April 28, 2012 | New Antigua Update | Throughout the five days of the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta, 56 sailing yachts took part to a series of races and events involving boat owners, crewmembers, sailing lovers and journalists who traveled to Antigua from every corner of the world to experience the most important gathering of classic boats in the Caribbean. The prestigious event culminated with Lone Fox being awarded with a Special Edition Panerai watch as the overall winner of the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta 2012.

This year, surrounded by the beautiful scenery of the English Harbour, all eyes were undoubtedly on Eilean, the Bermudian ketch created in 1936 by the Scottish Yacht Designer William Fife III. A multimedia exhibition set up inside the charming, historical Georgian shipyard Nelson’s Dockyard, presented the history of Eilean, from her inception, to her discovery in ruin five years ago by Panerai CEO Angelo Bonati, to this year’s triumphant return home to Antigua. The exhibit showcased not only the staggering talent of the craftsmen who were able to restore Eilean to her original glory, but the beautiful features of the 1930s Fife.

Duran Duran [minus John Taylor*], who shot the video for “Rio” aboard Eilean exactly 30 years ago on these same shores, also took part in the festivities in celebration of Eilean’s return. Simon Le Bon, a passionate sailor himself, along with Nick Rhodes and Roger Taylor were thrilled to accept Panerai’s invitation to return to Antigua and sail again on Eilean.

Amidst perfect sailing conditions and unwavering dedication from the crews, the yachts put on an unforgettable show on the English Harbour. Winner of the Panerai Prize for First Overall Classic Class was Saphaedra. Winning 1st Place in the Spirit of Tradition Class A was Rebecca. The winner of Vintage Class A was Mariella, helmed by Carlo Falcone with Dennis Conner. Eilean, helmed by Andrew Cully and, for several races, Simon Le Bon, won the Woodstock Restoration Trophy in Vintage Class A for Best Restored Yacht. Dorade won First Place in Vintage Class B, and also was the Overall Winner for the Concours d'Elegance, with Eilean receiving a special mention from the jury.

The next stage of the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge season will be in Antibes, in the French Riviera, where the Voiles d’Antibes will kick off the Mediterranean circuit of the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge 2012 on May 30th. Will Simon join the crew?

* John couldn't take part in the fun because he has been hard at work on his autobiography.

Duran Duran in Antigua, between work, vacation and celebration.

April 25, 2012 | Yes! The guys are currently in Antigua. The trip was planned a long time ago as we reported in the November 5, 2011 update.

The main reason for the trip is to reconvene with Eilean, the yatch from Rio, which has been fully restored, but also to shoot a little documentary to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Rio album and video [by Russell Mulcahy] as Nick Rhodes reported few months ago:

"The Rio thing... we do have one little plan for which I'm hoping will involve a short documentary film that will celebrate that period."

Sailing | As we all know Simon isn't new to the Antigua Sailing Week, as we largely reported in may 2009 he won the 42nd Antigua Sailing Week on Charles Dunstone's Transpac 52 Rio [Remember these exclusive pics of Simon taking the Cup? 1 2 3 ]

Well, this year Sir Le Bon joined the crew of Eilean to take part to one of the most renowned Classic Races world wide, the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta which takes place every April, just before Antigua Sailing Week and is hosted by the Antigua Yacht Club.

Simon and his wife Yasmin raced on Eilean, as part of Racing Sunday. This is the first year Eilean has appeared at the Antigua Classic Regatta since being refurbished by her new owner who is also the main event sponsor, Panerai - who now own the yatch.

Pleasure | Our local reporter says :"The band has been enjoying a wonderful stay in one of the Caribbean’s luxury hotels with exclusive beach side in English Harbour, a stunning location in Antigua.

Work | The guys are still enjoying a relaxing holiday in Antigua just before they kick off the South American leg of the All You Need Is Now tour, which starts in Brasilia, Brazil on April 28, but they also met the international press and an interview with a main music magazine with an exclusive photoshoot to celebrate Rio was planned... that's all we can say! So we have something new to look for in the upcoming weeks.

Our local correspondent Ted has sent the two exclusive pictures [below] of Simon attending an evening event, following the Regatta. Enjoy!

Working in Progress | This page about the Antigua trip will be updated as soon as we get more news, stuff and pics!