By The Gouden Verrader - The Flamingo Beach Club Sentinel
(and relayed by Capt. Don Stewart around 1997)

An interview with Hubert "Ibo" Domacassé, the winner of the famous sailing race between two fishing boats which became the beginning of the Bonaire International Sailing Regatta.

Sitting in the morning hours at the front porch of his house at the Kaya Grandi with a view on the Bay of Kralendijk, Ibo Domacassé, one of the two main competitors in the first Bonaire Regatta race in September 1968, takes his time to reflect on the changes that have taken place in the Bonaire Regatta event since the first race some thirty years ago. He remembers well the fun and comradeship of the races of the fishing boats which he still considers the core activity of the Bonaire Regatta. However, this great annual event has grown into an international happening, a sports and commercial attraction with specific rules. Consequently the Bonaire Regatta has also become a commercial venture which according to Ibo has some negative effects as well. He is very proud of the participation nowadays of many young Bonaireans in the Regatta races, particularly in windsurfing and the Sunfish races. In his opinion much more could have been done in recent years to prepare the young people of Bonaire for professions in the marine industry and to make them enthusiastic for various marine activities along the Bonaire waterfront and at sea. Sailing instruction, active sailing and navigation, boat building as done by Bonaireans in those days of only sail propulsion, are some of these activities.

According to Ibo, the Bonaire Regatta is the number one example of the maritime heritage of the island. The round the island race in daytime as part of this regatta is only possible at Bonaire and not at Curaçao. Moreover, Ibo likes to remind people to the fact that Bonaireans have always been sea minded. People on Curaçao and Aruba are much less interested in seafaring and marine activities themselves, compared anyway with those on Bonaire, according to Ibo and others. Ibo agrees that vocational training courses for professional seafarers should have started on Bonaire a long time ago. He was therefore very satisfied to learn that such a course would begin according to plan in October 1997, about the same time as the Bonaire Regatta edition no 30 would take place. This course for professional seafarers was going to be concluded with an official certificate of competency to the level of skipper­engineer home trade. Ibo Domacassé wished everybody a lot of fun, sportsmanship and success during the Bonaire Regatta 1997 and future editions of this glorious event.