Antares University - Cross Border Sailing

With 4-years of experience in training new owners on the Antares 44, this year we decided to expand Antares University to include more than just a learning opportunity. Instead, we put together a 2-day cross border cruising experience.

Although many of the 17 participants were experienced sailors, not everyone was familiar with the sophisticated systems onboard.  After a morning classroom session going through the electrical systems in great detail, participants spent the rest of the afternoon lifting floorboards and opening hatches for an in depth orientation of the Antares 44.

The following 2 days gave everyone the opportunity to cruise in real world conditions. The first day we anchored on a pure sand bottom on Big Sandy Bay where the two Antares catamarans rafted together for lunch. In the afternoon, the women and men sailed on separate boats – giving the women the opportunity to experience sail handling and troubleshooting. Light winds gave us the chance to fly the standard 635 sq. ft. Screecher. Once in Sackets Harbor, we cleared immigration via video phone.

The next day provided stronger winds in the morning but the fog quickly rolled in and enveloped us, reducing visibility to 200-feet in front of us. With a close eye on the radar and winds blowing a 17 knots, we changed up the jib for the Genoa and cruised to Main Duck Island just as the fog was beginning to burn off. We anchored on the rocky bottom and had a bbq lunch anchored in calm, turquoise waters.

The sail back to Kingston was in light winds, giving us the chance to fly a spinnaker onboard Antares 4419 SALARN.

Contact us to learn more about how you can participate in next year’s Antares University.

Link here or on photos below to view.