Local entry Visione will rest its title on the line at this month’s annual Superyacht Challenge Antigua.

In the previous the race, Hasso Plattner’s 147-foot superyacht seized class honours and was third overall.

Competing alongside Platt- ner again this year is Glenn Astwood, the former Bermuda Olympic sailor, who is optimistic that the yacht can defend its title and improve on last year’s overall display.

“That’s our objective and we’re getting better and better,” said Astwood, who delivered Plattner’s superyacht from Bermuda to St Martin last month. “The boat has some of the best guys in the world sailing on it, and so our chances are as good as any.

“Visione is a cruising boat built for speed. She has all the latest technology in the build such as carbon fibre and titanium.”

The Superyacht Challenge Antigua will be held from January 28 to 31 and will involve no more than 15 yachts exceeding 80 feet in length.

Racing will take place off the South Coast of the Caribbean island with four races to be contested over three days in a fleet to be divided into different classes depending on the amount of entries.

Astwood will go into the regatta fresh off a successful campaign at last November’s Nassau Cup Ocean Race from Miami to Nassau on Plattner’s former yacht, Raisin Cane. The J-125, now owned by American Frank Atkinson and based in Florida, captured bragging rights in the PHRF Division.

Last year proved to be a fruitful one for the crew of Visione who also won the St Barths Bucket Regatta in the French-owned Caribbean island retreat after several failed attempts at glory.

•Bob Oatley, an America’s Cup challenger of record aspirant in 2014 and owner of eight-time Sydney Hobart-winning yacht Wild Oats XI, has died. He was 87.

Oatley died at his home yesterday of an unspecified illness.

He began his working life as a 15-year-old office boy without qualifications and went on to make a fortune estimated at $1 billion as an exporter of coffee beans, a winegrower and the owner of the Hamilton Island resort.

His success allowed him to indulge a passion for sailing which began in small sailboats before he bought the 100-foot Wild Oats in 2005.

Hamilton Island was the first foreign yacht club to challenge Oracle Team USA, which successfully defended the America’s Cup in September 2013 over Emirates Team New Zealand on San Francisco Bay. Oatley later decided not to proceed with the challenge for financial reasons.