The Tribune
E x-FNM MiNist E r p rais E s Nygard
Former chairman Collie and broadcaster Mackey give references to court
By KEILE CAmPBELL
Reporter
Tribune Staff
kcampbell@tribunemedia.net
FORMER Free National Movement chairman Sidney Collie was one of two Bahamians who wrote glowing character references for Peter Nygard, encouraging a Toronto, Canada, judge to be lenient when sentencing the former fashion mogul for sexual assault. Nygard, who is expected to be sentenced today, was convicted in November of four counts of sexual assault in the first of several criminal trials he will face for his alleged treatment of women in multiple countries across several decades. Mr Collie, a former
By DENISE mAYCOCK
Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
VIRgIN Atlantic will stop flying to The Bahamas early next year, two years after introducing flights in response to “real demand”. The airline’s final flight will be on February 23. Meanwhile, it will increase its flights to Barbados and Antigua. The airline told the Travel Trade gazette that its decision followed a review of its destinations and reflected a desire to optimise its network.
“We’re very sorry for the disappointment caused to our customers flying to The Bahamas and Turks and
‘Zns Olympics brOadcast failure inexcusable’
By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
THE Free National Movement said ZNS’s failure to secure the rights to broadcast the Olympics is inexcusable. ZNS’s general manager, Clint Watson, told The Tribune on Monday the company is not broadcasting the event this year because it could not afford the rights. He said the rights cost
$800,000 this year, more than double the rate in 2021.
Former Youth, Sports, and Culture Iram Lewis and FNM vice chairman Denarii Rolle in a statement on Wednesday: “It’s a sad day when ZNS — The Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas — cannot afford to feature the Olympic games by their general m an sheds tears after acquitted Of sex assault
pbailey@tribunemedia.net
A 61-YEAR-OLD man broke down in tears after he was acquitted yesterday of sexually assaulting of a 15-year-old teen girl at Baha Mar in 2021. Henry Nixon Jr had been accused of having sexual intercourse with a tourist at a cabana near the resort’s pools on April 4, 2021. Before jurors returned an 8 to 1 verdict yesterday,
By NEIL HARTNELL
Contamination concerns over sunken vessels at Potter’s Cay
By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net
SOME workers at Potter’s Cay Dock are concerned that several sunken vessels are contaminating the water.
Island Link mailboat captain Jed Munroe said the dock has about ten sunken vessels. He is concerned the boats are contaminating the water with diesel, potentially harming marine life.
“It’s affecting the public because it’s a health hazard,” he said. “The guys that are selling conch salad at Potter’s Cay Dock, all these sunken vessels are contaminating the conch they are storing in or around the dock. The
toxic metal that comes out of rusted metal, that toxicity is going into the conch.”
“My question is, when is the government going to do something about these sunken vessels at Potter’s Cay Dock?”
Family Island boaters have also had challenges docking their boats because the sunken vessels take up a lot of space, he said.
He said one vessel in particular, the Trans Cargo, has been deteriorating at the dock for years.
“It’s a huge eyesore,” he added. It’s a health hazard, and it’s occupying much-needed dock space that is needed by these other mail boats.”
Berne Wright, the acting port controller, said the government had contracted Heavy Marine and Foundations (HMF) to remove 28 vessels. He said 26 vessels had been removed over the last year, noting some vessels are easier to move than others.
He added that officials had contacted Eddins Taylor, the owner of the Trans Cargo vessel, to remove his boat. He said that vessel sank after the government executed its contract with HMF.
“As the regulators, we would identify vessels that need to be moved and we take measures to reach out to the owner to have them removed,” he told The Tribune.
Felicia
Ziva
Soprano
WorkerS at Potter’s Cay Dock expressed concerns over several sunken vessls that they believe are contaminating waters there.
Photos: Dante Carrer/Tribune Staff
E x-FNM minister praises Nygard
Cabinet minister and the ambassador of The Baha-
mas to the United States from 2017 to 2021, wrote a letter dated December 1, 2023, in support of Nygard, according to documents The Tribune obtained.
“The name Peter Nygard is synonymous with philanthropy, community engagement and youth and sports across the Commonwealth of The Bahamas for more than two decades,” he wrote. “I am aware that this statement will be used for Mr Nygard’s sentencing on four counts of sexual assault.”
Mr Collie said he witnessed Nygard’s scholarship awards to cash-strapped sailors participating in annual Family Island regattas.
“However, one of Mr Nygard’s singular and most compelling contribution to the growth and development of The Bahamas, has been his sponsorship and continued financial support for the youth of the country,” he said.
He added that Nygard was known to financially support local churches, NGOs and small community events throughout the country.
“Notwithstanding Mr Nygard’s present
predicament, he is a man with a good heart who has a record of well-doing in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas,” he said. “Without reservation, I prevail upon this honourable court to exercise its direction in Mr Nygard’s favour by
tempering its right with leniency.”
Mr Collie declined to discuss his letter when The Tribune contacted him yesterday.
In 2016, he distanced himself from Nygard while running for FNM
chairman after Rodney Moncur, his challenger, questioned his connections to Nygard. He told The Tribune in 2016 that he did legal work for Nygard in 2008 to petition the Ingraham administration for a crown
land lease, but Nygard fired him after he refused to sue the government for denying his application. He said his connection to Nygard lasted less than a month and that he had “never seen the man since or had any reason to”. Likewise, after the press
reported in 2017 that Nygard had sent money to a Bank of America account belonging to then Cabinet minister Shane Gibson, Mr Collie said in a press statement: “While Bahamians struggle to put food on the table, Shane Gibson is receiving payments from an eccentric foreign billionaire.”
Veteran sports broadcaster Carlos Mackey also wrote a reference letter for Nygard, saying: “His heart is bigger than Sambo the Whale.”
He listed several examples of Nygard donating to youth sports causes and said Nygard paid for all of his medical expenses when he was diagnosed with cancer in April 2011.
“Over the years I have known Peter, I have only seen him treat the many women who were in and out of his life with the greatest respect,” he wrote. “I have also never seen Peter behave inappropriately with girls under 18 years old. Personally, I know Peter to be a gentleman with a wonderful heart full of love and care for others. Without reservation, I humbly ask this honourable court to consider my letter when sentencing Peter.” Prosecutors have asked a judge to sentence Nygard to 15 years in prison.
Virgin Atl A ntic to c A ncel B A h A m A s route next ye A r
Caicos, and anyone booked to travel on these routes from February 24 and February 22, respectively, will be contacted with their options,” the airline said.
Tourism Minister Chester Cooper and other top Ministry of Tourism officials did not respond to requests for comment up to press time.
In November 2021, Virgin Atlantic began twice-weekly services to The Bahamas from London’s Heathrow Airport.
Juha Jarvinen, the company’s chief commercial officer, said at the time: “We couldn’t be more excited to add The Bahamas to our ever-expanding portfolio of Caribbean destinations. We are seeing a real demand from our customers for luxury holidays in the sun, with Brits keen to escape on their next adventure after a difficult year.”
In October, The Nassau Guardian reported that Virgin Atlantic was increasing its flights to The Bahamas to three per week in response to demand.
VIrGIn Atlantic will stop
to
‘ZNS Olympics broadcast failure inexcusable’
page one
manager’s admission.”
“This global showcase of talent from around the world is held every four years. It’s a time when countries unite to celebrate the success of those carrying their flags and banners to the world.”
“Whenever The Bahamas achieves a medal, we proudly proclaim that we have won the entire Olympics, and rightfully so; this small but mighty nation ranks #1 in medal count per capita under one million on the Olympic stage.”
“There can be no excuse why our main media outlet cannot showcase our athletes on the world’s biggest sports stage! Bahamians had to resort to viewing alternative outlets to witness swimmer Lamar Taylor make history by winning his heat with a new Bahamian National Record.”
“We call on the government to fix it. It is not too late. Take it from the travel budget that increases yearly. Take it from the fees for consultants that increase yearly.”
“You took money from
the disabled community with no hesitation or explanation. You travelled to Bermuda on the backs of the Bahamian people with no hesitation or explanation. We need that same zeal now for our athletes to be featured. After all, ZNS is the “People’s Station!’ “A genuine and caring government would have ensured, even if it was budgeted yearly, that the
necessary funding was set aside until this year to avoid what we deem a tragedy and an insult to Bahamians everywhere, but most importantly, our athletes in Paris.”
The Olympics is also not being shown on Our TV.
A Cable Bahamas representative told The Tribune the company would send a press statement about this but never did.
Former FNM chairman, Cabinet Minister and Ambassador for The Bahamas Sidney Collie
Central Grand Bahama MP Iram Lewis
flying
The Bahamas early next year, two years after introducing flights in response to “real demand”.
RGA chief uncertain whether retailers would support raising minimum wage
BY leaNdRa ROlle Tribune Chief Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net
THE Retail Grocers Association president is uncertain whether retailers will support another minimum wage increase so soon after the last hike, warning that such a move could “come at a cost.”
Philip Beneby, the president of RGA, which represents more than 200 food store operators, said if the minimum wage is increased again, some businesses may consider layoffs, reducing working hours, or increasing prices.
Labour Minister Pia GloverRolle indicated on Monday
that the government is considering another minimum wage increase “in the near future”.
The rate had increased from $210 to $260 in January 2023.
Mr Beneby said yesterday: “We had electricity rates increased, we had NIB increased and just before that was the minimum wage increase and then to talk about another minimum wage increase, that’s bringing the burden on all of the various sectors. I know it will have an affect on all of the businesses in all sectors so I guess we will have to wait and see what the real decision will have to be.”
Bahamas Public
Service Union (BPSU) and Trade Union Congress (NTCU) leaders want the minimum wage to increase to $350.
Like Mr Beneby, the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Federation’s (BCCEC) CEO Leo Rolle said the chamber is uncertain whether businesses would support any increase.
Mr Beneby added yesterday: “We know what the workers are experiencing, and the cost of living has increased almost straight across the board, so we gon’ always want workers to have a decent or reasonable living, but it’s going to come with a cost. We like to make workers feel compensated for
their work, but at the same time, you still have a business to run.”
Mr Beneby also could not speak to how the recent National Insurance Board contribution rate increase and electricity reforms have affected businesses, saying it is still too early to tell. Mrs Glover-Rolle promised that relevant stakeholders would be included in discussions about another minimum wage increase.
Mr Beneby said he hopes the government’s consultation will involve representatives from the grocers’ association, as there has been little dialogue between the two.
Bahamas Consul in new York donates $50k of mediC al supplies to
By Jade Russell Tribune s taff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net
THE Bahamas Consul General in New York donated over $50,000 worth of medical supplies to the Public Hospital Authority.
The supplies included personal protective gear like surgical masks, head covers, gowns, goggles and shoe covers.
The handover ceremony for the donations was held at the critical care block of Princess Margaret Hospital yesterday.
Leroy Major, Bahamas Counsel General of New York, said the donation was facilitated through an anonymous partner.
Kele Issacs, deputy managing director of PHA, said the medical items will have a significant impact.
“The items received are critical to our ongoing efforts to safeguard healthcare professionals and patients,” he said.
“In these unprecedented times, the importance of such contributions cannot be overstated.
The supplies you have provided are more than just equipment. They are a vital part of the frontline defence, in enabling our medical teams to continue their work with the confidence that they are well protected.”
Bahamas Counsel General of New York Leroy Major speaks during a press conference to announce the arrival of medical supplies, secured by Mr Major from an anonymous donor, for the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) yesterday. Photos: Dante Carrer/Tribune Staff
PuBliC Hospitals Authority (PHA) Deputy Managing Director Kyle Issacs
PuBliC Hospitals Authority (PHA) Director of Foundations, Corporate and Community Relations Alana Major
Retail Grocers Association president Philip Beneby
Man sheds tears after acquitted of sex assault
Justice Renae McKay
noted the complainant alleged that the defendant offered her cocaine in the resort’s casino.
The complainant claimed she became afraid of him and took some of his cocaine after refusing him three times.
She claimed she immediately lost control of her body and that the defendant started to kiss her.
She alleged the defendant forced her to perform oral sex on him at the cabana before he put her on a couch, took out her tampon, and had sexual intercourse with her.
She claimed she passed out a minute after the defendant allegedly inserted himself in her.
The complainant’s father testified that he became aware that his daughter was missing around 3am. He said he heard his daughter crying near the pool’s cabana while searching the resort using an app on his iPhone. He claimed he saw the defendant passed out naked on top of his daughter, who was lying in a fetal position.
He said after he allegedly pulled Mr Nixon off her, he yelled at the defendant, “you sick [expletive] get off my daughter! She’s only
15 years old.”
The complainant’s father claimed the defendant said he thought she was 21. He also claimed that when he walked in, his daughter’s chest was exposed and her skirt was raised.
During Mr Nixon’s police interview, he admitted to talking to the complainant but denied having sex with her.
He told police the complainant told him she was 19 and started kissing him. He also claimed she asked for condoms, making him uncomfortable.
Keevon Maynard, the defendant’s attorney, argued that the
complainant made up the incident to further a $10m lawsuit against the resort. He insinuated the complainants were gold diggers.
The attorney also said the complainant’s parents were negligent in supervising their child that night.
The complainant’s mother admitted that her daughter had been drinking that night on the casino floor. The complainant’s father also said he did not know it was illegal for minors to gamble.
In his closing remarks, Mr Maynard said there was no case against his client and no forensic evidence that sexual intercourse
took place. He also said the defendant willingly cooperated with police and had no priors. While DNA matching both the complainant and defendant were found on the defendant’s shoe, no semen traces were identified.
Dr Emmanuel Joseph, who examined the complainant the morning after the alleged assault, testified that he saw an abrasion on the teen’s inner vagina that could indicate sexual intercourse. He also said the complainant experienced some tenderness.
Video footage appeared to show the defendant and complainant conversing on
the casino floor. Justice McKay told the jury there were inconsistencies in the accounts of the complainant’s relatives about their time at the casino.
The jury consisted of seven women and two men.
Mr Nixon’s family celebrated in court and embraced him after his acquittal.
He told The Tribune he was grateful for his lawyer’s work and expressed joy.
Neither the complainant nor her family were present when the verdict was read.
Davina Pinder prosecuted the case.
With Emancipation Day around the corner, fight for reparations to be renewed
By KEILE CAMPBELL Tribune Staff Reporter kcampbell@tribunemedia.net
AS the country prepares to recognise Emancipation Day, a committee aiming to secure reparations for injustices related to slavery and colonialism said The Bahamas has not stopped supporting the cause and will renew its efforts.
“The new director general, DG Ali, has made it known that reparations is an important issue for her and on her agenda and so we’re just trying to work together to bring awareness around the reparation issue and also let it be known that this is not just a national movement but that it’s a visual movement and a worldwide movement,” said Niambi Hall-Campbell, chair of the committee.
Dr Hall-Campbell participated in a motorcade yesterday organised by the Rastafarian community to highlight Emancipation Day and the reparations fight.
Her committee will host a press conference today about its relaunch.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, “The reparations committee was formed in 2013 as a member state of the CARICOM Reparations Committee to advocate for reparations against former colonial states for the crimes against humanity, in regards to the transatlantic slave trade and the genocide of the original inhabitants of these islands.”
Rastafarian Priest Rithmond McKinney said the motorcade aimed to raise awareness about issues relevant to Emancipation Day. He said reparations, to him, means “repair and restore”. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be monetary alone,” he said.
Americ A n fined for indecent A ss Ault of under Aged girl
By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter
pbailey@tribunemedia.net
AN American tourist was fined yesterday after admitting to groping an underaged girl at Baha Mar’s water park earlier this week.
Senior Magistrate Kara Turnquest Deveaux arraigned New Mexico resident Hunter Padilla, 23, on indecent assault. Padilla reportedly groped a ten-year-old girl’s buttocks at the Baha Bay water park on July 30. After pleading guilty to the charge and apologising for his actions, Padilla was fined $3,000 and could face a six-month prison term if he fails to pay. Alphonso Lewis represented him.
Americ A n fined for defr Auding sA ndA ls resort of over $10,000
By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter
pbailey@tribunemedia.net
AN American man was fined $5,000 yesterday after admitting to defrauding the Sandals Resort on Cable Beach of over $10,000 earlier this week.
Senior Magistrate Kara Turnquest arraigned Elhadj Bah, 23, on two counts of possession of a forged document, uttering a forged document and credit by fraud. Bah reportedly used fake American Express and US Bank cards to defraud Sandals of $10,693.46 on July 30. After pleading guilty, the defendant was told to pay his fine or risk a one-year prison sentence. He was also ordered to fully reimburse the complainant or face an additional one-year prison term.
mAn Accused of ste Aling t wo gAs tAnks worth $1,000
By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net
A MAN was granted bail after he was accused of stealing nearly $1,000 worth of property last week. Magistrate Kendra Kelly arraigned Tyrone Woodside, 65, on stealing and receiving yesterday. Woodside allegedly stole Raymond Wiklund’s two $930 100lb gas tanks on July 25 in New Providence. The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The prosecution raised no objections to his bail, which was granted to him for $2,000 with one or two sureties.
Woodside must sign in at his local police station on the first Monday of every month. His trial begins on September 17.
Dr Niambi Hall-Campbell-DeaN
The Tribune Limited
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“Being Bound to Swear to The Dogmas of No Master”
Publisher/Editor 1903-1914
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Publisher/Editor 1919-1972
Contributing Editor 1972-1991
RT HON EILEEN DUPUCH CARRON, C.M.G., M.S., B.A., LL.B.
Publisher/Editor 1972-
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Olympic focus turns to track and field, and our Bahamian athletes
ALL eyes are on Bahamian athletes this weekend as the Olympics kicks into high gear. Track and field events are under way, as well as swimming events. Already, one swimmer, Lamar Taylor, has set a new national record in the men’s 100m, in 48.84 seconds. His time was not enough to reach the semi-final, but he still did the nation proud.
In today’s Tribune, you can also read about some of the first-time Olympians taking part in the competition.
The Olympics has an ability to lift and inspire unlike any other international tournament. Our athletes have shone over the years, bringing home more medals than a nation of our size might expect.
Those who have brought home gold, silver or bronze have been feted as national heroes, inspiring the next generation to follow in their footsteps.
So we wish this weekend’s competitors well as they take to the track or the pool. By the time you read this, Ken Mullings will have had his first events in the decathlon.
Charisma Taylor will challenge in
the triple jump today.
Then there is the mixed 4x400m qualifying round.
Then bring on Saturday, with Rhanihka Gibbs in the pool, Mullings back in the decathlon and Taylor again in the final if she advances.
Wanya McCoy and Terrence Jones take to the track in the men’s 100m preliminaries.
Then on Sunday Antoine Andrews and Steven Gardiner join the mix in the 100m hurdles and 400m respectively.
Each of these athletes has worked hard to reach this stage. Even being here is a success. But they give us dreams of more. We raise our voices to cheer them on. And to will them one step faster, one stroke further, one jump harder.
From The Bahamas to Paris, we wish you well, our athletes. And we will follow you as you give your best.
• • •
A reminder to readers that our next edition will be on Tuesday, after the holiday weekend. We wish our readers and our advertisers an enjoyable break. See you Tuesday.
Capital fast becoming a derelcit town
EDITOR, The Tribune
GREETINGS
EDITOR, The Tribune
THERE is a web of collusion and corruption attached to the medical health-pharmaceutical sector where private corporations owned by many wealthy players in society are protected by various oversight bodies within and of our governments. Can we hold private and governmental officials responsible and accountable for the management of this medical escapades?
Long wait times for those seeking medical assistance yet our governments curtail hiring needed staff.
Publicly needed defibrillators purchased by the public sector and directed to the private sectors usage.
Escalating number of medications delisted and not paid for by public insurance. The very ownership by someone of the systems failings during and proceeding the pandemic. Transparency is non existent and accountability falls upon the legality of legislative privilege and protection. Sure we can complain, and surely the Ombudsman is listening, but pointing our a lack of accountability, wrong doing and hidden agenda’s seems hollow when the very people who are suppose to be representing us are some how involved in continual and escalating cover ups.
happen. Far to many in the corporate and public sector spend a great deal of time covering their collective asses, making decisions in the dark, or not making any decisions at all for fear of judicial retribution in the future.
“Every decision you make reflects your evaluation of who you are”, says M Williamson. So who are these corporate and public officials making decisions that affect each of us, our environments, financial status and health status?
How can we trust any members of management within the corporate and public sector? Trust is found when what is before us is transparent and viewed by all. That simply does not
Know who you vote for, who you do business with and most importantly who supplies you with the necessities of life.
STEVEN KASZAB Bradford, Ontario July 31, 2024.
Bahamas, and editor, with this one, I write with a heavy heart and being a fairminded individual, I think that those like minded readers you you premier paper, would agree that things, conditions looks very bleak, perhaps bleaker, than any other time in our dispensation and expressly under the good graces of our Lord, but why?
And for your readers may be asking what his point is, why does he behave this way?
Because, it appears that little to no attention is being directed on the social decadences, the slow but methodical (how strikingly similar were the appearances in all of the over the hill public), the decaying neighbourhoods, quickly becoming slums, I know many of you don’t want to hear it, but something is responsible for what though?
But editor, someone must say it, these factors were so blaring, evident that it is really hard not to see the enormous decline, whilst there were many in the political arena, playing politics (to the detriment of an entire people, why though)? The island of New Providence (the heart of commerce), is fast becoming a derelict town (as the nation’s leaders were frequently busy jet setting around the globe) at the dismay of Bahamian people, who have all right to say how their money is to be spent, but guess what?
The trips continued unabated but should it matter to them, after all they were now rich and could care less were the sentiments of many Bahamians, and as Father God
has said, never mind what they (politicians), tell you, checked their actions?
Father God has also said that the US will be going to war, and there will be no food in the land? Suggested that we Bahamians were to stockpile food water, suspending the people’s money, does it matter?
And so, what accounts for this were queries that those with specialised knowledge have been asking? The perceptions of these people who were very quick to notice the deficiencies, structural carnages, and materially understanding things?
Those highbrow, having serious intellectual tastes have arrived at the characterisation, the depiction of these anomalies, axiomatic self evident, inter alia, but how come and no it is not politics, but the survivability of Bahamians?
Editor, somehow I am getting a cold wave in the spirit, don’t think that those so inclined were able to take it, so I move on to conclude. In conclusion, there were times when we get so caught up, that we lose sight of where and what we ought to be about, but when you have all of these neighbourhoods experiencing the same downward trend, does weigh heavily, negatively on many facets the of the human experience, their psyche (mindset), it also causes the feeling of hopelessness, helplessness, despair, leading to any manner of lawlessness and when it needs not, just too much in the
way of the money in the public treasury belonging to Bahamian people, to allow this ungodly slide.
Finally, I am concerned because not only is this the only country I have known, but my children and grandchildren will have to call this place home. I trust it, but if something is not done quickly, there is a real possibility that we can become boat people, seeking another country to live, who is to blame becomes clearer I think? In my opinion, anytime that resources air mark for the sustenance of people, is intercepted and exported out the country in greater preponderance of it not being secured in the country, the citizenry have less, and less of a chance in making good on what God has intended that they have, period. I call on the Powers That Be, to take a commonsense approach to this whole question, and realise that the Bahamian Government is not responsible for resolving the strife in the Republic of Haiti (and for we sympathised, but much of what is occurring there, were by their own-making-going back to the 15th century, and they have still not gotten their act-together, when is enough, ought to be considered enough)? Or any other Caribbean countries for that matter?
Your duty is to the people of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, an Island nation nestled in the North Atlantic Ocean and let it be known that we were not a Caribbean country, never was, and never will be, amen.
FRANK GILBERT Nassau, July 29, 2024.
A relAxing day floating in the crystal clear waters of The Bahamas.
Photo: Jared rice
The ship that starred in a Bond movie - and later wrecked at Kelly Island
The largest sailing catamaran in the world spent five busy years chartering, treasure-hunting and educating in The Bahamas from 1962 until her officers lost control with 35 persons, mostly students and parents, and wrecked at the east end of Kelly Island (now Arawak Cay) without loss of life.
Tropic Rover was a twomasted 145ft gaff-rigged catamaran launched in Fort Lauderdale in October, 1962. She was built of fir and plywood, was 130ft tall, and 38ft wide, and with two hulls and two Caterpillar diesel engines. At 404 gross tons, she boasted 10,000 square feet of sail. Captain Sidney ‘Sid’ hartshorne was the visionary, designer, and builder, who “convinced a bunch of investors from Nassau …that it would be a good charter venture”. By 1966, he had sailed some 12,000 mines on her in The Bahamas, and relinquished control to Nassau tour operators called Steventon Marine, so the ship
By Eric Wiberg
was Bahamian, owned, flagged and crewed by ten mariners – the first mate was age 20 and from Maine. Tropic Rover carried passengers on five-to-ten-day cruises in The Bahamas in winter and student cruises in the summer. It achieved a degree of fame globally, in Life Magazine and the 1965 James Bond film Thunderball, in Nassau harbour, with villains shown motoring between Tropic Rover’s hulls.
equipped with “six double cabins in each hull of 24 passengers, …they ran her very successfully for five years”, ranging mostly between Florida, Bimini, Nassau, and Abaco. her former crew are loyal and
active on social media, and some said the “Bahamian government wouldn’t let the charter groups pick up passengers there, and ran out most chartering schooners and ships”. In the summer from 1963-1970, well-heeled students from the US and Canada would join the ship, with a base in Spanish Wells, and by 1967 there were treasure-hunting voyages as well. At the time, Windjammer cruises and others were competing.
Dozens of former crew and passengers provide colorful anecdotes about Tropic Rover online, with one describing his two years aboard her as the happiest of his life. There are stories of storms, knife
attacks, chasing spouses around, and of course libations. Though he says he ran an incident-free ship, Captain Sid hartshorne, his crew observed, “was losing the ship to money troubles”. In one ad, he personally solicited readers to “sail The Bahamas with me… for informal vagabond voyage… skin-dive, fish, help sail ship or loaf.”
According to her senior officers, “the only one that could handle the Rover was Sid [hartshorne] - and he wasn’t there”.
On March 16, 1967, Tropic Rover was returning from a day-trip around New Providence with 35 persons, 20 of them students and parents, one of them pregnant. As she was entering the harbour under sail, the ship was caught in mid-afternoon by a cold front. According to the Miami herald, the high winds quickly “whipped up 10ft seas. Gusts shredded the boat’s main sails. The auxiliary engine was not powerful enough to overcome buffeting by the winds.”
Before the crew were able to regain control with the engines, the vessel’s hull snagged into sunken barges which were the first layer of breakwater on the northeast coast of what is now Arawak Cay. A local harbour historian advised that “the barges belonged to the Snare Corp, who were contractors for the sheet-steel works”. Fortunately, over that was concrete rip-rap and after that the shoreline, which connected to
West Bay Street. The accident didn’t happen at the Paradise Island Light or on Silver Cay. As the ship “bashed against the sharp metal of barges, the passengers did not panic. By shimmying down [a chute made of] sails, they all made it behind the breakwater and ashore with only one minor injury”. Bob Wandewalker, a 44-year-old salesman and passenger, said “we all thought we’d had it at one time”. Photos show a “crew member scooting down a makeshift slide to safety… as seas and winds batter it. The …boat was dashed to pieces after the two-hour rescue operation”.
Local news reported on how authorities were unable to “get close enough to inspect her, because of the high waves, but she looks like she’s breaking up. The catamaran had been under repair recently at a Miami drydock”. Valued at $300,000, the ship was a total loss, with no details of salvage given, though since it was wood only the engines would be left. Ironically, her creator Captain Sid hartshorne arrived at the site of the casualty only an hour or so later. According to crew, “she was being operated with old sails, now quite weak, and they blew out as she crossed the Nassau bar …the heavy swell smashed her into the jagged granite breakwater”.
Bob Kruse “was one of the Sea-Fari Camp heads during the sinking…. he said the Bahamian crew they were forced to use
crashed the boat then took ALL the lifeboats, leaving the parents, kids stuck trying to get everyone off onto a pier it was bashing up against because there was [sic] no lifeboats.” This account is contradicted in a photo by Allan hughes in the Miami herald, showing Bahamian crew and volunteers assisting people off the stricken vessel. Based on the circumstances, it is difficult to conceive how lifeboats would have helped anyone.
All the captains of Tropic Rover were from the US or Australia, rather than The Bahamas. It would appear the casualty resulted, as many do, from a confluence of several factors, among them a failure to reef sails in a timely manner and anticipate severe weather damaged or weakened sails (which in the photos appear to be on the boom) and underpowered engines and possibly a failure to anchor soon enough. Those who were there will know best, and certainly the rescue with no deaths was impressive.
Camp director Kruse “said the next morning, [Tropic Rover] looked like a pile of matchsticks from bashing all night against the rocks”. The crew added that “the fact that she could not sink contributed to her complete destruction, as she was pounded all night.” The seafloor is littered with the hulls of ships which “could not sink” – after an extrarodinary and colorful career, Tropic Rover became one of them.
Tropic Rover in Nassau Harbour.
Tropic Rover under sail in the Bahamas, landing passengers by launch.
The rescue of 50 people, Nassau bar, 16 March, 1967 Tropic Rover. Photo: Allan Hughes, Miami Herald, 18 March, 1967, p.16.
Tropic Rover in the James Bond film Thunderball, 1965, Nassau Harbour.
hosTess Judy Simpson was from Larchmont, 1965.
One wall, 15 accidents, an unforgiving bend in the road
There’s one in every country, city, town, settlement – a road so dangerous, so deadly, it takes on a name of its own for its treachery. Death road in Northern Bolivia, a stretch of road in the Philippines, others in Bhutan, Nepal, India and the infamous Dalton highway, a highspeed, adrenaline pumping thoroughfare built for oil supply transport in Alaska that accounts for some 40 deaths a year with only three stops for fuel or rudimentary supplies and none for medical emergencies along its seemingly endless 414 miles. Deadly roads are so prevalent that the BBC series “World’s Deadliest roads” kept audiences glued for 25 episodes from 2011-2013. The series was renewed years later by another producer keeping audiences just as captivated with its heartthumping videography as recently as February of this year.
Road less tRavelled
If you followed any of those shows (I confess I did not and am a newcomer to why some roads should be those less travelled) but if you did follow them and watch in wide-eyed anticipation of the next crash, you’d understand how they earned their reputation. Perilous passages snaking their way along the fragile edge of steep cliffs, so close to the drop-off there is no room for guardrails. One misstep and morning never comes.
The Bahamas has its own most likely to be the scene of an accident hot spots, nothing that would compare to the Bolivia’s Death road or Alaska’s Dalton highway, but we know what they are. Long stretches of unlit highway in eleuthera, Go slow Bend and the six-legged roundabout in Nassau, or the intersection of Marathon road and Prince Charles when the light malfunctions, sections in Grand Bahama, Abaco and exuma.
But Montagu bend?
Who would have thought that this relatively quiet, semi-residential, semilight commercial stretch of smoothly paved two-lane, single direction road would rank among the most accident-prone hot spots in the nation?
We are talking about a distance of less than a half mile, starting east of harbour Bay shopping Centre and scotiatrust on the south side and east of Nassau harbour Club on the north. several stately Bahamian residences line the north up to the Nassau Yacht Club while Wild Thyme restaurant, east Villa, a single residence and the former Bahamas realty building and Club Waterloo line the southern side of the road up to the bend. Beyond that on the south are contemporary office complexes facing Montagu
By Diane Phillips
Foreshore.
so what could possibly go so wrong along a piece of pavement that a runner could eclipse in less than two minutes without raising a sweat? Plenty – and then some.
two deaths
Two people have died in separate crashes, dozens have been injured. One stone wall on the north side has been crashed into 15 times in a little more than five years since the current owner moved into the two-story home and renovated it, not expecting to have to replace its gates three times, nor expecting to be awakened by screeches in the middle of the night, or rushing out to see who was injured or worse.
east Villa’s wall has been smashed into so many times the restaurant no longer keeps track of the numbers. Many years ago, a teenage girl was killed and another paralysed when the car they were riding in took the bend near Waterloo at a high speed and apparently lost control.
Years later, a car carrying three who had just gotten off work at a popular restaurant further west slammed into the wall at such speed after flipping and rolling over that one man died. A witness to that accident said the speeding vehicle hit the wall, went airborne, rolled in the air and came to a stop just before the driveway at UBs bank. No one was wearing seat belts, all three semi-comatose and taken to the hospital in three ambulances.
Three BPL poles have been hit at such speed they were sliced off as neatly as a piece of chicken, toppling over, only to be moved at a later date, but not repaired or replaced.
every accident not only costs the victim. As the homeowner whose wall has been hit 15 times, including two nights in a row last month, says, “It’s not about me, look what it is costing government and the people of The Bahamas – every ambulance that comes out and sometimes there are two or three. Police, tow trucks, hospital beds, ongoing treatment at PMh, accident reports, Attorney Generals’ office, courts, maybe incarceration and prison expenses, not to mention what accidents do to everyone’s insurance.” every accident, he points
out, has consequences that far outlast the day when bodies are loaded onto gurneys and shattered glass is swept up.
The irony is that the fix is easy. I walked the area with the homeowner, talked with him about what he has seen and together we offered this to the Ministry of Works:
• Install go-slow or speed-calming rubber strips like those on Baha Mar Boulevard well ahead of the Montagu bend.
• Improve the lighting, including replacing the broken BPL poles, ensure blown lights are replaced and maintained.
• Lay down cat’s eyes in the middle of the road and along the sides.
• Post a reflective Slow, Dangerous Curve sign 50 feet ahead of the bend. some things are hard to fix. This is easy. Just do it. The life you save may be that of some one you love. the Right place foR speed
There is a place for speed where all the right equipment and training is in place. It’s the summer session for edu-karting competition. FromAugust 6-13, there will be karting sprints, slalom racing and timed trials at the BhrA Motorsports Park, Nassau. One of the coaches is a famed commentator from the UK who trained a young Lewis hamilton, the great Formula One race car champion, when he discovered his love of racing through karting. That gentleman is using his vaca tion time to train Baha- mians. sponsors include Graycliff, FYP, the royal Bahamas Police Force and royal Bahamas Defence Force. For information, go to edukartingbahamas.com.
First-time Bahamian Olympians get set for 4 x 400 heat today
By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor
PARIS, France — While there have been a few athletes with at least one or two appearances under their belt, there are a few first timers on Team Bahamas who are taking in the experience as an Olympian.
Three of them are members of the pool for Team Bahamas’ mixed 4 x 400m relay that will compete in the first of two heats today with the first three in each heat and the next two fastest times advancing to Saturday’s final.
During a visit at the Games Village, both Quincy Penn, Wendell
Miller and Zion Miller all talked about what it’s like to be called an “Olympian” as they look forward to the possibility of competing in the biggest sporting event in the world.
The duo are in the pool that includes Alonzo Russell, Javonya Valcourt and Shania Adderley with Lacarthea Cooper as an alternate. The mystery for Team Bahamas is still who will get to compete in the relay?
Penn feels all is well for Team Bahamas As the runner-up behind Valcourt at the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations’ National Championships in June, Penn said she has arrived at
the Olympics and she’s here to make her presence felt.
“I’ve been going to the track every day to practice,”
Penn said. “I believe in myself and I believe in my training, so with that, I believe I could do good.”
With so much controversy coming into Paris over who should be on the team or not, Penn said she’s
confident and comfortable in all members of the relay pool and eager to see them compete to the best of their abilities.
“Everyone on the team are good runners, so I believe we can make it to the final and we have a chance to medal,” said Penn.
In the meantime, Penn, who is a transfer student at the University of Florida, said she was thrilled to run into some of her idols, including Jamaican sprinters Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson and American hurdler Grant Holloyway. “I met a lot of athletes who I
Summer of Thunder: Lucayans blown out 94-65
By
THE Lucayans basketball team made their tournament debut at the 2024 Bahamas Basketball Federation (BBF) Summer of Thunder basketball tournament yesterday. Their introduction to the tourney was spoiled by the East Carolina University Pirates who handed them a 94-65 blowout loss at the Kendal GL Isaacs Gymnasium. The action spilled over to the Baha Mar resort where the University of Louisville Cardinals got the better of the University of Calgary Dinos 111-71.
Lucayans vs Pirates
The Lucayans basketball team opened up the first quarter on a 10-3 run but East Carolina quickly regained their composure to end the quarter with a slim 14-11 lead. The game was close in the opening minutes of the second quarter until the Lucayans’ Aaron Pierre committed a personal foul on Cam Hayes to put him to the line for two free throws. Hayes drained both to put his team on top by 11 (25-14) at the 5:41 mark. The Lucayans were unable to generate much offence in the second quarter which saw the Pirates
FOURTEEN CLUBS GOLF ACADEMY SUMMER CAMP WINDING DOWN
THE Fourteen Clubs Golf Academy continues to roll out initiatives that promote the growth and longevity of the golf programme here in The Bahamas. The golf academy has conducted a beginners summer camp for youth aged 5-17 at Bahamas Golf Federation (BGF) ninehole golf course since the beginning of the summer.
Instructors Pedro Poitier, Peyton Haye, Ahamal Henfield and Gabrielle Pratt have all taken the kids under their wings in efforts to teach them the ins and outs of golf.
Instructor Haye explained what the camp experience entails for the youth that attend.
“Our camp is for beginners. We have started most of our new kids off with just
pull away 43-30 at the halftime break.
The home team’s struggles on the offensive end continued while their opponents kept their feet on the gas in the second half.
Bencao Vungo got a steal at the midway point of the third quarter and cashed in with an open layup to push the lead to 21 (59-38).
The winning team had four players reach double digits in the scoring category. Jordan Riley had a game-high 13 points and eight rebounds. RJ put up 11 points, four rebounds and two steals. Vungo and Jayshayne
WENDELL MILLER
QUINCY PENN ZION MILLER
Photo: Dante Carrer/Tribune Staff
Shericka Jackson says she’s out of Olympic 100 and will focus on 200
By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer
PARIS (AP) — Shericka Jackson of Jamaica will not run in the 100 metres when Olympic track starts, saying Wednesday that the injury she suffered at a tuneup race earlier this month played a part in the decision.
Jackson said she will still run in her better race, the 200 metres, where she is the only woman other than the world-record holder, the late Florence Griffith Joyner, to finish in under 21.5 seconds.
The Olympic track meet starts today, highlighted by the opening round for the women’s 100, where Jackson had been listed as the second favourite behind world champion Sha’Carri Richardson.
“It was a combination of things,” Jackson said. “I got hurt, and me and my coach felt like it was a good decision to only run one event,” she said
Jackson won national titles at both distances earlier this summer and was expected to be part of a typically strong pool of Jamaican sprinters.
Now, she joins another Jamaican, two-time defending champion Elaine Thompson-Herah, on the sidelines.
Another Jamaican, 37-year-old Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, is in the mix in her fifth and final Olympics; Fraser-Pryce won the 100 in 2008 and 2012.
Earlier this week, Jackson’s coach, Stephen Francis, told the Jamaica Gleaner website this week that Jackson “appears OK to me.”
Jackson, however, described the decision to pull out as coming from both herself and Francis.
“It was a combination of so much stuff that I personally don’t want to talk about,” she said.
(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
“Sometimes you have to go through a rocky road to get where you’re trying to go. And my rocky road
36-year-old world record and after that win, the discussion turned to when, not if, Jackson or a rival — possibly American Gabby Thomas — would break that hallowed mark.
While Thomas has the three best times of 2024, headed by a 21.78, Jackson’s best time this year is 22.29, with which she won Jamaica’s national title in June. She insists she is ready for the 200, which starts with qualifying Sunday.
“I always felt good. I felt good about both the 100 and the 200,” she said. “I’m definitely healthy, and I’m definitely OK.”
At the last Olympics, Jackson misjudged the field in an opening-round race of the 200, decelerated too quickly and ended up finishing fourth and not advancing for a shot at the title. She had called it a devastating moment, though on Wednesday she said that despite what happened, being at the Olympics was still a great experience. She went on to team with Fraser-Pryce, ThompsonHerah and Briana Williams to add gold in the 4x100 relay to her 100-metre bronze.
‘CHALLENGES FACING THE PARIS OLYMPICS’
As the world tunes in to the 2024 Olympics in Paris, the event faces a host of challenges requiring meticulous management and swift resolution. These issues span logistics, environmental concerns, health and safety protocols, security measures, and athlete and official accommodations, all of which are crucial to the success of the games.
Logistics and Infrastructure Transportation: Managing the massive influx of athletes, spectators, and officials into Paris is no small feat. The city has had to enhance its transportation networks, including public transit, roadways, and accommodations, to handle the increased demand efficiently. Special Olympic lanes on major routes, expanded metro services, and shuttle buses aim to ensure that everyone reaches their destinations on time. However, the sheer volume of traffic can still lead to delays and congestion, requiring constant adjustments and coordination.
Accommodation: Ensuring adequate lodging for thousands of participants and visitors is another significant hurdle. This includes not only hotels but also athlete villages and temporary housing solutions. Each accommodation must meet stringent standards to provide comfort and convenience, including necessary amenities such as gyms, medical facilities, and recreation areas. Additionally, logistics for feeding such a large number of people require careful planning. Catering services need to accommodate diverse dietary requirements and cultural preferences while maintaining high nutritional standards to support peak athletic performance.
Venues: Completing all sporting venues on time and up to international standards is crucial. Delays or construction issues could disrupt the meticulously planned schedule of events. Each venue must not only be ready but also equipped with the necessary facilities
for athletes, officials, and media. This includes everything from locker rooms and medical stations to broadcasting infrastructure and spectator amenities.
Environmental Concerns Sustainability: Paris pledged to host a sustainable Olympics, focusing on reducing carbon emissions, utilizing renewable energy, and minimizing waste. Implementing these measures on such a large scale has been a formidable challenge. This includes building eco-friendly venues, promoting public transport, and encouraging recycling. The goal is to leave a positive environmental legacy and set a benchmark for future events.
Climate: Managing the potential impact of summer heatwaves on athlete safety and performance requires effective cooling measures and hydration strategies. Organizers must ensure that venues are equipped with adequate shade, hydration stations, and cooling zones. In some cases, events may need to be rescheduled to cooler times of the day to protect athletes from heatrelated illnesses.
Health and Safety
COVID-19 and Other
Health Concerns: The ongoing threat of COVID19 and other potential disease outbreaks necessitated robust health protocols, including testing, vaccination requirements, and quarantine measures. These measures are crucial to prevent outbreaks that could disrupt the games. Regular testing, social distancing, and mask mandates in certain areas are part of the health strategy.
Medical Facilities: Adequate medical facilities and personnel are essential to handle any health emergencies, including sports injuries and illnesses, ensuring athlete safety. Mobile medical units and first aid stations are strategically placed at all venues.
There are also specialized medical teams ready to respond to more severe incidents, ensuring that athletes receive immediate and top-notch medical care.
Security
Terrorism Threats: Large international events like the Olympics are potential targets for terrorist attacks. Implementing tight security measures, such as surveillance, patrolling, and emergency response plans, is essential. Collaboration with international security agencies and local law enforcement ensures comprehensive coverage and rapid response capabilities.
Crowd Control: Managing large crowds safely and effectively is complex. Clear signage, controlled entry and exit points, and thorough security checks are necessary for smooth operations. This includes using technology such as facial recognition and AIbased crowd management systems to enhance security and efficiency.
Political and Social Issues Protests and Civil Unrest: Political protests or civil unrest could disrupt the games. The organizing committee must navigate these potential disruptions while maintaining a focus on the events. Engaging with local communities and stakeholders is essential to foster a cooperative atmosphere and mitigate tensions.
Athlete Activism: Balancing the right of athletes to express their views with the need to keep the focus on sports is another challenging aspect. Guidelines are in place to allow athletes to voice their opinions in a respectful and controlled
manner, ensuring that their messages are heard without detracting from the spirit of the games.
Technological Challenges Cybersecurity: Protecting against cyber threats, such as hacking and data breaches, is vital to maintaining the integrity of the games and the privacy of all participants. Advanced cybersecurity measures, including firewalls, encryption, and constant monitoring, are in place to guard against these threats.
Broadcasting and Media: Ensuring seamless global broadcasting with highquality coverage and minimal technical issues is crucial for the success of the games. This involves extensive coordination with media partners and the use of cutting-edge technology to deliver an immersive viewing experience for audiences worldwide.
Financial Management Budget Control: Effective budget management
to prevent cost overruns is critical. Funds must be allocated efficiently to various projects and initiatives to ensure financial sustainability. This includes regular audits and financial reviews to ensure transparency and accountability.
Sponsorship and Revenue: Securing sufficient sponsorship and revenue streams to cover the costs of hosting the games is an ongoing task.
Partnerships with major brands and innovative marketing strategies are essential to generate the necessary funds.
Addressing the Challenges
To tackle these challenges, the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee has actively implemented various strategies:
• Collaborating with local and international partners to enhance infrastructure and security.
• Enforcing stringent health and safety protocols.
• Prioritising sustainability and environmental stewardship.
• Engaging with the community and stakeholders to foster support and cooperation.
• Enhancing logistics and transportation networks to ensure smooth operations.
• Providing comprehensive medical and security services to safeguard all participants.
By addressing these challenges head-on, the 2024 Paris Olympics aims to set a new standard for future games, blending tradition with innovation to create a memorable and successful event.
• Dr. Kent Bazard, a sports medicine physician at Empire Sports Medicine, specializes in ensuring athletes reach their peak performance safely. With extensive experience and a passion for sports health, Dr. Bazard provides insights and guidance for athletes of all ages.
SHERICKA JACKSON, of Jamaica, wins a heat in the women’s 100-metre run at the World Athletics Championships, July 16, 2022, in Eugene, Oregon.
First-time Bahamian Olympians get set for 4 x
4 relay heat today
FROM PAGE 10
watched competing growing up,” Penn said. “Just to see them in person, it’s like I’ve really accomplished something.”
Miller in tip-top shape
Coming into the games having made it as the runner-up in the final of the men’s 400m, Miller said he likes the atmosphere, the people and the vibes that he’s gotten so far in Paris.
“The environment and the stuff that they have for the athletes has been good,” Miller said. “Seeing some of the top athletes here, it’s been a big motivation for me.”
As for his team-mates, Miller said they are all
encouraging each other to stay “positive” and just go out there and do their best because anything could happen in competition.
“It’s been a rough three years for me, but I’m glad that I am here and being a part of the squad,” he said.
“I think we have a good chance to get into the final and even possibly medal.
“Some people feel as though we can’t do it without certain people on the team, but I believe that in sports, anything could happen.
“So I think we have a chance. If we don’t get a medal, at least we can get into the final.”
Having spent the past month in Europe training
with his camp from Jamaica, Miller said he feels this has been his “comeback” year on the scene and he wants to embrace it here in Paris.
“I ran my PB (personal best) twice this year in the 100m and I did my PB in the 200m, so all I can say is this,” he said.
“I just have to stay mentally strong and I know I can make it.”
After missing the last games in Tokyo, Japan in 2021, Miller said he is proud of himself because he will get a chance to “compete” on the track here in Paris in 2024, even if it’s just for a relay.
By 2028 in Los Angeles, California, Miller said he will definitely be out to
TEAM BAHAMAS SCHEDULE ‘BAHAMIAN
PARIS, France — Here’s a look at the schedule, showing the times in The Bahamas for our athletes competing in the 2024 Olympic Games: FRIDAY Track and field
4-7am - Ken Mullings - first day of decathlon100m, long jump, shot put, high jump.
12:15pm - Charisma Taylor, women’s triple jump qualifying round.
1:10pm - Mixed 4 x 400m relay qualifying round.
make the team as a competitor in the 400m.
Miller rebounded from injury
Miller, the youngest member of Team Bahamas, said he’s excited to be in Paris where he got to meet his favourite idol, FraserPryce and he is prepared to give it his best shot if he is given the opportunity to compete.
“Everyone is gelling. It’s more like a family,” said Miller about being around some of the top athletes in the world. “I am glad that I get to see some of the world-record holders and medallists, whom I look up to.
“It’s just an eye opener for me as I look ahead to getting into pro life in the
SATURDAY Swimming - 6am - Rhanishka Gibbs - women’s 50m freestyle preliminary - heat seven, lane seven. Track and field
4-6:41am - Ken Mullings - last day of decathlon - 110 metre hurdles, discus, javelin and 1,500m.
5:55am - Wanya McCoy and Terrence Jones - men’s 100m preliminaries.
2:20pm - Charisma Taylor - women’s triple jump final, if she advances. 2:55 pm - Mixed 4 x 400m relay final, if the team advances.
future. It starts preparing so that when I am ready to make the move, I will know what to expect.”
Miller, 17, said he’s thrilled that he was blessed to bounce back from an injury after he got hit in his chest with a softball in January and he didn’t come back until around April, just in time for the CARIFTA Games.
But after competing in the Nationals in the under20 division and being told that he was selected to Team Bahamas for the games, Miller said he was very surprised. “It wasn’t a shock because I realise that God had something in store for me and I can focus on the games,” he said.
SUNDAY Swimming - 12:30pmRhanishka Gibbs - women’s 50m freestyle swimming final - if she advances. Track and field
5:50am - Antoine Andrews - men’s 100m hurdles preliminaries. 12:30pm - Steven Gardiner - men’s 400m preliminaries.
2:05pm - Wayna McCoy and Terrence Jones - men’s 100m semifinals, if they advance.
3:50pm - Wanya McCoy and Terrence Jones - men’s 100m final, if they advance.
“But I can tell you, I was both shocked and surprised when I heard I made the team.”
Although he won’t compete in an individual event, Miller said he will use this trip here as a learning process to determine what it’s like to compete out there.
Hopefully in 2028, he will get the chance to compete in his first individual event at the Olympics because he said he won’t be as nervous and would have gotten over the jitterbugs he’s feeling now. Whether he gets to compete or not, Miller said he’s eager to return home and tell the others he knows what it feels like to be an “Olympian.”
Biggest, most diverse fleet in Olympic sailing hits the water
By GIOVANNA DELL’ORTO Associated Press
MARSEILLE, France
(AP) — The biggest and most diverse fleet of the 2024 Olympics’ sailing events, the one-person dinghy, hit the water yesterday in sweltering Marseille.
The small, white-sailed boats — formerly known as lasers, now called ILCA 6 for women and ILCA 7 for men — go slower, sail deeper into the water and have a less spectacular design than many other vessels in the Olympic marina.
But to the sailors who race them, they are the purest form of the sport.
“It’s very pure and it’s very close — you’ve got to work for every inch,” said Matt Wearn, 28, of Australia. “You’re not looking to win by a mile, you’re looking to win by a meter.”
Wearn is seeking to defend the gold he won in the event in the Tokyo Games — and so is Anne-Marie Rindom of Denmark, 33, who in addition to a gold from Tokyo has a bronze from Rio de Janeiro and first competed in the London Games in 2012.
The gold-medal races are scheduled for Tuesday.
“It’s all about the sailor in the boat,” said Rindom, whose parents first took
her sailing when she was 2 weeks old. She competed in her first regatta at age 9. In this class, boats are provided to Olympians only about a week before the Games, leveling the playing field. That makes consistently nailing the smallest tactical detail — an inch of advantage at the starting line, catching a sudden wave to surf ahead, balancing for the additional weight of branding stickers on the sail — the key to medal.
“All these little accuracies make a huge difference,” said Micky Beckett, 29, of Britain. “Being on top of your mental game is absolutely everything.”
That’s also because the boats are so versatile and “basically unsinkable,” in Beckett’s words, that they can — and do — sail in any kind of weather, for hourlong regattas.
Not that physical strength is negligible. In big swells, with spray coming straight at the athletes’ bodies, races can be “quite battering, like being thrown into a washing machine and spat out the other side,” Wearn said. So far in Marseille, the challenge has been the opposite: very low winds under a scorching sun, which can also be draining.
The boats are relatively inexpensive to buy and transport, designed to fit
the top of a car. So they’re the star of World Sailing’s development program, which aims to support athletes from nations without long histories in Olympic sailing, from El Salvador to Fiji to Mozambique.
“It’s cool to see it’s not always the same five nations,” said Nethra Kumanan, 26, of India, who qualified for the Games in the ILCA 6 at the so-called last-chance regatta under the program. “We hope we can give them a fight.”
And a fight it is, because the event features almost twice as many boats as the other sailing categories — more than 80.
“It’s the hardest to win, it’s very equal,” said Tom Saunders, 32, of New Zealand, whose brother also was an Olympic sailor but in the two-person boats.
“It feels like it’s not over till the very end,” echoed Maud Jayet, 28, of Switzerland, who learned sailing on Alpine lakes and competed in the Tokyo Games.
Like her and most sailors in this category, Marit Bouwmeester, 36, of the Netherlands, enjoys shouldering all the responsibility alone for racing strategy, unlike in two-person boats. Her tactics have been paying off — she’s medaled in the last three Olympics, snagging silver in London, gold in Rio and bronze in Tokyo. In Marseille, however, she’s trying something new — competing as the mother of a 2-year-old daughter. “It’s a challenge
to do motherhood and top sports,” Bouwmeester said, especially to find the time to train hard and then recover, but there’s also a mental advantage. “If I have a bad day, I can go back to being a mother.”
Pavlos Kontides, 34 and the first athlete from Cyprus to win a medal — for the then-laser in 2012 — is coming back for his fifth Olympics, also with a toddler in tow who changed his perspective about the relative importance of medals. Not that he doesn’t want one.
“The fire is burning,” he said. “When you’re on a boat, you’re in a different world. You have your own reality on the sea.” Independence, simplicity, accessibility — for many athletes, that’s what Olympic dinghies represent.
Having started sailing by his village in West Wales when he was 5, Beckett says he’s still grateful for his parents’ sacrifices driving all around the U.K. and camping out to bring him to regattas. He hopes the Olympic spotlight can interest more children in taking up this streamlined version of the sport.
“(Sailing) is not as confusing or expensive as it looks,” he said. “You don’t have to be genetically anything — sailing has a home for anybody.”
MOZAMBIQUE’s Deizy Nhaquile competes in a women’s dinghy race yesterday during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Marseille, France.
MALAYSIA’s Nur Shazrin Binti Mohamad Latif reacts as Hungary’s boat comes in close by hers as they compete in a women’s dinghy race yesterday.
QUARTER miler Quincy Penn.
VILIAME RATULU, of Fiji, competes in a men’s dinghy race during the 2024 Summer Olympics, yesterday in Marseille, France. (AP Photos/Jacquelyn Martin)
Bells will ring when Olympics’ track meet gets started today
By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer
SAINT-DENIS, France
(AP) — When action at the Olympic track starts today, Sha’Carri Richardson, Noah Lyles and the rest will be going for gold, a $50,000 cheque and a chance to go out with a clang.
All winners in track and field will be given the honour of ringing the big bell inscribed with “Paris 2024” that’s located on the edge of the track at Stade de France.
As part of the legacy of the Paris Olympics, the bell eventually will move from the stadium to a permanent home at the rebuilt Notre Dame Cathedral.
“Doesn’t matter how loud this crowd gets, people will hear that,” said sprinting great Carl Lewis, who joined Allyson Felix, Marie Jo Perec and Paris Games organiser Tony Estanguet in testing out the bell yesterday.
Estanguet called it a great way to engage with the fans, and part of organisers’ broader plan to blend a taste of Paris and its culture into every venue. During the first week of the Olympics, rugby was at Stade de France and those players took turns at the bell.
Now, it’s track’s turn, and ringing it will be a privilege, not a right.
“It’s just for the gold medallists, and it’s a great way for them to celebrate,” Estanguet said.
The first bell ringer will be the winner of the men’s 10,000 metres, which caps off opening night on the purple track surface.
Runners to watch include defending champion Selemon Barega and this year’s world leader, Yomif
Kejelcha — both from Ethi opia — and world-record holder Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda.
Also at stake is a $50,000 first prize that World Athletics is giving for the first time to winners in all 48 Olympic track events.
First to cash in yesterday, at an event not held in the stadium, were 20K racewalk winners Brian Pintado of Ecuador and Yang Jiayu of China.
Sha’Carri Richardson takes centre stage
American sprinter
Sha’Carri Richardson will be on the track Friday morning for a first-round heat in the 100.
All things considered, this should be nothing more than a warmup and a tuneup for the 24-year-old, who came to France as a favourite and only saw her status improve when Shericka Jackson of Jamaica said she was bowing out of the 100.
But remember this: At Olympic trials, Richardson wobbled out of the starting blocks in her first race and needed to turn on the jets after a bad start. She won the heat with her right shoelace untied. “I think she’s positioned perfectly,” Felix said. “She’s coming off a world championship. She looks to be the overwhelming favourite. I think she just has to execute.”
Super Saturday featuring Richardson and Lyles
Noah Lyles opens up action in the first round early Saturday, then Richardson is back on the track trying to win the gold medal.
Lyles comes in as the defending world champion, though any inkling that this could be a cakewalk has been erased thanks to a new name in track — Kishane Thompson of Jamaica. It is Thompson, not Lyles, who
has the year’s fastest time at 9.77 seconds. But Lyles has more big-race experience.
This will mark his second Olympics, on top of three world championships, where he has won six gold medals.
Lyles has made no secret about his desire to duplicate what he did at last year’s worlds by taking the sprint double.
“For me, it’s another chance to assert my dominance,” he said. “It’s
(AP
another chance to stay consistent, another chance to kind of continue on this quest that I’ve had with myself.”
A real rivalry at 1,500 metres
One of the most anticipated races for track aficionados is the men’s 1,500 metres, which features defending Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen and world champion Josh Kerr. They do not particularly like each other. It’s
“It’s the two best
1,500-metre-milers of their generation potentially going head to head, and there’s an added piquancy because this is probably not a friendship made in heaven. That doesn’t bother me, either. We want that kind of thing in sports. It could be a race for the ages.”
A record-setting track?
Will world records fall on another speedy Olympic track? Only time will tell.
But it is the mission of every track maker to turn their running surface into the fastest.
The track in Paris was produced by Mondo at a factory in northern Italy. The company has built the track at every Summer Games since 1976. Experts there said they used rubber granules that were more elastic and cohesive to produce the upper layer of the track. They also made a statement by making the track a bright purple, the first time that colour will show up on an Olympic track. The rest, as always, is up to the athletes.
“It’s not the track that’s fast, it’s the runners who are fast,” Lewis said.
On a fast track three years ago in Tokyo, three world and 12 Olympic records fell.
PARIS OLYMPICS DAY 6: BILES SHINES FOR ALL-AROUND GOLD, SUMMER MCINTOSH WINS ANOTHER MEDAL
By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Sports Writer
PARIS (AP) — Simone Biles dazzled once again while winning the gold in women’s all-around gymnastics at the Paris Olympics, becoming the oldest woman to accomplish the feat since 1952.
The 27-year-old Biles nailed her floor exercise to edge Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade by 1.199 points in one of the tightest victories of her decorated career.
She became the first woman to win all-around gymnastics gold at nonconsecutive Olympics, having previously done so at the 2016 Rio Games.
“I’ve never had an athlete this close,” Biles said. “It brought out the best athlete in myself.”
It’s the sixth Olympic gold medal for Biles, the most of any U.S. gymnast; she picked up her fifth in the team competition earlier in the week.
Teammate Sunisa Lee, the defending all-around champion from Tokyo, was third for the bronze.
Summer’s Games Summer McIntosh, Canada’s 17-year-old swimming sensation, claimed her gold second medal of the Olympics with another strong performance, romping to victory in the 200-metre butterfly, dealing Regan Smith of the U.S. another runner-up finish.
“It means the world,” McIntosh said. “That was definitely one of my favourite races.”
McIntosh finished in 2:03.03 to set an Olympic record, breaking the mark previously set by China’s Zhang Yufei at the Tokyo Games in 2021. She also won gold in the 400-metre individual medley and took home silver in the 400metre freestyle.
Kate Douglass of the United States won gold in the 200-metre breaststroke
in a race that was a bit of a changing of the guard. Longtime American star Lilly King, competing in her last Olympics, was last in the final.
U.S. rowing gold Liam Corrigan, Justin Best, Michael Grady and Nick Mead made a little history, winning the first U.S. rowing gold medal in the men’s four class since 1960. The U.S. held off New Zealand and defending world champion Britain, finishing in 5:49.03.
“It’s literally unbelievable,” Corrigan said. “I crossed the line, I thought I was going to have some kind of celebration, but I was just in disbelief, like my hands were on my head. It was just crazy.”
All four Americans were at the Tokyo Games three years ago but left without any medals. Corrigan, Best, Grady and Mead have been together since last season. The last time the U.S. won an Olympic medal of any color in men’s four rowing was in 2012 in London.
Women’s tennis upset
Top-ranked women’s tennis player Iga Swiatek does not lose a whole lot in Paris. She has won the French Open each of the past three years and four times in the past five.
Swiatek’s lengthy winning streak in Paris ended with a surprising 6-2, 7-5 loss to China’s Zheng Qinwen in the semifinals. The 23-yearold from Poland had won 25 consecutive matches at Roland Garros.
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain became the youngest man to reach the singles semifinals at a Summer Games since Novak Djokovic in 2008.
After beating American Tommy Paul, Alcaraz will next face Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, who knocked off three-time major runner-up Casper Ruud of Norway.
Djokovic overcame problems with his surgically repaired right knee and erased a big deficit in the second set to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-6 (3). He is into the Olympic semifinals for the fourth time as he tries to collect his first gold medal. Next up for Djokovic, a 37-year-old from Serbia with 24 Grand Slam titles, is Lorenzo Musetti of Italy on Friday. Musetti advanced with a 7-5, 7-5 victory over the Tokyo Games gold medallist Alexander Zverev of Germany.
SHA’CARRI RICHARDSON, of the United States, celebrates after winning the gold medal in the final of the women’s 100-metres during the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on August 21, 2023.
Photo/Petr David Josek)
SIMONE BILES, of the United States, celebrates after performing in the floor exercise yesterday during the women’s artistic gymnastics all-around finals in Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics. INSET - Canadian Summer McIntosh. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
FOURTEEN CLUBS GOLF ACADEMY SUMMER CAMP WINDING DOWN
been going really good so far. This group has improved from week one up until now. We’ve seen tremendous results, especially in their testing,” she said.
BGDBA ALL-STAR GAME SET TO BE EXCITING
THE Bahamas Government Departmental Basketball Association (BGDBA) is gearing up to host an exciting All-Star Game featuring the seasoned and younger players of the league.
The day of festivities will begin at noon with a grill out at the Kendal GL Isaacs Gymnasium.
The main events will begin at 6pm with the coaches versus legends game. The slam dunk contest will follow the exhibition game at 7pm. Next up on the schedule will be the All-Stars team versus a Philippines All-Star team at 7:30pm.
The golf instructor stressed that summer camps are very important for the youth because it not only allows one to learn new skills but it also helps to promote positive character development.
“I think kids can really benefit because golf is a sport where you have to be
The golf camp offers a unique experience as participants were able to put their newfound skills to the test in scrambles (individual and group events) at the Ocean Club golf course on Paradise Island and Royal Blue golf course at the Baha Mar resort.
Summer of Thunder: Lucayans blown out 94-65 by Pirates
scoreboard. They were in the driver’s seat 59-38 at the halftime break.
really patient and exercise control over the way you behave and perform. Those are definitely benefits that can be used in everyday life,” she said.
Deandrey Poitier, 12, talked about his experience at the Fourteen Clubs Golf Academy summer camp.
“I learned about putting techniques and how to adjust my golf swing. It was pretty fun. My favourite part of the camp was
putting because it is one of the most important things in golf,” he said.
Golf camp participant Logan Chu was happy to be able to learn how to chip but was even happier about meeting new people at the summer camp.
“I have been enjoying it a lot because I have been meeting a lot of new people and seeing different courses. We went to like Royal Blue and Ocean
Club. I have learned how to chip but my favourite part of the camp was being able to see how the other kids play,” he said.
The camp is scheduled to wrap up on August 16. It runs from 9am to 1:30pm Monday through Friday at the BGF facility.
Next up for the Fourteen Clubs Golf Academy will be the US Kids Tournaments which start on September 8.
The three-point shootout commences at 8:30pm and will be followed by the main All-Star game at 9pm. Keiarj McKenzie Sr, assistant secretary of the BGDBA, is expecting high levels of competition across the board.
“We are gonna have an exciting show. We are gonna put on a good show for the fans and it is a way to continue to build camaraderie and network amongst persons who are in government in general.
“It all boils down to it just being a family affair,” he said.
Woodard scored 10 points apiece in the win. East Carolina shot efficiently at 52 per cent compared to 30 per cent posted by the Lucayans. The visitors outrebounded the home team 41 to 29.
Louisville vs Calgary
The Louisville Cardinals wrapped up their trip to The Bahamas with a 2-0 undefeated record in the Baha Mar Hoops Summer League and with a victory over the University of Calgary in the BBF Summer of Thunder tourney.
The Cardinals got ahead 12-3 early on thanks to guard Chucky Hepburn and forward Kasean Pryor, who scored the first 12 points. Louisville reeled off 11 straight unanswered points to emerge with a 26-point advantage on the
The Cards continued their run in the second half to put the game way out of reach. The team went up by as much as 42 points (9351) in the second half and never looked back. Pryor was in top form with 20 points and went 6-of-8 on field goals. He crashed the board five times and added one assist and steal in the win.
His team shot 52.1 per cent from the field making 37-of-71 attempts. Louisville also outrebounded the Dinos 53-25 on the stat sheet.
The BBF Summer of Thunder Basketball Tournament continues on Saturday starting at noon at the Kendal GL Isaacs Gymnasium.
The Bahamas All-Stars will take on the University of Texas El Paso.
yesterday in
The East All-Stars are Adam Johnson, Kirk Farrington, Cameron Chery, Lerecus Armbrister, Dejoan Sturrup, Roosevelt Whylly, Michael Turnquest, Arnold Stubbs, Anthony Coutain, Zyle Smith, Warren Miller and Shannon Nabbie.
The West All-Stars are Tehrad Rahming, Tameko Higgs, Abel Joseph, Lamont McPhee, Ernest Saunders, Georgio Walkes, Jeremy Neely, Russhone Minns, Trea Green and Spurgeon Johnson.
“We are not lacking talent or entertainment in any of these games. The only thing we are looking for at this point is support.
“We need to support the league, support our players and especially our younger players who just came into the government system because they are extremely talented,” he said.
Representing the coaches in the celebrity game are Lavardis Johnson, Vernon Stubbs, Teron Deveaux, DeAngelo Smith, Rico Johnson, Geo Williams, Tyrone Sands, Philip Hanna, Perry Darling, Daniel Cadet, Desmond Rolle and Aaron Wilson.
Representing the legends Chris “The General” Grant, Harcourt McCoy, Theo Buncas Wier, John “Mr Law” Smith, Cyril “Skinner” Rolle, Stephen “Skinner Bar” Mckenzie, Henry “Chicken” Rolle, Billy “The Kid” Sands, Dwight Moss Sr, Randy Lavarity, Super Mario Forbes and Kenwood “Wet Money” Carey.
BAIN TOWN & GRANTS TOWN SUMMER GAMES WAS A BLAST
THE Bain Town & Grants Town’s Summer Games closing ceremony took place on Saturday, July 27 at Southern Recreation Grounds.
Bringing remarks were Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Investments & Aviation Hon. Chester Cooper and Mr Wayde Watson, MP for Bain & Grants Town and parliamentary
in the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Acting PM Cooper and Mr. Watson presented the children with medals and trophies for taking part in the Summer Games, for the first, second, and third place teams, and for floating trophy winners. Nathaniel McKinney was honoured by Bain & Grants Town Summer Games for his service and outstanding participation in the Bain & Grants Town community.
(BIS photo/Kemuel Stubbs)
ON THE REPLAY: The Lucayans fell