Bart’s Bash Sail on Ambergris Caye Helps to (Hopefully) Beat A Guinness World Record

TODAY, September 21st – also coincidentally Belize’s Independence Day – was the first Bart’s Bash.   (Check out the website for loads of pictures, info, all the venues and answers to all of your questions.)  A huge global sailing race and fundraiser in the name of Andrew “Bart” Simpson – a professional sailor who lost his life while sailing in preparation for the America’s Cup.

IMG_2127

Sailing clubs and teams from around the world, raising money, celebrating sailing and trying to break a Guinness World Record.  “The Largest Sailing Race in 24 Hours (Multiple Venues)” Guinness World Record attempt.

Witnesses, stewards, official videos and photos must be sent.  This is the real deal.

And the coolest part?  One of our clubs here in San Pedro, Belize (don’t even ask why there is more than one)…as well as the clubs in Corozal and Belize City…are participating.

And while clubs from around the world sail out onto chilly waters – from Iceland to a place I wouldn’t even dare to pronounce in Siberia, here is what Bart’s Bash looks like on Ambergris Caye, Belize.

Belize sail

And this…IMG_2135

  • Venue:  Caribbean Villas Resort
  • Organizing Club:  San Pedro Sailing Club
  • Sailing time:  9am
  • Date:  INDEPENDENCE DAY!

Let’s do this.  Here was the scene when I arrived.

IMG_2125

The club members were assembling and preparing their little Optimists.

IMG_2129 IMG_2132 IMG_2134

The buoys were placed.  The safety boats reviewed the course…

IMG_2137

Jambo, still just a puppy, did his part by rolling in and eating dirty sargasso seaweed.  (Just to let you know, a cat would NEVER do that.)

IMG_2142

I headed out to the dock where the official stewards and judges were setting up.

IMG_2144

IMG_2145

One of the safety boats.  (Lawd help us.)
IMG_2149
We had a 10 minute horn BLAST, a 5…

IMG_2153

Thirty boats in all…and all sizes.  Seaduced by Belize and TuffENuff, Searious Adventures and El Gato all had their larger cats.  George from the Rum Punch with his beautiful old school Belizean fishing boat (which turned out to be the fastest “tour boat” of them all.)

And so many little guys…it was beautiful.

IMG_2157

And so fun to watch the giddy kids sailing around the larger sail boats and then racing them.

San Pedro’s Mayor blew the HORN.  GO!

IMG_2159

IMG_2166 IMG_2180

Julie from Caye Casa looking very nautical indeed.IMG_2183

Very cool way to kick off maybe my very favorite day of the year – INDEPENDENCE DAY IN BELIZE!   The parade here in San Pedro town starts at 1pm (ish…be prepared to wait…)

I will most certainly see you there and I hope you too are in your red,white and blue.

red white

Happy Birthday Belize.  I love you.

Posted in: