Glacier

  • Boat type — large decked sloop from Carriacou, wooden hull painted red
  • Built by — in Windward in 1979, by the Patrice's family
  • Length — 42 feet before the 2010 expansion
  • Enlargement — in 2010, on Windward beach: elongated and widened hull
  • Known owners — Calvin «Iron» Patrice in 2003, 2004 and 2010, then Benson «Power» Patrice in 2022 and 2023
  • Skippers mentioned —Calvin, Cheesman, Kenrick and Benson Patrice
  • Home port — the village of Windward, on the island of Carriacou
  • State — still sailing in 2026

1979: Three generations around one hull

Glacier was hand-built in 1979 by the Patrice family on the shore of the village of Windward in Carriacou. More than forty years later, the Pure Grenada page presents the boat through those who sail it: patriarch Calvin "Iron" Patrice, Benson "Power" and Kenrick, and grandson Perez.

3 Generations of men from one family of Carriacou Boat Builders (Calvin “Iron”, Cap “Power” Benson & Kenrick, and the grandson Perez) on a boat that the Patrice family hand built 43 years ago on the shores of Windward Village Carriacou.

Pure Grenada, February 2023

In February 2023, Calvin Patrice turned 85, and Pure Grenada presented him as the oldest man in his village. The story of the family's carpentry tradition is told on the page Patrice's family.

2003-2009: The red sloop at the head of the fleet

The first known results date back to 2003. That year, Glacier, skippered by Calvin Patrice, won the class of large decked sloops in the Carriacou Regatta Festival. In 2004, first place went to Marie Stella.

And in the Large Decked Sloops Class, 2003's first and second place finishers, Calvin Patrice's Glacier and Michael Bethel's Marie Stella, traded places, while Cyril Compton's Margetto still held firmly onto the third prize.

Dorothy Malloy, Caribbean Compass, September 2004

In 2007, with Cheesman Patrice at the helm, Glacier finished second in its class but won the island tour.

In 2008, Kenrick Patrice sailed Glacier to victory in the large decked sloop class. However, in one of the races, Glacier had to let another competitor pass. Margeta.

In 2009, Kenrick Patrice and Glacier won the class again.

2010: sawn, lengthened, widened on Windward Beach

Glacier is fast, but not fast enough for Calvin Patrice's liking. In the spring of 2010, the sloop was hauled ashore in Windward and the upper planks were removed.

The 42-foot bright red Glacier, owned and sailed by Calvin Patrice, while being a true Carriacou sloop used to have the appearance of an 8 Meter yacht. Slim and fast, she was difficult to beat, but not fast enough for Calvin, so some weeks ago she was pulled ashore in Windward. Her topside planking was removed, she was lengthened and widened, and now she looks more like a 12 Meter yacht.

Frank Pearce, Caribbean Compass, September 2010

In April 2010, sailor Jill Schinas visited the beach and photographed the construction site. The frames had been sawn in half, and new pieces were being fitted to give the hull its new shape. The deck beams were extended in the same way.

Glacier, coque rouge, halé sur la plage de Windward pendant son agrandissement
Glacier hauled onto Windward Beach during its expansion. Photo by Jill Schinas / Yacht Mollymawk, April 2010.
L’intérieur de Glacier pendant les travaux, membrures sciées à mi-hauteur
The interior of Glacier during the work: the frames sawn halfway up. Photo Jill Schinas / Yacht Mollymawk, April 2010.

The name remains the same – but the boat will be unrecognizable.

Jill Schinas, Yacht Mollymawk, April 2010

Jill Schinas also writes that Glacier was launched "a year or two" before her visit, and attributes the construction of the boat to Bernard Compton, master shipwright of the Compton family.

Regatta results, however, show Glacier racing as early as 2003, and Pure Grenada dates its construction to 1979. The exact role of Bernard Compton, perhaps linked to this expansion, remains to be established.

The effect is noticeable as early as summer. Carriacou Regatta Festival In 2010, Glacier won all the races in his class. Columnist Orbin Ollivierre recounts the scene in his own way, in Carriacou's English.

It was one ah of old ones but dey rebuilt it. Dey lengthen it an' give it more beam an, of course, more mast and sails: fo' tell de truth ah lot more dan de others. It beat de second sloop by 20 minutes to finish in a ten-mile course, not fair.

Orbin Ollivierre, Caribbean Compass, September 2010

2011-2019: The Habit of Winning

Lengthened and widened, Glacier dominated the large decked sloop class for nearly ten years. In 2011, Benson Patrice won the class, ahead of Deep Vision.

In 2013, Glacier won the island tour and shared first place in his class with Margeta.

In 2015, for the fiftieth edition of the regatta, Glacier achieved a double victory: class of large decked sloops and around the island.

In 2016 and 2017, Calvin Patrice again led Glacier to first place in his class. In 2017, second place went to American Eagle, who has since become Windward Pride. The third is Free in St Barth.

We won another race on the third day and finished the regatta overall in third, with Glacier beating us in first and American Eagle second.

Thierry de Badereau, owner of Free in St Barth, All At Sea, October 2017

In 2019, Glacier won the island tour again, but finished second in his class, behind Love Roses.

2022-2023: A 1979 sloop versus racing yachts

In January 2022, Glacier competed in Grenada Sailing Week in the CSA Simplified Racing division. On January 31st, in the final race between Carriacou and Grenada, Glacier finished third, behind Margetta-O and another sloop owned by Benson Patrice. Love Roses.

On Tuesday, January 31, 2023, the second day of Pure Grenada Sailing Week, Glacier won the Classics class race, ahead of much newer yachts.

The locally-built Carriacou sloop Glacier, owned by traditional boat builder Benson Patrice, beat out both the Yawl 52, Mah Jong, and Matthew Barker's The Blue Peter.

Grenada Sailing Week, Sail-World, February 1, 2023

On Tuesday, GLACIER beat million dollar racing yachts built decades newer with the latest advanced technology.

Pure Grenada, February 2023

In the final standings for the week, Glacier takes third place in the Classics, with three generations of the Patrice family on board.

August 2023: Revenge on Windward Pride

At Carriacou Regatta Festival In 2023, Glacier finds a neighbor of Windward: Windward Pride.

The race around the island is a close contest along the leeward coast. Glacier leads, but Windward Pride takes the lead once out of the reefs and wins by eleven minutes.

So round one went to Windward Pride, a result that the owner of Glacier wasn't about to accept lying down.

S. Brian Samuel, Caribbean Compass, October 2023

Benson "Power" Patrice then owned three sloops: Glacier, Power Play And Power Surge.

For the buoy races, his brother Kenrick takes the helm of Glacier.

Skippered by Power's brother Kenrick Patrice, Glacier sailed perfectly, winning all three races, followed home by Windward Pride each race.

S. Brian Samuel, Caribbean Compass, October 2023

Still in the running in 2026

Hurricane Beryl devastates Carriacou on July 1, 2024. On July 12, The Grenada Informer lists Marie Stella and Power Play among the destroyed sloops, and Windward Pride among the damaged vessels. Glacier is not named.

Glacier is at the starting point of the Carriacou Regatta Festival 2026. On August 2, in the first sloop race of the third day, Glacier finished fifth, behind Windward Pride, Margeta, Savvy and Free in St Barth, according to unofficial results.

What remains to be found

The name of the shipwright who oversaw the 1979 construction, the boat's length after the 2010 expansion, and the origin of the name Glacier remain unknown. Any information or photographs that could complete this record are welcome.

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Contact — Glacier

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