Getting ready for the Bequia Easter Regatta
28th March 2013
Getting ready for the Bequia Easter Regatta
Its nearly Easter and here, on Bequia, that means just one thing : its the Bequia Easter Regatta; the highlight of the year; 50-60 yachts arriving, with their crews to sail, race and party over the next few days.
The local boats are coming out of hiding ..... the 'double enders' as they are called; designed from the early Yankee Whaling boats that arrived here in the 1870's, with a bow at each end, designed to be stored within each other on deck of a larger whaling ship. They became the de-facto standard boat used here on the islands for whaling, fishing and hunting at sea.
Now they are raced, every Easter, at the Bequia Easter Regatta; the largest regatta in the Eastern Caribbean and supported from all of the islands from the region; racing classes of yachts from cruising, J24 and the local double-enders will race round the island over the net few days; courses from completely round the island, to round the bay; all will be filled with fun, dramatics, and a few rums too.
As the local boats get prepared to race, they appear on every corner of the island, under the Almond Tree on the bay front, to along the beach shore at Hamilton, to Friendship Bay and even up on top of Mount Pleasant..... they are all coming out of hiding for this annual event.
Its nearly Easter and here, on Bequia, that means just one thing : its the Bequia Easter Regatta; the highlight of the year; 50-60 yachts arriving, with their crews to sail, race and party over the next few days.
The local boats are coming out of hiding ..... the 'double enders' as they are called; designed from the early Yankee Whaling boats that arrived here in the 1870's, with a bow at each end, designed to be stored within each other on deck of a larger whaling ship. They became the de-facto standard boat used here on the islands for whaling, fishing and hunting at sea.
Now they are raced, every Easter, at the Bequia Easter Regatta; the largest regatta in the Eastern Caribbean and supported from all of the islands from the region; racing classes of yachts from cruising, J24 and the local double-enders will race round the island over the net few days; courses from completely round the island, to round the bay; all will be filled with fun, dramatics, and a few rums too.
As the local boats get prepared to race, they appear on every corner of the island, under the Almond Tree on the bay front, to along the beach shore at Hamilton, to Friendship Bay and even up on top of Mount Pleasant..... they are all coming out of hiding for this annual event.