Lucayan Lady sloop
By DAHALIA SMITH, NG Sports Reporter
SPRING POINT, Acklins – Howard Stern, husband of the late Anna Nicole Smith, was appreciative for the new sloop Anna Nicole, that sailed for the first time at the 30th Annual Acklins Regatta and Homecoming this past holiday weekend.
One month ago, ‘King’ Eric Gibson appointed several young sailors and boat builders under the age of 20 to refurbish his Lucayan Lady sloop. When they were done, the sloop’s color was changed from green to pink and renamed Anna Nicole. Stern, who attended the Acklins regatta, said he had mixed emotions about watching the boat sail for the first time.
“It was hard for me to come here, but at the same time, I am grateful to Shane Gibson and ‘King’ Eric for honoring her this way. So, it was fitting for me to support the idea, the people and the island of
Acklins at the same time. I know this is something that Anna wanted because we discussed this in January. It made me think about how things could have been if she was still alive to see this,” said Stern.
Overall, the Anna Nicole finished second behind Lee Armbriser’s Good News and ahead of Dentrick Miller’s Sea Star. According to Stern, it is the effort that counts.
“It does not matter to me if the Anna Nicole wins or loses because I know that Anna would have wanted ‘King’ to be the captain of her boat. When I saw the boat for the first time I really liked it and I know Anna would have loved it too, mainly because of the color scheme,” explained Stern.
When Stern arrived on the island, the Gibson family gave him a tour. He got a chance to see the house where Bahamian music legend ‘King’ Eric grew up, sampled some native fruits like sugar apple, guinep and tamarind. He was also treated to a celebratory breakfast to launch the new Anna Nicole sloop.
“I really appreciated the hospitality of the people on Acklins Island. This is a fantastic island and the people are very friendly. I really wish that Anna could have been here. This island is a hidden jewel. I hope that staging a race in her honor and the publicity it will gain, turns out to be good for the economy here,” added Stern.
Acklins is expected to gain international media exposure this week as the E! Entertainment channel was in town to cover the regatta. Although Gibson did not win the A-class, he congratulated the overall winner, the Good News.
“Lee Armbrister has the leading boat for ‘Boat of the Year’, so if you really want to beat him you have to come strong. Overall, I am happy with how Anna Nicole performed. We worked out all of the kinks and now we are ready for the next regatta. For the most part, we are happy after pulling off another major regatta in Acklins that was very successful. The people who came down seemed to have enjoyed it,” Gibson said
http://www.thenassauguardian.com/sports/307091049382007.php
i posted this a while back - also, monroe comments was also posted with link