(From left) Barbados Sailing Association President Penny McIntrye addressing the press while Organising Committee Chairman Peter Burke and Boatyard representative Remmington Went look on.
Stiff competition expected for Mount Gay Regatta 2009
5/7/2009
By Petra Harvey
The competition is expected to be fierce as sailors from Barbados and across the region vie for one of the coveted ‘Red Hats’ when the Mount Gay/ Boatyard Regatta 2009 sails off from the Boatyard next weekend. The regatta, scheduled for May 14 - 17, will see more than 30 crews take to the water in a battle of nautical supremacy.
The details of the regatta were disclosed at a press conference yesterday at Whispers Restaurant on Bay Street. On hand to brief the press were President of the Barbados Sailing Association Penny McIntyre, Chairman of the Organising Committee Peter Burke, Mount Gay Brand Manager Marc McCollin and Boatyard representative Remmington Went.
According to McIntyre this year has been particularly rough for regattas throughout the Caribbean with significantly reduced numbers being the norm at most major regattas. But this is not the case with the upcoming Mount Gay/Boatyard Regatta.
“We are very pleased to say that our numbers are up and we are one of the few regattas this year, whose numbers are up, almost by fifty percent and we are really pleased with these numbers. It has always been a difficult task for us to get boats here, having to be 100 miles to windward. And for those of you that don’t sail, it’s not a very nice trip. It is heading straight into the wind to get here”, said McIntyre.
The regatta will have competition across five classes - the J24, Racing ‘A’ and ‘B’, Cruising ‘A’ and ‘B’ and Multihull classes. Competitors from St. Lucia, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Thomas USVI and Martinique have already registered for this premier event.
In the very popular J24 class, defending champion skipper Colin Symes will be back in action, but this time at the helm of Maximum. Symes, who is currently competing in the J24 World Championships in Annapolis Maryland, led Jabulani to victory last year. This year however Jabulani will be skippered by Peter Hoad.
The crew of Hawkeye and its captain Robert Povey will no doubt be looking to improve on their second place finish in the J24 class last year. They are also competing at the WJ24 World Championships and their skills will be sharpened from this experience.
Other local entries in the J24 class are Impulse, Paddington, Fadeaway, Esperanza, Shakin’, Son of a Gun and Isis. They will face stiff competition from two regional entrants from St. Lucia and one each from Trinidad and Tobago and Grenada.
Also back in action will be defending Racing ‘A’ champion Bruggadung II, but minus the experience of Andrew Burke who passed away recently. Burke was a champion skipper who won the Mount Gay/Boatyard Regatta on numerous occasions and held the distinction of being one of the few sailors who has won every single regatta in the Caribbean.
Bruggadung II will this year be captained by its owner Paul Johnson, but Burke’s presence will be missed not only by his former crew mates but by all the competing crews.
This year the Boatyard will be providing its Heatwave catamaran for interested spectators for just $50 and this includes a buffet lunch and drinks. Interested persons can contact the Boatyard for further details.
