Committee seeks to revive Harbour Regatta
Long before the advent of the La Ruta Maya canoe race, sailing dories, sloops and sand lighters ruled the Baron Bliss holiday. But times have changed and with the popularity of the annual Harbour Regatta in serious decline, veterans of the sport have this year launched a valiant effort to jump start interest in this historic event. Chairman of the Harbour Regatta Committee, Edward Flowers, has released the programme for Sunday’s races, and told News 5’s Patrick Jones that while competitive sailing has seen brighter days, there will be entertainment for everyone on Sunday.
Edward Flowers, Chairman, Harbour Regatta Committee
?We have this year planned eight events. And these events are in classes as the sailing lighters, the small sailing lighters we call them. We have the sailing dinghies; there will be a race for the juniors, working sloops. Now this is interesting, working sloops are those vessels which ply between Belize and Sarteneja and anywhere along the coast. They are entitled to enter and we put them in a class by themselves. Then you have the sailing sloops, the seagull type. For the dinghies again we have seniors, sailing dories, sailing lighters unlimited. And I may tell you the prizes this year will be very, very attractive.?
Patrick Jones
?What are those attractive prizes??
Edward Flowers
?Cash, I won?t say; beautiful trophies, just for about every event there will be a trophy.?
Patrick Jones
?And this is all paid for by the Baron Bliss trust??
Edward Flowers
?Hell no. Excuse that expression. No, no, no, no. The Trust gives us a hundred dollars; I don?t know what you call it, but this is something that is stipulated in the Baron?s will. He said that he willed that a regatta be held every year in his honour and at that time, this is somewhere back in 1926, he made an offer of a hundred pounds to conduct the races. Now in ?26 a hundred pounds might have valued four hundred Belize dollars. And at that time it was quite sufficient to run races, but today one of the prizes will be much more than four hundred pounds.?
?Presently we are faced with the Ruta Maya paddling dory races. This came in a couple years ago and ever since we have found that the harbour regatta races are not so…the races are successful, but the attendance seems to be going down and down. And I have a strong belief that the intervention of the Ruta Maya races has to do with it.?
Patrick Jones
?Mr. Flowers, this is a tradition that apparently is dying. Should we let it die a natural death or should we fight tooth and nail to revive it??
Edward Flowers
?Answering the last part of your remark, no we should not let it die. And the main reason to my mind is that we must remember that Baron Bliss, who is a complete stranger to this country, left for the country a fortune and the races are held in his honour, remembering the late Baron Bliss.?
The Baron Bliss Harbour Regatta is scheduled to start at eleven on Sunday morning in the sea in front of the B.T.L. Park. The event is being promoted as a family activity and music, food, and games will be available all day long. The race briefing will take place on Friday night at the Ex-Servicemen’s League headquarters on Newtown Barracks.
