Bahamian Sloop Sailing

The Bahamian sloop was the workboat of these islands, a shallow wooden sailing craft built to carry sponge, fish and freight between cays, and when engines took the work away the boats survived by racing. The rules are protective and specific: hulls must be built in the Bahamas of wood, sails must be cotton or dacron cut to traditional shape, and no winches are allowed, so crews sit out on long wooden planks called pries, sliding them in and out to balance the boat. The National Family Island Regatta at George Town each April is the biggest event in the country outside Junkanoo, and every island has its own regatta besides.

What you actually see

• The pries - crew sliding out on long wooden planks to balance the boat.
• The wooden hulls - built in the Bahamas under class rules.
• The Family Island Regatta - George Town in April, the biggest of them.
• The island regattas - each island holds its own through the year.

When to go

The National Family Island Regatta is held at George Town, Exuma, in late April. Other regattas run through the year on different islands, with a concentration in the summer. Accommodation books out for all of them.

Honest expectations

Regatta weeks fill every room on the island concerned and prices rise sharply; book a year ahead or plan to arrive on a boat. Racing schedules slip with the wind and days can be long with little happening. The shore side is a large drinking and music event, which is either the appeal or not.

Nearby

George Town on Great Exuma hosts the main regatta; Long Island holds its own in May.