“The atmosphere wasn’t there at all.” Those words from a patron at the Bartica Regatta aptly summed up this year’s Easter Sunday affair.
The much anticipated event left much to be desired as the races were poorly organised and saw reduced participation. “Is one set of people in all the races,” Paul Burnette said. A Bartician who resides in Georgetown, Burnette attended the event with his family and friends and commented that, “The vibes just dead…and the races finish early.”
The event was well attended but the crowd was not as large as last year’s and persons seemed more interested in the partying instead of the boat races. For those who did attend the races, they were not pleased with the organisation of the event.
Racers seemed unprepared as evident by one who entered a race without refuelling his boat. Supporters of the racer, Neil Gonsalves, who came all the way from Pomeroon, said they expected something better from this year’s event.
The boat racing ended noticeably early. The racing is a two-day event. Efforts to contact the promoter for a comment were futile.
However, not all the patrons were disappointed with the day’s proceedings. One said that he usually comes for the relaxation and to have a good time and this year did not disappoint. Most persons agreed that they usually come out to relax and to have fun.
Regatta is an Easter weekend affair which usually attracts a large crowd especially from outside of Bartica. The three-day event began on Saturday night with the usual road jam. Yesterday saw the boat races and last night, the Miss Bartica Regatta pageant was held.
Today, the boat racing continues and the three-day event wraps up with a concert tonight. Chutney singer, Mahendra Ramkellawan is expected to headline the concert.
