The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

FOR the second consecutive year, the Palm Cay Resort will be providing the Sir Durward ‘Sea Wolf’ Knowles Floating Trophy for the 26th annual St Valentine’s Day Massacre Catch Me If You Can A challenge race this weekend in Montagu Bay.

The resort, one of the best kept secrets in a gated community on the waterfront in Yamacraw, also presented organizer Eleazor ‘the Sailing Barber’ Johnson, with a cheque for $2,000 to help defray the expenses of the regatta that will be held on Saturday and Sunday.

“Our affiliation with the Bahamian community and being involved in the water sports is one of the reasons why we felt we should sponsor the regatta,” said Zack Bonczek, the sales and marketing director at Palm Cay. “We are happy to be involved and continue to sponsor such a rich tradition in the Bahamas.”

After coming on board last year, Bonczek said they were so pleased with the organization of the regatta that they decided to continue to make their contribution.

Last year, the Red Stripe, skippered by Lundy Robinson, won the title, which was awarded to the A class boat that can catch the B class Lady in Red, Lady Nathalie, owned by Eleazor Johnson and skippered by Clyde Rolle. The boat is given at least a 12-minute head start of the field in the challenge race on Sunday.

“We want to try to assist the sport in any way that we can to continue the tradition,” he said. “It’s important for us as a corporate citizen to be involved in the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre and sloop sailing in general. We intend to eventually host some type of sailing event here in the future.”

Although they are not completed, Palm Cay is located on a 69 acre property with 1,200 lineage feet of beach front and an 8-acre marina that can accommodate about 94 boats. When completed, in addition to the condominiums, Palm Cay will also have its own fuel facility.

In accepting the cheque, Johnson said they are pleased to have Palm Cay back for another year of sponsorship.

“If we can have more companies like this, we can be able to do a lot more with the regattas,” Johnson said. “I tip my hat off to the sponsors and I hope to see that they enjoy what we are doing. It is good to see that they are not just out to make money, but they are also willing to give something back to the community.”

Another organiser, Cylde Rolle, said they are delighted with the partnership that they have forged with Palm Cay and the Bahamian Brewery, producers of Sands Beer (Sands, Sands Light, High Rock).

“Although it’s not documented yet, sailing is going to become our national sport and so Palm Cay and the Bahamian Brewery and Sands Beer are the right people to give the sport the support that is needed to help grow the sport from strength to strength,” Rolle said.

This year’s regatta has increased in terms of the events being offered.

“We have two extra special events going on,” Rolle explained. “We’re going to have rowing for the first time in the history of sailing. We are going to have the Olympic style rowing in Montagu shores. In addition to that, Sands Beer will be sponsoring the popular sculling races, which has really become a crowd pleaser since it was reintroduced nation-wide last year.

“And for the first time, we will have the E class competition for the boats that were specifically built for the juniors. We’re going to have the top sailors like Lundy Robinson, myself, Sheldon Gibson, Josh Green and Mark Knowles are some of the sailors who will be sailing those boats. We’re going to have about 10-12 of them on Saturday.

“The majority of them were designed and built by Sheldon Gibson. Sands Beer own about five of them.”

Berkerley Williamson, representing the Bahamian Brewery and Sands Beer, said as usual, they are very excited to be joining the Palm Cay as a major sponsor of the regatta this weekend for the second consecutive year.

“This event could be the best one ever with the A Class Catch Me If You Can, the popular sculling races that we are putting on and the E class,” Williamson said. “It’s going to be a very fun filled weekend and so we arw inviting the pubic to come out and participate.”

The action, which will also inclide the Optimis sailing for the juniors, will get started on Saturday at 10am. The regatta will close out on Sunday, starting at 1pm.