01272023 WEEKEND

Wendi won’t be boxed in

By JEFFARAH GIBSON | Tribune Features Writer | jgibson@tribunemedia.net

WHEN you hear Bahamian songbird Wendi’s latest album, you will be listening to body of work from a woman who is unboxed to say the least, but one who has certainly matured, evolved, embraced femininity, motherhood, and “everything that comes along with that journey of becoming a grown woman”.

Wendi’s highly anticipated album Unboxed has finally been released worldwide. It will entice the ears of listeners, while also giving them music they can certainly groove to.

“The album is a long time coming. I’ve been creating and releasing a lot of singles, so I wanted to compile an entire body of work.”

Her inspiration for the album comes from maturing in womanhood and motherhood.

“I also realised that a lot of people placed me in a ‘box’. They think they have me figured out, that they know what I’m going to say, how I’m going to sound... and with this album, I wanted to break those assumptions. And break the mold is what Wendi has done.

“It is all original material written and produced by some amazingly talented young Bahamians. It is sexy, innovative, marries old with current, and also introduces some brandnew sounds and themes in the music. I am so very proud of it.”

Not only does Wendi break the mould, but she also pushes the boundaries with the visuals for her previous single “Tell Her Come”.

“The visuals that already accompany the 1st two singles are beautiful, and groundbreaking. We actually blew up a car for the filming of the music video for ‘Tell Her Come’.

I would like to take this time to give love and appreciation to my visuals team Jiggy Productions, Chris Seymour, Keval Williams Photography, Dyson Knight and Sherard of iFocusvisualsbah.”

As an artist, Wendi has carefully created the song in the order she believes the body of work would be best appreciated. She encourages listeners to enjoy the music chronologically.

“I curated the music in the perfect order for listening. When you buy the album, it will be in the order that I’d like the listener to consume it. However, of course you can enjoy the music in whichever order you’d like.”

While Wendi has extended an open invita- tion for listeners all around the world to enjoy Unboxed, she is also simultaneously promo- tion her new single release, “Slippery”, off the album.

Written by Grammy-nominated songwriter Anwar McDonald along with the songbird, Slippery is “sexy and groovy” and poised to become a Soca hit.

“It is a very sexy message or warning to male suitors about how to handle a woman. Most of my songs are on the topic of female empower- ment and Slippery definitely follows suit.”

Wendi is The Bahamas’ top female record- ing artist. Her entrance onto the Bahamas’ music scene began at the tender age of four years old and her re-introduction was born out of a need for fresh new artistry and innovation. Wendi represents female empowerment, sex appeal, powerhouse vocals, strength, and has been trailblazing for female artists in The Bahamas putting on dynamic live per- formances throughout The Bahamas and the region.

“This year, I am pushing the album Unboxed and all of the singles that are on it, as well as pushing a song called ‘Need It’. ‘Need It’ is on the Gimme More Riddim and it features myself, Soca superstar Nailah Blackman from Trinidad, USVI Superstar Adam O, and Christo, another amazing artist from Trinidad.

“I also have an amazing Rake & Scrape song called ‘Smart Boy’ produced by Freddie ‘Got- stykz’ Seymour from the Push Back Riddim. I hope that with this music, I can successfully propel my team and I to larger audiences and listeners who have never experienced our music before. I am also very very excited for the return of Bahamas Carnival this year as well as all the other performances that are already lined up and that will be booked. I also hope to be able to perform in some aspects of our country’s 50th Independence celebrations as well,” she said.

Wendi is also grateful for the team working with her to bring Unboxed to life including her producer, Freddie ‘Gotsykz’ Seymour, who produced all of the songs on the album.

“I want to thank him, Leonardo ‘Sniper’ Rogers, Dyson Knight and Anwar McDonald for taking this journey to Unboxed with me. You gents are very special to me. I love you with all of my heart,” she said.

Sloop sailing documentary premieres

“See How The Main Sail Sets” - a 90-minute documentary about sloop sailing in The Bahamas recently premiered at Fusion Superplex.

The documentary, created by filmmaker Charlie Smith, AKA Charlie Bahama, and executive producers Fred Munnings, Nadir Hasan, and National Family Island Regatta Commodore Danny Strachan examines both the history of regatta and the development of the family islands.

For over a year, producers along with the Movi Group travelled throughout the Family Islands where boatbuilding is prominent in Abaco, Andros, Exuma, Long Island and New Providence.

“This started before I came on board. Strachan, Hasan and Munnings asked me to come on board to direct the film,”

Mr Smith said.

“This was really a collaboration with the entire committee and a labour of love. Regatta is like Junkanoo. It’s not about the money. It is about the love of sailing. They eat, sleep and dream it. And when I was thinking about the direction and which way I wanted to go, all I had to do was dream it,” he said.

Mr Smith said it is important for people to know the history and background behind regatta.

“This was even done for our archives. This is why the committee wanted to do it. They wanted people to know about it going back to when the Lucayans were here. It is more than just academic. The beauty of sailing was something I made sure is there. We couldn’t do everything, but we did manage to marry history with stories.”

Mr Munnings added: “I’m sure that Bahamians know that these work boats were used to connect the islands whether it was for communication purposes, distribution of food, or traveling throughout settlements and islands. So, this film is really about the development of Bahamians.

“We did interviews from the perspective of the sailors, who speak about a unique style of sailing that is found only in The Bahamas. From that perspective, these boats were more than just regatta racing boats – they were the lifeline of the country more than 60 years ago.”

The documentary is the brainchild of Mr Strachan, who has been commodore for three decades. He said he was delighted that the documentary was completed.

“The regatta has been around since 1954 and there has not been any historic document of what the regatta is all about and so we are cataloguing the history of regattas from that time. When we

SCENES from the premiere of the documentary, with guests including Governor General CA Smith, Dame Marguerite Pindling and Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper.

conceived the idea, we thought that it should be a learning tool for all over The Bahamas and since the government is moving to make sailing the national sport of The Bahamas, we want to make sure that it gets in all schools all over The Bahamas,” he said.

“Historian Dr Christopher Curry’s research and script writing of the documentary and narrator Philip A Smith’s eloquence were the basic auditory elements of the documentary,” said Mr Hasan. “Our team’s successful completion of the documentary would have been very difficult without Dr Curry’s and Philip Smith’s unique insights, continuous inputs and critical contributions.”

Minister of Agriculture, Marine Resources and Family Island Affairs Clay Sweeting said it was important for the ministry, which is responsible for regattas to support the film.

“We looked at how regattas and sailing encapsulate us as a people – whether it is through the culture or land activities.

“What is wonderful about this is that the team was able to travel throughout The Bahamas to capture the essence of what sailing and regattas mean not just to the sailors but also to everyone in the Family Islands.

“So, I think it is important for us as a government and as a ministry to ensure that we support our culture, the sport – as we announce that it is the national sport – that this is only the start of what we will do as a ministry as we expand it to schools throughout our country.”

Mr Smith said he wants to take this film internationally.

“We want to take the beauty and the culture of The Bahamas internationally. We will probably edit it down a little bit for international, but we are going to go to Fort Lauderdale Film Festival, but we are going to go to a lot of boating and water-themed film festivals around the world,” he said.

Sponsors of the film include the Ministry of Agriculture, Marine Resources and Family Island Affairs; the Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation; Allen Exploration; Campbell Shipping; Commonwealth Bank; Caribbean Bottling Company; the Grand Bahama Port Authority; John and Susan Lawrence; Exuma Foundation of Canada; Breezes Superclubs; Peace and Plenty Resort and Bahamas Local.

Numerous dignitaries attended the event including Governor General Sir Cornelius A Smith; former Governor General Dame Marguerite Pindling; Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper; Minister of Agriculture, Marine Resources and Family Island Affairs Clay Sweeting; former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham and his wife Delores Ingraham, cabinet ministers and members of Parliament.

Christine Gardiner

If you love the skin you’re in, you ought to take care of it. CARA HUNT spoke to Christine Gardiner whose business, launched during the pandemic, can help people to do just that.

It’s the glow of healthy skin for Christine Gardiner. As the owner of Utopia Spa, she is committed to helping her clients improve the quality of their skin and their overall appearance and health in general. “I got started in this profession in 2005,” she told Tribune Weekend. “I was in Turks and Caicos and I got a job as an assistant in a dermatologist office.”

Her duties primarily involved removing moles both for cosmetic reasons and to have them biopsied to determine if they may be skin cancer. She also did acne treatments, skin screening and mole mapping.

Mole mapping uses photography to track any changes to your moles over time. These changes can include changes in the size, shape and colour of your moles, signs that a mole could potentially be turning cancerous. This technique is a useful tool for identifying skin cancers, called skin melanomas.

Mole removal is actual one of her favorite things because it can have such a drastic impact on appearance. The job quickly became a passion.

“I love it because you can just immediately see a difference in your client’s skin,” she explained. It is just obvious to see when you look at their before and after photos. After four years working in The Turks and Caicos, she returned home and worked in the office of a local dermatologist before deciding after a while she was ready and wanted to branch out on her own.

“I also wanted to extend my services with my own spa,” she explained, “and so I also learnt pain management and massage an facial peels and hair removal , waxing and acne treatment.”

Although her passion was intact, unfortunately her sense of timing was not. She opened her new business right at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which of course was challenging.

However, as things started opening up again, her business began taking off.

She says one of the main things she wants to her clients to remember is how important it is to use natural products on your skin.

“The one thing that many females do that is something that they really shouldn’t is bleach their skin. I don’t like bleaching because there are so many chemicals in it that damage the skin. It strips away the pigment and the thing with bleaching is once you start, you have to continue to do it to maintain the results and avoid stretch marks and when you stop bleaching, you actually start to turn darker,” she said.

this weekend in history

January 27

•• In 1945, Auschwitz was liberated. Soviet troops entered the Polish camp and freed the survivors of the network of concentration camps, revealing to the world the horrors that took place there. The camps included four “bathhouses” in which prisoners were gassed, and thousands of prisoners were used for medical experiments by the camp doctor, Josef Mengele.

• In 1967, a launch pad fire during Apollo programme tests at Cape Canaveral in

She also hopes to encourage her clients to use less harsh products on their skin.

“It may seem like it is a quick fix, but natural based products are much better for your skin. They may just take a bit longer to work,” she explained.

Her desire to help her clients use natural products also led her to create her own skin care line called the Utopia Natural Line.

The collection includes items such as sun screen, vitamin C serum, oil treatments and skin scrubs, bath bombs and creams for pain management.

And while skin care and spa services like facials and massages may seem like luxury items, Christine said that they do serve an important wellness component to your overall all mental and physical health.

“If you had to do one service, I would say get a facial, because when your pores are clogged it can make your skin look dull, you need to get in and

Florida killed astronauts Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Edward H White II and Roger B Chaffee. A faulty electrical wire inside the Apollo 1 command module was the probable cause of the fire.

• In 1888, the National Geographic Society was founded in Washington DC by 33 men – including geographers, explorers, teachers and more.

January 28

• In 1986, the space shuttle Challenger exploded after take-off from Cape Canaveral in Florida in a moment watched around the world on live television. The shuttle exploded 73 seconds after lift-off. The entire crew was killed, including Christa McAuliffe, a high school teacher who was to be the first ordinary civilian to travel into space.

• In 1985, a line-up of some of the top pop

clear those pores out from that excessive oil and dirt and then you will see that clean glow your skin will have.”

Another spa service, she says women should try budget every so often is for a massage.

In addition to its relaxing benefits, she says that massage helps keep the blood circulation flowing, something that is very important especially if you are in a career where you on your feet a lot. It can also help with things such as arthritis.

Christine also offers these tips to her clients.

“I think it is important that you develop a daily beauty regiment, she says with quality natural used products. I would say a wash, a toner and an exfoliant when washing your face.

She also strongly recommends using sun screen daily and having a healthy diet with plenty of water.

“I would also encourage you to do stretches in the mornings when you get out of bed because that gets the blood circulating.”

stars of the day lined up to record “We Are The World” to help African famine relief. Producer Quincy Jones told the assembled superstars to “check your egos at the door”.

January 29

• In 1936, the US Baseball Hall of Fame elected its first members – Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Matthewson and Walter Johnson.

• In 1977, the first episode of Roots was broadcast. The eight-episode mini-series was broadcast over eight consecutive nights – and has become a staple of Bahamian television over the years.

• In 1820, King George III died, ten years after mental illness forced him to retire from public life. He was 81. In the modern day, his story was told in the film The Madness of King George in 1994.

‘The one thing that many females do that is something that they really shouldn’t is bleach their skin. I don’t like bleaching because there are so many chemicals in it that damage the skin.’

Best described as a number crossword, the task in Kakuro is to fill all of the empty squares, using numbers 1 to 9, so the sum of each horizontal block equals the number to its left, and the sum of each vertical block equals the number on its top. No number may be used in the same block more than once. The difficulty level of the Conceptis Kakuro increases from Monday to Sunday.

Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so the each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

27

Gloomy, thinking about legend (4) seaweed extract (4)

Across

CRYPTIC PUZZLE

1 Constituent parts of cattle food (5,5)

6 Record is within a couple of figures (4)

10 Conception many find perfect (5)

11 Start badly but get a jewel; that’s the plan (9)

12 Hear a gun go off and speak to someone angrily (8)

13 It’s pleasant embracing an eastern relative (5)

15 Wild demon, by the way, in an extreme situation (7)

17 Insults having little point? (7)

19 Exercise done by a prisoner (7)

21 Show how old one is in a symptom of exhaustion (7)

22 Girl of Roman extraction (5)

24 Light baskets (8)

27 A table leg gets broken, but it’s of no importance (9)

28 Belief in sacred office (5)

29 Consumes a set recipe (4)

30 Will he cure plane sickness? (4,6)

Down

1 Note an inscription that will hold attention (4)

2 Ragtime band leader was great (9)

3 Foals are frisky after a tonic perhaps (3-2)

4 A new song hit right away (2,5)

5 Sailor obtains marks for shooting (7)

7 One loses one’s head when in a corner (5)

8 Remunerate ace postmen perhaps (10)

9 Do these orders refer to the national anthem? (8)

14 Handsome individual and competent (10)

16 Refugees are not at home with actors (8)

18 Breathe irregularly at what should be regular (9)

20 Speech impediment? (7)

21 Go to the front (7)

23 Just what one is entitled to (5)

25 Painting is dry and firm (5)

26 Round trip to ancient town (4)

Yesterday’s Easy Solution

Across: 1 Halibut, 5 Paper, 8 Rudiments, 9 Tip, 10 Yawn, 12 Humorous, 14 Scared, 15 Degree, 17 Inspired, 18 Wily, 21 Ash, 22 In the dark, 24 Hitch, 25 Neutral.

Down: 1 Hardy, 2 Lad, 3 Bump, 4 Tongue, 5 Pass over, 6 Potpourri, 7 Riposte, 11 What’s what, 13 Devilish, 14 Spinach, 16 Beaten, 19 Yokel, 20 Peru, 23 Air.

Yesterday’s Cryptic Solution

Across: 1 Jackpot, 5 Ought, 8 Unwelcome, 9 Oil, 10 Tots, 12 Well done, 14 Shadow, 15 Rapids, 17 Sediment, 18 Stop, 21 Ego, 22 Reticence, 24 Taste, 25 Demands.

Down: 1 Jaunt, 2 Cow, 3 Pole, 4 Tooled, 5 Overload, 6 Geologist, 7 Tellers, 11 Trapdoors, 13 Commerce, 14 Suspect, 16 United, 19 Press, 20 Scum, 23 Nun.

EASY PUZZLE

Across 1 Preferably (4,6)

6 Aromatic culinary plant (4)

10 Illuminated (3,2)

11 Inspired with love (9)

12 An eye disorder (8)

13 More than usually (5)

15 Ideal example (7)

17 Straight-faced (7)

19 Pouch-cheeked rodent (7)

21 Long thick pillow (7)

22 Short and stout (5)

24 Intolerantly authoritative (8)

27 A history (9)

28 Held in reserve (2,3)

29 Temporary quiet spell (4)

30 Fuzzy (3-7)

Down

1 Cut down (4)

2 Exclusion from society (9)

3 Dried coconut kernels (5)

4 To function (7)

5 Marked on a map (7)

7 White heron (5)

8 Discourtesy (3,7)

9 Fit readily together (8)

14 Well-ordered (10)

16 Remote from the centre (8)

18 Aristocratic (9)

20 Far-reaching (7)

21 Conceited person (7)

23 Relating to a wall (5)

25 Standoffish (5)

26 Contribute (4)

THE ALPHABEATER

oVErpricE cope copier creep crepe crop epic OVERPRICE overripe peer piece pier pierce pore price prior prove recipe repro reprove ripe rope ropier viper

Extra letter 0907 181

(Deduct three each extra clue full 0907 181

*Calls cost 80p your telephone network access

HOW many words of four letters or more can you make from the letters shown here? in making a word, each letter may be used once only. Each must contain the centre letter and there must be at least one nine-letter word. no plurals. Verb forms ending in s permitted.

TODAY’S TARGET

Yesterday’s Sudoku Answer

● The Target uses words in the main body of Chambers 21st Century Dictionary (1999 edition) call 0907 181 2585 for today’s target solution

Good 29; very good 43; excellent 57 (or more). Solution tomorrow

FIND where the fleet of ships shown is hidden in the grid. The numbers to the right of and below the grid indicate how many of the squares in that row are filled in with ships or parts of ships. The ships do not touch each other, even diagonally. Some squares have been filled in to start you off.

A 1 B C D E F G H I J

2345678910

Yesterday’s Kakuro Answer

● Alternatively, for six Extra Letter clues to your mobile, text DXBEAT to 64343. Texts cost £1 plus your usual operator

TARGET BATTLESHIPS 1 4 4 2 3 4 1 2 2 1 2 4 3 1 3 3 Place the four numbers different appear and Solution tomorrow KEIJO 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Y 11 12 13 21 22 23 24 ■ 25 B 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 14 15 16 ■ 34 35 36 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 33 18 7 38 39 22 25 5 26 25 24 27 4 39 2 12 7 8 17 34 18 36 8 7 8 34 12 24 34 26 30 16 14 16 20 2 16 23 38 36 5 14 4 24 19 12 30 33 2 38 29 22 36 8 27 12 34 10 33 26 40 8 17 2 10 10 38 6 35 16 17 5 19 6 31 28 11 16 28 2 12 31 29 36 40 17 37 14 2 12 32 6 4 32 9 11 37 11 7 4 19 5 26 3 8 25 25 12 10 32 20 8 15 8 34 12 8 18 34 32 13 38 14 2 36 28 33 17 4 31 26 8 11 14 18 20 8 24 9 22 7 20 1

For the love of music

By ALESHA CADET | Tribune Features Writer | acadet@tribunemedia.net

HROUGH his dedication to music, singing, and writing, musician Wilner Pierre believes he has developed a distinctive sound

Whether he is performing an original or a cover song, listeners will immediately recognise his voice and style. Wilner describes his genre of music as World,

Born in Nassau, and spending most of his life in Abaco until Hurricane Dorian in 2019, Wilner later moved to Florida to start over. He said music has always been a big part of his life for as long as he can remember, as he was a lead singer for a band in Abaco for several years.

In the past few years, Wilner released several music singles and an EP entitled ViV Lanmou which features Haitian Creole and English music. Recently, he had the opportunity to record in Las Vegas with some of the best in the industry to produce his latest release, a rendition of Redemption

In an interview with Tribune Weekend, he shared the news of his recent international music deal with Worldipi.com and Sunrise

“This deal certainly was a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity. What was meant to be a one-time screen job turned into the call I had been working for my entire career,” said

In working with Worldipi.com and Sunrise Entertainment, Wilner said he now has an opportunity to work with some of the best professionals in the industry. He will soon be performing at casinos and other venues in the United

“I also have the opportunity to work with the new luxury line Nicolas of Palm Beach, where my wife, Molina Pierre and I will be designing a luxury clothing line. I feel immensely blessed and grateful to God for this life-changing opportunity,”

He said he often finds inspiration for music all around him and may use that inspiration to write lyrics. Over time, he said, a melody would develop and the lyrics will follow. The artist said no matter what he is going through, music has always been what he loves, so this makes it’s easy for him to stick with it and continue on.

“I am excited about what is happening and all of the opportunities that I’ve been afforded so far. I am looking forward to releasing great new music and performing at some of the world’s biggest stages and venues. My music is available on Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, and most streaming services,” said Wilner.

Lettuce grow!

Good day, gardeners. We still have a couple of months of cool evenings and that means that vegetables and leafy greens can continue to be planted for the next few weeks.

When seeding things, it is always best to put down far more seed than one may imagine they’ll need. It’s always better to have too much than too little. Sharing with family or friends is a gift of the garden.

Now, for you all who “don’t garden”, or that may be convinced that you’ve not got a green thumb, don’t believe it! Lack of time would be a determining factor in success or failure when seeding or planting anything.

When someone asks me, well, why don’t you do x, y, or z? The only answer I can ever give is lack of time, and most likely followed by, too many things on the list. There are only so many hours in the day.

The days are getting longer, and that is something that I enjoy, as one of my favorite times in the garden to myself is in the evenings when the birds are getting their last snacks and drinks for the day, chirp ing away and fluttering about.

There is a certain peace that I get when I am able to spend time to myself in the garden, that is unique. Some people have time to grow quick crops such as lettuce. Anyone can do it, even if one believes that they “don’t have a green thumb”.

We have many school children bring their parents in to buy supplies for school projects that require quick cycle, easy to grow plants, and lettuce is often one of the first recommenda tions. Lettuces can even be grown on a windowsill.

I’m not talking about the bitter lettuce that regrows from a store-bought head lettuce. I’m talk ing about sweet, tender, homegrown lettuce. When we seed lettuce, it can be used as micro greens or baby greens if one doesn’t have the confidence to grow it on to large leaf mature stages.

When I grow Romaine lettuce, for example, I most often start picking the leaves when they get to a few

inches tall, as I simply want to enjoy it without having to grow it all the way through its lifecycle. It is easier for me, and less worry about what bugs may be eating it, or leaving it too long so that it turns bitter as older lettuces tend to do.

An associate of mine, farmer Phil has put down many trays of lettuce seed this week and he, amongst many others are there to assist with anyone that is interested in starting their own garden to produce the easy to grow things that most of us enjoy consuming.

The hydroponic outfits that exist locally produce great lettuces that are delicious and inexpensive compared to imports. As mentioned one of the fun things about lettuce is that it can be eaten at any stage, unlike tomato for example that has to be grown to maturity in order to enjoy the fruits of one’s labor.

For the beginner, or the person who is convinced that they do not have a green thumb: we are all here to help. A simple demonstration may be all one needs to become successful at growing their own lettuce! It is important to start with the right ingredients: a container, a pack of seeds, and a soil mix that is not too heavy, preferably a purpose-built mix that is labelled for starting seeds.

A bit of water, a few days with some indirect or filtered sunlight, a few nutrients, and bam. Edible lettuce. For lettuce that is just emerging from seed, liquid fertilizers such as a soluble 20-20-20 are recommended as they are in a form that is immediately useable by the plant and is suitable for use all the way through the growing cycle. You can do it! Grow on. As always, I wish you happy gardening.

• Adam Boorman is the nursery manager at Fox Hill Nursery on Bernard Road. You can contact him with any ques- tions you may have, or topics you would like to see discussed, at garden-

Northern Dancer - part II

SIR CHRISTOPHER

ONDAATJE continues his history of the legendary horse that is the cornerstone of his breed. It is estimated that seventy percent of the thoroughbreds alive today are his descendants, which includes the majority of the horses running in the biggest races around the world.

Preakness at Pimlico, Maryland. Again he went off as the 2-1 second favourite to Hill Rise in a field of six that included the top five finishers for the Kentucky Derby, plus Quadrangle. The distance was a mile and three-sixteenths. Although it carried less lustre than the Kentucky Derby, it was an unavoidable proving ground for greatness.

caught at the wire by The Scoundrel who came second.

Two weeks after Northern Dancer became the first Canadian-bred winner of the Kentucky Derby, he ran the second leg of the Triple Crown on May 16, 1964, in the

After the bell, Hartack placed Northern Dancer into third place with Hill Rise tracking just behind. Quadrangle moved to the lead down the backstretch, and Northern Dancer started to make his move down the far turn. Both Hill Rise and Quadrangle seemed to be having trouble maintaining their position. Into the stretch, Hartack hit Northern Dancer once, and he immediately moved into a commanding lead. He won easily by two and a half lengths. Hill Rise finished third,

The Belmont Stakes, on June 6, was run in 1964 at Aqueduct, as renovations at Belmont Park were being completed. Northern Dancer went off as the 4-5 favourite, with Hill Rise the second choice at 2-1 and Quadrangle 13-2. The Belmont is the longest of the Triple Crown races at a mile and a half. Horatio Luro didn’t want to run the horse. Luro explained that the Dancer had “distance limitations”. EP Taylor however insisted he run. He overruled Luro.

Training before the big race Northern Dancer hurt his left rear

ankle – a seemingly harmless injury that questionably went untreated. He looked snarly – but game as ever to prove himself. Hartack however knew that the longer race might bother the smaller horse.

“If this horse takes it in his mind to run I can’t hold him. He has to react perfectly to handling today. Perfectly. If he tries fighting me … then he’ll wear himself out.”

Bill Hartack Jockey

A record crowd of 61,215 turned up for the Belmont Stakes. Northern Dancer and Hill Rise tracked each other for the first mile behind a slow pace set by the outsider Orientalist. Quadrangle was second, relaxed and saving ground on the rail. He built a substantial lead into the stretch and probably all the other horses underestimated him, including Northern Dancer. When Hartack urged him to run he did so, but he was tired and passed by Roman Brother to finish third. It was a disappointing race. Hill Rise finished fourth.

“How can it be a disappointment when a horse runs his heart out for you?

Bill Hartack Jockey

Northern Dancer was the heavy betting favourite in the Queen’s Plate in Canada’s Woodbine track on June

25 in a field of eight. He raced from well off the pace, trailing the field around the first turn, and still in sixth place down the backstretch. The crowd were worried, but Bill Hartack relaxed his hold entering the far turn and Northern Dancer sped past the other horses, and then easily won by seven and a half lengths. His time was 2:02⅕ minutes – more than two seconds off his time in the Kentucky Derby. He remains the only horse to win the Kentucky Derby and the Queen’s Plate.

Northern Dancer pulled up lame at Belmont in July 1964. Both Ron Turcotte and Bill Hartack had noticed his potential injury which manifested itself only at full racing speed. He had developed a bowed tendon which did not respond to treatment and this ended his racing career. He won 14 of his 18 starts and never finished worse than third. His

earnings totalled $580,000 – a record for a Canadian-bred horse.

Northern Dancer was retired to stud in 1965 at EP Taylor’s Windfields Farm in Oshawa, Ontario, for an initial fee of $10,000. Because of his small size, a ramp was built in the breeding shed to allow him to service mares taller than him.

“One of the mare’s legs is held up so that she’s standing on three legs and less likely to fight. Also a twitch or stick with a loop of rope attached to it is used to distract her. A cushioned “breeding roll” is sometimes worn on the base of the stallion’s appendage to protect his breeding partner. When the stallion mounts the mare a “tail man” wearing latex gloves often helps smooth the way.”

Kevin Chong Author, Northern Dancer

The first broodmare to be bred with Northern Dancer was Flaming Page – two years older than him and owned by Taylor. She had finished second in the Kentucky Oaks, won the Woodbine Oaks and the Queen’s Plate before developing a chipped bone in her left foreleg. She was Northern Dancer’s match in accomplishment and breeding and anyone who thought Northern Dancer’s career in thoroughbred racing and stud was over had several more surprises waiting for them.

Northern Dancer was bred to 35 mares, with 21 live foals produced in 1966. They reached racing age in 1968 and were an immediate success, including Viceregal who was named Canadian Horse of the Year. Nine others also became stakes winners –an astounding 47.6% of the crop.

Although his second crop produced only four stakes winners, the

NORTHERN Dancer with Horatio Luro his trainer

year provided a pivotal role in his breeding reputation. Nijinsky was purchased by Irish trainer Vincent O’Brien at the yearling sale for $84,000, and went on to win the 1970 English Triple Crown, the first horse to do so since 1935. Meanwhile, Fanfreluche was named Canadian Horse of the Yea and co-Champion three-yearold filly in both Canada and the United States.

Because of this success, Northern Dancer was moved to the Maryland division of Windfields farm in December 1968, and was syndicated in August 1970 for $2.4m. Taylor retained several shares in the stallion. Each share in the syndicate provided an annual breeding right to Northern Dancer. Because of the scarcity of his availability, Northern Dancer’s stud fee rose from $10,000 in 1965, to $15,000 in 1969, to $25,000 in 1971, to

$35,000 in 1975, to $50,000 (no guarantee) in 1978, to $100,000 in 1980, 150,000 in 1981, $250,000 in 1982, $300,000 in 1983 and $500,000 in 1984. Fees for his final years at stud (1851987) were privately negotiated, with one season selling at auction for $1m – four to five times that of his closest rival.

Northern Dancer was by far the 20th century’s most successful Thoroughbred sire. From 645 named foals, he sired 411 (63.7%) winners and 147 staked winners (22.8%). He was the 1971 leading sire in North America, and in 1977 (including international earnings). He became the leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland in 1970, 1978, 1983, and 1984.

When Northern Dancer was 20 years old, his owners turned down an offer of US $40m from a European syndicate for him.

Northern Dancer was retired from stud on April 15, 1987, when he started to experience

heart problems and arthritis. When Windfields Farm in Maryland was sold, a special clause was written allowing his lifelong right to live there. On November 15, 1990, he suffered a severe colic, complicated by a strangulation of his small intestine and he was euthanised on November 16. That same day, he was wrapped in a blanket he had won during his racing career, loaded in a specially built oak coffin, and his remains brought back to Canada in a refrigerated van for burial at Windfields Farm in Oshawa. On April 16, 2018, his grave became an official heritage site under the Ontario Heritage Act.

Sir Christopher Ondaatje is the author of The Last Colonial. The author acknowledges that he has quoted liberally from Wikipedia; and from Northern Dancer; The Legendary Horse that Inspired a Nation (2014) by Kevin Chong.

Northern Dancer with Bill Hartack (jockey)

EP Taylor with Northern Dancer

year provided a pivotal role in his breeding reputation. Nijinsky was purchased by Irish trainer Vincent O’Brien at the yearling sale for $84,000, and went on to win the 1970 English Triple Crown, the first horse to do so since 1935. Meanwhile, Fanfreluche was named Canadian Horse of the Yea and co-Champion three-yearold filly in both Canada and the United States.

Because of this success, Northern Dancer was moved to the Maryland division of Windfields farm in December 1968, and was syndicated in August 1970 for $2.4m. Taylor retained several shares in the stallion. Each share in the syndicate provided an annual breeding right to Northern Dancer. Because of the scarcity of his availability, Northern Dancer’s stud fee rose from $10,000 in 1965, to $15,000 in 1969, to $25,000 in 1971, to

$35,000 in 1975, to $50,000 (no guarantee) in 1978, to $100,000 in 1980, 150,000 in 1981, $250,000 in 1982, $300,000 in 1983 and $500,000 in 1984. Fees for his final years at stud (1851987) were privately negotiated, with one season selling at auction for $1m – four to five times that of his closest rival.

Northern Dancer was by far the 20th century’s most successful Thoroughbred sire. From 645 named foals, he sired 411 (63.7%) winners and 147 staked winners (22.8%). He was the 1971 leading sire in North America, and in 1977 (including international earnings). He became the leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland in 1970, 1978, 1983, and 1984.

When Northern Dancer was 20 years old, his owners turned down an offer of US $40m from a European syndicate for him.

Northern Dancer was retired from stud on April 15, 1987, when he started to experience

heart problems and arthritis. When Windfields Farm in Maryland was sold, a special clause was written allowing his lifelong right to live there. On November 15, 1990, he suffered a severe colic, complicated by a strangulation of his small intestine and he was euthanised on November 16. That same day, he was wrapped in a blanket he had won during his racing career, loaded in a specially built oak coffin, and his remains brought back to Canada in a refrigerated van for burial at Windfields Farm in Oshawa. On April 16, 2018, his grave became an official heritage site under the Ontario Heritage Act.

Sir Christopher Ondaatje is the author of The Last Colonial. The author acknowledges that he has quoted liberally from Wikipedia; and from Northern Dancer; The Legendary Horse that Inspired a Nation (2014) by Kevin Chong.

Northern Dancer with Bill Hartack (jockey)

EP Taylor with Northern Dancer

Sugarloaf, English and Scarlet

As a young boy, I liked to read comic books, especially Superman and Captain Marvel, but my sisters and I spent a lot

of time ‘reading’ the Geographical Society of Baltimore’s 2in-thick, 630page long tome THE BAHAMA ISLANDS, published in 1905, that my father treasured. It is, generally,

called SHATTUCK, after the man who led the Society’s expedition to our islands.

Reading is probably an exaggeration. Mostly, we looked at the pictures and the chart showing Wyannie Malone’s family tree. This month, however, I had reason to refer to that book and, this time, I really did read (some of) it, especially the reports on the method of cultivation and cropping:

“The primitive methods of cultivation, in vogue, are the result of circumstances. The stony character of the soil is such that improved agricultural instruments cannot be used. The plow, the harrow and other instruments of that class are never seen here. Even a hand-hoe is of no use on much of the land. For this purpose, a machete (which Bahamians usually call a cutlass) does fairly

well. The same practices are used by planter of today (1903) as were utilised by his ancestors. There has been little improvement in the cultivation of any crops, with the possible exception of the pineapple…where more care is given.

“After the land has been cleared, fertilizer is put into the holes and a sucker or, if a sucker cannot be had, the top of a pineapple, is planted. The former does much better.

“Each hole, or pocket in the rock, usually contains only one plant, so that the number of plants per acre is dependent on the number of pockets. The total number usually ranges from 2,000 to 4,000 dozen.

“The pineapples, when harvested, are carried in baskets to the sea, on the heads of labourers, then by small boats to the schooner, which carries the pineapples to Nassau, or to a foreign port.

“Crops are gathered for two succeeding years and the picking season extends for four months. When a field becomes unproductive, it is thrown out of production… for 15 to 20 years.

“Production is centred on Eleuthera and Cat Island, where three varieties are grown – Sugar Loaf, English and Scarlet. The first two are delicious, but not adapted for shipping in the export trade. The Scarlet.is small, but a good shipper.

“Sailing vessels are depended upon to carry the product. If the weather is fine, and the vessel arrives within a reasonable time; the cargo will sell at a fair price but, if, as often happens, the voyage is prolonged, the fruit is over-ripe and unmarketable at a good price.”

Animal matters

Kim Aranha

B-Humane Award time rolls around again

Last week, I wrote about the unsung heroes, this week we are going to talk about those who are going to be recognised and who have been recognised.

It is very difficult to say thank you adequately. How do you hold up all of those who help and give of themselves in the most noble of ways to help the animals of this country?

Some 15 years ago, I became president of the Bahamas Humane Society, and one of the first things I did was create the Betty Kenning Humane Society B-Humane award. My objective was to start recognising those who went to such great lengths to help the Bahamas Humane Society and to help the animals of this nation in general.

This award has continued to be popular over the past decade and a half however, I must admit, sometimes it’s extremely difficult to choose between the nominees, because so many people do so much to help, assist, and recreate a happy life for broken, dejected, starving and forgotten animals .

The time has come again to solicit nominations for the various categories of this award:

The categories are as follows.

1: Nassau based

2: out-island based

3: international efforts

4: Bahamian corporate.

There is a fifth category, this is for Juniors who have gone and taken it upon themselves to do something either in rescue, socialisation or fundraising to benefit the work that the BHS does.

This Junior B-humane award is not necessarily awarded every year, but only on the years that there is one (or more) Juniors who deserve to be

PET OF THE WEEK

Evelyn

By The Bahamas Humane Society

The lovely Evelyn is about three years old and is a favourite with the volunteer dog walkers at the Bahamas Humane Society. She’s friendly with other dogs and behaves well on a leash, enjoying her trips off-property. As the dog walker said, Evelyn “would be the perfect pet”. If your New Year’s goals included more walking, Evelyn might be the perfect companion to help you achieve them! Come to the BHS to meet her, or call

recognised.

Do you know of somebody or a business that goes beyond the normal display of compassion and kindness, do you watch a friend day in, and day out give of themselves in order to make the world a better place for the animals of The Bahamas? If you do, now is the time to nominate them. When you nominate, we will need a write-up as to why you believe that they deserve to be this year’s winners. It does not have to be complicated but it must lay out clearly what your reasons are to nominate them for the country’s only animal award.

Actually, whilst on the subject: animal advocates are generally misunderstood in The Bahamas and frequently are only tolerated because of who they are. We get treated as crackpots when we try and make people understand

that all animals have feelings. Fear, hunger, thirst, loneliness, confusion, and dejection are not only emotions that we, the “ultimate” animal, experience. All the animals on earth feel those emotions sometimes more than we do. The sensitivity of an animal is so superior to that of we humans because we have actually destroyed our power of understand. An animal can walk into a room and smell fear and can smell death… we cannot. Take a dog into a room where another dog was been put to sleep (i.e. killed) and he is immediately frightened because he can smell the fear.

Let’s not sugar coat the lack of interest there is in animal welfare in The Bahamas, those struggling to get their voices heard are a handful of good folks with hearts full of kindness and compassion. I think that it is so fitting

325-6742 for more information. Evelyn looks forward to meeting you! (If you’d like to join the dog walk, they’re generally Wednesdays at 10am. Please bring a leash and poop bags.)

The BHS Thrift Shop is open and ready to sell you all kinds of wonderful things! Books, clothing, housewares, giftware, art, and much more! Wed/Thurs/Fri 11 - 3 and Saturday 10 - 2. Bring your bag!

that we have an award to showcase these marvelous persons yearly.

It is always a very proud moment for me to hand out these awards. We used to have a big gala ball and give the recipients their prizes at that event but, it became apparent that the tickets were so highly pricesd that not everybody who wanted to cheer their nominee could. This seemed to be to be a bit unfair…when you are being honoured your nearest and dearest all want to be right there and enjoy seeing you recognized and want to be the first to cheer.

With this in mind we now give out our awards at the Party for the Animals held at the Bahamas National Trust gardens “The Retreat” on February 18, 2023, we are hoping that you will want to nominate somebody and if they win, we want you to be there holding them up and cheering them on.

Tickets are available at Fox Hill Nursery and are $40 – there is a cash bar and a cash food truck, music and fellowship is included.

A load of people brought together for one common cause, the love of animals… plan to join.

Above all, please plan on thinking if there is anybody in any of the categories that you feel would be deserving of the 2022 Bahamas Humane Society B-Humane award… we don’t want to miss anybody and you can help us be on the ball.

Please send your written nominations to me at berryislandgirl@gmail. com. Any other comments are welcome too.

PHOTO/LINDA GILL-ARANHA

2020 B-Humane Award winner Laura Kimble, and 2015 winner Claire Cash, pictured with one of the horses she has cared for.

Colour Me Stitch

By ALESHA CADET | Tribune Features Writer | acadet@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMIAN mother

Richenda King said her children have all been inspirational in what she does as a creative entrepreneur. From the initial business start-up, to the branding and now the expansion of the product line.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic when it was difficult to import masks, my son, Kelson King, who is a doctor, asked me to make some masks for him to wear at work. I wanted to make masks from locally produced fabrics and they became popular. I was really enjoying taking up my sewing hobby and decided to expand the product line to include bags. I always wanted to learn how to make straw bags and so I started to experiment, and now I have a full collection of purses, bags and clutches,” said Ms King as she spoke about her brand, Colour Me Stitch.

She went on to say her daughter, RiKendra King, was really the driving force behind the branding, which she created as a marketing major at Acadia University.

“Since everything that I do involves stitching, it naturally evolved as, Colour Me Stitch. My three children are all entrepreneurial at heart. My son, Khadeem King, who studied accounts at Dalhousie, is always talking about opportunities for multiple streams of income. So as a family, we support each other,” said Ms King.

She told Tribune Weekend that being an entrepreneur is about embracing the entrepreneurial mindset, and it’s the excitement of taking some bits and pieces of raw materials and creating a new thing that drives her work. Ms King has worked as a human resources professional for more than 25 years. She learned how to sew at an early age and always kept her sewing machine handy for making costumes for school plays and other productions.

“I started making bags, which is now my main product, late in 2021. I have mainly done pop-up shops and on-line sales. I must say that my experience at Jollification in November 2022 and at the Windsor School Christmas production have been amazing. The response to the quality and presentation of the bags was

truly remarkable. They raved about the stitching, the durability, the closures and the neatness on the inside. What was really nice was seeing them hold the bags and expressing how they were looking forward to wearing them,” said Ms King.

She recalls a memorable customer who visited her table booth with a friend and both loved the bags being

offered. She asked Ms King to hold aside a particular bag for her, and when the customer returned, she did so without her friend. The lady then bought the bag that she had put on hold and also bought a bag as a surprise gift for her friend.

Colour Me Stitch offers items such as purses, bags, totes, make-up

pouches, passport holders, wallets and bowties. She is hoping to expand this year to a business line of portfolios, briefcase bags and business card holders.

Ms King said: “I think that the business has grown very well. I would encourage every woman to ensure that they have a collection of Bahamian-made bags especially straw bags as this is all about being Bahamian and loving the Bahamian culture. You can wear straw bags on any occasion. My collection of straw purses can even be worn on dressy and formal occasions because of the make and classic look.

“People say the bags are beautiful. I strive to make my products of a high quality. I would not place a bag in the product line unless I’m 100% satisfied with the final product. I think people value that we take time to make every bag just right.”

When asked how far she sees Colour Me Stitch going in the future, Ms King said no woman leaves home without a bag. She said her goal is to have Bahamian women leave home with a unique indigenous bag from Colour Me Stitch. She would also like to expand internet purchases so women from around the world can find the bags here in The Bahamas from wherever they are.

Ms King said what makes her unique in this business is she isn’t afraid to experiment with new designs and new hardware to make the collection different. Her latest collection featured beaded handles, which was another interesting accent to the bags. She recommends her cross-body bags as a popular trend for the Spring season, as it’s a bag that women can just pick up and throw across the shoulder.

Also, she said, the totes are popular for the more casual outdoor functions during the Spring. She believes Spring is also a time for celebrating at church, so the fully closed purses will also be trending.

“I want to continue to make beautiful bags from native products. Using materials like the coconut bark, seashells and all types of plaited straw. I will continue to be different in the styles and the presentation of bags from Colour Me Stitch,” said Ms King.