#Bahamas, December 1, 2017 – Nassau – Minister of Agriculture & Marine Resources, the Hon. Renward R. Wells, held a press conference on November 30 give an update on The Bahamas’ second annual hosting of the Final Stretch of the “Best of the Best” Regatta, scheduled for December 7 thru 10, 2017 at Montagu Bay.
“Allow me to say at the outset that all system are go,” said Minister Wells. “Last year’s event established the bar for what regattas could be in The Bahamas and by every measure, we are on pace, by far, to surpass the standard set in our event.”
Minister Wells said that more than 50 boats are participating in the A, B and C classes and the Ministry has done its part to ensure the level of participation lives up to the name “Best of the Best.” He added that boat owners and captains will continue to inform the Ministry of what is needed to prepare for what may well be the most competitive weekend of sloop sailing in the history of The Bahamas — anticipating the weekend will be a ‘clash of the champions,’ next Thursday.
“Speaking of champions, I am pleased that we will also be hosting the year-end race event for the Star Sailor’s League as well. Sailors from around the world have begun arriving and training in Montagu Harbour for what, too, will be a very competitive race,” said Minister Wells.
“As a fellow Olympian and a proud Bahamian, I am particularly pleased that we will be hosting a number of Olympic gold medalists and world champions in this race. I thank Mr. Robert Dunkley and the Nassau Yacht Club team for their work in staging the races along with the Star Sailor’s League. I am particularly delighted to announce that our own Olympic Gold medal winner, The Sea Wolf, Sir Durward Knowles, will be out to view the races.”
Minister Wells added : “Bahamians have every right to be very proud of the effort being made by the organizing team of the Ministry of Agriculture & Marine Resources, in promoting regattas to their rightful place in Bahamian sports and culture.”
Speaking on the topic of Culture, Minister Wells acknowledged the recent passing of cultural icon, Ronnie Butler, and said that every artist performing during the entire week will dedicate and perform one song originally performed by the legend.
“As you may know, Ronnie Butler was the featured artist in the first ever “Best of the Best” celebration and I strongly believed his participation was a blessing to this project,” said Minister Wells.
Reflecting on how the sport’s history produced so many well known Bahamian celebrities, “Sloop Sailing ought to be the National Sport in The Bahamas,” said Wells, “and I will present as Exhibit A in this regard, a well-planned, well-attended, 2nd Annual ‘Best of the Best’ Regatta. For the second year, we will be streaming our races to the world. This year, our goal is to reach one million viewers watching both the sloop sailing and the Star Class races. This is a tremendous opportunity for the sport and the country in terms of our tourism product.”
“The races will be seen on YouTube and our Facebook page, ‘Regatta Desk’. I am pleased to announce that the live stream will also be seen on www.bahamaslocal.com, one of the most visited webpages in The Bahamas. I thank our sponsors Paradise Games, Rev/Cable Bahamas, Aliv, Commonwealth Brewery Limited, Coca Cola, Sky Bahamas, Janae’s, Impact Imaging and Bahamaslocal.com,” said Minister Wells.
He concluded his press address by thanking agency partners for their incredible support and hard work, which included “the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Works, Antiquities Monuments & Museums Corporation, Public Parks and Beach Authority, the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF), the Royal Bahamas Defense Force (RBDF), the various regatta committees throughout the country, Star Sailor’s League, Nassau Yacht Club, the boat owners, skippers, and crews who will be racing and of course, the Bahamian people, without whom, none of this would happen.”
Minister Wells invited all residents and guests of The Bahamas to come out to the races and enjoy them.
The races are scheduled for Thursday, December 7, when the site opens to Sailing A, B, and C Classes from 9 a.m. until; Friday, December 8, also featuring sailing races from 9 a.m.; Native Show, Junkanoo, Live Entertainment, a Kiddies’ Corner; Official Opening Saturday, December 9; and Sunday, December 10, offers the “Best of the Best” Race with 5 boats in the A Class, 5 boats in the B Class, and 7 boats in the C Class. There will be the Official Closing at the end of the race with a Presentation of Awards to the winners of each category, plus onshore activities, Native Show, and Junkanoo.
By: Gena Gibbs (BIS)
Photo caption: From left: Phaedra Rahming, Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Agriculture & Marine Resources, Agriculture & Marine Resources Minister Renward Wells, and Sherwanda Jones, HR Manager of Paradise Games, speaking at “Best of the Best” Regatta Press Conference at the Ministry on November 30, 2017.
(BIS Photo/Patrick Hanna).
