The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

AFTER hosting a successful memorial St Valentine’s Day Massacre in Montagu Bay over the weekend, Trevor Johnson said they were delighted to see their father, Eleazor ‘the Sailing Barber’ Johnson, get his win.

“His beloved Lady Nathalie sailed to victory, skippered by his dear friend Captain Clyde Rolle,” Trevor Johnson said.

“The A Class boats gave the Lady Nathalie a 10-minute head start on an eight-mile race course. The Lady in Red never looked back.”

Rolle said he remembered during the pre-event press conference telling the A Class boats that he had a secret weapon.

“We brought the secret out and instead of the boats catching the Lady in Red, we put some more distance between us from what we originally started with,” Rolle explained.

“I really want to thank the Johnson family for keeping the pride of St Valentine’s Day Massacre up, James and all of the brothers, and family. They did a wonderful job.”

Next year, Rolle anticipates that the event will be bigger and better.

On Wednesday at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, the Johnson family and the organising committee presented the awards to the top three finishers in Sunday’s ‘Catch Me If You Can’ race in Montagu.

While Rolle and his crew, that included three other captains, sailed the Lady Nathalie to victory, the Southern Cross, skippered by Derrick Miller, got second and the Red Stripe, skippered by Lundy Robinson, was third. The Good News, skippered by Keith Brown, was fourth and the Ed Sky, skippered by Lee Armbrister, was fifth.

Stafford Armbrister headed the racing committee and the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources, Caribbean Bottling Company Limited, Commonwealth Brewery, Kalik, Johnson’s Trucking Services and Johnson Barber Shops were the sponsors.

“We would also like to thank the many fans, boat owners and skippers, who continue to show their love and support for our beloved father, the late Eleazor Johnson,” said Trevor Johnson, who was accompanied in the presentations by his brother, James Johnson.

Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources Michael Pintard said the government of the Bahamas is committed to supporting the event and they showed by increasing their grants to the organising committee.

“Barber J was an outstanding icon in the Grove community where I grew up, he was important entrepreneur for young black kids who had aspirations of doing something significant and despite the fact that he came into after many iconic sailors had already made their mark, his flamboyant style and his promotion of the sport catapulted him in the conversation as being one of the greats.

“In his recent passing, the community lost an outstanding Bahamian and we thought it fitting to increase the purse for this event as a part tribute because there are many other things we intend to do to support the Johnson family in keeping his legacy alive.”

Pintard said they hope that more sponsors will come on board and support the event, which will remain a part of the regatta schedule.

Kendal ‘Nabbie’ Black, former commodore for the Black Point Regatta in Exuma, said the St Valentine’s Day Massacre was one of the biggest sailing events he looked forward to as a youngster and he even sailed as the bowman on the Lady Nathalie.

“Unfortunately, they were overcrowded and the Red Stripe was short and so I had to jump back on the Red Stripe,” he said.

“We caught him a few times, but Sunday, the wind was too light and we couldn’t really catch her.”

Black, however, thanked everyone for supporting the regatta and they hope that it will remain a fixture on the calendar as they keep the memory of the late Eleazor ‘the Sailing Barber’ Johnson alive.