Peace Maker

Here is Lundy Robinson, in his trademark hat and trousers, driving Peace Maker at full speed. His mainsheet man, like all Bahamian mainsheet men, is built like a prize fighter and has to be. Because the rules say that these boats must remain traditionally Bahamian in character, meaning no winches are to be used! Even though in actual fact not many of the boats are sailed from the far out islands, or even built there, the hail ports indicate a connection. For instance Peace Maker’s hail is “Lovely Bay, Acklins.” This is indicative of a Bahamian cultural tradition. Young sons and daughters, if they are bright and ambitious, often go off to Nassau for education and eventually to lead a modern, middle-class life. But they will always identify with their origin island. This goes down generations. A successful Magistrate from Nassau who desecended from several forebears there will still answer a question, Where You From, with the name of some forgotten village on his great-grandparent’s island. I once asked the same of one of the past Prime Ministers, a man fully identified with the political hullabaloo in Nassau. “Lisbon Creek, Andros” was his instant reply. On Acklins Island, it might as easily have been “Snug Corner” or “Goodwill” or “Delectable Bay”. Bahamian boats hail from places that sound as wholesome and beautiful as the boats themselves are.
This is the quintessential Art Paine theme of charging sloop, intense human effort, and most of all, delightful, masterfully painted shallow water