In the company of strangers

Between lashings of rum and bonhomie Mat is in need of a focused crew, for he has a trophy to bag. Blue Peter is a lady of a certain age and Mat has been both her saviour and carer for the last 30 years. She might be a Duchess at just under 100 years of age but he is not scared of loading her up for a good romping sail.

- PETE GOSS

This is something that Antigua has in spades, with blue seas, bright sunshine and anything from 15 to 20 knots of wind; a warm balm after a long winter at home. As a group of semi strangers we naturally gravitate to various positions about her glorious deck. Individually focused but well aware that the result rests on working as a team to knit those isolated jobs into cohesive effort.

I have always wanted to compete in the Antigua Classic Regatta and it doesn't disappoint. Every time I raise my eyes from a task in hand I am met by a visual snapshot of a poster as the eclectic fleet forges its way round the course in a burst of spray. There are many classes ranging from a huge three-masted Tall Ship to small local traders around the 30ft mark.