Miniature Boats: We visited Stichting Rancho inviting them to partner with the regatta. The foundation organizes Miniature Boat meets a number of times a year on national holidays, always drawing big crowds to the beach below The West Deck.
Miniature Boats are part of our heritage. The fishermen living in Rancho made them for their kids, and the foundation tries to preserve that historical connection to the ocean, including boating, sailing, and fishing.
Rancho is the cradle of Oranjestad, a triangle of cunucu-style homes, south and west of the first built St Francisco church. The roofs are slanted in an effort to collect rain water, all doors face south. The early houses, built mid 19thcentury, were made of sticks and mud, the later ones, built early 20th century when the Harbor opened importing better building materials, were made of bricks and mortar.
The way the alleys are laid out, perpendicular to the church, reflects the urban development of Oranjestad. The people living in the neighborhood were fishermen, enjoying the close proximity to the harbour and the pier. Historically, two more thriving livelihoods were gambling and prostitution, operating within a short walk from the harbor. Think visiting sailors.
Today, residents of Rancho hang out, some peddle drugs, some sell snacks, some raise fighting cocks, the area is a bit depressed and a bit falling apart, except for revival zones, around Flor Da Oriente, and HardGrooves Jazz Café, and across the boulevard, Harbour House, and the upcoming Harbour House Promenade.
Clifford Rosa, is a one-man army in protection of heritage, culture, and marine history, as the chairman of the foundation, he is a story teller, a curator of history, a consummate volunteer.
Stichting Rancho faces many challenges, mainly no funds. Also, no legal structure, no masterplan. All governments applaud the conservation efforts made under the ‘culture’ umbrella, but do not anchor the initiative by law. Under current circumstances the project has no status, it’s sort of hanging, as a grass-root neighborhood initiative, until someone picks up the ball. And though we’re all pro culture and pro heritage conservation, no one seems to care enough.
But Clifford will try to assemble his practitioners to participate in the Regatta, perhaps 20 miniature boats, some families show up with a number of boats. It is a dying art, we hope the Regatta shines more light on the charming activity, always a crowd pleaser.
Come out to watch the races, from the West Deck to Surfside Beach.
