The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE landmark event on the local sloop sailing calendar plans to celebrate its 60th edition in grand style.

The tradition of Bahamian sloop sailing continues in April with the 60th National Family Island Regatta in Georgetown, Exuma.

This year’s event will coincide with the country’s 40th anniversary of Independence, and the 120th anniversary of the Royal Bahamas Police Force Band, which traditionally performs at the regatta site.

For the past 20 years, the National Family Island Regatta Committee has been honouring persons who have made substantial and invaluable contributions to the growth and development of the regatta by dedicating the annual event to them.

This year, four individuals will be honoured at the regatta, including Captain Emmett Munroe, Captain Henry Harding, Eleazor Johnson and Captain Brooks Miller.

Mr Johnson said some of his greatest memories in the sport came in Georgetown, which he called the best of all regattas in the country.

“My first time competing in the regatta was 1980. I had many good memories in Exuma and I have been supporting the regatta from then. I don’t think there will be any regatta in the country like Georgetown, Exuma, because everybody goes there to be a part of it,” he said. “I must thank the committee for this honour, but I think if I finally win in Exuma they need to build a statue for me at the regatta site.”

After years of falling short in the final points standings, Captain Munroe said he hopes that 2013 is the year he is able to be at the helm to lead his sloop, the Courageous, to victory.

“Its an honour to be one of the honourees this year. I was taking part in the regatta from 1978 in the Courageous,” he said. “I never came first in the overall regatta, I came second a few times and I won the Prime Minister’s Cup a few times, but the goal this year is to win it all.”

Danny Strachan, chairman and commodore of the National Family Island Regatta, said: “What began 60 years ago as a weekend of braggadocio and a sporting test of the skills of a few work boats and their skippers has evolved and prevailed to become the premier regatta on the sailing calendar and a much anticipated event by locals and visitors alike.

“From the initial Out Island Squadron who organised the first regatta 60 years ago, to today’s dedicated National Family Island Regatta Committee, this truly Bahamian event could not have endured without the dedication and commitment of the government, organisers, skippers, volunteers, sponsors and fans alike.”

ASP Hunter, representing the Royal Police Force Band, said partnering with the National Family Island Regatta will be one of many highlighted events on the 2013 calendar, as the band celebrates a milestone of its own.

“Our band really enjoys making the trek to Exuma, myself being a son of the soil from Farmer’s Cay, Exuma, it is a personal treat for me,” he said. “It is an important part of Bahamian culture we feel privileged to take part in, and we are honoured to be a part of it for as long as you will have us.”

Chairman Strachan said the regatta touches a cross-section of the Bahamian community, and warrants an opportunity to be showcased in this landmark year.

“Over the course of the next three months, the National Family Island Regatta Committee, under the theme, ‘Celebrating 60 years of Spectacular Sloop Sailing’, will be holding events to showcase the integral part of the National Family Island Regatta has played in the cultural and economic life of the Bahamas, as well as acknowledging and celebrating the many persons who have contributed to making the NFIR a part of the Bahamian cultural landscape,” he said.

“Therefore, considering such a significant milestone, made especially outstanding because it coincides with our country’s 40th anniversary of Independence and the 120th anniversary of the Royal Bahamas Police Force Band, the NFIRC has partnered with the Cultural Committee for the 40th anniversary of Bahamian Independence to celebrate that truly enduring Bahamian spirit, born in 1954 which continues today,” Mr Strachan said.

“Each year, for the past 60 years, the community of sailors could look forward to testing their skills, and the wider Bahamian and international community could participate in this proud tradition.”

The national races that take place in Elizabeth Harbour, Exuma, annually during the last full weekend of April is a gathering of many Bahamian boat builders and sailors, who compete to be the best of the best in their class.

“Let me invite all Bahamians from all walks of life to experience a bit of paradise, make lasting friendships and witness what has been described as the world’s greatest sailing event,” Mr Strachan said.