Caribbean Sailing Association to host Annual General Meeting in Antigua

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The Caribbean Sailing Association (CSA) will host this year’s event in Antigua on a new earlier date of May 26 – 28, 2023. The event includes the CSA Annual Conference combining the Annual General Meeting, the Regatta Organisers Conference, Sailing Development Meetings, and Measurers Meeting. The CSA Measurers will have separate sessions throughout the weekend and report to the conference attendees on Sunday morning.

The Conference consists of three days; the Annual General Meeting on day one, followed by two days of discussion, presentations, and strategising about regatta organisation, marketing, race management, measurement, and sailing development. The Conference is a fantastic opportunity to discuss concerns, pitch ideas, and seek support from peers, sponsors, and industry stakeholders.

In previous years the event was scheduled for the beginning of the season (October). However, the CSA Board has decided to switch it to the end of the season instead. This change allows the CSA Board, Committees, and Conference attendees to implement decisions made at the AGM and execute plans and ideas resulting from the Conference in the critical out-of-season planning months. Having the event earlier also allows the CSA and Regatta organizers to take advantage of marketing opportunities in the summer and fall months.

In 2019 and 2022, the CSA AGM and Conference were combined with the Caribbean Dinghy Championships (CDC) to create Caribbean Sailing Week. Even though these were very successful events, the CSA Board recognized that hosting such a large and diverse event limited the available host venues.

The additional workload it creates for a sailing school to host a multi-day racing event, clinics, and the AGM and Conference is significant. We understand that some smaller locations could ideally host a Caribbean Dinghy Championship. Still, adding the 3-day Conference would be too much of a burden and would take away from race management. In St. Maarten we were lucky to have a dedicated team who managed the CDC through the sailing school and another dedicated team to the Conference, the Regatta Office. We understand this isn’t the setup in most islands and therefore feel it’s only fair to separate the events to allow more islands to bid for the CDC.” Stated Michele Korteweg, CSA President and representative of the host country of last year’s event.

Organizers recommend that those interested in joining the event book early for the cheapest flight and hotel rates. The primary location will be the Antigua Yacht Club, making the Antigua Yacht Club Marina & Resort and other nearby small hotels an excellent place to stay. These properties will offer special rates to those attending the event. More information will be available at www.caribbean-sailing.com.

The CSA will send information about hosting the CDC and the bidding process to interested parties for their review and consideration in early April. Applications should be returned by 1st May for the October 2023 Caribbean Dinghy Championship.

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