Report - Bequia Easter Regatta 2008
by Commodore Michael Fortenbaugh
It is often still cold in New York City in March and this year was no exception. This is one of the many reasons a group of club members was so excited to be flying to Bequia for the Easter Regatta. This would be the first time our club was represented at the Easter Regatta. We owe our participation to some of the great people we met during our exploratory trip in Nov, including Nicola Redway, Dr. Godwin Friday, Orbin Olliverre, Sylvester Simmons and of course our boat owner, Lennox Taylor.
The regatta runs races for modern race boats and traditional fishing boats. We have had enough "plastic" boat racing in New York City so our team was very privileged to secure some spots onboard "Brave Heart," one of the wooden 28-foot double-enders.
The image above shows the picturesque launching spot of Brave Heart along the waterfront of Admiralty Bay. Every day, we would pull Brave Heart back onto the beach. In the background are boats on moorings enjoying the protection of this beautiful Caribbean harbor.
Our crew consisted of 8 people, 4 from New York City and 4 from Bequia. Above is Clarence (left) and Herbert. They were the real foundation of the team and together, they had raced countless times on Brave Heart. Clarence hung from the trapeze during the race and Herbert was the ballast shifter. Before each tack, he would physically pick up and shift about 8 sandbags ranging from 25 to 50 pounds. There is no doubt that Herbert is an exceptionally strong man!
Two of our club teammates were David Caporale (left) and Jan Willem van den Dorpel. David is head of the Manhattan Sailing School and a long time racer. Jan Willem is part of the famous club crew which first won the Golden Rock Regatta. During the regatta, David kept on eye on wind shifts and puffs and also helped overhaul the jib sheets. Jan Willem was on the second trapeze.
Gareth Gaston (left) and Gladwyne Taylor were two more crew. Gareth began racing recently at the sailing club but has caught the racing bug. He was in charge of cleating the jib sheet which involved wrapping it around a wooden pin and holding on tight. Gladwyne is the son of the yacht owner and was our terrific helmsman for the regatta.
This is Mr. Lennox Taylor, owner of Brave Heart and one of the most experienced sailors and fisherman in the Grenadines. His fame is recorded in the book "Clean Sweet Wind." It was Mr. Taylor's conversation with Commodore Fortenbaugh in November 2007 that led to our club's participation. Brave Heart had not raced for several years and while chatting over conch chowder at Mr. Taylor's Porthole Restaurant, the two struck a deal whereby the club would provide a new sail and Mr. Taylor would invite some club members to race.
Our team stayed at the Frangipani, the beautiful waterfront hotel owned by former Prime Minister Sir James Mitchell (yellow shirt). Sir James was around during the regatta and our team had several unique and enjoyable opportunities to sit and listen to some of his incredible stories. One involved a time he raced in the regatta. It was one a smaller fishing boat. Mid-way up the windward leg, one of the young crew began shouting at Sir James, "Bail, Mr. Prime Minister, Bail!" So much for rank in the word of sailboat racing! It was always a privilege and ensured good conversation whenever Sir James strolled up to our table.
But we are here in Bequia to compete, not just to build international goodwill and connections. And so, it was time to rig the boat for some practice on Thursday morning. We finally got the sails up, tightened the sprit and then pushed off. Since 4 of our were complete novices on this boat, it did not go smooth.
In fact, within a few feet of shore, as we tried to sail away, we caught out first mooring line. This was pushed down the rudder and we were free, at least for 5 seconds. Then we caught our second mooring line. This was not as gracious to our boat and before we knew it, the rudder had broken the upper gudgeon and popped off, Herbert was swimming in the water with the rudder and we were headed, mercifully, and without rudder, towards shore. It was a safe landing.
So the ambiance of our practice day changed slightly as Herbert and others set to work to jury rig a repair. Thankfully, there were lots of people to come by and offer parts and even more people to come by and offer advice. After several hours, the rudder was reinstalled and we were still able to do a short practice by late afternoon.
By tradition, Brave Heart did not go sailing on Good Friday so our crew had an opportunity to study the boat and acclimate to the Caribbean speed. By 4 p.m., we headed over to Paget on the other side of the island for the fishing boat Skippers Meeting. On the way over, we saw "Confusion" sailing towards Friendship Bay were the start would be on Saturday. The picture above was snapped from the cliff overlooking the water. You will notice that Confusion has 3 people on trapezes.
But if you look closer at the picture, there is more and something very special. You can see the small red sailboat in front and to leeward of Confusion. This was a model boat. There was a model boat race underway. These are not the modern radio-controlled boats you see in Central Park, but the more traditional "pond yachts." They have no controls other than the sails. To sail these boats, you need to have main and jib totally balanced. Then they just sail forever in a straight line. To tack, that's where the powerboat comes in. The model boat racer is on the bow of the powerboat. When he wants his yacht to tack, the powerboat races in front of the yacht and he jumps into the water, waits for the boat to arrive and then pushes the boat about onto the other tack. Then he climbs back into the powerboat and follows again! We saw three of these model boats racing. What an incredible sight and a great way to compete!
On Saturday morning, it was finally time for the real boats to race. Brave Heart and her crew were ready!
Above is video shot by a reporter and which appeared in the on-line edition of the Saint Vincent & Grenadines Times. You will notice the confidence of our crew before the start of race 1!
The start of Race 1 was off Friendship Bay.
Then we sailed north for a mile or so, then south and twice around a triangle before finishing in from of Paget Farm. We got an ok start and we right in the pack, but upwind, our boat did not have the same speed as others. Then when going downwind, we noticed a similar lack of speed. It was the jib. We were sailing with a jib smaller than all the other boats. Not much else we could do except bring up the rear on Race 1 and lick our wounds back at the dock. But at least we had an idea about what we needed to do. Mr. Taylor went back that evening, pulled out a larger jib and we were ready for day 2.
On Sunday, we got a great start off Friendship Bay, jibed right at the rocks and began running south along the cliffs of Bequia. High overhead, people were watching the races and probably giving their comments and placing bets (think of the experience of watching the races from our floating clubhouse in the harbor and then imagine being up 100 feet higher - you could see everything!). It was a great race start for Brave Heart. We were battling for the lead and everyone could see!
When we got to the point, we were in third but the serious upwind stuff was about to begin. A crisp 20 knots of wind had all crew hiking out on their trapezes. It was a test of speed as all boats sailed across Admiralty Bay on starboard tack. Little by little, Brave Heart inched ahead. First past one boat, then up to the leader, then in front. Bang went the gooseneck! Our mainsail shuddered and then moved forward a foot. The steel on our gooseneck had broken and it took a while to stabilize the boom so nothing more ripped or broke. After a while, we were able to focus on racing and start to catch the lead yachts which had run away while we were doing repairs.
At the windward mark, discussion was held onboard about whether to retire from the race of keep going. The decision was to keep going and it was the right thing to do. Even though we were at a small disadvantage, Brave Heart loved the conditions and was eager to show her speed. On the final upwind leg, we caught a few good shifts and moved into a tacking duel for second place. We cam third in the end but all aboard knew the race had been ours except for the breakdown.
The final race was Monday with a start in front of De Reef in Lower bay, then around the point to Friendship Point and back.
We got a great start thanks to our helmsman Gladwyne. Here is a picture after the start with Confusion, Spank and Bluff all behind Brave Heart. Bluff and Confusion are the boats to beat but on this first downwind leg, Cloudy Bay hugged the shoreline and was leading. At the turning point to head up wind, Brave Heart had fallen back to fourth. Downwind was not our strong suit. But upwind was great and soon we were in a tacking duel with Confusion for second place. And the tacking duel was fierce. There was an adverse current against us so all boats tried to short tack up the shore. Three boats tacking within a space normally meant for 2 was exciting! All top 4 boats rounded the pin close together and set off downwind. When we rounded the point and turned for home, all four boats, Cloudy Bay, Bluff, Confusion and Brave Heart were in the hunt. The lead seemed to see-saw back and forth. On the final tack, Cloudy Bay went a bit further than our boat and ended up going from fourth to first, only to finish second by a whisker. We ended up mid-fleet, but gained the most respect after not sailing for 2 years. Brave Heart was back!
One final view of these great boats gives you a sense for the experience. Jan Willem is out on the trapeze helping to keep the boat upright. Gladwyne is steering while Gareth and the Commodore look forward. David is helping Herbert and Clarence repair the boom. Mr. Taylor, who was the anchor of our team and had enough experience to always know the correct way to go, is back in the boat trimming the mainsail.
The racing was great, the hospitality was great, the weather was great! The only question is whether we can race again and if yes, will we win? Enjoy the video below which was filmed during a slow moment upwind during the final race.
Our courses and where we sailed.
Race 1
Race 2
Race 3
