The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

A STAPLE on the local sloop sailing calendar, the 27th edition of the St Valentine’s Day Regatta will produce what is being billed as one of the most anticipated editions of the event to date.

February 15-16 at the Montagu foreshore, Eleazor “Sailing Barber” Johnson announced that the event will feature sculling, rowing and sailing in its trek toward three decades of native sloop sailing.

“We are really looking forward to this one. The St Valentine’s is one of those big regattas that everyone looks forward to every year so this is a big deal for the whole sailing community,” Johnson said. “Everyone wants to see this regatta and we love any chance we get to showcase some real Bahamian culture. That is what it is all about, not just the racing on the water but the atmosphere, the bringing people together and helping the economy. This will be one of the most special ones we have had yet.”

As always, the signature event of the regatta schedule will be the “Catch Me If You Can” race.

The Lady Nathalie, a B Class sloop, will have its customary headstart as the remainder of the A class field attempts to catch the pride and joy of Johnson, one of the sport’s most colourful characters.

The E Class sculling boats will return to regatta competition and once again, the Bahamas Sailing Association junior sailors will show off their sailing skills in the Optimist sailing race.

The winner from this year’s competition will go on to compete in the National Sculling Championships at the end of the year, following the various competitions that will take place at the regattas and homecoming celebrations on the islands.

Clayton Bain repeated as the national sculling champion last year in Treasure Cay, Abaco.

Johnson said he has been so pleased with the progress that has been made since the inception of the regatta that he’s looking forward to next year.

“We started from scratch, but we have come so far that this has become bigger than Georgetown, Long Island, Acklins, Andros, Grand Bahama, Cat Island and all of them together,” Johnson said.

In that series, the Lady Nathalie has been caught four times by the Red Stripe, skippered by Lundy Robinson and the New Courageous, skippered by Captain Emmit Munroe, who did it three times.

“The rest only caught me about once. That’s it,” said Johnson of his boat that is normally skippered by Clyde Rolle.

Rolle, the long-time skipper for the Lady Nathalie, said that while they got caught last year, he’s hoping to turn the tables on their rivals this year.

“When we started, we had the old Lady Nathalie. We won about three or four in the old Lady Nathalie and then she had an accident in Long Island,” he said. “Eleazor went ahead and built another Lady Nathalie and since he built it, the Lady in Red has won about 12-14.

“Over the years, I think we have done a great job with the regatta. And Montagu Bay is looking so good now. That’s the place to have a regatta.”

For the fourth consecutive year, The Bahamian Brewery and Beverage Company will be a major sponsor along with and The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture.

Johnson said the regatta began as a means to fill a void in entertainment and the sloop sailing calendar during the month of February.

“We are expecting a lot of activities with the Optimist sailing, the E class race and some sculling races with the boats that the Bahamian Brewing Company Limited and Sands Beer has produced,” Johnson said.

“The Valentine’s regatta has come from far and I want to thank all of the people who have supported me over the years. Many years ago as a sailor from the island of Acklins to Nassau, I came together with the late Hezron Moxey and others and we sat down and came up with the idea.

In Nassau after junkanoo there was nothing to do in those days during those months. One year I thought about how we could take advantage of this.”

Boats registered to take part in this year’s event include the Lady Nathalie, Southern Cross, Red Stripe, Good News and others.

“Last year we had a successful regatta, and this year we expect to do the same if not improve and do much better,” said Johnson. “This one I’m told is going to be the biggest one and the most spectacular one yet.”