From offshore racing and classic yachts to dinghies, superyachts and community regattas, Antigua and Barbuda is preparing for another busy season on the water.
The Antigua and Barbuda Yachting and Marine Association (ABYMA) has released its event calendar for the 2026–27 yachting season, bringing together many of the Caribbean’s best-known sailing events alongside local racing, fishing tournaments and ocean-crossing adventures.
Running from October 2026 through May 2027, the calendar reinforces Antigua’s longstanding position as one of the Caribbean’s major sailing hubs — and gives visiting sailors plenty of reasons to stay a little longer.
Among the headline events are the RORC Caribbean 600, Antigua Superyacht Challenge, Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta, Antigua Racing Cup and Antigua Sailing Week, along with the return of the Antigua Yacht Show and a full program of local club racing.
Antigua Racing Cup Moves Earlier
One notable change comes with the second edition of the Antigua Racing Cup, which moves to an earlier date in March.
The timing is designed in part to make it easier for boats competing in the RORC Caribbean 600 to remain in Antigua for another major racing event rather than immediately moving on to another island or heading home.
It’s another example of Antigua working to create a more connected Caribbean racing season for visiting boats and crews.
Antigua Sailing Week Continues Its New Format
The famous Antigua Sailing Week will also return with the newer four-day format introduced last season.
Rather than concentrating everything around a traditional race-week structure, the format incorporates different destinations around Antigua, combining competitive sailing with more opportunities for crews to experience the island itself.
For sailors who have followed Antigua Sailing Week for decades, it represents an interesting evolution of one of the Caribbean’s most recognizable sailing traditions.
Classics, Superyachts and Ocean Adventurers
Traditional sailing will be well represented by the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta, while some of the largest and most impressive yachts in the Caribbean will gather for the Antigua Superyacht Challenge.
Antigua will also remain an important destination for sailors arriving after much longer journeys.
The Salty Dawg Rally, World’s Toughest Row and McIntyre 580 Transat are all expected to bring sailors and ocean adventurers to the island during the season.
That mixture — from small boats and cruising yachts to offshore racers and superyachts — is part of what makes Antigua’s sailing scene unusual even by Caribbean standards.
Plenty of Racing Beyond the Big Events
The calendar isn’t limited to internationally known regattas.
Antigua Yacht Club’s Jol Byerley High Tide Series includes the High Tide Race, Boxing Day Barrel, Nelson’s Pursuit and Sandy Island Race, giving local and visiting sailors additional opportunities to race throughout the season.
On Antigua’s west coast, Jolly Harbour Yacht Club is adding a new One Design Elite regatta, serving as a Caribbean Championship ahead of the Jolly Harbour Valentine’s Regatta.
Dinghy sailors have a busy schedule as well, culminating in April with the Budget Marine Optimist & ILCA National Championships.
A Full Season Ahead
For Caribbean cruisers, the importance of the calendar goes beyond racing. Major sailing events bring boats, crews and visitors into English Harbour, Falmouth Harbour, Jolly Harbour and other parts of the island throughout the season, creating one of the region’s liveliest concentrations of sailors.
From classic yachts and offshore racers to Optimists and cruising boats arriving after an Atlantic passage, Antigua and Barbuda is preparing for another season in which almost every corner of the sailing world will be represented.
For anyone planning a Caribbean sailing itinerary for 2026–27, it may be worth keeping Antigua on the calendar — perhaps more than once.
The full 2026–27 event schedule and registration information are available from the Antigua and Barbuda Yachting and Marine Association at ABYMA.ag.
Source: Antigua and Barbuda Yachting and Marine Association
