Sea, spirit and community at fun-filled Old Harbour Bay Regatta
ST CATHERINE, Jamaica – Scores of residents flock to the beach of the town’s fishing village during the Old Harbour Bay Regatta on Emancipation Day to watch one of the iconic boat races.
“Him run leff Prezzy boat already, him faster than gunshot,” one man says to his friends about one of the four competitors as anticipation builds for the event, the Jamaica Energy Partners (JEP) Champion Boat Race.
As the boats go off, the excitement is palpable as enthusiastic fans with raised arms cheer loudly for the favourite.
“Run Empress! One Empress! Soup!” they shout, almost in unison.
Empress’ captain acknowledges the supporters by waving his hat as the boat triumphantly crosses the finish line to shouts of approval.
Boats compete during the Old Harbour Bay Regatta on Friday, August 1, 2025.
The boat races is the marquee event of the annual festival with over 40 years of history. Each Emancipation Day, hundreds of residents and visitors converge at the Old Harbour Bay Fishing Village to participate in what Jason Fuller, the president of the Old Harbour Bay Community Development Association, calls “the premier boat racing competition in Jamaica”.
“Old Harbour Bay is the largest fishing village in Jamaica and as such, we have the largest amount of fisherfolks. For 42 years now, on this day, they will come together and have a grand race,” Fuller tells Observer Online, noting that 60 vessels were on site at the event on Friday. “So it is something that is about passion. It’s about pride of community. It means everything to us here in Old Harbour Bay.”
In addition to the races, the residents also unite for food, entertainment, and other competitions – including fish scraping, cook-offs and beer drinking – at the regatta.
According to Fuller, due to the event’s massive growth, the organisers introduced live streaming at this year’s edition to share the experience with persons who are unable to physically attend.
“We have a large diaspora and we want them to be a part of the event to feel like they are at home,” he says.
Social Development Commission’s representative for Old Harbour, Monica Douglas-Gardener hails the event as an effective community building exercise that the state agency fully endorses.
“It’s all about development, so whatever can contribute to the development of the community and economy we are on board and give support wholeheartedly,” she says.
Representatives of another key state organisation, the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), share similar sentiments about the event which boasts a large police presence each year to both maintain law and order as well as allow JCF personnel to engage with community members.
Carol Williams reacts after winning the fish scraping competition at the Old Harbour Bay Regatta on Friday, August 1, 2025.
Commanding Officer for the Old Harbour Subdivision, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Romario Rankin says the warm relations between cops and residents on display at the regatta is a direct result of the JCF’s community policing efforts in the area.
“We have crafted a particular style of policing where we are now working with our citizens, the citizens partner with us, and that is the reason why we are here today to partner with them to ensure that they can go about their day having fun, enjoying themselves while we worry about keeping them safe and maintaining the peace,” Rankin explains. “I want my members to be comfortable when they’re operating in this space. Comfortable in the sense that you must know that the citizens that you serve, you’re offering a service, and you give off the best service, the best quality of service that you can offer.”
In the meantime, residents commend the organisers of the regatta while expressing their satisfaction for the fun and entertainment provided.
“It’s something that we as community members look forward to every year…last year I sang the national anthem,” Chistina Davis, a lifelong resident of Old Harbour Bay, tells Observer Online. “These [activities] are things that we take pride in and make us who we are as a community.”
Residents watch boats compete during the Old Harbour Bay Regatta on Friday, August 1, 2025.
Her elder brother, Christopher Davis, like many other residents, says his favourite activity at the festival is watching the boat racing.
“This is part of our life…. We live by the sea, we live by the boat. I am not going out there to do it but I enjoy watching them do it,” he says.
The elder Davis is given a treat not long after as the Yamaha Engine Race brings an exciting close to the six-race boat competition. The race, along with the coveted Yamaha engine prize, is won by ‘Father’s Day’, whose owners, the Williams family, dedicates the victory to their recently-deceased patriarch, Isaiah “Ziah” Williams.
“We feel proud and happy, cause we win and we made our father feel good although he’s not here, we made his name live on,” Romeo Williams, a member of the Father’s Day boat crew, says in tribute to his father who is regarded as “a legend of the regatta”.
Chantal Saddler, sales provider at Yamaha, says the company is proud to give back to the fisherfolk in Old Harbour Bay who she says are big supporters of the brand.
“Old Harbour is our backbone, fishermen are our backbone,” Saddler says.
In the meantime, as the 42nd regatta draws to a close, the head of the Old Harbour Bay Community Development Association is already looking ahead, to make the event bigger and better next year.
“We are very interested in having this on the Jamaica Tourism Board list of events. So we will be having formal communication with the tourism board to see if we can get them on board amongst other stakeholders,” says Fuller, adding that a debriefing will be held with participants shortly after the event for feedback on this year’s staging.
He adds: “It’s a phenomenal event, an event with a lot of potential, I don’t think we are even tapping into 35 per cent of the potential of this event. So we want to get the government on board, the fisheries department, the tourism board and see if we can grow the event from strength to strength and work on the economy of the community itself.”
