By Brent Stubbs

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

ROWING Bahamas, the newly formed local body for the watersport, will host its inaugural rowing regatta on Saturday.

While they wait for their sanction from the International Rowing, Rowing Bahamas will stage their competition at Lake Cunningham off Atlantic Drive from 8am to 1pm. Competitors from the Nassau Rowing Club, Windsor School and King’s College School will be participating.

“We have the majority of rowing clubs and the majority of rowers in The Bahamas, so we are petitioning the International Rowing Federation for recognition,” said Kyle Chea, who serves as the president of the body that was formed two years ago.

“We applied for recognition last year from the International Rowing Federation and we are waiting on their response. But we want to get our programme up and running and so we’re holding our first regatta on Saturday.”

According to Chea, every class of rowing will be featured during the one-day regatta and it is hoped that there will be friendly competition and good sportsmanship derived from the event.

“We hope that it will be one of a series of regattas to be held during the year,” Chea said.

Nick Rowett, the national coach for the Nassau Rowing Club, revealed that every 15 minutes, they will hold a race in the different classes with Deputy Prime Minister I. Chester Cooper scheduled to serve as an honorary umpire for some of the races.

“We have children and adults from the Nassau Rowing Club, Windsor School and King’s College School participating,” Rowett said.

“There will be three different Cup races. King’s College has just recently started rowing, so the competitive level is not that high yet.

“We expect that more than 30 competitors will be competing.”

As this is the introductory competition for Rowing Bahamas, Rowett said having only been in the Bahamas for the past year and-a-half, he anticipates that the level of competition will be mediocre.

“Rowing in the Bahamas has not been exposed like some of the other sports,” Rowlett pointed out. “Some of the competitors have been around and some are just starting out. “So the standard is going to be pretty good, but not amazing.

“It’s not like going to the United States where the competition is much higher. But it’s going to be some good close sailing, so it should be a lot of fun.”

Rowett, who also serves as the programme director for the NRC, indicated that they are now launching their school programme, having started with CV Bethel Secondary High School.

“We are going into the other government schools with the hopes of expanding it to every high school in New Providence to start a competition for them by September,” Rowett said.

The public is invited to come out and watch the excitement on Lake Cunningham.