The mere mention of Regatta and the mind immediately flashes to Bartica, the home of Power Boat Racing and Easter thrills and excitement.
The Bartica Easter Regatta has been around for more than 60 years. Initially beginning as a wager between two captains on what was then ‘grant boats’ to see whose engine was the fastest, it has grown over the years from solely boat racing, to a multi-entertainment extravaganza.
A scene from a previous edition of the Annual Bartica Regatta
It now includes the Miss Regatta Pageant, the oldest Pageant in Guyana, and over the last 30 or so years, it has roped in sports such as cricket, football and dominoes, swimming and track races.
After the initial foray in its earliest stages in the early 50s, the Regatta basically consisted of the Power Boat Events and the Miss Regatta Pageant. Back then, the boat races, even into the early 70’s, featured the then ‘grant boats’ with inbuilt Perkins engines and two large paddles on the stern that were used for steering when navigating the dangerous rapids along the Essequibo, Mazaruni and Cuyuni Rivers.
Along with these boats, there were usually some canoe races and swimming, mainly from Kaow Island to Bartica. In the late 50s going on to the early 60s, the Regatta was run by private businesses of Bartica; persons such as Oscar Smart, Godfrey De Freitas (Snr), Baldeo Singh and John Willems, among others.
Today, the event it is still one of the premier annual events that Barticians and other Guyanese, both at home and abroad look forward to, with much anticipation at Easter time. No doubt there were years when the continuation of the event was in doubt, but through hard work, the Regatta was a success year after year.
With the recent contracting of the local economy, this has become much more difficult, but the present Committee is committed to making it happen. Over the years, companies such as Banks DIH, BK International, Ansa Mcal, Digicel, Scotia Bank, GBTI, Aruwai Group of Companies, and businessmen Ricky Ramnarine and Nizam Kassim have contributed much to make previous Regattas a success. This is in addition to support received from Government, mainly through the Ministry of Tourism, Sports and Culture, along with the Regional Administration of Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).
This year’s event is being held under the theme “Honouring our Past; Visualising our Future” and the aim is to highlight the contributions of the early ancestors of Bartica, so that as the model ‘Green Town of Guyana’, the developing town can truly fulfil its potential of being the “Gateway to the Interior”. It is especially historical since this will be the first Regatta since Bartica attained its township status, and so every effort will be made to make it a truly memorable one.
With this in mind, the Committee seeks to bring newer flavour to this annual event – exquisiteness and elegance for a green, serene and pristine town.
The Committee is currently reaching out to sponsors both at the local and national level, so that the plans visualised can be realised.
“Our hope is that our sponsors will work with us to, not only promote the Regatta itself, but to showcase their own unique product and services, especially in the tourism and hospitality sector of Bartica.
After all, Regatta is all about sport bringing people together, and what better to promote our culture and history and hospitality than through a remarkable and historical activity such as this one,” the Committee urged.
