Fans of water based sports have been buzzing with excitement about the 2011 edition of the Caribbean’s most revolutionary regatta. Pigeon Point Tobago will once again feel the pulsating energy as the youngest, fastest and most radical Tobago Carnival Regatta returns to ignite the sister isle from February 18th-20th 2011. [more](all photos credited the Bajan Reporter)
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For the past 28 years a regatta has been hosted in Tobago. 2010 saw the evolution of this traditional regatta into “The Festival of Wind”.
With the departure of the big boats from this year’s festival, Tobago Regattas Limited’s principals Niki Borde and Peter Knox have pulled out all the stops to ensure a unique, exciting, competitive event in 2011.
The 2011 Tobago Carnival Regatta will allow practitioners of all wind based water sports to participate. It will be the premiere event in the region for competitors and fans of all of these disciplines to interact and enjoy and appreciate each activity. This year will feature the intense athleticism of top notch Windsurfers and death defying Kite Boarders as well as the impressive Optimists (young sailors ranging from ages 7-15 yrs old and hailing from various parts of both Trinidad and Tobago) and the Traditional Bum Boats (home built, wooden boats which are native to Tobago, Grenada , St Vincent & the Grenadines).
For the past 28 years a regatta has been hosted in Tobago. 2010 saw the evolution of this traditional regatta into “The Festival of Wind”.
2011’s regatta will also see the introduction of an awe-inspiring air show put on by professional kite boarders brought in by kite board manufacturer, Cabrinha. Spectators will get to opportunity to view these experts as they demonstrate their proficiency in executing extreme stunts in the air and off of ramps.
When asked about the inspiration behind producing such an epic, athletic extravaganza, the event producer Niki Borde stated, “I feel that there is strong synergy between all wind related water sports and if a young person is learning the fundamentals of sailing they must have an avenue for showing off their talents on the big stage. Therefore we included the very young talented Optimists in the regatta as well as the radical Wind Surfers and Kite Boarders. For 2010’s event there was tremendous excitement among the Wind Surfers and Kite Boarders as they had never been invited to participate in a regatta of this kind. There was also a lot of support from the classic big boat sailors and enthusiasts from other regions about the idea of this inclusion”.
Ms. Borde further stated, “There is an abundance of talent in the Caribbean’s for water based sports, with some of the world’s top sailors hailing form the region in both classic sailing and kite boarding. Barbados still leads in this area with many sailors taking part in world events. Many of the top kiters in the world also come from the Caribbean and this figure is growing as the sport develops regionally”.
In addition to fierce competition and displays from world class professionals in the field, the Tobago Carnival Regatta will also offer daily games on the beach for onlookers courtesy of Island Games.
The registration for these events will be held at the Shade Night Club at 7pm on Thursday 17th February 2011. The public is invited to witness this radical collection of athletes free of charge from February 18th-20th from 9am till 5pm.
With the assistance of sponsors such as The Tobago House of Assembly, the Tourism Development Company, The Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago, the Ministry of Sport, Red Bull and the Shade Night Club, the Tobago Carnival Regatta 2011 is certainly going to be a breath-taking, record breaking weekend of events
