Regatta Time in the Exumas

Such an enjoyable month in the Exumas and Long Island! Activities include beachcombing/shelling, Texas Hold’em, Bahamas National Sailing Championships, cruising, karaoke, and sailing. But the focus for April is the National Family Island Regatta, aka the national sailing championship.

Before, during and after Regatta we spent our time relaxing with friends.

Dolphins playing around our boats in Elizabeth Harbor

Bettye and Kathy shelling on Stocking Island

Playing dominoes at the Sand Bar

Janie, Jan, Kathy, Bettye, Francie and Kippin at Sand Bar

Bettye and Gillian at St Francis Resort

We always feel welcome at St Francis. George and Gillian do everything they can to accommodate cruisers, providing a great bar and good restaurant and a number of sponsorships and activities.

http://www.stfrancisresort.com/

Happy Hour on board Miss Alice’s dinghy

The National Family Island Regatta is a huge event with every motel room, mailboat, and guest bedroom taken up by visitors from all of the islands and the crews for the Class A (28′), B (21′) and C (17′) sailboats. Between 50 and 75 boats show up each year. These uniquely Bahamian workboats from the past 100 years are all home built, wood hulls and spars, cotton sails, very lightweight, very difficult to control, and FAST! As an example, the Class A boats are about 28 feet long and the masts reach up to 60 feet and the boom can be 32 feet long. Depending on the wind, a Class A crew can be as few as seven, as many as 17!

CLASS B start, Second Heat

A note on the starts: The boats start from anchor. They all line up behind the starting marks, the gun goes off, and they haul in the anchor like a bunch of wild men, looking for that little edge off the mark.

CLASS A downwind leg

Close Encounter at the Windward Mark!!

There is some provision for a few foreign crew on the Class A and B sloops and there is rarely a woman on the crew. A century ago, when these boats were used for travel, trade and fishing, women were the chief captain and crew. There are races for the kids on the Class C boats.

The government dock is converted to a boulevard of shanties, selling food, booze, and food and booze. The partying goes on for five frantic, LOUD days, capped by the Royal Bahamian Police Marching Band, and the awards ceremony on Saturday night. We have never experienced/witnessed amateur (?) competition as intense or prideful as these. Favorites are cheered relentlessly, and laggards are cheered relentlessly. Some of these boats have been racing for more than four decades. The Ragged Islands have only 100 residents, but they enter three boats each year, one in each class.

“Arista” flying celebration colors at Regatta

Bettye’s favorite – Conch Salad

Francie (Barefootin’), John (Miss Alice), Dennis, Bettye

Bettye, Dennis, John & Kathy (Miss Alice)

Regatta is finally over, and most of the remaining cruisers leave the George Town area and head home. A few of us stay and continue exploring. We chose to return to Long Island for a few days, and learn more about this sweet island. This time we got to experience a little more of local living, and got a really good look at what it takes to buy and live on this island, either part-time or full-time.

Bettye, Kathy and Francie singing at Midway Bar & Restaurant

On a Friday night, Gary’s Midway Inn had a karaoke party, knowing the “winter residents” would show up for a last happy hour. They did and we did, enjoying Paula’s cooking and drinking and pool and singing. Mike from Long Island Breeze Resort got us down there, and helped us get in the swing of karaoke, and Gary the owner belted out a bunch of country tunes.

Dennis and his backup group

Gary (the owner) and the Gals…

Mike, Bettye, Francie and friends

We’ll be hanging around Long, Rum and Conception for awhile, then heading up to Cat Island and north. The weather is really getting beautiful. It will be hard to leave…

Long Island Breeze Resort, Salt Pond, Long Ivesland

Jackie and Mike have turned a small plot of ground into a first class resort development. While development is underway, they have taken the time to provide a welcome cruiser’s stop. Their dinghy dock, great food and beautiful bar and access to Salt Pond community, all overlooking Thompson Bay have been a nice spot to spend a few days.

www.longislandbreezeresort.com