The Tribune

THE fourth annual Best of the Best Regatta is all set to take place in Montagu Bay foreshore December 5-8, according to Minister of Agriculture & Marine Resources Michael Pintard.

Pintard made the announcement yesterday at his office, noting that the sport of sloop sailing will focus heavily on the relief efforts for the victims of Hurricane Dorian as this year’s regatta seeks to continue the evolution of the sport in how it is presented to the public. “There is no secret that one of the main goals of this ministry is to secure the designation of sailing as our national sport. Like Junkanoo and peas and rice and fried fish, sloop sailing is intrinsically Bahamian,” Pintard said. “The movement of people, commerce, news and gossip happened because of the back and forth of these boats in the old days. Now, it’s the competitive juices that drive the competition in our various regattas, with settlements and islands seeking the bragging rights that come with winning a major regatta.”

According to Pintard, the Best of the Best Regatta, in its short existence, has proven to be the premier regatta presentation in this country.

“You would understand that taking home a trophy in what has become the third major after the National Family Island Regatta and the Long Island Regatta is a very big deal among our sailors and their fans,” he stated.

The Best of the Best Regatta, according to Pintard, has also been the birthplace of many of the innovations that are redefining our sport.

“We started with big screens on the beach, then added live streaming,” he pointed out. “Last year, we added live television and this year, we are extremely proud to announce our partnership with the Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas to become the official broadcast partner for the 4th Best of the Best Regatta.”

The Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas or the ZNS Network is the national broadcaster and is seen on more television sets and handheld devices than any other network in our country.

In its 42 years of television broadcasting, ZNS TV has cemented itself as the people’s television station and for family islanders, the idea of watching their boats crewed and captained by their fellow islanders on their national network is a major, major accomplishment. “I wish to applaud our team and the ZNS Network for making this arrangement possible and I am excited to see what this partnership produces,” he stated.

This year, according to Pintard, the organising committee is expecting more than 50 boats to be in the water in classes A, B and C with the boats representing islands and communities throughout the archipelago.

“As you know, the nightmare known as Hurricane Dorian has caused a change of plans on many levels in our country,” Pintard said.

“The Best of the Best was no exception, with our budget being trimmed as a part of government refocusing of resources to help with the recovery.

“Despite this, our team did an incredible job of ensuring that the funds dedicated to our sailors and their prize money remained untouched. Through the generosity of our business community, we were also able to put on two cup races as well.”

This year’s sponsors include Marlin Marine, JS Johnson, Kalik and the Caribbean Bottling Company.

“I mentioned Hurricane Dorian earlier,” Pintard said. “As most of you know, I’ve had my own close call with that hurricane and for the past few months since its passage, I have been working very hard to assist in the national recovery effort, be it on the local level with my team and the bipartisan efforts on Grand Bahama or on the international level.

“I have spoken in Spain, Norway and Costa Rica on the affect this hurricane has had on our country. I have canvassed for whatever help we can get on the international stage and I will come to the public in short order to share our progress. In a few days, I will be visiting the FAO in Rome and Hurricane Dorian will be very much on my agenda.”

In making the announcement of this year’s Best of the Best Regatta, Pintard said Hurricane Dorian is still on the minds of so many people.

He said he’s hopeful that the championship team of the Abaco Rage Sailing Cartel, racing the Lonesome Dove in B Class and the “It Ain’t Right” in the C Class, will all be in Montagu Bay to compete when the first cannon goes off at 9am on December 5.

“It is my hope that if God allows, Jeff Gale and his crew can give the people of Abaco, particularly the ones displaced to New Providence, a reason to cheer and smile,” he summed up. “That is a part of the beauty of sports.”

As a part of their promotion of Hurricane Dorian, Pintard said the sailors have agreed to join the ministry’s team when they hit the streets on Monday, December 2 to solicit funds to help families in need due to Dorian. “The sailors have also kindly agreed to donate a portion of their racing money to the cause and I am told the total figure is significant,” Pintard said. “I thank them for their generosity and support.”

At our Regatta Village at Montagu, Pintard said his ministry will also have donation bins set up, courtesy of Coca Cola, for all four days of the regatta and he encourages the public to be generous in their giving.

“The Best of the Best Regatta has come to represent the excellence that is within all of us as Bahamians,” he said. “In my Ministry, our mantra has been to give the best effort for the best return.

“I believe that the public will see this when they come to the Montagu Foreshore on Thursday, December 5 when we begin.”

As the first minister to oversee more than one Best of the Best Regatta, Pintard promised the public, sponsors, vendors, guests and most importantly, the sailors, nothing short of the best this year.