The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

In memory of the late Edgar Moxey, who was buried last week, Ed Sky was the first of two boats to catch the Campari Lady Nathalie en route to winning her first major regatta. Many were superstitious, saying that the deceased longtime captain of the boat named in his honour must have been sailing with his 15-member crew as they finally won a title at a regatta.

After getting an eight-minute head start instead of the regular 12 minutes, the B Class Lady Nathalie got caught by Ed Sky, skippered by James Wallace and the Running Tide, skippered by Marty Fox, as she approached the fourth lap of the 28th Annual Catch Me If You Can St Valentine’s Day Massacre in Montagu Bay.

“I’m really happy. The boat performed very well. The crew handled the boat very well. We made some changes to the vessel this morning, but we went into this regatta as the underdog,” said Wallace, of Ed Sky’s victory. “They brought in the boats from Long Island and they brought them in from Staniel Cay.

“But my good friend Clyde Rolle knew exactly what the Ed Sky is capable of. So when he was coming to the marker, I said ‘that’s Clyde. Don’t worry about Clyde. He knows what will happen. It’s only a matter of time.’ We did a tremendous job. I would like to dedicate this win to Captain Edgar Moxey. He passed away and we buried him last week. The boat is named in his honour, so I think it was fitting that we actually won this race today.”

Not only did Ed Sky win as the Lady Nathalie got caught for the second consecutive year, but they also beat out a field of some of the top A Class boats, including the Red Stripe, who was fourth, Lady Muriel (fifth) Rupert’s Legend (sixth), Southern Cross (seventh) and the Good News (eighth).

“It just shows that as time goes on, people improve, their skills improve and the crew are able to handle the boat better, therefore we were were successful today. Thank God for that,” said Wallace, who advised his rivals to watch out for Ed Sky as they head to the National Family Island Regatta in Georgetown, Exuma, in April.

For Rolle, who skippered the Lady Nathalie, he said they had an excellent race and they had their work cut out for them competing against six national A Class champions.

“All of the best A Class boats in the country were out there trying to catch the Lady Nathalie,” Rolle said. “An unlikely boat caught the Lady in Red. The first time in the history, this boat beat all of the other A Class boats in an official race. Ed Moxey came from the grave and sailed that boat.

“That boat never won a champion. He had to be on that boat and sailed it from underneath. They just raced away from everybody today. It was a shocker in Montagu today.”

The Lady Nathalie, however, avenged a loss to the Red Stripe, skippered by Lundy Robinson, who caught the B Class boat last year.

“I don’t mind getting caught. I feel very good for Ed Sky. She beat all of the top boats in the country and she’s an underdog,” Rolle said. “I feel very good for Joe Brown (the owner of Ed Sky).”

Eleazor ‘the Sailing Barber’ Johnson, the owner of the Lady Nathalie and organiser of the regatta, said he was pleased with the way things turned out, despite getting caught by Ed Sky and the Running Tide.

“I had no doubt that the boat was sailing well, but those big boats are very powerful,” Johnson said. “I’m just happy that the boats came from Long Island and Exuma to compete today. So I want to thank them, the sponsors and the thousands of people who came out here to support the regatta.

“This is a very good race. This is the biggest and the best one I had. The boat who caught me, she never won a race. Ed Sky surprised everybody. I never expected her to catch me.”

On hand to share in the activities was Minister of Agriculture and Local Government V Alfred Gray, who had nothing but praise for Johnson.

“This is an annual event, which is put on by Eleazor Johnson. He does this every year. It’s the 28th year and he has almost single-handedly organised and executed this splendid regatta,” Gray said. “It’s been sponsored by various companies, including my ministry, but we have very little to do with its organising.

“It’s not like the other regatta where my ministry takes part in and helps to organise and put a lot of focus and attention on a lot of things. Eleazor must be congratulated. He is certainly a legend and I believe the Bahamian people will never find another sailor like him, who along with the late King Eric Gibson, are both from Acklins and have done a fine job in regattas in the country.”

Gray, who also serves as the Member of Parliament for MICA, which includes Acklins, saluted Johnson for his efforts and has pledged the government’s support to him as long as he continues to carry on the regatta. Gray said this is just a stepping stone for the rest of the season with the National Family Island Regatta next on the calendar in April.

Race coordinator Stafford Armbrister said after getting a 10-minute headstart, the Lady Nathalie got caught on the third on the four-lap race by the Ed Sky. Then before the race was finished, the Running Tide caught her too.

“We had good weather and the Ed Sky just caught her,” Armbrister said. “The event was very successful. It was good. Everybody came out to show their support. Everybody was happy for Ed Sky because this is the first time that she ever won a regatta. It was just a great feeling out here today.”

On Saturday, there were a number of activities held, including the E Class competition in which Steven Rolle pulled off the victory in the Blue Bird. The High Rock, skippered by Cory Knowles, was second and Strong Back, skippered by Clayton Bain, came in third.