Anguilla Boat Racing History

[Anguillan newsboy]

Anguilla's love of the sea has existed through-out it's history.



The fishing boats of yore were the direct ancestors of todays racing boats. They were usually between seventeen to twenty feet in length, often with no deck and carrying one mast around twenty-five feet high from which hung the jib and mailsail. Fishermen set their pots and fish from these boats on the line as far north as Old English Bank where fishing is still done today.

It is significant that a tradition was built up around these fishing boats, whereby those that were finished hauling or setting pots first would wait on the rest so that there could be a race for home. Althrough the wiser reasons of safety and companionship were undoubtedly part of this tradition, the sprit of racing certainly profited by it and gradually grew into our national sport.

Boat Race events are held all year but around Summer Festival there are boat races almost every day ending with the Champion of Champion Boat Race. It is a big part of Anguillian culture that has remained true to its roots and it is our own salt water version of the Sport of kings.



History of Boat Racing on Anguilla

Anguilla’s traditional sport is undoubtedly boat racing, with almost everyone on the island having a keen interest in the races, which have become very competitive. There are three cl***es of boat, A Cl*** (28 feet), B Cl*** (23 feet) and C Cl*** (15 feet). Recently the emphasis has been on the A Cl*** boats and this year twenty are expected to race. The usual boat race is a two point race; a run to leeward, rounding a stake boat and then a beat to windward and back to the finish.
The history of boat racing is an interesting one and has evolved from the days at the beginning of the century, when the schooners transported workers to the Dominican Republic to cut cane. On the return journey there was nearly always a race home and could take up to twenty days as it as a constant beat to windward. Families still recall how they watched with great anticipation for the first schooner to round the point at Sandy Ground or to arrive at the Forest. Fishing boats, after a long day of fishing would also often race back home and are, in fact, more directly the forerunners in style of today’s sailing boats.

1940 was the first August Monday boat race. Two men are named as responsible for organized boat racing; they are Mac Owen and Elliot Carty. There were five cl***es of boats at that first competition, the largest being 19 feet in length and the smallest 13 feet. Most of the boats at that time were used for fishing as well as racing but as the fishing boats started using outboard engines and more sophisticated equipment, the racing boats became more specialized.
The Anguilla racing boat is unique to the island in the way it is fitted and handled. There is no decking, the boom is very long and there is no external ballast on the hull. Large smooth rocks, iron, lead or bags of sand are used as ballast. This is often changed during a race and thrown overboard as deemed necessary. There are usually nine to eleven men in the crew of the Cl*** A boats which are 28 feet long (9 metres), nine feet wide (3 metres) and have masts of up to forty feet (12 metres).
The races usually have two points; the boats first run before the wind or westward away from the shore to a stake boat or marker some miles out.

Then they beat to windward, back to shore to a buoy a few yards from the beach, which is the finishing post and must be touched by one of the crew. If two boats are on a collision course, one must shout “hard lee” and both have to tack away from each other at the last minute. This rule causes some dangerous situations and creates much excitement both during the race and in the heated discussions that usually follow.
Some of the races in August week are from one point to another, e.g. from Sandy Ground to Island Harbour on the Tuesday and from Sandy Ground to Blowing Point on the Wednesday. On Anguilla Day, May 30, the A Cl*** boats race right around the island, this is a long race taking anything between five and seven hours, depending on the wind. Other races are arranged on most public holidays or to commemorate special events.
Boat racing is an important part of Anguilla’s culture and many Anguillians are involved in the sport. The sport has developed over the years, the boats are now larger and have taller masts made of aluminum, and sails of Dacron instead of sailcloth, but the basic design of the hull and sails is the same. Nearly every year improvements are made, some are very costly, but the owners and crew only have one thing in mind—winning the next boat race. If one boat gets a new sail, then several others follow suit, if one widens their boat and wins the next race then others will want to do the same. The boats are quite costly to build and some are now built as a community effort.