His name is Emmitt Munroe and he stands, today at 73, a quiet, but proud icon of sloop sailing. The popular sport has had its share of controversies. To a large degree, the infamous infighting within the fraternity has been responsible for halting the sport's advancement at pivotal stages. The abrupt ending of the Marlboro Series that attracted the best sailors in the world, who interacted competitively with local skippers, comes quickly to mind. Then, there was the "points series" that phased out, again because of the inability of the sailing family to work sufficiently together.

There have been many other negative instances, such as boycotts of national sailing events, and in-island fussing due for the most part to personal agendas. Standing very much above the fray through the years, has been Captain Munroe. Indeed, the man who is synonymous with one of the most famous boat names, 'Courageous', in the history of Bahamian sloop sailing, has been primarily the moderate of the group.

He is as reasonable as those in sloop sailing get. When asked to boycott in the pursuance of the objectives of others, he opted to take his boats and participate because of a strong passion for sailing. When the forces turned against him, Munroe weathered the storms and maintained his dignity and honor. It never went down well with some that "Emmitt will not go along with us", however they all had little choice but to respect the native of Ragged Island and to grudgingly acknowledge his credibility.

For Munroe, his affinity to the sea and sailing began just a few years beyond his infancy. As a tot, he got caught up in the preparations for going seaward, by observing his father Captain Oscar Munroe and Captain Edgar O. Moxey, stalwarts of the island. Eventually, at the age of 15, he went to sea with his father. "I took my first trip with daddy on the 'Spectator', the boat that he sailed between Cuba, Ragged Island, Haiti and New Providence. I remember the first port we sailed into in Cuba. It was named Sama. The port city is also known as Puerto Sama and is in the Holguin Region." For Munroe, the rest as they say, has been history of the grandest kind.

Ultimately, Munroe would become a quality captain in his own right and one of the most successful skippers and boat owners ever, in the history of the nation. Quite frankly, despite the quiet persona, his deeds on the water favorably compare him with names like Rolly Gray, Fred 'Man' Finley, Hezron Moxey and Lundy Robinson, skippers of that ilk. The Original Courageous is legendary and belongs in the same upper category of the Original Thunderbird (of Rev. W. Gentry McPhee), Tida Wave and the Good News. Others might prefer to differ, but that's my view.

The combination of Munroe/Courageous is right up there with the best of them. There is the record to verify such a lofty status. The Original Courageous has won at virtually every stop on the schedule - Exuma, Andros, Eleuthera, Harbour Island, Cat Island, San Salvador, Abaco, Long Island and New Providence. Munroe has been the skipper on all of the winning occasions, except in Exuma. "I never won the Exuma Regatta, but Ivan Stuart won in the Original Courageous. I placed second a few times.

Nevertheless, I captured the Prime Minister's Cup Race in Exuma several times," said Munroe. Along with the outstanding international skipper Ted Turner, Munroe won a Marlboro Series in the Original Courageous. At the first Bahamas Games, representing Bimini (due to an assigned position), Munroe and Courageous won the gold medal. Just for the record, let's add to the aforementioned accomplishments, Munroe winning the 'Boat of the Year' title in the Original Courageous four times.

He had a truly amazing run in the boat which actually came about because of a challenge made to Edgar Moxey. "I used to sail on the Good News which was built by Captain Edgar. One day after we won, I told Captain he would never be able to build another boat that could beat the Good News. He told me that all I had to do was supply the hard wood (horse flesh and Madeira from Andros) and he would prove me wrong. "Well, I did not follow up, but when we won again and again, I challenged him continually.

Finally he reminded me that all he needed me to do was to get the hard wood and he would build a boat faster than the Good News. Well I got the wood, Captain Edgar built the mold and the Courageous came into being and did just what Captain Edgar said it would do," explained Munroe. Yes, the Original Courageous did quite well. There is also another boat that bears the same name.

It's the New Courageous. That boat is building its own legacy with son Jed Munroe at the tiller. What about the Original Courageous these days? A back injury has slowed Emmitt, but another son, Sean, skippers the Original Courageous. Jed and Sean are seeking to follow in the path of their father. For them, it's quite a tall order. Their daddy is a living legend. o To respond to this column, kindly contact Fred Sturrup at sturrup1504@gmail.com

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian