‘The Bahamas Coming!’ Meet the five sailors representing The Bahamas at the ISCA World Championship

Next week, five young sailors will leave The Bahamas for St. Croix to race in the ISCA World Championships. And Friends of Exuma will be supporting  their journey and following along!

The ISCA World Championship runs November 4 to 14, and The Bahamas is sending a team of five sailors, aged 14 to 19, with coaches Dallas and Tamara Knowles travelling and lodging with them the whole way. Three of the five team members sail out of the Exuma Sailing Club. Friends of Exuma is proud to be the Official Sponsor of Team Bahamas for the ISCA World Championship.

Here is what the team had to say about the upcoming races:

The Sailors

Joss Knowles

Joss has been sailing for as long as he can remember. “It’s been part of my family, been part of my island, been part of my home.” He sees the Worlds as a chance to put The Bahamas where it used to be: “I can let it shine like it used to when Durward was winning regattas and winning gold.” He’s sailing for his country, his family, and his God. Joss says this event is a qualifier for the Pan American Games.

Tanaj Manos

Tanaj came to sailing through “a love for the water and a love for nature.” He raced the 2024 Worlds, and he knows what’s hard about going back: “It’s difficult to train for a situation like that with the fleet that we have here in The Bahamas, so it definitely takes a mental reset.” He’s spent years training wherever he could, and coaching too. “Wherever I’ve went in the Bahamas, I always had an open door for me and an opportunity to train and practice and to even coach.” Most of all, he wants to thank “the people who’ve opened doors for me, most especially the Exuma Sailing Club.”

Emit Knowles 

Emit is from Exuma, and sailing started at home. “I was introduced to sailing when my parents got me into it at a very young age, and I’ve fallen in love with it ever since then.” He calls sailing for Team Bahamas “a huge privilege,” one that “opens up a whole lot of opportunities,” and he’s looking forward to the racing itself: “I think it’s gonna be a lot of fun getting to compete.” He’s sailing for his parents and his country, and he wants people at home to know one thing. “I try my best no matter what, and I’ve worked hard to get here.”

Kahden Knowles

Kahden is from Long Island, and sailing runs in the family. “The Knowles family in Long Island and around the Bahamas are avid sailors,” he says, racing A, B and C class sloops in the regattas at home. “It’s just a longstanding family tradition.” He started in Optis at a BNSS summer camp in 2019, because he wanted to be like his father, Stefan Knowles. For Kahden, Team Bahamas means “representing your people, representing your country, and overall representing your family.” He’s sailing to win, and he credits his cousin for helping him get here. His message home: “The Bahamas coming! We ain’t going there to put on no poppy show!”

Abel Ponnore

Abel is the youngest on the team, and he came to sailing when he was told it was time to pick an individual sport. “I started with sailing, and it ended up turning out good.” To him, sailing for Team Bahamas is simple: “It’s an honor to sail for my country.” And his promise home: “I want people back home to know that I tried my best and I got a good position for our country.”

Follow along

Friends of Exuma is proud to support the Exuma Sailing Club and the young sailors coming up through its program, and to stand behind Team Bahamas as they head to the ISCA World Championships.

“Dallas and I feel very honored to be a small part of this journey with our team and the ISCA community. We see how hard these kids work at the sport they love so much. We are so excited to be there as they have the opportunity to represent their country, and we are so grateful for the financial support from Friends of Exuma to help make these dreams realities for these kids and us as  coaches.” -Tamara Knowles, Exuma Sailing Club

“Having the chance to represent your country is something special, and we want these five sailors to know their community, and the entire Bahamas, is behind them,” said Katherine Clark, Friends of Exuma Board Director and Treasurer. 

“Sailing teaches young people so much more than how to handle a boat. It builds confidence, discipline, resilience and respect for the sea,” said Friends of Exuma Board Director Kathy Allyn, who is actively involved with US Sailing and the Inter-Lake Yachting Association. “It’s wonderful to see five Exuma sailors have the opportunity to test their skills on an international stage, and we’re grateful to [coaches] Dallas and Tamara [Knowles] for the time, commitment and guidance they give to developing youth sailors. We’re proud to support this team and excited to see them represent The Bahamas in St. Croix,” Allyn added.

Racing starts November 4. We’ll share updates from the team on our social media and on our website.

Team Bahamas, we’re with you!