Annual Baron Bliss Harbour Regatta just days away.
He was an Englishman who held the title of a Portuguese Baron. He was also a big fan of Belize who left not only his heart here but also his money. Each year a harbor regatta is held in memory of Belize’s biggest public benefactor, Baron Henry Edward Ernest Victor Bliss. Ten years ago on the popular series “Belize All Over,” Silvana Woods highlighted this annual event.
Silvana Woods
“Sailing used to be a way to transporting goods and people up and down the coast and along Belize’s many rivers and lagoons. Today although sailboats are used for fishing and for hauling sand, sailing is primarily a weekend and holiday sport. And no where is the competition more keyed than on the Ninth of March, in a sailing dory as we are about to find out.”
They?re called the spectacular sixteen: sixteen feet long and no more than forty inches wide these cranky crafts are as exciting to said as any boat afloat. So exciting in fact that they even provoke controversy on dry land.
Dory Race Enthusiast
“And this, and this dory has won the most race in the country of Belize? “Elma B” has win the most race: the most first and the most second in the whole country of Belize. Tell ah da truth or lie.”
George Brown and his father Todd Brown have been racing dories for as long as they can remember. Their dory “Elma B” is the oldest boat taking part in this year’s competition. Though Hurricane Hattie broke her up in thirteen pieces in 1961 she was painstakingly rebuilt and captured first place as recently as Baron Bliss Day 1985.
Todd Brown
“I was sailing “Elma B” since 1959 when she was built and I was only about five years at that time. I have been in it since. In fact she has only failed to complete once only throughout her lifetime.”
Q: “Your friend and competitor Eckert Lewis also is entering two boats in this year’s races, that’s the “Samantha” and what?s the next one?”
Eckert Lewis
“Gilda J”.
Q: “The “Gilda J”. What are your chances of winning?”
Eckert Lewis
“My chances are as usual – a winner.”
For Eckert Lewis, an architect by profession, the design and building of the sailing dory is a tradition which takes on almost mystical dimensions.
Eckert Lewis
“As a man going into the bush, finding a tree, a large tree, using an ax, cutting down this tree. And in his own conception says I will put into this piece of wood certain elements which will make it perform in a certain way. He is an artist and he does that.”
Although the designer and the builder creates the dory it is left up to the crew to rig and to sail her – no mean fete. As Wenford Tillett, the Captain of “Martin El” tells it, the most important factor of winning is not so much the build of the dory as the type of sailing being done.
Wenford Tillett
“Well there’s two kind of way it is. If you’re sailing in a slow dory you can’t look fast. And if you have a good captain and you’re sailing in a fast dory you caw look bad so you have to depend paw yu skill a sailing.”
Q: “How long have you been sailing and what got you interested in it?”
Wenford Tillett
“I di sail fi bout eight years now and I, that da di only sport I have… sailing. And I love sailing.”
Q: “Have you sailed anything other than the dory?”
Wenford Tillett
“Well we sail different boats and so but my interest da like the dories.”
Q: “Why?”
Wenford Tillett
“You get more trills ina di dories.”
The great trill is of course the trill that comes when you’re hang kingdola. Along with the captain each dory sails with a first kingdola and a second kingdola man. Kent Myers was the first kingdola man for the “Gold Finch,” Dean Lindo’s dory which was this year’s defending champs. Like all the other crewmen, Kent has a love affair with dory racing.
Kent Myers
“Well for the sport, I love it and I feel great to know that I’m the champion and expect to retire mi championship I don’t know when, I just like it.”
Q: “And you’re the second kingdola man. I know the first kingdola man is the one who gets all the, aw advertisement and popularity. But what do you do to help him?”
Second Kingdola Man
“Well I’m the second kingdola man and I play a great role. I gotta pull the grip and I gotta tend to the trap also when the breeze is hard and bail out the dory and keep it dry.”
Q: “Have you ever had and incident where the first kingdola man has not been able to run the course and you have had to take over?”
Second Kingdola Man
“Right many times. It depends on the speed the dory is going on and the high waves, they just kips off the dory and I take his place.”
Q: “How do you feel when you’re in this sling, out there hanging on the side of the dory?”
Second Kingdola Man
“Well it feels nice because it is fun right and the fun of it to get fun out of the fun of hang-king, right.”
Q: “How long have you been a kingdola man?”
Second Kingdola Man
“For about at least five years.”
Q: “And what are your chances of winning on the “Gold Finch”?”
Second Kingdola Man
“Well I do it last year and I believe I?ll do it again this year.”
But it was not to be – at least not this Ninth of March at the Belize City Harbour Regatta. In the dying afternoon breeze, captain and kingdola men raced the triangular course around Fort Point but there could only be one winner. It was Dean Lindo’s “Martin El” which clearly took the winner’s trophy as she passed the red flag.
But the end of the race was only the beginning of my own love affair with sailing. Next year you guys better watch out.
Most of the people in the story still participate in the yearly harbour regatta. Baron Bliss Day will be celebrated as usual this coming Monday, with a Thanksgiving Service and the laying of wreaths at the Baron’s tomb. Baron Bliss was born on February sixteenth, 1869 and died on March ninth, 1925 on board his yacht “The Sea King” in the Belize Harbour. To add to the festivities this year, Cayo Tropical Fruits Limited, distributors of Big-H juice will also be launching its latest product, “Vida” purified water with a canoe race called “La Runta Maya”. The race gets underway at dawn Friday and will travel 175 miles along the Old Belize River ending up at the historic Swing Bridge in Belize City on Monday morning.
