Penn-O’Neal to Represent the Premier in Festival Race
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| Territorial Representative, Honourable Irene Penn-O’Neal engaged in a practice session ahead of the Fifth Annual Great Festival Sloop Shootout. Also pictured is Elvet Meyers, a veteran sloop sailor, who will be sailing alongside Mrs. Penn-O’Neal on race day. Photo Credit: Race Coordinator, Geoffrey Brooks. |
ROADTOWN, Tortola-Territorial Representative Honourable Irene Penn-O’Neal will represent Premier Honourable Ralph T. O’Neal in the Fifth Annual Great Festival Sloop Shootout against Governor David Pearey on August Tuesday.
The announcement by the Premier’s Office effectively ends weeks of speculation about who would be chosen to represent the Premier. The race, staged every year as part of the August Festival activities, will be held off the Road Town Jetty on August 5th during the aquatic sports events.
Welcoming her selection as the Premier’s representative, Mrs. Penn-O’Neal said she has always been a spectator at the shootout and is thrilled to have an opportunity to race against Governor David Pearey.
Mrs. Penn-O’Neal who will be at the helm of “Sea Moon” is confident about winning having come from a long family tradition of seafarers.
She had her first practice session on Monday and sailed from Nanny Cay to Road Town. Veteran sloop sailor Elvet Meyers, who was part of her crew, said he was immediately impressed with her ability to quickly grasp the concepts of sloop sailing.
The traditional wooden sloops, widely known as ‘Tortola boats’ are uniquely designed and have their own peculiar sailing characteristics.
With sea conditions moderate and the winds light, the crew sailed from Nanny Cay to Road
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| Race Coordinator and Marine Technician at HLSCC, Mr. Al Frazer painting sloops in preparation for the Fifth Annual Great Festival Sloop Shootout. Photo Credit: Race Coordinator, Geoffrey Brooks. |
Town in just over one hour.
Exuberant at the end of practice, Mrs. Penn-O’Neal said the experience was a lot of fun and jokingly cautioned Governor Pearey to get ready because this year there is a woman at the helm.
Race Captain and Commodore of the Loyal West End Yacht Club, Martin Van Houten, who was part of crew during Monday’s practice, is also expressing confidence in Mrs. Penn-O’Neal. He was impressed with how she took command of the wheel.
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| The sloops participating in the Fifth Annual Great Festival Sloop Shootout after being launched into the water at Nanny Cay Marina. Photo Credit: Race Coordinator, Geoffrey Brooks. |
Maintenance Supervisor of Boats at the Centre for Applied Marine Studies at the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College, HLSCC, Mr.Geoffrey Brooke and HLSCC Marine Technician, Mr. Al Frazer are coordinating the event and have confirmed the participation of three boats in the race.
They are the “Moon Beam” with Governor Pearey at the helm, “Sea Moon” with Mrs. Penn-O’Neal as captain, and the third, “Youth Instructor”, the captain of which has not yet been named. All three sloops were recently overhauled and painted in preparation for the race.
The Fifth Annual Great Festival Sloop Shootout is organised and sponsored by the Centre for Applied Marine Studies at the HLSCC, the Loyal West End Yacht Club, the Royal BVI Yacht Club and the Virgin Islands Powerboat Association.
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British Virgin Islands News