And while the Ruta Maya drew loads of media attention and throngs of spectators, the Harbor Regatta staged a quiet comeback the day before in the Belize Harbour.

A light easterly wind and flat waters made the racing conditions not quite dramatic but it was stately as lighters which are over 100 years old thundered through the course.

Alan Usher of the Belize Sailing Association told us more:

Alan Usher, BZE Sailing Association
"We are very pleased with the results. On the Regatta side, first of all we had the traditional classes come in, there were the two lighters the venerable Radio at 125, we had the United which is the well over 50 years old. We had Sailing Dorey's from Dean Lindo's fleet - two of them came. A White Hall - 17, which is a low boat with a big sail on it and Hunters, Darts and Ticos; Ticos was the little one-man boat with the sails."

"The sailing conditions on Sunday - the wind was a little bit light, some boats like the Ticos sail well in the light wind. This Baron Bliss Regatta - the wind was light and started to stiffen by the afternoon in puffs way out there. The boat I was on you knew when the puffs were coming because you could hear the rigging begin to sing, and then you could actually feel the boat pick up and oneof the lighters caught us, it has massive, massive sails, the United went by and sort of lapped our race as she started to pick up speed."

"It takes about 15 people to sail these lighter, you have to move sand ballasts inside, you have to pull in the jib, pull in the sail and it's a lot of, lot of work. A lot of people think sailing is just sitting there, when you go fishing in a sail boat you just sit there but it's actually a lot, a lot of work. It's a matter of wind, it's a matter of craft, it's a matter of balancing everything, the forces of the wind and the water. But everybody had fun."

Results: Bosuns 1st Gannet. Sea Scouts: Wilson Logan, Myron Bradley, Joshua Merritt 2nd Seagull. Sea scouts: Jeremy McFoy, Anderson Portillo, Raheem Jones Pico Doubles 1st Pico 4. Mark Rodriguez, Evana Perera 2nd Pico 5. Andy Aspinall, Zoey Aspinall Multi Hulls (Hobbie Cats/Darts 16s) 1st Slick Richard Archer, Mark Rodriguez 2nd Submarine Andy Aspinall, Zoey Aspinall Pico's Heat Two 1st Pico 3. Wilson Logan 2nd Pico 2 Alan Usher Sailing Lighters 1st United Maheia's 2nd Radio Marlon Smith Pico's Heat Three 1st Pico 6 David Glenn 2nd Pico 3 Christopher Lopez Sea Gull's, Whitehall 17 and Sloops 1st Juli-Ann Michael Usher Pico's Final 1st Pico 8 Mark Rodrigues 2nd Pico 6 Christopher Lopez Dories 1st Sandra Dean Lindo 2nd Martin Dean Lindo All Comer's (Open to all classes) 1st Dory Sandra Dean Lindo 2nd Dory Martin Dean Lindo 3rd Dart Raheem Jones 4th Bosun Gannet Wilson Logan, George Malic, Joshua Merritt 5th Hunter 14 Douglas Gabourel, David Glenn Other Prizes Youngest Female: Zoey Aspinall 10yrs First Female: Evana Perera 10yrs

Channel 7