The Tribune

Although it has been fun and a learning experience to have crewed for various people on boating pleasure trips while living here in The Bahamas, I confess to little real knowledge about sailing. But one does not need to know a great deal about this wonderful activity and sport to realise how important it is in this country.

So it comes as no surprise that the declaration by the House of Assembly in April that sailing is now the national sport of The Bahamas has been widely welcomed, with many people saying that this was anyway long overdue.

It then struck me that it might be interesting to look at the work of a body like the Royal Nassau Sailing Club which I have been told is recognised, along with the Nassau Yacht Club, as a major sailing centre in the country. As I understand it, these two clubs are the main organisers of the sport. Both host international events in the famous Montagu Bay which has become renowned around the world for its scenic and unspoilt environment and for the excellent conditions it provides for sailing – and both clubs have active junior programmes, with the RNSC starting its own in 2005 using Optimist Dinghies.

The RNSC’s main purpose is to encourage and promote yacht sailing and racing and to produce an unmatched environment for sailors and others to enjoy the sport. Those at the RNSC directly involved have told me that its main activity over the years has been the Snipe Fleet for which the club has hosted four major international events in the last twelve years as well as running its own annual Snipe Winter Championship. For many years the club has also had an active Sunfish Class in which members represented The Bahamas at major international events.

Delving a bit deeper, I learnt that the club has developed a successful training programme, with instruction provided by world-class Bahamian sailors who have themselves competed internationally over many years with considerable success – and, most importantly, this programme has been available to everybody throughout the country with an emphasis on young people from all backgrounds. Interestingly, almost all of the junior sailors who have represented The Bahamas at international events since 2005 have been coached as youngsters by Robert Dunkley at the RNSC, including all five of the sailors currently participating in the Optimist World Championships in Spain.

A little research reveals that, historically, The Bahamas as a nation has a fine record of producing top-rate sailors who have excelled in international competition. Perhaps the most famous of these was the late Sir Durward Knowles who won a gold medal at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. Some 16 RNSC members have raced in the Olympics including the late Sir Godfrey Kelly and his brothers, Basil and David, in the 1960s and, most recently in 1996, Robert Dunkley, Mark Holowesko and Myles Pritchard – and it seems to me hugely significant that some of the country’s highly skilled sailors are passing on their knowledge and expertise to the next generation.

As an RNSC member myself, I am aware of misconceptions about the club. But I am assured that it is open to membership applications from anyone who might be interested in joining either to participate in sailing or as a social member.

From my own observation, steps are currently being taken to create a welcoming environment for potential new members; and there is a belief within the club that it could become a greater force for good in The Bahamas – especially, of course, in the sailing world – if people in the community were aware of what it has to offer everybody irrespective of their background.

By way of history, readers might be interested to know that the RNSC has enjoyed royal patronage since 1926 when it received its Royal Charter from King George V. The club has received visits from members of the Royal Family over the years, dating back to that of the late Prince Philip, who was an Honorary Life Member and presented the King’s Cup sailing trophy to the winners in 1959. This trophy was donated to the RNSC by King George V at the time he granted the club its Royal Charter and it has been known since then simply as the King’s Cup.

Most recently, Prince Edward, who has now succeeded his father as the Duke of Edinburgh, has visited The Bahamas a number of times in connection with the Governor General’s Youth Award and has dined at the club.

The RNSC has a strong heritage of sailing and community and is steeped in tradition. Through its programme of instruction by local Bahamian sailors for fellow Bahamians from whatever background, there now seems to be an opportunity to stimulate even more interest and provide practical assistance to unleash the potential of young people in particular. This must surely be good for the country as a whole, not least as sailing has at last become its national sport.

As an example of the success already of the club’s junior programme, the attached photograph of the winners of this year’s King’s Cup illustrates how the RNSC is now operating. Gavin McKinney, victor in the 5.5m World Championships amongst many other wins during a highly successful sailing career, is alongside his crew member Joshua Weech who started sailing with Robert Dunkley at the age of nine. Joshua is a four-time Bahamas Optimist National Champion and has been the top Bahamian at both the Optimist North American and World Championships.

Last month, the RNSC hosted the 2023 annual King’s Cup event for the club championship. It is a five-race series in which all races count to determine the overall winner. It was sailed in near perfect wind conditions and the team of McKinney and Weech came out on top as the eventual winners. They also won the trophy in 2021. While congratulating them, some now hope that this is a sign of things to come as the Royal Nassau Sailing Club succeeds in opening up first-class sailing to the wider community.

BRITISH POLITICS IN DISARRAY AGAIN

As a major world player, Britain’s latest political situation is always of general interest to other countries. Regarded as the cradle of democracy, the Westminster system is seen as an example of sound governance and stability. Against this backdrop, the political chaos in autumn last year, which saw three different UK prime ministers in as many months, was all the more shocking. Stability was then restored under a new prime minister, Rishi Sunak, and the squabbling amongst Conservative MPs quietened down considerably. However, this new found temporary serenity was upset last week by the resignation as an MP of former prime minister Boris Johnson.

Some say he jumped before he was pushed because he stepped down in advance of what turned out to be a damning report by the Committee of Privileges of the House of Commons. This group had been investigating whether he deliberately misled Parliament over parties at No 10 Downing Street in violation of lockdown rules during the pandemic. Even though he acknowledged what he claimed was an honest mistake of fact and quickly corrected it, the Committee found him guilty and imposed a 90-day suspension that was overtaken by his resignation and sought to banish him permanently from Parliament by taking away his pass.

This action has been widely criticised as a disproportionate overreaction by the Privileges Committee – a kangaroo court and a witch-hunt - and a deranged attack by vigilantes who want to get rid of Johnson forever. Some have called it vengeful action by a group with a cynical agenda claiming to be safeguarding the sanctity of Parliament yet only succeeding in making a mockery of their role. One UK newspaper called it “the most spiteful stitch-up in the history of politics” and others labelled it hypocritical and vindictive while Johnson himself, showing anger and bitterness, described it as “rubbish, a lie, absurd and complete tripe”. At the time of writing, the outcome of last evening’s debate in the House of Commons about the Privileges Committee’s Partygate report was uncertain.

So, where does this leave Boris Johnson? It is said that he provokes adulation and irritation in equal measure. Put more bluntly, you either love him or hate him. The opposition parties are united in their loathing, not least because they fear him as a clever and witty politician and a proven vote winner who is popular with the public. Some say he was the best Tory prime minister since Margaret Thatcher. Others maintain he should never have been allowed anywhere near Downing Street.

Comparisons with former US President Donald Trump are inevitable. Both are charismatic, prominent characters and seem to love controversy though Johnson is clearly the more erudite of the two. But, as far as Johnson is concerned, people wonder above all how such a gifted and successful politician went, in the space of three and a half years, from the triumph of winning a huge majority at a general election to being humiliated by his peers and no longer even allowed to enter Parliament. What is more, the voting public regard it as a turn-off – an interminable witch-hunt when the country is beset by a series of genuine crises.

The general view now appears to be that Johnson is not someone who will simply lie down and disappear, particularly because he feels genuinely wronged. So this is unlikely to be the final curtain on a colourful career and a political comeback cannot be ruled out. He has the capacity to attract attention and disrupt things. He has been quickly hired by the Daily Mail to write a regular column so he has already found a pulpit from which to preach and to test whether he still has any real following and influence. It is hard to think the British people have heard the last of him.

It is said that political power is an addiction – a drug like no other – and to stay high you need more and more of the same. Front-line politics is exciting, intoxicating and fulfilling but, at its worst, it is a rough and tough occupation.

So, with Rishi Sunak languishing in the polls with a Tory party still divided - and now also having to face a disgruntled electorate in at least three upcoming by-elections – will the ghost of Boris Johnson haunt him? Politics in Britain during the coming months promises to be particularly interesting.

ANOTHER SHOW OF POMP AND PAGEANTRY

Last weekend on a fine summer’s day, the traditional and much-loved annual ceremony of Trooping the Colour took place on Horse Guards Parade in central London. This is an occasion for the British Army’s most prestigious regiments to honour the monarch’s official birthday and demonstrate their loyalty to the Crown.

As far as one could see from the television coverage and from all reports, this year’s event, which was Charles III’s first official birthday parade as sovereign, proceeded without a hitch. It was a fine display of the nation’s traditional military pomp and pageantry and impressive precision - both foot soldiers and mounted cavalry - in front of the new King on horseback which was a practice The Queen had given up during her later years; and people have been commenting on how well he controlled his horse which was said “to have been a bit frisky” on the day.

After the parade there was a fly-past watched by the monarch and a slimmed down Royal Family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace and by thousands of onlookers thronging the Mall. This was the full 70-aircraft fly-past planned for the Coronation six weeks earlier that had to be curtailed because of poor weather. The finale was performed by the RAF’s aerobatic stars, the Red Arrows, who created their traditional red, white and blue vapour trails in the skies above.

For many people this was Britain at its best and left them with a proverbial lump in the throat. But, as always, some wonder why their monarch should have two birthdays. The answer is that a parade is held in June because the weather is more likely to be good than on a monarch’s actual birthday if that happened to be during the winter. This is said to go back to the year 1748 during the reign of George II who was born in November when the weather conditions were deemed to be unsuitable. The new King’s real birthday is November 14.