El Ocaso. (Photo by Paul Wyeth)

ST JOHN’S, Antigua – At the Final Awards Ceremony in Nelson’s Dockyard, Richard Wesslund’s J/120, El Ocaso, was awarded the Lord Nelson Trophy for the best overall performance of any yacht during Antigua Sailing Week 2012.

El Ocaso scored seven straight wins in CSA 4 but it was far from easy. Most of the races were decided by less than a minute and on several occasions just a few seconds.

The yacht is based in Florida but the crew comes from all over the United States including San Francisco, Nevada, Wisconsin and Florida.

It has had a fantastic Caribbean season, winning regattas in St Maarten, BVI and finally Antigua.

“It has been our best season ever and winning the Lord Nelson Trophy really caps it off,” said El Ocaso’s Richard Wesslund.

“This has been the most competitive regatta by far. We have been pushed hard in every race, often winning by just a fraction of a second. Every year, the crew votes on the events we will compete in and Antigua Sailing Week was top of the list. The race and shore-side management have been absolutely first class, which is so important. I would like to offer my congratulations to the management team of Antigua Sailing Week, they have put on a fantastic event.”

Chairman of Antigua Sailing Week’s Regatta Organising Committee, Kathy Lammers, is keen to get the views of everyone who has been involved with the regatta.

“This is the second year of race management for the current Antigua Sailing Week Regatta Organising Committee and I’m confident that we’re on the right track with the direction we’re moving in. The final awards ceremony was an excellent opportunity to speak with many of the competitors and I am delighted to report that without exception, everyone I spoke with was very positive about the changes we’ve made,” Lammers said.

“We realise that sailors come from all over the world and give up a lot of their leisure time to be here, so we are determined to deliver top quality racing combined with enjoyable social events when the day’s racing is over.”

The 2013 Antigua Sailing Week will be held between April 28 and May 3.