The 11th Hour Week

TCI Challenge Cup Regatta
This last week and a half has been full and productive but I wish we had more time and people who were committed to the concept of the Mariners’ Week Celebration to be held this 6th through 12th of June, a little more than 3 weeks away.

The creation of this event has been plagued by starts and stops for over a year and a half, and in its present situation, since last November when the TCI Tourist Board Deputy Director Ralph Higgs showed a committed interest in our efforts to start it up in earnest. It is overdue, is what most people I have come into contact with agree, this commemoration of the maritime heritage of the Turks and Caicos, and with the Bahamas coming with their Sloops to enliven the concept, everybody is elated, except the fund raisers.

The difficulty in raising the funding to put on a celebration with a South Caicos Regatta, Across the Banks Race, three days of traditional racing, the Fools Regatta, The Great Raft Race, cultural productions, welcome and awards parties is just in the organisation. The South Caicos Regatta Committee has not organized the sailing aspect of that event with us and so many of the racers do not want to take their Sloops to South Caicos. The Across the Banks Race was created last year as an incentive to get the Sloops back to Providenciales for the Fools Regatta, this year as included in the TCI Challenge Cup Regatta, just the next week.

All three events, the South Caicos Regatta, Across the Banks Race, TCI Challenge are all new to most of the new Providenciales potential supporters, leaving them difficult to assist the sailors who have been investing a phenomenal amount of time and money in their Sloops readying them for what we all feel is the real race with the Bahamas. Everybody wants to race against the Bahamas.

Marketing Committee Meeting
A meeting was held last Wednesday at the Environmental Centre, called for by the TCI Tourist Board and the Chairperson Michelle Gardiner-Fulford. An update on actual venues and guaranteed promises was discussed with marketing members volunteering to work at solidifying the funding now that a final schedule was resolved.

What was not resolved was how to get the Bahamians here and what their status is. 

Race Committee Meeting
Last Saturday a quickly called meeting was held to determine the system of awards that would be agreeable by both the Bahamian and the Turks and Caicos competitors. The Bahamian system relies upon Government funding their traveling and per diem expenses and has small winners’ and consolation purses. The TCI way is to have big purses and only once has Government assisted with transportation of vessels but with no per diem.

The Bahamas has been doing this a long time, about 54 years, and sees it as a tourism attraction for the eighteen islands that have regatta events throughout the year. They spend in excess of $360,000 as an investment in local commerce, getting people to islands they would otherwise not visit. The Turks and Caicos is a small group of Islands and has never had a serious organized racing schedule. One to three races a year were sponsored and organized by the locations of the regattas or races and that was that.

Going To See The Premier
One thing that was argued is that a delegation of sailors go to the Premier’s office and wait to see him to explain the importance of this event since it is coming to everybody’s attention that he might not know of the groundswell of popularity, both here and in the Bahamas, this event has created. We are going to see him right after I finish this Log with a proposal that can get us over the hump.

Digicel $10,000 Cheque for PromotionDigicel’s Public Relations Director Sharnette Lightbourne understood the weakness in our marketing to date and decided to push Digicel for in kind promotional materials and services to assist us. Sharnette contacted her General Manager, J. Saunders, son of sailor and former Chief Minister Norman Saunders, and they came up with $10,000 in cash allocated to promotion of the event.

In a special ceremony at the Focused Marketing office in the Salt Mills complex saw one of those giant cheques being given to Chairman Goldray Ewing and Treasurer Becky Carlson. Banners, flyers, leaflets and t-shirts should be making their appearances shortly all over the place.

Alexandra A Part of Mariners’ Week
General Manager of The Alexandra, Greg Claytor has responded to a request to have three of the Mariners’ Week events at the Alexandra as a donation to this type of cultural celebration. Greg used to give wooden boat regattas in Moorea and knows the type of clientele who tend to be attracted to classic boat events.

The Alexandra will see the starting line of the races but will also host the official start of the racing, the After Race Sponsors’ Party and the Awards Ceremony. There will be two plays about the relationship between the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands organized by the Department of Culture. The plays are being written by The Writers’ Group.

The Alexandra is also the first to respond to a Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association generated request, thanks to Caesar Campbell, for discounted rooms for the visiting mariners.

Mandalay Beach Venue for Fools Regatta
The 17th Annual Fools Regatta will have its venue at the beach in front of the Mandalay development. We are trying to get in touch with the present owners of the Mandalay site to see about using that location for tents, parking and the facilities. If you know who I should talk to please let me know by email or call me at 243 2093 Ross

Pankhurst Home Welcoming Party for Bahamians
We are privileged and grateful to announce that we will be welcoming the Bahamians in grand style at the Pankhurst mansion the night after their general arrival. They might not all come at the same time.

Mark and Barbara opened their home to this event because of their understanding of it cultural value. They are an integral part of the Turks and Caicos Friends of the Arts Foundation, so understand our need for a good showing.

Ministry of Culture to support cultural events
He is great. When Dr. Carlton Mills discovered that we were running around trying to not only write plays and gather costumes and musicians to make Mariners’ Week a real cultural celebration he volunteered to assist in what funding and services his Ministry can provide. Director of Culture and Arts, David Bowen, is right there organizing what might become the greatest TCI accented cultural event we have ever had.

Ministry of Sports to assist Middle Caicos Sloops to Providenciales and back
Assuming his other hat of Minister of Sports, Dr. Mills also is assisting with the expenses to get the Middle Caicos Sloops to and from Providenciales for Mariners’ Week and possibly to the South Caicos Regatta. Dr. Mills is from South Caicos.

Ambergris Cay Corporate Membership
None of what we are attempting to do can be done without an administration being paid to do it and that pay comes through corporate memberships, so we are especially grateful to our socially conscious business sector when they become members of the Federation.

Out of the blue we were called to pick up a $2500 cheque from the Ambergris Cay Leeward Highway office on Providenciales and that felt really good. Thank you and please stay in this as an active member not just a cheque. We rely upon the advice of those with invested interest in the mandate of the Federation.

History Society Invitation
You are all invited to become members of the History Society. Dr. Carlton Mills is calling a meeting this Thursday, 17 May, at the Environmental Centre at 6PM to form this much needed and very late beginning of those interested in bringing the history of these islands up to date. There are a lot of areas to cover in this gold mine of undiscovered heritage. We are getting a good response from my ill-fated prior list of those I thought would be interested in maritime history and it occurred to me that you might be interested also, so

Thursday  17 May  Environmental Centre, The Bight, 6PM
Researching and documenting history is fun.