It’s not an easy task to get the Class A Boats ready for a race and so at the Island Harbour pier, captains and crew members did their share in setting up the boats on Sunday March 1, for the 2nd Annual Jeff G. Webster Memorial Boat Race as fans and tourists looked on.

Setting up of racing boats at Island Harbour

Setting up doesn’t actually start the day of the race but on Sunday it took longer than usual to get the boats ready, and so the race which was scheduled to start at 11:30 a.m. did not commence until 4:00 p.m.
However, the boats at the starting point were few and through them the Real Deal, U.F.O, Eagle and Wasp the race was of much success.

Right: Captain Mumba gets it right from top of “crew ladder”

The race took off. Headed for the stake just off from Sandy Island was the Real Deal, followed by U.F.O, then the Wasp and still at the Sandy Ground beach was the Eagle, stuck on the beach. Pushing the boat off was not easy. It took a few minutes to get this done, but all in all it took skill and time to catch up with the others that were already way ahead.

UFO at winning stake

To race to Island Harbour seems like one of the hardest races ever and it takes a lot of tacking and a captain’s skill to get there. One bad move from the Real Deal placed the UFO in first position less than half an hour after the first stake. While the Real Deal took its knocks, tried as best it could to avoid being pushed in a westerly direction by the wind, and of course losing its first place position just outside Katouche, the Eagle slowly sailed its way into the race, along side the Wasp.
With the clouds turning dark and the breeze getting chilly, captains and crews must have thought the best thing to do was not to get caught. There they were. Squalls. Caught up were the Real Deal and worse yet the Eagle. The Real Deal fought as best it could and managed to sail through but for some reason the Eagle was dead centre and got them, squall after squall, outside Shoal Bay. A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor and so the captain and crew of the Real Deal took everything they got and placed themselves back into the race.

Crowd gathered at KoKo’s Beach Bar

Reefs ahead, fishing vessels all around with supporters and even more supporters looking on from Lily Hill, Shoal Bay, the U.F.O led the way sailing in a north-easterly direction.

L-R: Lanston Connor, Shawn Webster (Jeff’s brother) and “Mumba” Webster

One tack to make, the Real Deal sailing toward KoKo’s, the Wasp sailing in an easterly direction and the Eagle coming along in fourth place, the U.F.O was sure to be the winner. Tack made, headed to the winning stake and getting there first, the captain and crew of the U.F.O had for the second time won the Annual Boat Race held in memory of Jeff Garfield Webster.

The promoter, Mr. Lanston Connor (Owner of Koko’s Beach Bar), expressed his gratitude to the participating boat owners, captains and crews, sponsors, special assistants and others who helped to ensure the event was successful. “I would like to especially thank Cyril Fritzsimmon, Noureddine Salouane from Green Cuisine, Basil and Greg from Universal Construction, and Alexandrina Webster for your financial contribution in support of the race. To Radio Anguilla, Kool FM, Klass FM and The Anguillian Newspaper, thanks for your media coverage. Getting the word around has been recognized and appreciated.”

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