Placencia Sailing Regatta 2013

Well, yesterday was the first of two days of the Placencia Sailing Regatta.  We walked down to check it out and take some photos.  I got a great shot of the halo around the sun.

Halo around the sun

According to their face book page "The Placencia Sailing Club is located in Belize. We are the 4th sailing club in the country. We teach children how to sail in optimist boats and race in regattas."

In actuality, they do far more than that.  I was watching the people yesterday and it was a drawing together of the community as a whole.

Preparations underway

The kids were great, and determined.  The waves were high and it was difficult to launch the boats off the beach, there were boats swept over and kids tossed out.  But to give credit where credit is due, they flipped their boats over, climbed back in and bailed the water out before starting off again.  Some couldn't get back in so they pushed or pulled their boats back to the shored, emptied the water, reset the rudders and center board and off they went again.

He's down

He's back and bailing

Sometimes the waves just won't cooperate

But perseverance wins

There were a few unsung heroes, one of them our friend Keith from Above Ground Coffee.  He was out to his neck with a boat, helping the kids launch off the beach.  He got that one off and went to the next one.  It was then that I found out that he can't swim, but there he was up to his neck in waves helping one after another.  Keith wasn't the only one either, there were a number of helpers all doing it for the kids.

Lots of volunteers 

And the race is on

Everyone on their way.