L’il T’Pot’s Big Adventure

by Franchero Ellis

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the assortment of sailboats for the 2022 Round Barbados Sailing Week last January was a bit low. There were some new activities that boosted interest and participation, including a kite surfing festival at Long Beach, a dinghy regatta in Carlisle Bay, and a radiocontrolled model boat regatta at Golden Pond.

The UWI Sailing Club embarked on a familiar journey through the 2022 edition of Barbados Sailing Week, but with improved results owing to switching to their new yacht, L’il T’Pot. Painted in the trademark yellow with a white bottom, this 26-feet Contessa was built in the early 1970s and was being sailed with 1997 vintage sails by an intrepid crew of UWI alumni, skippered by Franchero Ellis.

The coastal racing series comprised long races that put the boats through a variety of sailing conditions, including a journey a few miles offshore to traverse Shoal Bank. After two race days, L’il T’Pot placed fourth in her fleet, besting one of the four faster J/24 boats. The race around Barbados is always the club’s highpoint; but sailing an unfamiliar boat can be dicey, especially in unforgiving east coast sea conditions.

On a bright and sunny Errol Barrow Day, there were few spectators for the early starters. There was the usual photo opportunity in Carlisle Bay with the venerable Peter Marshall, and later in the morning, with veteran entrepreneur Ralph “Bizzy” Williams as he motored pass near Gibbs in St. Peter. An ominous mishap while hoisting the sails caused such a delay, that L’il T’Pot crossed the start line more than 15 minutes after its scheduled 7.30am departure.

Along the west coast the crew passed waypoints where, had they been sailing their traditional vessel Oiseau-noir, they would have been overtaken by other nowtrailing boats. They were steadily gaining on Orla, the other early starter, and were

elated to eventually overtake her just off Moontown, St. Lucy.

Without the island’s shelter, as existed on the west coast, ocean conditions quickly deteriorated as the boat approached North Point. The tactics for this boat were sound but very fluid because no one knew how she would perform. And fluid it was — the same sail, which caused the mishap before the start, was again the centre of the crew’s fight to get the vessel under control when the shackle holding the jib sheets failed. The crew stalled the boat to remedy this critical problem, but with a seasick crewmember, it meant that all hands were not on deck! The Atlantic Ocean ‘boiled’ and bulged with gusting and howling winds, when again and without warning, the same jib was rent asunder.

Mark Hirons (left) handling the mainsheet and Franchero Ellis helming the boat

Eventually, the crew regained control of the vessel, but the winds had dropped to pedestrian speeds. L’il T’Pot plodded along southward, and it seemed an eternity to go pass Pico Teneriffe. The wind started to build steadily after Long Pond, and the indisposed sailor continued to battle with bouts of seasickness as the morning dragged on. When they finally reached East Point Lighthouse in the mid-afternoon, the hardest leg of the journey was over, and they would soon be on the home stretch.

However, the segment of coastline between East Point and

South Point is flanked by a dangerous fringing reef only a few feet below the surface. Made famous by the notorious buccaneer, Sam

Lord, it can suddenly generate very large breaking waves that, according to folklore, destroyed ships of old. The channel through the reef can shave many valuable minutes, which equates to a mile or two, from the journey; but with a damaged sail, the decision to take the longer way around the reef was perhaps a smart one.

The sea swells held no favours for the unwell mariner who failed to keep down his meals while a fellow seafarer amazingly continued to eat heartily with no ill effects. The majestic coconut trees at Bottom Bay, the rugged cliffs at Paragon (home to the historic HARP Gun), and the long, golden stretch at Long Beach quickly slipped by as the clock suggested an early finish when compared to previous years. With just over an hour to go before the deadline, this early finish seemed doable, until the evening produced lighter winds.

Soon enough, the crew was skirting Bow Bells Reef off South Point Lighthouse, and it was time to chart the shortest path back to the finish line in Carlisle Bay. They constantly matched the remaining time to the remaining miles; but it was a disconcerting task, as the winds continued to drop steadily and the boat’s pace followed suit. The target seemed still a mere dot on the horizon that looked an impossible distance away. The Hilton Barbados Resort appeared steadily out of the water as the team kept counting down the remaining minutes while they eyed their falling speed.

L’il T’Pot slowly crept towards its journey’s end, arriving some 15 minutes after the time limit had expired at 6.00pm. As the ninth competing vessel to cross the finish line, there would be no prize this year. However, sufficient data was gathered to create a tactical plan for next year’s race. l

L’il T’Pot’s tired but happy crew on the way to prize-giving: From left: Colville Thompson, Christian Josz, Jacob Binnema, Sara Inniss and Franchero Ellis