Two new races were added to the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, making it one of the biggest sailing events to be held in New Providence.
The E-class and sculling races are expected to be very entertaining, as hundreds of Bahamians are expected to come out to the regatta over the two-day sailing weekend.
The 'Catch Me If You Can' race is once again the headliner. That race will occur on the Sunday of the regatta, February 17. Skippers in the other classes will set sail on Saturday, February 16. The 26th annual event is set for that weekend at Montagu Bay.
Some of the sloops in the A-class chasing behind the Lady Nathalie this year will be the Southern Cross, the Courageous, the Red Stripe and the Palm Cay Princess.
Owner of the Lady Nathalie Eleazor 'Barber J' Johnson dared the other boat owners to "step up to the plate" and accept the challenge. He is confident that his prized possession, named after his mother, will sail on to victory and keep the winning streak alive. The Lady Nathalie will be sailed by Clyde Rolle.
"Thank God for saving my life, it was a hard road and I traveled the distance to reach the top," Johnson said. "I must thank all the sponsors, the committee members and persons who assisted me and who are always around me. The regatta time is a special event. It's like Christmas. I must say that we went way back from when it first started. We went from 1987 to 2013. That's how long this race has been going on, non-stop, and I must thank all the sponsors who helped. Mr. Sands helped me with the Lady Nathalie. He was there when the Lady Nathalie was built and he is still by my side. He has a true love for The Bahamas."
Young skippers will have an opportunity to show off their skills that weekend too, while veteran skippers will captain the E-class sloops sponsored by the Bahamian Brewery Ltd. The fleet of boats under the Sands umbrella sailing in the E-class are Sands Lite, Strong Back and High Rock.
Sir Durward Knowles will sponsor the 'Champion of Champions' award which will be presented to the winner of the C-class. Other sponsors this year are Coca-Cola, Aquapure, the Atlantis Resort, the Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC), the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) and Bristol Cellars.
"We are very pleased to be involved again with Eleazor Johnson known as the 'Sailing Barber'," said Berkley Williamson, general manager at the Bahamian Brewery Company.
"After 26 years, it is proof that he is very stable and that he wants the best for sailing. Our company, Sands Beer, is a young company but nevertheless we are privileged to be involved in an event that has been around for such a long time. We are happy to sponsor the E-class, the world's famous sculling boats like Sands Lite, High Rock and Strong Back. That race and the others are going to be very exciting. As a truly Bahamian company owned by Bahamians, we are so happy to be involved in this sport, because it is so indigenous."
The St. Valentine's Day Massacre will allow skippers to test their sloops, preparing for the 60th National Family Island Regatta in George Town, Exuma, from April 23-27, 2013.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian