The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

The legacy of the late sporting icon ‘King’ Eric Gibson, regarded as one of the ‘movers and shakers’ of regattas in the country, will be kept alive when the local sloop sailing community comes together for the staging of the All-For-One Regatta in Montagu Bay that ‘King’ Eric was credited in getting started.

Set for Saturday to Monday with competition in the A, B and C classes, the initial event is being billed as the biggest regatta to be held in the history of sloop sailing. It’s expected to become an annual event that will be held in memory of Gibson, who died on Decembr 28, 2013 at the age of 79.

“We have a fun-filled weekend planned where we hope to see families and friends come out and enjoy what is happening on Montagu Bay,” said one of Gibson’s sons, Minister of Labour Shane Gibson. “We are having it on the majority rule weekend beginning at 10am with cup races every day.”

Gibson said they envision spending more than $100,000 to pull off the event and they look forward to the involvement of everybody to help make it possible. He noted that the Skipper’s Party is scheduled for 7pm Thursday at Bahama Grill to outline the sailors’ involvement in the races.

While the activities are slated to get started at 10am Saturday, the official opening ceremonies is set for 1pm. Sailing continues 10am Sunday and will wrap up on Monday at the same time. The closing ceremonies will follow the completion of the last race. However, the awards presentation will be held 7pm Tuesday, January 13, at Bahama Grill.

Eric Gibson Jr, chairman of the regatta committee, said they are appreciative of the sponsors, who are making their contribution by helping to bring the boats in from the Family Islands, providing the prize monies and making available the trophies in all of the cup races that will be staged.

He thanked the Ministry of Agriculture, Marine Resources and Local Government for amalgamating the All-for-One Regatta with the King Eric Gibson Regatta and other sponsors, including Burns House, John Bull, Asue Draw, Island Luck, FML and Peter Nygard of Nygard Cay.

All of the Family Islands will be allowed a booth to sell items from their islands and there will be a number of onshore activities with the urban reneval band, junkanoo rush out and live entertainment from a number of local artists as they make it a family experience over the holiday weekend.

“This is going to be a regatta like none ever,” Gibson said. “We are going to make it about the boat owners, but we are going to make a tourist mecca as well as all of the locals. We expect that this will be the most people you will see at a regatta in the Bahamas.”

The race coordinator is Stanford Armbrister, who noted that having worked with King Eric as treasurer for more than 12 years in the Bahamas Boat Owners and Sailors Association, he’s elated to be able to make a contribution to the organising of the regatta.

“For the families who are coming out and also to the boat owners, the racing schedule will look like this, because of the tide, on Saturday morning, the first race in the C Class will begin at 10am, followed by the A class race at noon and at 2:30pm we will have the B class race,” Armbrister said.

“On Sunday, the race time will change by half-an-hour because tide changes in that direction. We will start at 10:30 with the C class, 12:30 with the B class and 2:30 with the C class. These races have to be started on time based on the fact that we don’t have the daylight saving time. We don’t have sunlight all evening so we would like for all the crew members and boat owners to be on time. On the final day on Monday, we will start at 10:30am and 12:30pm and 2:30pm.”

More than 20 boats have already consented to compete. They include Uncle John, Sweet Island Gal, Dream Girl, Whitty K, Thunderbird and Barbarian in the C class. In the A class, look for the Ruff Justice and the Rupert’s Legend to be in town from Long Island. They will be joined by the Southern Cross, Ed Sky and the original and the new Courageous boats. The Eudeva, Ants Nest, Barbarian, Lady Nathalie and Queen Drucilla are some of the entries in the B class.

“Everybody knows that everything King Eric puts his hands to, it came out to be successful, so let’s make it successful for the King,” Armbrister added.

Delworth Gibson, who is assisting the organising committee, said those persons in the Family Islands who wish to get their boats into Nassau are urged to get in touch with them as soon as possible as the Legacy, the Island Link and the Captain C have been commissioned to provide the transportation.

“Everything here is arranged,” he said. “My uncle (King Eric) would have been so proud to know that his family is taking over his drive to do a children’s race or do a regatta involving the children because that was his passion. That was what he really wanted and he insisted that the children are involved and we do have them involved in this regatta.”

The children’s races will be held on Saturday and Monday.

Rev Dr Philip McPhee, consultant in the Ministry of Agriculture, Marine Resources and Local Government, extended best wishes and congratulations to the family of the late King Eric on behalf of Minister V Alfred Gray.

“It has been a very long time since a regatta has gotten this kind of recognition and support,” McPhee said. “It took sons of King Eric to step to the plate to ensure that the start of this regatta season will be one that will be long to remember.”

When Gray speaks at the opening of the regatta on Saturday, McPhee said he will reveal some more plans for regattas, including the recognition by Prime Minister Perry Christie to establish this year sloop sailing as the national sport. And some new things that happened five to 10 years ago will be returning and he encouraged all sailors to be a part of all of the regattas throughout the country.