Superyacht Challenge Antigua 2026 Day 1 - Hetairos Smashes Round Antigua Record
by Louay Habib 6 Mar 07:45 PST
4-8 March 2026
2026 Superyacht Challenge Antigua - Heteiros © Roddy Grimes-Graham / Acquafilms
The first day of racing at the 2026 Superyacht Challenge Antigua (SYCA) delivered spectacular sailing conditions with two standalone races: the 48.31nm Round Antigua Race and the 33.51nm Half-Island Race.
With the trade winds building around the island, peaking at 27 knots plus well over two-metres of seas state, the opening day of racing was epic. The strong wind conditions produced high speeds, tactical challenges and a remarkable new race record.
The star performance of the day came from the 218ft Dykstra/Reichel-Pugh ketch Hetairos, captained by Graham Newton, which smashed the SYCA Round Antigua Race record.
The Round Antigua Race was first organised as part of the Superyacht Challenge Antigua in 2022, when Hetairos completed the course in 3 hours 46 minutes 08 seconds. This year the giant ketch returned to the course with a crew of 47 sailors and produced a stand-out performance, stopping the clock in 3 hours 20 minutes 35 seconds.
The new benchmark improves the previous record by over 25 minutes, with Hetairos averaging 14.45 knots around the 48.31 nautical mile course.
At the halfway point, due north of Antigua, Hetairos had already covered the first 24 nautical miles in just 90 minutes, hitting a top speed of 22 knots. Despite being well inside record pace, the team still had to negotiate the tricky transition zone near Sandy Island before completing the beat along Antigua’s south coast to the finish off Fort Charlotte.
Remarkably, the performance was also quicker than the recent RORC Antigua 360 record, set just last month by the Farr 100 Leopard 3 in 3 hours 32 minutes 58 seconds. Hetairos completed the same course 12 minutes and 23 seconds faster.
“We knew going into the race that the goal was to beat our own record from 2022 and, if possible, to take the course record back as well,” explained Hetairos skipper Graham Newton. “That meant looking for marginal gains all the way around the island. One of the first decisions was to stay a little offshore early on. With a nine-metre draft we can’t play the cliffs too aggressively, and the breeze was slightly left of where it often sits, so the benefit of going tight along the shore wasn’t really there. We actually made the start more complicated than it needed to be because we changed our sail plan right at the last moment, hoisting the J4 only a few minutes before the gun, which meant we were effectively tacking on the start line. But once we settled in, the focus was simply on minimising distance wherever we safely could.
“Up near Green Island we pushed harder than we had when we set the record in 2022. We’ve got better charting now and a deeper understanding of the boat, so we were able to sail about 500 metres closer to the shore than before. That’s the kind of marginal gain that adds up over 48 miles. Across the north of the island we were really moving — hitting around 22 knots at times. For a heavy displacement boat that’s serious pace, but the boat is beautifully balanced when you’re reaching with the jib top and mizzen working together.
“One of the big moments was an inline peel from the jib top to the code sail, something we had only ever tried once in training years ago. It’s a complex manoeuvre because both sails share the same furling gear and halyard, so you have to completely drop one before hoisting the other while the boat is still doing close to 20 knots. The bow team executed it perfectly in about seven minutes, which was exactly what we had hoped for.
“Down the northwest corner we were fully committed — five sails up, around 27 knots of true wind and pretty flat water. Everyone was pushing hard because we knew we were inside record pace, but you still have to negotiate the transition near Sandy Island. That’s where the wind starts to soften and shift, so we stepped down to the blade-sail earlier than planned and set ourselves up for the beat along the south coast.
“Once we turned upwind near Cades Reef we could finally look at the numbers properly and see we were well inside the record. From there it was about sailing the boat cleanly and minimising manoeuvres. When we crossed the line it was a fantastic moment — taking more than 25 minutes off our previous time was huge. It’s a great way to start the regatta.”
After ORCsy time correction, Hetairos also secured overall victory in the race, winning by just over 11 minutes from the 121ft Dykstra sloop Action. The 213ft three-masted gaff schooner Adix completed the podium in third.
Fast Start for Namuun
The 108ft Hoek-designed sloop Namuun executed the best start of the day, crossing the line just five seconds after the starting signal, a near-perfect beginning to the pursuit-format race.
Geist Wins Half-Island Race
For superyachts opting for the shorter 33.51nm Half-Island Race, the provisional win went to the Swan 90 Hummingbird, captained by Josh Hill. However, Hummingbird retired as they declared that they had missed a mark of the course. The Spirit 111 Geist, captained by Joe Sampson, was declared the winner, while the 140ft German Frers ketch Rebecca was forced to retire from the race after suffering a torn spinnaker.
A Flying Start to SYCA 2026
With a spectacular record broken and strong racing across both courses, the opening day has set the tone for the 15th edition of the Superyacht Challenge Antigua.
The fleet now turns its attention to the pursuit-format series racing off Antigua’s south coast, where tactical racing and close finishes are expected over the coming days.
View the entries here