As the summer heat rises, so will sails during Long Island’s 55th Regatta which kicks off June fifth through eighth. .

The annual event promises to be an explosion of Bahamian culture. From delicious native foods, to live entertainment, and of course stiff and exciting competition from the sailors; regatta attendees have a lot to look forward to in Salt Pond, Long Island.

Chester Fox, Commodore of the Long Island Regatta and Best of the Best Regatta said the 2024 Regatta is not one to miss.

“Next week’s Regatta is shaping up to be a great one. People can expect some great sailing and fierce competition between most of the top sloops in classes A, B, C and  E. They can also expect some good on shore fun as well.” Fox said.

Each year Goombay Punch proudly sponsors the Long Island Regatta as a way to build up Family Island communities and Bahamian culture as a whole.

Goombay Punch believes in actively supporting initiatives throughout the country that positively impact Bahamians. This belief inspired the creation of the Goombay Punch Cup.

“Regattas are a major cultural event in the country. So, we thought it would be great to further amplify this aspect of our culture and to give Bahamians more reasons to visit the Family Islands,” Karla Wells-Lisgaris, Director of Caribbean Bottling Company said.

The Goombay Punch Cup measures the performance of various sailing sloops across the Best of the Best Regatta, National Family Island Regatta and Long Island Regatta. During the Long Island Regatta, the team with the most points across the three events is crowned the winner. The winners are also awarded five-thousand dollars and an eight-thousand dollar stipend is granted to the junior sailing club of the winner’s island.

Members of Long Island’s New Legend sloop took first place last year at the inaugural Goombay Punch Cup for the 2022/2023 sailing season.

“That award has meant a lot to both the junior club and  New Legend. They were both able to upgrade to a certain extent because of the award. I feel confident that the award will  stay in Long Island.” Fox shared.

Next week’s Long Island Regatta marks the end of the 2023/2024 Goombay Punch Cup season, with  Susan Chase leading the sloops on the scoreboard. Sailing and Regatta enthusiasts are encouraged to make their way down to Long Island to see who will take first place.

For decades,  Bahamians young and old  make their way to Long Island’s Regatta grounds as vendors, competitors and spectators. With Goombay Punch’s support the Regatta continues to steadily grow each year.

“Corporate sponsors such as Goombay Punch/Caribbean Bottling Company (CBC)  play a vital role in the success of our regatta year after year. Regattas are very costly to pull off so without the assistance of sponsors like Goombay Punch,  it would be nearly impossible for us to put on a successful regatta,” Fox said.

“With that being said we are truly grateful for this sponsorship and trust that they will continue to support us.” Fox expressed.

Goombay Punch is proud of the success this sponsorship brings to the sailing community, particularly in the wake of Sailing being declared the national sport of The Bahamas last year.

Which provides Goombay Punch with incentive to continue its support of Long Island’s Regatta for years to come.

As the days draw near it’s not too late to book your ticket to Long Island. Regatta organizers promised this years’ event to be action packed.

To learn more about Goombay Punch’s dedication to sailing or to follow the Goombay Punch Cup’s scoreboard visit www.cbcbahamas.com today.