ST
GEORGE’S, Grenada, October 10, 2011 - Thanks to
valuable additional support from long term sponsor United Insurance, providing
funds for much needed maintenance on the Grenada Sailing Festival’s own fleet of
work boats, an important element of the event’s sailing tradition will continue
for another year at the 2012 Work Boat Regatta.
Since its beginning
in 1994, the Grenada Sailing Festival has become famous for its traditional
Work Boat Regatta staged on Grand Anse Beach.
In this popular and
crowd pulling National event, skippers and crews from the strongest sailing
communities of the Tri-Island State take part in some spectacular and
competitive racing in their locally built ‘work boats’, based on the original
design of the fishing boats used in these waters.
Over the years,
communities taking part have grown to include Gouyave, Grand Mal, Sauteurs,
Woburn and sister islands Carriacou & Petite Martinique.
As part of the
Festival’s commitment to traditional community sailing, the Grenada Sailing
Festival commissioned its own fleet of five matched-design 16 foot work boats –
the GSF16s - especially for the event. These were built in Gouyave in the mid
1990s, and have been used ever since in what has become the high spot of the
event - the National Team Sailing & Skipper of the Year Finals.
The boats are now
showing signs of age and need essential maintenance to be ready to race in
2012. This has been made possible by the contribution of additional funds for
the work required from United Insurance, a long term major sponsor of the
Grenada Sailing Festival. “We are keen to support the work of the Grenada
Sailing Festival Work Boat Regatta in highlighting and maintaining the
important traditions of local sailing in our communities.
In 2009 we
contributed to new sails for the fleet and now we are pleased to help make sure
the boats are ready to race. The Grenada Sailing Festival GSF16s are ‘In Safe Hands’ with United for the next
event,” said Mr. Trevor Renwick, Manager of United Insurance.
The work will be
carried out in Gouyave and the GSF16 fleet can be seen taking part in the 2012
Work Boat Regatta on Grand Anse Beach on Saturday & Sunday 4th
& 5th February.
Grenada Sailing
Festival wishes to thank all its sponsors and supporters on board already for
2012: the Grenada Board of Tourism; Camper & Nicholsons Marinas; United
Insurance; ScotiaBank; Mount Gay Rum with agent Bryden & Minors; Budget
Marine; True Blue Bay Resort; The Moorings; The Victory Bar & Restaurant;
Coca Cola; SOL EC Ltd.; American
Airlines; British Airways; Island Dreams Yacht Services; Horizon Yacht
Charters; Spice Island Marine Services; Turbulence Ltd.; Steele’s Auto
Supplies; Grenada Union of Teachers Credit Union; Grenlec; Mitchell’s Health
& Wellness and Glenelg Spring Water.
1 comment:
Congratulations to the sponsors and the organizers, keep up the good work. With the prevalent insurgence of technology we really need to hold heads so as to maintain the sailing culture, please let us know how we can offer our personal contribution.
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