The Bahamas lose a sailing legend. The Passing of Eleazor Johnson. Affectionately called “Barber J” or “The Sailing Barber,” Johnson leaves dual legacies… He kept the community looking good, and brilliantly promoted Bahamian racing sloop regattas, making a lasting mark By Jan Pehrson Eleazor Johnson, the sailing barber—also known as Barber J—with a young sailor receiving an award. Johnson was a strong supporter of youth sailing in the Bahamas. Photo courtesy of the family of Eleazor Johnson.
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leazor Johnson will be very much missed. His passing at age 80 in Nassau on January 16 leaves the many people that he mentored reflecting on his contributions. “The Sailing Barber” had a love for people, knew everybody and was a big talker. He is no longer cutting hair at his barber shop, no longer promoting and organizing sailing, but his memory lives on. One of the best-dressed gentlemen in sailing, “Barber J” kept the community looking sharp with his haircuts. After his passing, his family printed “This One for Barber J” T-shirts to celebrate his dapper image and love for sailing, organizing a T-shirt day and inviting people across the country to wear the shirts in his honor. Barber J was one of the first organizers for regattas in the Bahamas. He is best known for staging the Valentine’s Day Regatta, which started in 1987 and continues annually without interruption. “The regatta will continue,” says son Trevor. “We four sons, Eleazor Jr., Deon, Sherman and I, are taking over.” Barber J used the Valentine’s Day Regatta to promote his own boat, Lady Nathalie, painting her bright red, bragging she was the fastest boat and daring challengers to overtake her. The regatta is like a fox hunt; Lady Nathalie, a smaller 21-foot sloop (the fox) starts before the other boats. She is chased by a pack of larger 28-foot sloops (the hounds). As her lead shrinks, onshore crowds cheer for her to survive and cross the finish line before her pursuers catch her. The regatta soon earned the nicknames, “Catch Me If You Can” and “Valentine’s Day Massacre.” If you want to learn more about Barber J’s signature regatta, see my article “Catch Me If You Can Regatta in Nassau – Fast and Fun and Chaos” in the May 2017 issue in Back Issues at www.southwindsmagazine.com, or the past article links on the Cruising The Bahamas page on the website. The passing of “The Sailing Barber” leaves members of the Bahamian sailing community celebrating the life of a man who made a difference.
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April 2019 S O U T H W I N D S
The Hon. Michael Clifton Pintard — Minister of Agriculture & Marine Resources, which has the responsibility for sailing in the Bahamas: Eleazor Johnson can be credited as one of the persons who brought a lot of flair and energy to the sport of sloop sailing. He was among the first boat owners to utilize the media to promote not only his boat, Lady Nathalie, in particular, but also the various regattas in which he participated. Barber J was a well-known entrepreneur and a legendary sailor with incredible wit, humor and charm. On behalf of the entire Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources, especially the Regatta desk, and on behalf of the government of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, I extend gratitude to the immediate and extended family of Barber J for lending him to us. We thank God for his commitments and dedication. Sloop sailing as a sport is richer in The Bahamas because of him. www.southwindsmagazine.com