Organisers of the Nassau to Miami Boat Race are predicting that the event will bring in millions of dollars to the Bahamian economy and expose the destination to a more affluent tourist market, according to the event chairman John Lawrence.
The famous race is celebrating 71 years, having been in existence since 1934 minus two interruptions in 1942 and later in 1988.
Mr. Lawrence described the race as the oldest international ocean race in the Western Hemisphere.
In an interview with The Guardian on Wednesday, Mr. Lawrence said that the race, which is scheduled for this Saturday, used to bring in over 150 boats on average. He estimated that if the event returned to this level, this could translate into approximately 2,250 people coming in and a tremendous economic impact for The Bahamas’ tourist-based economy.
According to Mr. Lawrence, the race, which was revived last year after a 14-year hiatus, would also provide huge international exposure for the country.
“For instance, the person that won it last year was Jim Bishop a member of the New York which is certainly one of the most prestigious yacht clubs in the world if not the most prestigious,” he said. “It’s a type of tourism that we really want as a jurisdiction; it’s that high level high spending type of tourist that really differentiates them from the rest.”
The race is expected to bring in participants from Brazil and Canada.
Explaining the 14-year break, the race chairman said that before it was temporarily ceased in the late 80’s, the Miami to Nassau Race was a part of a very popular four to six weeklong regatta known as the Southern Ocean Racing Circuit (SORC). Back then the SORC included races in southern Florida, the Miami to Nassau race and the around the buoy race in Nassau for the coveted Governor General’s Cup.
Mr. Lawrence noted that the world has changed since this time with people having more time constraints and unable to commit to such long periods for a regatta. He added that this was the main reason why the race had the more than a decade-long break. With the shorter duration time for newly revived Miami to Nassau Boat Race, five to six days, the event is now “the right size for today’s market,” he said.
Founders of the event in 1934, the Miami Yacht Club and the Nassau Yacht Club, revived the race in 2003; it is 172 miles long. The event was organised purely by the assistance of volunteers and the financial assistance of sponsors such as the Ministry of Tourism, John Bull and Mount Gay Rum.
Mr. Lawrence predicts that as the event grows, having tripled in size already from eight boats in 2003 to 25 this year, it will put The Bahamas back on the map for having the ability to host this kind of event.
“It also shows that we have the caliber of people here that can run organised races. It brings people down here that otherwise may have been racing in Florida or somewhere else in the Caribbean.”
Martella Matthews, The Nassau Guardian
