NLA-BLAST Gives $25,000 and More!

Hundreds of Grenadians and visitors alike converged in the parish of St. John, to celebrate and participate in Gouyave Easter Regatta 2019.

The two-day affair on the popular L’Anse Bay in the western parish signalled the return of the event after a six-year absence and was received with utter excitement. 

For two days, the bay was transformed into a gateway for music, partying, sporting events and sailing as many of the parishioners showed the visitors the true meaning of fun and frolic. From the rising of the sun on day one to its setting on day two, there was a celebration. And to ensure that everything went as planned, mother nature provided excellent weather, the kind that was suited for all the events on land and on the sea to be held without any difficulty.

The people of Gouyave represented themselves in a most dignified way. The event was free of any major incident, but was over-running with pulsating and infecting music and very competitive events both in the sea and on land. The regatta brought out the young, and the not so young; people who love the sea and those who love the land and even the children. For two days, Gouyave was the fun capital of Grenada, and the organisers have already set their sights on 2020, promising that next year’s event will far exceed the brilliance that was BLAST Easter Regatta 2019.

The local business community came forward and gave good support to Elon Redhead and his R & A Promotions team, the group that was responsible for wooing the corporate sector to provide support towards the reviving of the event.

The Barnacle visited the Regatta, and on the second day, interviewed Redhead who highly praised the business community for the support given, and for seeing their vision of R & A Promotions, for the restoring and developing of the event that will become an annual one come 2020.

Despite the contribution made by the local corporate community, the Regatta was branded NLA-BLAST Easter Regatta, and according to Redhead, there is a good reason for that. He said that in his hunt to find sponsors and supporters for the event, his visit to BLAST office yielded the greatest rewards for this year and with a commitment for the 2020 event as well.

“ I went to BLAST to ask them to please sponsor one of our races, and after my conversation with Mr. Simon Wall and the team, they were so gracious that they gave us EC$ 25,000.00 cash and over $5,000.00 in T-Shirts, Caps and Bags. It was a blessing that that BLAST was on our side.”

“We are forever grateful to BLAST for making our dream of returning regatta to Gouyave a reality. We say hats off to you BLAST for supporting the people of Gouyave and Grenada. You made it possible along with the other sponsors for us to bring regatta glory back to our parish after six long years of waiting. We would forever be grateful to you.” 

The Gouyave Easter Regatta showcased fourteen (14) locally-built work-boats with crews from several fishing-communities around Grenada, including Woburn, Sauteurs and Gouyave, contending to become champions on the sea.  In the end, sailors from Woburn emerged as the champs-of-champs in the final event of the day.

A release from BLAST says that NLA-BLAST’s sponsorship of Gouyave Easter Regatta 2019, is in keeping with NLA’s commitment to supporting sports, culture and nation-building within the Tri-Island State of Grenada.  The company said that in February of this year, it co-sponsored the Grenada Sailing Festival Work-Boat Regatta in the south of the island.  In addition to its title sponsorship of the Gouyave Easter Regatta, NLA-BLAST plans to support a Gouyave All-Women Sailing Team – an initiative geared towards empowering women within the community.  

The NLA-BLAST assures all Grenadians and the general public that they would continue to support community initiatives like the Gouyave Easter Regatta 2019 in the future.