The Baron Bliss Harbor Regatta, a sailing race card held annually in respect of the traditional “9th of March, Baron Bliss Day” holiday in commemoration of Baron Bliss, Belize’s greatest benefactor, will this year be held on Sunday, March 6, in the Belize City Harbor, commencing at 11:00 a.m. The event is held under the patronage of His Excellency, the Governor General, Sir Colville Young, Chairman of the Baron Bliss Trust, and will be supervised under the auspices of the Belize Sailing Association (BzSA) in conjunction with the Baron Bliss Harbor Regatta Committee.
Boat races in the various classes will traverse a designated course, all going 2 laps, except the All Comers race, which will be 1 lap. The start/finish line is “indicated by two posts with blue flags approximately 50 metres apart downwind of the stern of the committee boat.” The race schedule includes: 11:00 a.m. – Pico’s Heat one; 11:30 – Bosuns; 12:00 noon – Lasers & Pico Doubles; 12:30 p.m. – Multi Hulls; 1:00 p.m. – Pico’s Heat two; 1:30 p.m. – Sailing Lighters; 2:00 p.m. – Pico’s Heat three; 2:30 p.m. – Seagulls, Whitehall 17 & Sloops; 3:00 p.m. – Pico Final; 3:30 p.m. – Dories; 4:00 p.m. – All Comers.
A complete list of racing instructions has been released by the Sailing Association, but it is too long to reproduce here. A few points for the benefit of race spectators:
(a) The start line and the finish line are the same line. A boat is deemed to have finished when any part of the hull passes the finish line after completing the required number of laps on the designated course.
(b) The start of each race will follow a procedure, according to international (ISAF) standards using visual signals with three flags (warning sounds optional) – the Class Flag; the P (or Preparatory) Flag; and the X Flag. Ten (10) minutes before the start of each race, the particular Class Flag (may be different type for different boat classes) for that race will be hoisted on the committee boat. Four (4) minutes before the start, the P Flag will be raised alongside the Class Flag. One (1) minute before the start, the P Flag is removed, leaving only the Class Flag. The race begins 1 minute later when the Class Flag is removed. In the event of a start violation, the X Flag will be raised, and the particular boat captain will be notified and recalled by the committee boat, while the other boats are allowed to continue with the race. The generic Class Flag has concentric squares with a red center; while the P Flag is similar but with a white center; the X Flag has a blue cross in the middle against a white background.
In keeping with Baron Bliss Day tradition, the prize-giving ceremonies take place the same day after the races, at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 6, at the Ex-Serviceman’s League on Princess Margaret Drive.