According to an article (Anguillian Newspaper July 27, 2015), 2015 Solaire Cup Boat Race whose main sponsors were: (“Mr. Tom McInerery, owner of Solaire and Meads Bay Villas, Hon. Pam Webster, platinum sponsor, Mr. Conrad Rogers and (Mr. Yanchie Richardson p.r consultant, well known media/radio personality extraordinaire, event planner), who collaborated, to celebrate the retention of Anguilla’s national sport boat racing in the West End/Meads Bay; and to honor legends who upheld Anguilla’s boat racing and seafaring traditions. Let us give a round of applause for their efforts to network, promote, coordinate and make this annual event a real success.
I commend owner Tom McInerery of Solaire and Mead Bay Villas, for his involvement to make this annual event possible. His involvement in community relations to uphold the retention of the Anguillan tradition of boat racing, is a fine example of how foreign business owners can give back to Anguilla. As a matter of fact, I hope that all existing and future foreign business owners, can follow his positive example in giving back to Anguilla, (have your community benefits program spelled out to promote goodwill), for the benefit of our children, many of whom will be your future employees or business partners.
My heartfelt and warmest congratulations, to all the honorees for your strength, courage and endurance, for your home grown pride in steadfastly reclaiming the retention of our cultural tradition of boat racing and seafaring today, for the benefit of future generations. Thank God these boat racing legends who were honored, and were not wilfully overlooked, passed over, mentioned in passing, or written out of Anguilla’s genuine history of traditional seafaring and boat racing. So here goes a genuine history lesson vis-a-vis traditional seafaring and boat racing on the island of Anguilla.
As a tribute to the memory of our late grandfather (Richard James Lloyd “Papa Rich” who was not Anguillan by birth) and my dad Capt. Theodore Lloyd a born Anguillan; I would be remiss, if I would not personally congratulate my first cousin, Mr. Hulia Carty, Sr. “Cap” on being one of the special honorees. Our grandfather and my dad, were among the foremost traditional seafaring captains of yesteryear on the island of Anguilla back in the day. Hulia “sailed” with them, and that is where he learned his seafaring and boat racing skills. Richard James Lloyd employed his sons, and many Anguillans back in the day as part of their crew. Many other Anguillan young men became direhearted seafarers back in the day, because grandpa also gave them an opportunity to “sail” with him and his crew, on his schooners/sloops the “May Lloyd” and the “Lady Lloyd”.
Yet, these traditional seafaring captains of yesteryear, (Richard James Lloyd and his son Capt. Theodore Lloyd” (born Anguillan) captain of both of grandpa’s schooners/sloops) were written out of Anguilla seafaring heritage stamp collection. Let me be clear in stating, that I am not placing any blame on anyone……that is hardly my style. I am rehashing this issue because, I still get calls from Anguillans with home grown pride; “yer mean they left out “Rich” and “Uncle T” , “ah yer looka wuk”, “wa tis dis?.
So, I am going to shout out loud and proud, for the sake of our youth, Anguillans with home grown pride, friends and supporters who are not aware of the traditional seafaring captains of yesteryear (Richard James Lloyd and his son Capt. Theodore Lloyd), vis-a-vis Anguilla’s traditional seafaring heritage. Let it be said and documented, that there is no genuine accurate account of Anguilla’s traditional seafaring heritage and recognition of the seafaring captains of yesteryear, unless Richard James Lloyd and his son Capt. Theodore Lloyd are given the same honor, as all those others who were similarly situated.
Why were they not included within the stamp collection (exhibited in the Post Office located in the Valley on the island of Anguilla) that honored Anguilla’s traditional seafaring captains of yesteryear last year on the island of Anguilla? For those who may have forgotten, or did not know, there is no denying that the intergenerational legacy of Richard James Lloyd (who was not a born Anguillan) contributed greatly to make Anguilla what it is today.
As an illustration of my point, many of our young people go to work each day, in what is now known as Anguilla’s “upscale tourism industry”. The foundation of that “upscale tourism industry, is based on the vision of one of Richard James Lloyd’s sons David S. Lloyd (a born Anguillan); who built the first accommodation for visitors (Lloyd’s Bed and Breakfaast in Crocus Hill still going strong….. and the family entrepreneurial tradition continues with the upscale “DaVida” right on the beach in Crocus Bay). Honorable mention, also goes to another born Anguillan (the late Mr. Jeremiah Gumbs), who built the first seaside resort in Rendezvous Bay on the island of Anugilla. (Jeremiah Gumbs Highway is named in his honor). He was also our very own roving diplomat, who argued Anguilla’s case for self-determination before the United Nations in New York City, during our bloodless revolution in the mid-sixties.
David S. Lloyd, as Anguilla’s first duly elected legislator in the former government of (St. Kitts, Nevis and Anguilla), was also the visionary responsible for initiating and securing the funds to bring secondary education to Anguilla. According to the late stellar educator (born Anguillan) Dr. Vivien Vanterpool “David Sylvanus Lloyd did not get the credit he deserved for bringing secondary education to Anguilla”. As a general contractor, David S. Lloyd also supervised the building of the Valley Secondary School (V.S.S), that opened its doors to its first class of students during 1953.
The yachting clubs on the island of Anguilla today, stands on the shoulders of my dad Capt. Theodore Lloyd a born Anguillan, who was the first Anguillan to bring tourists on yacht excursions from St. Thomas to Blowing Point Harbor on the island of Anguilla. He was also the only traditional seafaring captain of yesteryear whose career grew beyond Anguilla. To be more specific, he spent over twenty (20) years in the U.S, as a civilian employee of the U.S Naval Service.
Continuing to give credit where credit is due, the recent former (Government of CM Hughes), born Anguillans Minister Evan Gumbs, traditional commercial pilot Capt. Maurice Connor, et.al), friends and supporters, Anguillans with home grown pride, were conscious enough to bring to fruition, the re-naming of our airport (from Wallblake Airport to the (Clayton J. Lloyd Airport); in memory of our very own first aviation pioneer, licensed commercial pilot and entrepreneur, my cousin the late Capt. Clayton Jeremy Lloyd a born Anguillan, one of the grandsons of Richard James Lloyd. Based on Capt. Clayton J. Lloyd’s accomplishments in the field of aviation; he inspired the next generation of pilots; and that is why Anguilla has bragging rights for having the highest numbers of home grown pilots within the Eastern Caribbean region.
Yet, another accolade for my grandfather’s intergenerational legacy and contributions to the island of Anguilla. One of his grandsons, Capt. David LLoyd born Anguillan, a licensed commercial pilot, CEO of Lloyd’s Aviation Services; provides stellar management, maintenance and professional aviation services to those aircrafts and private jets that fly into Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport year round, especially during the Christmas Season. He also spearheaded the recent building of the new parking space near the airport to accommodate those jets.
Let us all join hands and appeal to the Anguilla Stamp Committee, or whomever it may concern; to give the rightful recognition to traditional seafaring captains of yesteryear Richard James Lloyd and Capt. Theodore Lloyd with documentation on stamps, based on a policy of fairness and inclusion.
In terms of fairness and inclusion, I call it as I see it. Although many may question, this comment, it is relevant to the issue of fairness and inclusion of born Anguillans being overlooked, because someone decided to bypass them for whatever reason. To be more specifc, there is a question mark in my mind, when I inquired last year, and was told there is no space in one of our major cultural institutions on the island of Anguilla, for a typewriter (almost over fifty-five years old formerly owned by my late mother), who sold it to one of our clergy when she left Anguilla. The member of our clergy took very good care of it, and later donated it to said cultural institution. Why is it not on display?
Once again, a special thanks to all those who were responsible for making the 2015 Solaire Boat Race, a fun filled event that upholds Anguilla’s unique cultural tradition and its national sport of boat racing…….the tradition continues, it is part of our proud ancestral heritage as people of the African and Carib Diaspora, it is our legacy, it is legendary, it is a cultural celebration of our seafaring heritage, it is a jollification remembering, celebrating and honouring those upon whose shoulders we stand to make Anguilla what it is today. May the ancestors continue to find you in their favor.
Name withheld upon writer’s request
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
