The Tribune

TRIBUTES have been paid to Sir Godfrey Kelly from the sailing community, with the president of Cat Island Sailing Club hailing him as a “giant of a man”.

Club president Sharine Poitier-Johnson paid her respects to Sir Godfrey, who was one of the founders of the Cat Island regatta in 1956 when he was the then Member of Parliament for Cat Island.

Sir Godfrey, 93, died at his Eastern Road home at about 10.30am on February 10 shortly after eating breakfast.

An avid sailor, he competed in the 1960, 1964, 1968 and 1972 Summer Olympics.

He was bestowed with a knighthood in Queen Elizabeth’s 2020 New Year’s Honours.

He was officially knighted at a ceremony at Government House in September of that year.

Mrs Poitier- Johnson joined with executives and members of the Cat Island Sailing Club and the wider community in the island to extend sympathy to Sir Godfrey Kelly’s wife, Lady Sonia Kelly, and the entire Kelly family on his passing.

She said: “Sir Godfrey Kelly represented Cat Island constituency in the House of Assembly from 1956 to 1968. He also served as the first Minister of Education 1964 to 1967. After his representation in Cat Island, he went on to serve in the senate.

“Sir Godfrey’s representation and contributions to the people of Cat Island is longed lived and we will continue this mandate in his honor. The pandemic has changed the way we execute large gatherings but no doubt we will continue to promote Cat Island and its historic attributes to the Bahamas and indeed the world. While I did not have the opportunity to meet this giant of a man, presidents and committee organisers before me boast of his kindness, humility and generosity to the upkeep of our regattas.

“Up to 2019 prior to the pandemic, Sir Godfrey consistently funded Cat Island Regatta along with The Ministry responsibility for regattas.”

The first Cat Island Regatta was held in Knowles on May 24, 1956, and was sponsored by Sir Godfrey and Sir Harold Christie. It began when Sir Harold sponsored Captain Harold King and sent him to George Town for the races. Exuma was the only island that held an annual regatta three years prior.

Mrs Poitier-Johnson said: “Sir Godfrey saw the potential in the local boat owners and the economy hence he along with the late Sir Harold Christie, his brother David Kelly and Peter Christie who were all racing in the Snipe boats in Montagu Bay, decided to lend their expertise to the late Herbert King in the sailing area to form a committee and organise the first regatta in Cat Island which is in its sixty-Six years and still lives up the original mandate despite financial challenges. Mr. Kelly has been a steady supporter from the regatta’s inception. The four-time Olympic sailor was the last of the original organisers of the Cat Island Regatta.

“May 1956 saw the creation of the regatta, which has been moved to the Emancipation holiday weekend in the Bight. To help christen the regatta, the committee was able to secure a total of 48 boats to compete, all of whom had one unique stipulation – they all had to be work boats from the various settlements out of Cat Island.”

On the 60th annual regatta in 2016, Sir Godfrey gave his account of the inaugural event, saying: “They were the means of communication in Cat Island and the roads were very bad on the island, so the only way the residents got from one settlement to the other was often by boat. That was why we had so many boats to compete in that first regatta. They also used the boats for fishing, but the main form of transportation was by these same work boats.”

“When the starting gun sounded, they pulled up their anchors, hoisted their sails as the races began,” Sir Godfrey said. “It was quite extraordinary to think that after all these years, we are now going into the 60th year that we will still have the Cat Island Regatta.”

In Tokyo, Japan, in 1964, Sir Godfrey became the first Bahamian in his class to win a race, the same year that Sir Durward “Sea Wolf” Knowles went on to win the Olympic gold medal when he teamed up with the late Cecil Cooke in the Star Class.

Coupled with his decorated political and sporting contribution, Sir Godfrey was a lawyer by profession and a member of The Bahamas Bar for more than 65 years.

Mrs Poitier-Johnson said: “He was a true Bahamian statesman, a man to be admired for his sense of integrity, good humor and patriotism who supported communities throughout The Bahamas. May his soul rest in eternal peace.”

Sir Godfrey is survived by his wife Sonia Kelly, his granddaughter Katherine Ann Elza, and his sisters-in-law, Lady Ann Johnstone and Nancy B Kelly, MBE.

A funeral service will be held at Christ Church Cathedral in Nassau on Friday at 11.30am.

A viewing will be open to the public on Thursday, from 1pm until 6pm.