The traditional Bahamian sailing sloops move like graceful white butterflies, tilting left and right, crossing and racing over a field of blue. Encouragement is shouted from small boats following the fleet. On land spectators line the shore rooting for their favorite sloop. Sea wall sailors yell instruction and dismay as would the armchair quarterback or backseat driver.
This year the National Family Island Regatta celebrates its 60th anniversary and the very young nation of the Bahamas celebrates is 40th year of independence (July10). Maintaining national unity in the archipelago of nearly 700 islands and cays that separate the country can prove challenging. Those challenges have given Bahamians both strength as a nation and a cultural legacy of life on the water, of sailing and reaching out to their nearby neighbors.
The National Regatta is held each April in Georgetown, Great Exuma. The event brings participants and spectators from Family Islands throughout the Bahamas. Boat builders and sailors from Acklins, Ragged, Andros, Great Guana, Staniel, Long, Cat, Abaco, New Providence and other islands begin arriving on mailboats and ferries the weekend prior to the event.
The camaraderie is there, but also a fierce competition among the participants. The sailors of Staniel Cay have been highly successful over the years with their sleek white and blue Class A boats, The Lady Muriel and Tida Wave. On the back of a T-shirt the message was clear, "On land, We friends."
Along Kidds Cove, and road leading to the government dock and Regatta Point, food shacks and conch stands spring up overnight. Souse, steamed mutton, cracked conch, conch fritters, plantains, peas and rice and other native Bahamian dishes draw lines at dinner time.
Friends reunite, hug and catch up. Strangers don't remain that way very long. The nation may be separated by islands, but Bahamians are not strangers. Each person seems to have a relative or friend on each island. The festival of Regatta continues all over Georgetown. At Regatta Park, vendors sell homemade goodies and souvenirs. The straw market boasts a variety of T-shirts, hats and straw work to commemorate the event. All along the one way road throughout town, vendors sell their goods. Visitors and Bahamians smile, nod, and have a great time.
The tension and excitement builds as Georgetown's population swells. Music plays a large part in the five day event. Across Elizabeth Harbor, on Imagine, we can hear the bass from powerful speakers begin a thump, thump in the morning that lasts through the wee hours of the next.
Regatta goes out with a bang on Saturday with music by the Royal Bahamas Police Force Band which just happens to be celebrating its 120th anniversary. Leading up to the finale, the Barretarre Performers, the Exuma Youth Marching Band and other Bahamian entertainers will keep the festivities going. Bahamian children climb into trees and on rooftops to get a great view.
The Bahamas Office on Tourism reports that an estimated 65 boats compete in the five classes which are A, B, C, D and E. About $325,000 is spent facilitating the Regatta. The Government is a major sponsor together, committee fundraising, and help from a number of corporate entities and local businesses.
Bahamian history recalls that Regatta began as the age of sail began to wane, giving way to motorized boats. The working fleet of Bahamian smacks and sloops were not in good repair. A group of Bahamian and American Yachtsmen came up with an idea to hold a race for the working craft throughout the Bahamas. They knew that Bahamians were up to the challenge and many would upgrade their vessels for a chance of bragging rights and glory.
According to the history of the National Family Island Regatta by Harland Bottomly, In April 1954 nearly 70 Bahamian sloops, schooners and dinghies gathered in Elizabeth Harbor for three days of sailing An Out Island squadron formed after the successful regatta to make this an annual event. That organization lasted through 1987 when it became the National Family Island Regatta Committee.
Today, Danny Strachan leads as Chairman and Commodore of the committee. He said that while the event began humbly to test the skills of the workboat owners, the regatta has turned into a premier sailing event in the country that brings visitors and people from all strata of society in harmony and friendship.
Each year the committee honors Bahamian sailors who have led the way and distinguished themselves in the growth and development of sloop sailing. This year's honorees are Captain Emmett Monroe of Ragged Island, Brooks Milller of Staniel Cay, Captain Harry Harding of Long Island and Eleazar Johnson of Acklins. All have left their name in the annuals of regatta fame.
The sailing sloops of modern day are now made for racing and not carting fish, sponge, sisal, or goods. The boats are sleeker, the masts taller and the booms longer. When the start gun blasts, anchors are pulled, sails are raised and the aquamarine harbor is decorated with colorful sloops and flowing white sails. The butterflies of regatta flit along, seeking advantage and the finish line at the end of the course.
The regatta celebrates sailing history. It is a cultural event. It is a celebration of boat building skills of Bahamians living throughout the islands. It is most definitely an authentic Bahamian celebration. It is a time to experience how others live and a time to make new friends.
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