THE Mango Bowl Regatta Committee from Saint Lucia Yacht Club can revel in the exhilaration from the 8th annual Mango Bowl Regatta, which took place on Saturday 30th and Sunday 1st December 2019, as the event ended on a high note.
When the dust settled and points tabulated over the two days of racing, Saint Lucia’s entry did not disappoint: in the Cruising Class, boat No. 023, Ting skippered by Simon Handley came in first; in second place No.24 Cricket from Antigua and Barbuda skippered by Sandy Mair; while boat No. 22 Papagayo, Saint Lucia skippered by Ben Thompson came in third.
In the Racing Class it was a clean sweep for the Martiniquan’s , 1st – boat No. 10 MaisonSatec, skippered by Jean Michel Figueres; 2nd boat No. 18, Open the Barre, skippered by Lionel Baud and 3rd boat No 13, Valentin Lindor, skippered by Marc Dubourg.
It was good stiff competition during the two days of racing in the J24 Class; last year’s winner Attitude, renamed Scotty Boy, boat No. 32 skippered by Saint Lucian Fredric Sweeney had to settle for third place this time around. The eventual winner, boat No. 3, Die Hard from Grenada, skippered by Robbie Yearwood took the top honors, while boat No. 5 Jabal from Saint Lucia came in second, skippered by Nick Forsberg.
In the Surprise Class, Martinique took the top five spots as follows: boat No. 8, 1st place Aquanet Oiscines, skippered by Stanley Dormoy; 2nd place boat No. 4, Helium, skippered by Franck Pennors; 3rd boat No. 2 Digilife, skippered by Vianney Saintenoy; 4th boat No. 3 Adsl, skippered by Francois Chavez and 5th boat No. 30, Cocokreyol, skippered by Mia Techer.
With a total of 22 vessels registered from the region, over 110 sailors took part in this year’s event on Reduit Beach. The crews were a vibrant blend of various ages and genders.
Starting Friday evening with the Skippers’ briefing at the Saint Lucia Yacht Club in Rodney Bay, the sailors gathered to start a weekend of excitement. Crews from Antigua, Barbados, Grenada, Martinique, joined together with Saint Lucian sailors in anticipation of exquisite racing on the sea. At the gathering Regatta Director, Lily Bergasse discussed the courses, rules and Clean Regatta business for the weekend.
Day 1 was eventful with the sailors decked in their crew apparel, checking in with the race committee boat anchored out in the bay. Boats registered in the Racing Class, Cruising Class J24 and Surprise Class.
Sunday was nothing compared to Day 1 as there was a late start to the event due to Mother Nature as there was no wind. The sailors sat around had to sat around and waited until the wind picked up which was about 1 hour later. In spite of the late start a number of visiting sailors exclaimed how brilliant the sailing and the level of competition was.
The weekend showpiece came to a close with an Award Ceremony at the Saint Lucia Yacht Club. Special thanks were given during the ceremony by Regatta Director Lily Bergasse to the organizations and individuals that supported this year’s event.
Next year’s date for the Mango Bowl Regatta (MBR) has been set for November 28th and 29th. The Mango Bowl Regatta Committee looks forward to seeing more sailors grace the shores of Saint Lucia for this prestigious event.
