Thousands of Bahamian boat racing fans turned out to support the all-day 2015 Valentine’s Day Massacre Regatta, held at Montague Beach on February 14 to 15, and participate in the year-round cultural event.

Bahamians enjoyed all kinds of local food and drink, as well as engaged in a few games of dominoes, while they waited for the racing competition to yield a new champion. The ‘Ed Sky’ of Ragged Island won first place, followed by ‘Running Tide’ in second place, and ‘The Lady in Red’ completed its course in third place.

“We got an eight-minute head start and they were trying to catch us in The ‘Lady in Red.’ We sailed very well but there was a boat underdog, a boat that wasn’t expected to do very well -- that boat came up and actually beat all of the boats. The boat that she was sailing against, and I was sailing against -- they were all national champions,” said Clyde Rolle, Skipper of The ‘Lady in Red’: “The only boat, that was not a national champion, beat all of the national champions.”

Although the ‘Lady in Red’ came in third place, Mr. Rolle said that Captain Willie Wallace of Ragged Island sailed the ‘Ed Sky’ in place of his father, who passed away and was buried sometime last week.

“I think it was one of his sons who sailed the boat. The father died last week. He got buried last week. And I think the boat had some ghost in it and she sailed with the old man’s ghost,” said Mr. Rolle. “The man who built her, his ghost was still in her. She sailed like a ghost today. Nobody saw her.”