The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

CRAZY Partner, skippered by Lundy Robinson, pulled off the victory in the C Class competition of the first Back To School Regatta in Montagu Bay over the weekend.

The regatta, held in honour of Sir Durward ‘Sea Wolf’ Knowles, was postponed two weeks ago due to the threat of Hurricane Erika. Ten boats participated in the sloop sailing competition on Saturday and Sunday and there was also a junior competition for competitors from the Bahamas Sailing Association and the Bahamas National Sailing School.

Robinson powered the Crazy Partner to a sweep of the first two races in the three-race series on Saturday. However, on Sunday as the regatta came to a close, Crazy Partner could do no better than sixth place. When the points were tallied, Crazy Partner held on for a slim one-point margin over the Lady Eunice, skippered by Ricky Lloyd, who had 24 points after she turned in three third place finishes.

The Thunderbird also got off to a great start on Saturday, taking two second place finishes, only to end up in seventh on the last day for 22 points.

While Lundy opted not to comment, Crazy Partner owner Gerard Moxey said they were not concerned about losing the title because they were already in control from day one.

“I am pleased with the way she has been sailing over the past few regattas. Yesterday (Saturday), the breeze was more steady and we were able to handle the boat,” Moxey said. “Today (it was up and down. We just ran out of sail. We didn’t have enough sail to really contend with the first three boats. But all in all, I am very pleased.”

The final race on Sunday was won by the Revelation but Moxey said they were not too concerned because they knew they had the series in hand.

“Anytime you have good boats with good crew on it, it’s going to be a challenge, it’s not going to be a walk in the park by any stretch of imagination,” Moxey said. “Let’s face it. They were up to the task and they pulled it off.”

Moxey congratulated organiser Eleazor “the Sailing Barber’ Johnson for the initiative in putting on the regatta and for all of the sponsors who made their contribution, as well as his rivals, who brought their boats to participate in the 10-boat fleet. The main purpose for the regatta was to give back to the students and Moxey said his Crazy Partner was not only delighted to be a part of it, but to also secure the initial victory.

Johnson, known for his annual St Valentine’s Day Massacre in February, said he decided to assist parents who normally have a hard time dealing with back to school.

“We know things are tough, so we decided to have the give away of school bags and lunch packs and all the other stuff from the sponsors to give away to the children,” Johnson said. “Vitamalt and Coca-Cola all made the donations. The Minister (of Local Government, V Alfred Gray) helped, Sir Durward Knowles helped. They all did some things for this weekend. I also want to thank the Nassau Yacht Club for allowing the children in the youth sailing to participate and the Nassau Plastic Company for providing the trophies. This was good. I was very pleased with what I saw. We had so many people out here watching and we didn’t need any police to watch us.”

Race coordinator Stafford Armbrister said they had some good weather, despite the fact there was a brief moment of rain on Saturday.

“All the races went well. We didn’t have any problems,” he said. “One boat broke her mast, but that’s about it. I was happy to see that we had 10 boats that came out to participate and there were more boats who wanted to come, but we had to limit the amount of boats that could compete because it was just a fun regatta and we did this for the children so they could come out and collect their goodies for back to school.”

Although his boat slipped after getting off to a great start, Rev Dr Philip McPhee said he was still pleased with her effort and he was even more appreciative of the gesture by Johnson and the sponsors for putting the regatta on for the children.

“Once it’s something for Sir Durward, the Bahamian sailors will come out and support because he’s done so much for sloop sailing, for sailing and for the Bahamas,” McPhee said. “As you know, he’s responsible for One Bahamas where he’s been trying his best to unite all Bahamians. So whenever he calls us, we will come and do our best to make sure that it is a success.”

This weekend, McPhee said a fundraiser for the Rock Sound Regatta to be held in Eleuthera will be held in Montagu Bay. It’s an elimination race on Saturday and every C Class boat that is scheduled to go to the regatta will have to participate,” McPhee said. “It’s just a fundraising for the event but trophies and other small items will be given out.”

The Rock Sound Regatta is slated to be held at the end of the month and 10-12 boats will be invited to participate in what McPhee said is the largest purse being offered for the boats to participate.

“The budget is the best in C Class for the year. In fact, it’s probably the best budget that I’ve seen ever, so we are well aware of what they are doing, so we want the boats to come out this weekend to put their best foot forward.”

Here’s how the boats finished in the series of races:

Boats, race 1, race 2, race 3, total

1. Craz Partner 1, 1, 6 = 25 points.

2. Lady Eunice 3 3 3 = 24 points.

3. Thunderbird 2 2 7 = 22 points.

4. Sweet Island Gal 4 5 4 = 20 points.

5. Revelation 7, 7, 1 = 18 points.

6. Legal Weapon 5, 4, 8 = 16 points.

7. King & Knights 8, 8, 2 = 14 points.

8. Flash 8, 9, 5 = 12 points.

9. Dream Girl 6, 6, DNF = 10 points.

10. Lady Margaret - DNF, DNS, DNS = 0 point.