Impressions of the 69th Annual National Family Island Regatta of the Bahamas
by Del Olsen 3 May 00:38 AEST
April 22-26, 2025
I have much experience racing sailboats of many sizes in many settings, and much experience as a race organizer for national and international sailing events. This year I attended a Bahamian Wooden Sloop Regatta for the first time. These are my observations.
The first thing that strikes you about the NFIR, sailed on Elizabeth Harbor in the Southern Exumas, is simply the venue. Crystal clear water that shames any swimming pool for its shades of teal and aquamarine blue. With a water temperature of 78 degrees Fahrenheit and air temperature to match, and white sand beaches that make sugar blush, the venue is simply stunning. Oh, and that's before you factor in the 12-18 knot wind emanating from the predominant Northeast to East direction. Even if the predominant wind fades, complaints are few, and that's nothing but good. A better with depths averaging 7 feet an better small boat venue would be hard to find. As the Bahamians say, "When God made George Town, he made it with Regatta in mind."
The boats are of familiar and traditional full keel plank on frame wood construction but with massive crew ballast and righting moment from the use of a hiking board or "PRY" in the local vernacular.
Currently there are four classes, the largest being the A-Class at 28' with few restrictions on crew size and sail area and pry length. I counted 14 people on one boat. Talk about choreography in a tack, Beyonce has nothing on these crews. A-Class sloops sport 60'+ masts and 32' booms with no vangs flying cotton sails. Gybes are avoided at all costs, or should I say to avoid large costs. Until recently the 12' E-Class was restricted to youth under age 18 but has been opened to adults. E-Class and 17' C-Class have become the most popular fleets; both classes see 30+ boats on the starting line. In the E-Class, Juniors may sail with 3 people, adults generally sail with 2. Optimal crew weights seem universal as the E-Class does not use a hiking board or "PRY" to keep the boat flat and at full displacement speed.
Class rules are familiar to all racing sailors. From my reading, the Bahamian sloops are a mix of Box rule with elements of restricted one design. Depending on the class, they are a mix of the specific and the ambiguous. Boats must be of traditional wood construction, full keel with no cutaway forefoot, external ballast no more than 50% and to "maintain the traditional grace and beauty of the hull and rig" a concave sheer is required but not defined.
The need for developmental progress is recognized but slowed enough not to outclass current boats. The definitions seem to be arrived at by consensus and administered by committee, basically it all works amazingly well as witnessed by the fact that some boats are still competing 50+ years on.
In the realm of the more familiar, listening to the Race Committee VHF channel, the traffic would immediately be recognized by any PRO, mark set or safety boat driver. Conversations about course length, wind direction strength, course length, and sailing angles of individual legs, would be right at home on any racecourse anywhere. Concern for safety and fair sailing underlies every exchange. I heard one transmission to the weather mark boat. The concern was that the mark placement for the starboard rounding would avoid any need for a bear away gybe to make the downwind finish line.
Dallas Knowles and his crew did a masterful job showing exceptional knowledge of the fleets and conditions... Well Done!!
Some race management issues are universal in any race with broad appeal. The spectator fleet at the weather mark presents a challenge. Naturally everyone wants the best vantage point for the best photo or for seeing the action up-close and personal. All is well if the fleet is spread out, but every so often there's a 3 or 4 boat pinwheel developing. While everyone's eyes are on a boat executing a full power bear away with 4 or so crew on the end of the PRY, the pinwheel is bearing down on the spectator fleet (much to the consternation of the weather mark boat whose job it is to keep the area clear). So here they come; overlapped line abreast each requiring more separation as they ease sheets, remember those 30 + foot booms? Fortunately, there were no collisions, thanks to some excellent boat-handling by the offenders no harm, no foul, except for the shouting.
Racing; the unique part. If there is one aspect that distinguishes Bahamian Wooden Sloop Racing, it's the start, sometimes compared to Le Mans starts of the famous race car circuit. The difference is, instead of running across the track, all boats are at anchor with their bows below the start line with sails down. You'd think this would eliminate "over early" OCS infractions, Not!!! The RC issues warnings to "Get in Line!" and can assign penalty points to those who fail to comply. The RC boat fires the start gun from their vantage point, while hovering upwind at mid-line. Most of the crew on the anchor line begin pulling it in with all their might. One or two others hoist the sails, while the skipper keeps the boat dead to weather if he can. Sounds simple but one gust, a sticking sail slide, or mis-coordination can and frequently does send boats into non- penalized contact. In other words, a Bad Start. This controlled mayhem does tend to spread out the fleet, in one race I saw the lead boats were almost to the leeward mark on the first run before the last place boat rounded the weather mark. With this system there's no need for the Black, U or I flag and or even the recall flag.
Being a Nation of Islands, it's no surprise that Sailing is the National Sport fully supported by the government.
That support is apparent in some subtle and some not-so-subtle ways. It was apparent in the social media sphere and with ship or ferry transport of boats to the venue. However, the most notable difference is the inclusion of per-diem allowances for the crews and prize money for the winners. The largest sums go to the podium finishers in the A-Class boats with the amounts stepping down for each place and division. Some may criticize such a practice but according to those I talked with, even the top prize would cover perhaps 10% of their campaign costs. Nobody makes a living with those numbers, they don't race for the money. Home Island pride is so strong that the concept of a "hired gun" is a foreign concept. That's not to say it doesn't happen, in this year's event at least one winning skipper was not from the winning boat's home island hailing port. This will generate controversy at the next event and those to come!
I talked with Gerad Moxey from Black Point, Exuma about his role in coordinating the logistics of ferryboat transport for the competing race boats, housing, food, securing media and numerous committee boats as well as serving on the protest committee. His responses would be familiar to anyone who's sent a boat to an "Away Game" or helped organize a Marque level event. The challenges are the same and never seem to let up. Just when you think everything is going well, the steering system on the Media Boat fails and you must recruit a suitable sized replacement before tomorrow's 08:30 start. There's an old show-business axiom that any drama behind the curtain that's overcome so the show can go on, really didn't happen at all.
At the regatta center I talked with Marisa Ferguson, her role obvious by the clipboard and the other tools of a race recorder and scorer she carried. I mentioned that finishes were announced over the VHF and recorded using boat names as opposed to sail numbers as is common practice elsewhere. It was a non-issue for her, as all the RC know the boats by color and other defining characteristics. Advertising is allowed but restricted to hulls. For crews, advertising can be seen on matching team shirts and their benefactors' sponsors. For Gerad, PRO Knowles, scorer Marisa, Race Committee Chairman Clyde Rolle and the dozens of other contributors, hats off, Well Done!! It's just part of the job and giving back to The Sport.
With an event that has been going on for 7 decades, it's hard to escape the gravity of its history. The sailors are all keenly aware of the historical significance reinforced by rivalries between islands and families going back decades and even generations If you substitute regions and yacht clubs, a familiar picture emerges. Walking around the Regatta Village there's lots of good-natured ribbing and some braggadocio as the sailors seek a little refreshment before or between races. In addition to being a sailing Regatta, it's also one of the bigger community events on the island right up there with Junkanoo.
In George Town the entire working commercial dock is converted into a giant food court and bazar with pop-up stands selling food, beer and spirits of all flavors, many of which you can't find anywhere else. Anyone care to hazard a guess what's in a cocktail called "Sky Juice"?
For those fortunate enough to have been to a European summer beach festival and regatta like Travemünde Week on the Baltic, you would feel the same vibe but with Bahamian Rake and Scrape music blasting from the speakers and the smell of BBQ jerk chicken in the air.
The Social media explosion has made it to the Bahamas, and it looks to be a good thing. Getting the word out has never been easier or faster, much to the chagrin of slow typists like me. From the media boat I watched the instant media commentators doing on-the-water pre- and post-race interviews with smiling mike-holding skippers. It could have been the Sail GP or Americas Cup except they were on a 40-year-old wooden boat instead of a 40-knot carbon fiber foiler.
At one point I watched as the social media team focused their attention on the oldest active skipper in the regatta. As 83-year-old Effort Kemp waited out the 15-minute prestart anchor time with a sly smile while patiently answering their questions, he had the "interview" part down pat. He also had the "skipper part" down pat, winning the 37 boat C-Class.
At the Regatta Village Media Pavilion, the live-streamed race video and commentary was playing on the big screen. The visuals evolve out slower than modern audiences have become accustomed to, but the color commentary was exceptional. The announcers reminded me of listing to major league baseball or NFL broadcasts. They kept a constant flow of the unfolding battles and the underlying strategy, recalling past encounters effortlessly. They sounded like they had a long history with The Sport and the competitors. I never got the impression that the back and forth was there simply to avoid the dreaded "Dead Air."
Of note in the 32-boat final, E-Class race veteran sailor David Knowles eked out a 1-point victory over a determined team of junior challengers led by 15-year-old Skipper Emit Knowles, sailing with crew Dai Major (16) and Wyllan Braynen (14). Isn't there an old saw about old age and the treachery of experience overcoming youth and enthusiasm? Better luck next time guys.
As the early finishers were packing their boats for the ferry ride home, many were heading for some refreshment in the village. Their tired but satisfied faces were on full display and had a familiar look. After a day or two of rest and a return to the patterns of everyday life there will be smiles aplenty recounting the experiences had, the battles won nor lost and a yearning to do it all over again in a few months and certainly next year.
Race Results:
A-Class
1st Silent Partner, Leslie "Buzzy" Rolle, Exuma
2nd Tida Wave, Brooks Miller, Exuma
3rd Rufff Justice, Joshua Knowles, Long Island
B-Class
1st Lonesome Dove, Jeff Gale, Abaco
2nd Eudeva, Sheldon Gibson, Crooked Island
3rd Lady Sonia, Leslie "Buzzy" Rolle, Exuma
C-Class
1st H2o, Efford Kemp, Exuma
2nd Bul Reg, Leslie "Buzzy" Rolle, Exuma
3rd It Aint Right, Jeff Gale, Abaco
E-Class
1st Lady Annamarie, David Knowles, Long Island
2nd Mako, Emit Knowles, Exuma
3rd Lady Kayla, Joss Knowles, Exuma