Caribbean Bottling Company (CBC), local producers of Coca-Cola and Dasani products, is proudly hosting its annual Bahamas Goombay Punch Cup. This year’s tournament, which marks the fourth year of competition, is focusing on E-Class sloops.

The competition which launched in December 2022 measures the performance of various sailing sloops across the Best of the Best, National Family Island and Long Island Regattas.

Upon completion of the Long Island Regatta, the team with the most points across all three events is crowned the winner. Each year, over the six-month course of competition, The Bahamas Goombay Punch highlights the participating sloops by featuring them on the can for a limited time.

The Bahamas Goombay Punch Cup was created to amplify the sport of sailing through monetary and social support. In upholding that, Minister Clay Sweeting of ‘Sugar Loaf’ and Dallas Knowles of ‘Lady Kayla’ share intimate details about their sloops.

How did your sloop’s name come to be?
Knowles: Lady Kayla is named after the boat builders' wife Kayla Rolle.

Min. Sweeting: The name Sugar Loaf was inspired by Eleuthera’s rich pineapple heritage, particularly the Sugar Loaf Pineapple. Grown in Eleuthera’s distinctive red clay soil, Sugar Loaf is known as the sweetest pineapple in the world and represents the island’s history, pride, and resilience.

Who are the members of your sloop?
Skippers of Lady Kayla: Joss Knowles – Skipper and KiAnno Hutchinson - Crew/bowman

Skippers of Sugar Loaf: Finley McKinney-Lambert – Skipper, Lorenzo Laramore – Skipper, Javien Rankine – Skipper, Yemaya Hauber – Skipper, Shamarr Allen – Bowman, Donavon Wood – Bowman, Odnece Auguste – Bowman, Lamon Seymour – Bowman, Makayla Hauber – Sail Trimmer, Deja Albury – Sail Trimmer and Denee Albury – Sail Trimmer

What’s the history of your sloop?
Knowles: “After the Exuma Sailing Club started sailing in the E-Class category here in Great Exuma, legendary boatbuilder Leslie "Buzzy" Rolle saw how much fun the kids were having. He saw how popular the boats were becoming, and he decided to build one for his son Kris "Porgy" Rolle. Porgy went on to win several championships in Lady Kayla early on. When he became olde, Lady Kayla sat unused for a few years until the Exuma Sailing Club purchased, upgraded and cleaned her back up into top shape. Since then, the new crew of Joss and Kianno have won back-to-back Junior National Championships, the 2023 and 2024 Best of the Best titles, and the 2025 Long Island title.”
Min Sweeting: “As Minister and Member of Parliament for Central and South Eleuthera, I was proud to support the launch of Eleuthera’s first E-Class sloop, Sugar Loaf, in 2024. Sailed by students of the Eleuthera Sailing Academy, the vessel made history by winning the E-Class at its first National Family Island Regatta (NFIR), appearance in Exuma and was also voted Fan Favorite that year.

Built by legendary boat builder Mark Knowles, Sugar Loaf has since competed in NFIR and most recently at Eleuthera’s return of regatta—the Back to Da Cay Regatta in January this year where it secured a second-place overall finish in the E-Class, continuing to proudly represent Eleuthera showcasing the talent, discipline, and potential of Eleuthera’s young sailors.’

What are some structural features that make your boat special?
Min. Sweeting: “Masterfully crafted, Sugar Loaf features one of the largest sails in the E-Class fleet. Sail number 110 represents the length of Eleuthera - 110 miles and the boat’s vibrant color scheme reflects the Sugar Loaf Pineapple itself.”

Knowles: “Lady Kayla was the first E-Class boat built by Leslie "Buzzy" Rolle. Buzzy brought his typical design, a deeper and heavier boat when up to that point all the other boats in the fleet were lighter and shallower. Lady Kayla somewhat revolutionized the E-Class fleet and showed other boat builders that the smaller E-Class boats could be built to mimic the larger C-Class boats and still perform very well. “

What inspired you to participate in The Bahamas Goombay Punch Cup?
Knowles: “We are very excited to participate in this year's Bahamas Goombay Punch! We feel Lady Kayla has been one of the most competitive E-Class of the last 2 years and are excited to see how she performs!”