The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

For the third consecutive year, the National Family Island Regatta has been cancelled due to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, National Regatta chairman Danny Strachan has confirmed.

“I am saddened to confirm that as we were required to do in 2020 and 2021, the 2022 version of the National Family Island Regatta is cancelled,” Strachan announced in a press release to the media.

“Once again, the National Family Island Regatta Committee reviewed available options. Cancellation is in the best interest of all of us. The continuing uncertainty of the pandemic requires this.”

Strachan, who now resides in Exuma, said Clay Sweeting, the minister responsible for regattas, and the regatta desk in the Ministry of Agriculture, Marine Resources and Family Island Affairs have all been advised about the cancellation.

“We do not wish to unintentionally encourage any regatta-specific expenditure by sloop owners, sailors, vendors, businesses, community organisations, magazine advertisers and sponsors,” Strachan said.

“Nor do we wish to encourage hotels and other room rental facilities to hold their facilities for Regatta goers.”

While Strachan admitted that it hurts, he wants to remind everyone involved that “this too shall pass” and it is his hope that everybody will get through the pandemic together.

“We hope that all who hold the National Family Island Regatta dear will, along with the committee, seek to re-imagine options for staging a meaningful and safe regatta when national and international circumstances will permit us to appropriately gather. “Hopefully, we will stage the event next year after we all would have spent yet another year recovering from the pandemic. We will recuperate and grow from strength to strength.”

The National Family Islands Regatta is considered the biggest regatta staged in the country. It’s normally held during the last week in April each year, but was last staged in 2019. Hopefully, after being cancelled for the last three years, Strachan said they can get back to the level they were in the past.