All Rights Reserved
The Star Sailors League is all set to host its first ever Grand Final here in the Bahamas, which gives the country an opportunity to once again pay homage to Sir Durward Knowles.
It was in the Star Class where Knowles sailed to a pair of Olympic medals along with Cecil Cooke – bronze in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics and gold in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
Knowles said the Bahamas should appreciate the high level of sailing talent set to take to the shores of New Providence, December 3-8.
“I have been all over the world, have sailed in some of the best locations in the world and of all those places, no where that I have sailed compares to what we have here in Nassau,” he said. “This is the best in the world that have qualified, gold medal winners, world champions, you name. For them to be here is an honour.”
Minister of Youth Sports and Culture Dr Daniel Johnson said the Bahamas’ hosting of the inaugural event is a timely honour to the work Sir Durward has done in his career.
“We are coming full circle where we celebrate everything Sir Durward has done for the Bahamas after sowing seeds of success for years, winning gold medals and being an ambassador for the Bahamas,” he said. “And now we are seeing him integrated into this event in a class which he has become internationally renowned for.”
“The international Star class sail boat is no stranger to the Bahamas being the same boat in which our own Sir Durward Knowles enjoyed such success on the world and Olympic level,” said Paul Hutton Ashkenny, SSL local regatta chairman.
Representative of the Ministry of Tourism, Janet Johnson, pointed to Sir Durward’s championship vessel on display in front of the Nassau Yacht Club as an everyday reminder of his contribution.
Click here to read the complete article at tribune242.
Sir Durward was one of the first people to be photographed for the Bahamian Project, a three-year initiative launched in 2012 to capture the character and preserve the legacy of Bahamians whose character best displays what it means to “Bahamian”. For more information on the Bahamian Project, visit: www.bahamianproject.com
