Images of some of the world’s most revered vintage vessels will be showcased at a special exhibition opening next week.
‘Sailing in Antigua’ is a photographic retrospective of the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta documented by acclaimed photographer Edwin Gifford over the past 23 years. It is said to portray “man and woman, boat and sea at their most elemental, dramatic and beautiful”.
Proceeds from the event will be given – fittingly – to the National Sailing Academy, which offers free sailing and swimming instruction to local youngsters.
The exhibition will open at the academy on April 19 with a reception from 5.30-8.30pm.
It will be catered by Sandra Folkes-Joseph of the Island Fusion Restaurant and light refreshments and beverages will be served. There will also be a live band performing blues and rock standards.
Gifford, a long-standing and regular Daily Observer contributor, describes Antigua as the world’s best “canvas” for photographing sailing.
“The fleet of boats, the stunningly blue Caribbean waters, the tremendous trade winds, the incredible, vibrant light and of course the top shelf and superb local sailors make Antigua a photographer’s paradise,” he said.
Gifford is an award-winning photojournalist who has been sailing and photographing in Antigua since first visiting on a yacht delivery from Sag Harbor, New York, in the fall of 1989.
His work has been published in the New York Times, the New York Post, the Washington Post, the Bristol Phoenix, the Sag Harbor Express, the East Hampton Star, Yachting Magazine, Points East Magazine, Hamptons Magazine, 27 East Magazine, and the Independent.
He began his professional photographic career at the age of 14 shooting stage productions for his father, a Broadway theatrical publicist, and was influenced by the work of photojournalists Alfred Eisenstaedt and Gordon Parks.
Gifford is also a boat owner and sailor who holds a 100-ton master captain’s license and has been racing and delivering yachts worldwide for over 40 years.
He added that he is honoured to be producing an exhibition for the benefit of the National Sailing Academy.
“The work that Alison Sly-Adams, Sylvester Thomas, and their team are doing at the academy is truly remarkable,” he said.
“These youngsters are not only learning the life lessons of hard work, accountability, independence, and team work, they also seem to be having the world’s greatest time out there on the water and it’s just a joy to see them flourishing.”
