Mayreau Regatta, big success – Organisers

The Hairoun Beer Mayreau Regatta came to an end last Sunday, after four days of competition and camaraderie on the tiny Grenadine island.{{more}}

Seven major tournaments were held over the four days, which saw participation from other neighbouring islands and countries joining in fishing, sailing, lion fish hunting and cooking competitions.

In the fishing competition, held on the opening day, May 1, six teams from Mayreau, Canouan and Union Island brought in a total catch of 552 fishes, weighing 446 pounds. The heaviest single catch weighed eight pounds, with the most and heaviest catch (166 fishes weighing 123 pounds) being brought in by the crew of the Mayreau-based fishing vessel “Islander.”

The fishing competition was followed by the lion fish derby, which saw 212 of the invasive and deadly predators plucked from the waters around the island.

The total catch totalled 132 pounds, the largest of the menaces being 376 millimetres long.

The lion fish, when prepared carefully, makes for a tasty dish and the fish was not put to waste; instead, a lion fish cooking competition was held, with six chefs preparing 12 dishes, including lion fish bakes, lion fish gratin, curry fried lion fish, jerk lion fish, lion fish cakes, and lion fish in sweet and sour and creole sauce, among others.

Traditional meals were not left out of the competition.

Seven dishes were prepared for the judges’ tastes and nods; these meals included cocoparh with stewed turkey, corn pie with curried octopus, dried peas soup with cocoparh, pumpkin fritters, wongoparh with okra and chicken, and cocoparh with stewed chicken.

The highly anticipated sailing competition saw 13 boats from four islands contending for first place.

At the end of two days of racing, the double-enders “Eclipse”, “Ark Royal” and “Camille” of Bequia, along with “Bad Feelings” of Mayreau, emerged the winners in their various categories.

Other competitions over the four days of festivities included the kite flying and gum boat races, with bayside activities like maypole dancing, ring toss, drinking competitions, dips and punch boards, as well as the talent show, which took place on Friday night.

According to the Mayreau Regatta and Sporting Committee a total of $17,700 in prizes was distributed in the various competitions.

Organisers say that the regatta this year was once again a success and thanked all who were responsible for the accomplishment.