The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

IN an effort to pay homage to the memory of a Bahamian cultural icon, The “King” Eric Regatta Committee in conjunction with the Ministry of Agriculture and Local Government will host what they plan to be one of the biggest regattas in the country.

Billed as a history-making event with the largest awarded purse in Bahamian regatta history, the “King Eric All For One Regatta” is scheduled for January 10-12, 2015 in Montagu Bay, New Providence.

Shane Gibson, son of “King” Eric, MP for Golden Gates and Minister of National Insurance and Labour, announced the event during a press conference yesterday.

“What is exciting about this is the purse in this regatta will be bigger than any other purse in any regatta. So we encourage all boat owners to participate,” he said. “Over the past year this family has received calls from numerous islands and regattas who have highlighted his [‘King’ Eric’s] outstanding contribution to regatta development throughout the Bahamas. We thought it was only fitting that we memorialise and pay tribute to him in a tangible way and on an annual basis.”

The event is expected to be an annual event henceforth featuring class A, B and C sloops.

Committee member Delworth Gibson spoke to the event’s formats, which is expected to have some improvisations that participants have already begun to rave about.

“The format will be based on the exact format that is used in Georgetown. Unfortunately we do not have the size harbour as Elizabeth harbour so we are going to have to improvise with some of our races. There are some ideas that have been put forward that we seek to use and implement. One of the things we used to do many years ago was have a race around Paradise Island for these sloops. This is one of the things that we are looking at. I have spoken to boat owners and stakeholders in this and they are very excited in bringing this aspect of things back,” he said. “We will include all racing sloops in three classes and we look forward to all of them coming down and making this a grand event. I am sure that the public in Nassau will be excited to see all of the sloops from the Family Islands that they don’t get an opportunity to see in Nassau. These boats are very popular and will add to the event.”

Committee chairman Eric Gibson Jr said although it is in its first edition, the event looks to stand out.

“We want to make this the standard for regattas,” he said. “We are trying to take regattas to another level, historically regattas were plagued with financing and we are trying to make that a non-issue with the purse. Very few regattas have A, B and C classes. We also plan to include all stakeholders, including regatta committees. so it will be unique in that way where it will be all-encompassing.”

The event will include a myriad of onshore activities such as acts by local entertainers and DJs.

All music played at the event will be Bahamian music, paying tribute to “King” Eric’s legacy as a Bahamian musician.

“The ‘King’ Eric Regatta Committee was recently formed to pay tribute to the life and legacy of its namesake by recognising his contributions and accomplishments in the development of the sport of sloop sailing in the Bahamas,” Gibson Jr said. “We seek to reach out and involve all stakeholders in the sport to be a part of the sub-committees. This includes boat owners, commodores of sailing clubs, Family Island regatta committee members and sailors. The main objective of this committee is to hold this annual regatta in honour of his legacy.”

Alfred Gray, Minister of Agriculture and Local Government with responsibility for regattas, said it is a fitting honour to a man that has selflessly contributed so much to the sport for much of his life.

“I thought we could combine our efforts and have the largest regatta in history and that’s what we agreed to do. It is expected that the Ministry and the committee will work together in all aspects. I want to congratulate the family of this legend and I say this without contradiction that there is nobody on record in this country that I can find that has done more for sailing than ‘King’ Eric Gibson. There is no dispute that he is the king of regattas,” he said. “It is fortunate that we are able to annually combine ‘King’ Eric’s family’s efforts with the ministry and make one large regatta, the largest in the Bahamas. I’m advised that boats and sloops will be invited from all over the Bahamas. The only other regatta that does something similar is the Family Island regatta in Georgetown and if this comes off the way it is billed to come off then I will have to tell Georgetown to watch out.”

King Eric died at age 79 in December 2013. He is remembered for his dedicated service to the music industry and his commitment to growth and development in the sporting world of golf and sloop sailing.

The legendary Gibson was considered as a man for all seasons, a towering strength and a source of inspiration by those throughout various sectors of the Bahamian community.