It's one of the few yacht races where being overtaken is a thrill, for the boat passing you could be Ticonderoga, the famous 72 ft. Herreshoff ketch built in 1936, or Fleurtje, a 175 ft. three-masted schooner from 1961.

It's the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta, one of the most exciting events in sailing. Held annually at English Harbor a week before the huge Antigua Sailing Week with its cutthroat racing and non-stop partying, the Classic Regatta is definitely a gentlemenly affair, as befits an event featuring floating treasures.

The 44 boats entered this year in the Ninth Regatta ranged in size from the 25-ft. cutter Polaris Jack to Fleurtje. The oldest boat was Dione, built in 1912, the newest modern classics only a year old.

Some of the entrants gleamed after extensive restoration and weeks of preparation, while others were rough workboats like Lista Light, a 50-ft. Norwegian fishing boat built in 1936 and once used to ferry escapees fleeing Nazism across the stormy North Sea.

The first day of the Regatta saw such light winds that Lista Light finished only 7 minutes before the 6-hour time limit on a shortened course.

The second day featured fluky winds, from calms to squalls that created great excitement on the boats, some unsuited for the stresses imposed by modern yacht racing.

The third and last day saw winds to 24 knots that allowed even the heavy workboats to fly, and showed that old boats can sail fast and still look beautiful.

Overall winner on elapsed time was Liberty, a 52-ft. gaff schooner built in 1924, but second-place Lil Iolaire, an engineless 28-footer built in 1964 and captained by Richard Street, irrepressible Irish son of cruising author Don Street, was clearly the crowd's favorite.

Besides the true classics, a number of "Spirit of Tradition" entries livened the action. These included the 135-ft. ketch Alejandra built in 1993 and Adela, a 139-ft. schooner built in 1995 with a fully battened foresail that looked like it escaped from a huge catamaran. Adela, which was skippered by America’s Cup winner Dennis Conner, provided the incoming fleet entertainment when it went aground in the well-charted mouth of English Harbor.

Of course, as in any Caribbean event, the parties abounded. Aside from sponsor English Harbor Rum, there were parties from Mount Gay and Bacardi rums to quench thirsts, plus an elegant Edwardian Dinner and party at local hot spot Abacadabra. One night, there were sea chanties — some rather bawdy, many accompanied by sweezebox and banjo — at the local yacht club, which organized the Regatta. A special treat was a Sunday afternoon on the green at the historic Admiral's Inn with High Tea and gig races at which half the fun seemed to be falling in.

Sponsors Wayfarer Marine, North Sails and Antigua Distillery deserve special thanks for helping the Ninth Annual Regatta succeed so well.

What is a classic?

Entries must have a long keel, be of moderate to heavy displacement, built of wood or steel and be of traditional rig and appearance. Old craft restored with modern materials or new craft built to old designs, such as Whitehawk, patterned after Ticonderoga, are also eligible.

Results

Overall elapsed time -- Liberty (52' gaff schooner, 1924)

Classic A -- Tie between Stormy Weather (54' yawl, 1933) and Bolero (73' yawl, 1949)

Classic B -- Snipe (53' sloop, 1952)

Classic C -- Lil Iolaire (28' sloop, 1964)

Vintage A --Mariella (80' ketch, 1939) with Ticonderoga (1972 ketch, 1936) very close

Vintage B -- See Falke (42' sloop, 1936)

Schooner A -- Fleurtje (175' schooner,1961)

Schooner B -- Liberty (52' gaff schooner, 1924)

Spirit of Tradition A -- Alejandra (135' ketch, 1993)

Spirit of Tradition B -- Winsome (44' ketch, 1990) only entry