Once we were almost recovered from the Family Island Regatta, we decided to stay in the Bahamas a few more weeks to check out the Long Island Regatta. This was possibly the only chance we’d have to attend this regatta in the historic island of boat-building tradition of A, B and C-class sloops ~ we had to go for it!
We arrived early due to weather systems and had some time to hang out with friends and get some projects done. Mark spent a few days giving a hand to Emile and Cameron on their fishing boat Miss Cassidy, while I tested out my new (used) Olympus E-PL2, micro 4/3 camera for the first time.
I’m pretty excited about it for both above and below water, combined with two high quality lenses:
~40-150mm f/2.8 pro telephoto lens
(80-300mm 35mm equivalent)
~ 60mm f/2.8 prime macro lens
(120mm, 35mm equivalent)
This all started when I was seeking more macro capability for underwater photography ~ so with some help from a friend (thx Vickie!) we found an E-PL2 with an underwater housing.
With the telephoto lens, it is also great for birding… like this black-necked stilt watching her eggs. LOTS to learn!
Then it was time to play. Cameron and Amanda opened their home to us and welcomed us to stay for a few days… laundry and all! It was great to hang with them on their home island in the low-season, since we usually only see them out on the fishing grounds…
We spent a long weekend with them enjoying great meals (yes, that is bacon wrapped asparagus), including my first homemade crab-n-rice thanks to Cameron. Amanda & I also did some hiking and snorkeling and we all attended a school fair along with a crab catching contest!
Long Island has so many top notch beaches ~ we visited a few new ones with Jysella and Giovanni for picnics and swimming, including their new pig beach tucked way out in an incredible maze of mangrove flats.
This is worth a visit solely for the ride, but the new piglets were pretty cute too.
We’ve known Cameron since our first trip to the Bahamas 10 years ago when we met him in the Jumentos and were thrilled to meet Amanda this year and spend some quality time with them. When you are lucky enough to meet friends like this on your travels, they become part of your extended family.
Eventually, it was regatta time… where the adrenaline and gin is flowing!! Mark sailed on New Legend again with the guys and they needed plenty of bodies due to high winds, especially the first few days.
The A-class races had six contenders, three of which represented the Long Island legacies of Running Tide, New Legend and Ruff Justice ~ a tight team, a new boat, and a young crew ~ battling it out. To make it more interesting, many of these sailors are related and two competing helmsman were brothers.
New Legend was perfectly trimmed and sailing fast. She won two of the four A-class races. In overall points, she did not win the regatta, but she definitely showed her potential and is bringing stiff competition to this class.
In fact, the two races New Legend won were the only two losses given to Stephan Knowles, the skipper who won every other race in the entire regatta for A, B and C-classes. Talk about an impressive sweep!
I had a great time riding in the chase boat all week watching the regatta, spending time with Long Island friends old and new. Jeff also joined us in the anchorage on Odyssey to enjoy some of the regatta experience. The party went on all day, in-between and after the races ~ we loved the food & stayed up way past our bedtimes.
All too soon, we had to say our goodbyes and start to head back to Florida. We had a multi-day weather window to make tracks and get back over about four days.
If you were thinking we were heading south this year back to the Rio Dulce, you wouldn’t be wrong… Plans are meant to be changed! Ours are most definitively in flux right now, so who knows where we will end up??! We certainly don’t… but I guess that is what keeps life exciting.