For years now, veteran sailor and boat owner 'King' Eric Gibson has called on the government to launch more support behind the sport of sloop sailing. Appeals were also made for corporate assistance to ensure that the indigenous sport continues to grow in The Bahamas.
Even though many of his requests would go unanswered, Gibson pushed on hoping that things would get better, and according to the sailing legend, they did. A few days ago, CEO of the Palm Cay Marina Richard Browning announced that he would sponsor the floating trophy for the 'Catch Me If You Can' St. Valentine's Regatta. Other incentives were also added to the regatta, which will take place at Montagu today.
Gibson believes that the move by Browning is timely and brought excitement back for many of the sailors, who had lost hope. "This weekend's regatta is going to be one of the most exciting ones held in many years," said Gibson. "The sailors are excited about the event and are looking forward to putting their boats back into the water. The buzz and love of regatta is back. We see more and more persons going out there, building boats and wanting to compete. That is good. It brings hope because regattas are big. The people in Nassau don't know how big regattas are. Some of these regattas and homecomings are the 'bread and butter' of these islands. So to have a nice man support sailing, that is great."
One of the new sloops set to hit the water today is the Melva B, a C-class boat. Gibson said Melva is built to sail with the best of the sloops in her class. He believes that the sloop will turn a lot of heads this year and encourages other corporate entities to jump on board.
He added: "We know that this regatta season is going to be a good one. I can feel it. In all of my years being involved in regattas, from organizing and sailing, I know that this is going to be a great year. Whenever you see the sailors are excited about the season you know that it is going to be good. The sailors are ready. The regatta on the weekend will prove it. A lot of sailors will be taking part. There will be a lot of new boats. So we are keeping our fingers crossed for the rest of the season because this is just the beginning."
The annual 'Catch Me If You Can' St. Valentine's Regatta will start today and conclude on Sunday.

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