“Sunsail Colonna must be congratulated for bringing the Championships to Antigua and Barbuda at a time when in many parts of the Caribbean they (hotels) can’t even get 30 to 20 % occupancy and I gather that even without this (Championships) Club Colonna would have had 90% occupancy.”
 
Prime Minister Bird who is a sports enthusiast, made mention of the huge American contingent, and empathized with them during this very difficult time. He said that it’s events like the Sunfish Championships that shows the strength of the human spirit.
 
“Events like this bring people together and that is what we need in today’s world. (We need) a kind of feeling that we are a part of an inter-dependent universe and that we must learn to live with one another not withstanding the idiosyncrasies and differences of our culture. We are a small island, but I want to assure you that we want to reach out to you and make you understand that the human spirit must prevail over anything that happens, because that human spirit is what is going to see us through the difficult times.”
 
George Clarke, Sunsail/Stardust Country Manager who also addressed the sailors said that the event will be a major boost to the county’s declining tourism industry and believes that it will popularize the sport here in Antigua.
 
The prestigious international event being held here in Antigua for the first time is attracting over 90 sailors from 15 countries including Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, Puerto Rico, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, the USA, the Netherlands and Italy.
 
Defending Champion Eduardo Cordera of Venezuela will be aiming to defend his title for the sixth year running, while former World Champions Malcolm Smith of Bermuda, Donnie Matinborough of the Bahamas and Paul Jon Patin of the USA will be attempting to recapture the title.
 
Also providing tough opposition is the 2001 Caribbean Laser Champion Antiguan Carl James and teammate Wendy Harris. The pair finished ahead of six other competitors in the Antigua and Barbuda trials held at the Pitch two weekends ago. James is the holder of the 2001 Olympic Festival title and the 2001 Caribbean dinghy crown.
 
Boat builders Vanguard Sailboats of New Port, Rhode Island is the major sponsor of the competition. The company, the largest US supplier of small sailboats is providing 50 evenly matched Sunfish sailboats to competitors. Sunsail, Antigua Brewery and Antigua Distillery are also supporting the venture.