Island Harbour Festival Del Mar, now in its fourth year, was a mammoth event and a resounding success. All day, Saturday and Sunday, April 23 and 24, hundreds of people from across the island, as well as visitors, converged on the coconut palm-fringed beachfor the varied activities.

Masters DrumCorps and Klassique Dancers at Opening Ceremony

By late afternoon, especially on the opening day, the crowd had swollen to such an extent that it brought traffic to a virtual halt on the adjourning main road. Parking, even at a considerable distance away such as east of the bay, west on the pond fill and lower down, quickly became a problem as scores of vehicles, in some casesdouble-parked, took up every available space.

Section of the massive crowd

The biggest road block occurred when the colourful Masters DrumCorps of Island Harbour, led byLarriciaLacorbiniere, one of the skilled dancers of Klassique Academy of Dance, moved through the dense crowd to the front of the road-side stage. The drum parade performance was not only impressive in its delivery, but set the tone and appeal for the festival.

The Scratch Band of Island Harbour

Anglican Priest, Rev. Sean Major-Campbell, obviously impressed by the scope of the festive occasion, found something religious to give a pertinent spin to the event. “I want to start out by reminding us that a festival of the sea would not have been something strange to Jesus Christ our Lord,” he reflected, just before delivering the opening prayer. “It is very timely, as we celebrate the resurrection, that we are reminded that some of the post resurrection appearances of Jesus were either directly associated with the sea or things of the sea.”

Culinary skills at Festival

The priest, a resident at Island Harbour, went on: “It is certainly my prayer and hope that even as we celebrate this weekend that those who earn their living from the sea; who are fed from the ocean or have anything with it, would indeed remember that there is a special relationship with Almighty God.”

Othlyn Vanterpool (centre) with Committee members

Chairman of the proceedings, President of the organising committee and elected representative for the district, OthlynVanterpool, delivered the welcome remarks. “As you may be aware, Festival Del Mar started in 2008 and you can attest to the fact that it has been growing by leaps and bounds,” he stated. “The display is one that has taken long hours and hard work by the organising committee and our community partners. With team-work you can achieve anything.”

Large crowd enjoying crab race

Mr. Vanterpool named the main financial sponsors as having been the Anguilla Tourist Board, the Department of Youth and Culture, NAPA, Anguilla Masonry Products and LIME. He also acknowledged the support of many other businesses and individuals. He urged everyone to continue to work with the Island Harbour Festival Committee to make the community event a continued success.

Culinary skills showcasing johnny cakes

Director of Tourism, Candis Niles, congratulated the organisers of Festival Del Mar and said she was delighted to see not only the involvement of the adult generation, but the many children who were caught up in the excitement of the event. “I am pleased because this is what we, as a Tourist Board, envisage when we conceptualised the idea of Festival Del Mar,” she told the vast crowd.“There are three words that come to mind when we think about a festival of this kind. The first is tradition. We want to celebrate our traditions – the best of what makes us Anguillian and we can start nowhere else but with the sea. When we think about the sea, and our ties to the sea, the first thing that comes to mind is Island Harbour.

Sail fish and model boats

“The second word is sustainability. If we are going to make it sustainable, we must have the cooperation of the people. If they are not involved, then the festival will die. As we look around and see the number of persons from throughout Anguilla, who have come to enjoy and celebrate all that makes us proud as Anguillians, we can be sure that this festival will continue for many, many years to come.

Benny poses with Mahi-Mahi

“The third word that comes to mind is partnership. We recognise that in order for something to be successful, there has to be a partnership. This initiative has been a partnership of the Anguilla Tourist Board and the Ministry of Tourism in conjunction with the Department of Youth and Culture and the Island Harbour community. As we move forward in this 21st century, we have to realise as Anguillians that unity is strength and thisfestival is just one testimony of what happens when people work together.”

Class B race in progress

The festival was declared open on behalf of the Minister responsible for Culture, Edison Baird, by Deputy Director of Youth and Culture, Linda Lake. She said the relationship Anguillians shared with the sea was one that went way back and could not be broken. She stressed that such a relationship was critical to the ability of the people of the island to sustain themselves.

Happy Hits String Band in action

Ms. Lake stated that Anguillians’ love for the sea, as a means of communication, travel, fishing, and boat-racing, was the primary pillar of Festival Del Mar as it highlighted and showcased their association with the sea. According to her, the traditional string band music, a large part of the festival, also originated from Anguillians’ association with the sea, many years ago, particularly as a past time when the island’s menfolk travelled between Anguilla and Santo Domingo.

Overall-Weight Champions Patrick and Benny showing off Wahoos

Ms. Lake further noted that boat-racing was a delight of the Anguillian workmen returning from Santo Domingo, and she was pleased that this sport was included in the festival activities as well as the fishing competition, another activity involving the sea.

Patrick and Benny with Championship trophies

“We have much to be proud of as we celebrate our seafaring heritage that goes back to our Amerindian heritage,” Ms. Lake added. “It is seen in our seamanship, our daring fishermen, our excellent boat-builders and our ingenious cooks. Our relationship with the sea has determined in large measure who we are. As we celebrate our fourth staging of Festival Del Mar, I entreat you to ensure that these traditions, which we hold dear, are preserved.”

Mouth-watering sea-food delicacy (Photos by Larry Stott and The Anguillian)

The organising committee for the festival comprises Othlyn Vanterpool, President of Festival Del Mar; Jansie Webster; John Lloyd; Claude Smith, Timmy Webster, Joan Richardson of the Tourist Board and Linda lake of the Department of Youth and Culture.

Mouth-watering sea-food delicacy (Photos by Larry Stott and The Anguillian)

The activities included a deep-sea fishing competition, culinary competitions, the Elliott Webster Memorial A-class boat race; a B-class race, model boat, sunfish, swimming and crab races, kite-flying, tug o’ war; and string band music. There were other activities (generated by a number of persons) such as volleyball, domino and other games, all lending much interest and leisure to the festival.

Additional information regarding the activities and the results of the various competitions, are published elsewhere in this edition of The Anguillian.

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