The students of the C.V. Bethel Sailing Club, along with their advisors, paid a visit to Deputy Director of Education Joel Lewis at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology to promote their upcoming regatta, scheduled for November 22nd at Fort Montagu Beach.
Aaliyah Ferguson, student president of the Sailing Club, proudly boasted that the club "brings life" to C.V. Bethel and it is the only senior public school, apart from T.A. Thompson Junior High School, to practice and promote the art of sailing.
Students begin their training at a summer camp, which introduces them to the techniques of swimming and sailing, and it continues throughout the school year with regular meetings and participation in various regattas.
Former president of the club, Aubrecia Moxey, daughter of well-known sailor, Captain Kevin Moxey, who has been sailing since the age of four, praised the club for exposing younger Bahamians to sailing, a sport of which she is extremely proud. Moxey urged all those who might be interested or even curious to come out to the regatta to experience the joy of sailing for themselves.
Advisor Kathy Rolle was asked to join the C.V. Bethel Sailing Club in 2009, when she first started working at the school. "I didn't know anything about sailing until I joined the club," she noted. Since then, she has learned about everything from sloop sailing and gum elemi boat building, to sculling and rope tying, first aid, fish species and even the mangrove ecosystem.
"Students just don't learn how to sail," Rolle declared; "they learn how to build their own boats and they learn about the entire system and lifestyle of sailing." Rolle maintained that students must be encouraged to participate in things that promote activity and a healthy lifestyle and the upcoming C.V. Bethel regatta will do just that.
Head of the Sports Unit Evon Wisdom remarked, "It makes me so happy to see so many young women in this sailing club. I honestly never knew that we had so many young ladies in The Bahamas who sail. We would like to see other schools duplicate what this school has done here and we hope to see the schools participate in interscholastic competition. I also have no doubt that our public appeal will reach corporate sponsors who will help to keep this club going."
Ten student sailors are expected to participate in the upcoming regatta, but there will also be traditional activities in which the public can participate, such as a watermelon eating contest, an egg and spoon race, a sack race, tug of war, checkers, dominoes and a volleyball tournament.
Five C.V. Bethel sailing teams will compete against each other for the trophy, but advisor Desiree Carey hopes that as the regatta becomes more popular, other schools will join in the competition.
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