport's classic regattas. The fleet - racing thoroughbreds, cruising yachts, classics - works the trade-wind courses off the south coast by day and packs English and Falmouth Harbours by night, with prize-givings, bands and the famous mid-week Lay Day antics at Pigeon Beach. Spectating is free and easy: Shirley Heights and the harbour walls give grandstand views of starts and finishes, and crew-finding boards occasionally turn watchers into participants.

What you actually see

• The racing fleets - starts and beats viewed from Shirley Heights and the Pillars.
• English Harbour at regatta pitch - the dockyard packed with serious sail.
• Lay Day at Pigeon Beach - the mid-week party and dinghy silliness.
• The Classic Regatta - the wooden-boat gathering that precedes the Week.

When to go

Late April into early May, straight after the Classic Yacht Regatta - the pair make a fortnight of sail. Book harbour-area rooms months out; the south coast fills completely. The trade winds oblige almost every year.

Honest expectations

Regatta week doubles prices and fills every bed and restaurant around the harbours - budget and book accordingly, or day-trip from elsewhere on the island. Crewing spots exist but favour experience. For pure spectacle without the crowds, the Classic Regatta's wooden boats are the connoisseur's choice.

Nearby

Nelson's Dockyard, Shirley Heights and Falmouth Harbour.