The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

EIGHT competitors from around the country are expected to line up in Treasure Cay, Abaco, next weekend to compete for the Bahamian Brewery and Beverage Company’s 2013 Sands ‘Man in the Boat’ Sculling National Championship title.

The championships, which was held in Grand Bahama last year, has moved to Abaco for two major reasons – the Grand Bahama Regatta won’t be held this year and Bahamian Brewery has been encouraged to expand their new location in Abaco this year.

“Next week, we will take the Sands Man in the Boat National Sculling Championships in the Bahamas to Treasure Cay,” said Gerard Sawyer, High Rock brand manager. “Throughout the year, we’ve been to the different regattas and homecomings, holding sculling competitions and this will be a culmination where all of those champions will be in Abaco to determine who is the best sculler in the Bahamas.”

Clayton Bain, the reigning champion in last year’s nationals in Grand Bahama, will be back to defend his title. He will be matched against the winners in the series of sculling competitions that were held in New Providence, Exuma, Long Island, Abaco and Grand Bahama.

The participants are Donnie Bastian, winner of the All for One Regatta that was held in Montagu in January, Sheldon Gibson, winner of the St Valentine’s Day Massacre that was also held in Montagu in February, Clayton Moxey, winner of the National Family Island Regatta that was held in April in Georgetown, Exuma, Dennis Fox, winner of the Long Island Regatta in Salt Pond, Long Island in May, Finley Cox, winner of the Abaco Championships in July and Clayton Cooper, winner of the Grand Bahama championships in August.

The other competitor is Stephen Rolle, the runner-up at last year’s national championship, who has been added as the chairman’s pick.

A motorcade through the streets of Abaco, starting in Marsh Harbour, is scheduled for Friday, November 1. It will head all the way to Cooper’s Town and end up in Treasure Cay on the beach where the national championship will take place on Saturday, November 2.

To make it a real festive event, Bahamian Brewery is expected to hold a series of races for the children for the Triple B championship title, starting at 10am. That will be followed by the E Class regatta using the sculling boats and conclude with the sculling national championship.

During their initial event held in Abaco earlier this year, Bahamian Brewery made a donation of four computers to the Treasure Cay Library and Sawyer said they are hoping to stimulate the community once again when they return to host the national sculling championships.

“It would have been in Grand Bahama, but because of reasons beyond our control, they won’t have a regatta this year, so we were asked by the people in Abaco to bring the national championships back there,” he said. “So we were very happy to take them up on their offer. The event was very well attended and so we expect to see even more people there when we go back next weekend.”

James ‘Jimmy’ Sands, the CEO of Bahamian Brewery, said they are delighted to take the national championships to Abaco where they have recently opened their latest branch and so it fits perfectly in their quest to promote their products - Sands, Sands Light, High Rock and Strong Back - during the sculling competition.

The products are named on the sculling boats that were designed by Sheldon Gibson two years ago to help Jimmy Sands revive the sport of sculling in the Bahamas and in such a short space of time, the event has been a welcome and added addition to the sailing and homecoming regattas at various sites during the course of the year.

“This is going to be the Cadillac of Cadillacs,” Sands said. “Clayton will have his hands full because the other competitors who won on the other islands will be gunning for him. This will also display and gain recognition for this sport. I see it and I feel it will be rejuvenated much quicker than I expected. So I’m looking for a spectacular event to be held in Treasure Cay in Abaco in November.”

Although they have moved the championship to Abaco this year, Sands said they are looking forward to having it returned to Grand Bahama where their factory is located. But he added that they hope that they can get a chance to make their contribution to the growth of the economy there in the future.