Racing at the 2026 Superyacht Challenge Antigua starts tomorrow, Thursday 05 March, with the stand-alone Round Antigua Race or alternatively the Part-Island Race.
Principal Race Officer Hank Stuart IRO (USA) explained that the Round Antigua course for the Superyacht Challenge Antigua begins and ends off Fort Charlotte, at the entrance to English Harbour. From there the fleet heads east toward Green Island, before turning north around the island and then west along Antigua’s northern coastline. Key turning points include waypoints near Green Island, Diamond Bank, Sandy Island and Cades Reef, before the fleet returns south to finish back off Fort Charlotte.
Stuart emphasised that the course is defined by virtual waypoints listed in the Sailing Instructions, the same reference points used for the RORC Antigua 360 race. These waypoints establish the framework of the racecourse while allowing yachts to choose their own tactical route between them.
A key factor in defining the course is water depth. With superyachts in the fleet drawing dramatically different amounts of water, the race management team sets the course using a safety depth to ensure the deepest-draft yachts can navigate safely.
Using digital routing software, Stuart plots the course from waypoint to waypoint and applies a minimum safety depth of around 30 feet. This automatically pushes the theoretical course away from shallow banks and reefs, ensuring the course reflects the route that the largest yachts in the fleet must realistically sail.
The result is a course defined not only by geography but by safe navigable water, ensuring fair competition across a fleet of very different yachts.
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