The first Antigua Wingfoil Championship is officially underway. The first race day on Monday took place amid challenging light wind conditions but with competitors in high spirits.
With just 10 knots of wind speed, the races were held outside of Falmouth Harbour. Despite the challenges, the competitors rose to the occasion and managed to complete four races on Monday afternoon.
Anthony Smith of Martinique claimed victory in two of the races.
Sacha van der Wouden, one of the event’s organisers, said, “It’s truly exciting to witness the development of this community, and the enthusiasm among these wingfoilers is simply infectious.”
Seumas Meharg, a competitor in the wingfoil class from Antigua, added, “We have unofficially promoted ourselves from the leisure to the legends class and are ready for some fun racing.”
The long distance ‘downwinder’ part of the contest will take place today during Lay Day.
Many eyes will be on Smith who already has long distance experience, having foiled from Martinique to St Lucia and back in a single day. But local Antiguan wingfoiler Idani Edwards is determined to beat Smith, hoping to use his local knowledge to his advantage.
For those interested in experiencing wingfoiling firsthand, Jake Kelsick Kiteboarding will be hosting a demo booth at Pigeon Point Beach today as part of Lay Day activities.