to help were held at the autumn boatshows, and the generous responses have helped give much needed industry support to help get the marinas and charter operations back on their feet so they can salvage something from the most important time of year. Some have a longer way to go: Bitter End YC was pretty much
wiped out and Yacht Club Costa Smeralda’s operation on Virgin Gorda was seriously damaged. Both have vowed to be back, with some facilities ready for next season. However, across the sound in Tortola some of the large charter
operations were already up and running in early December with a workable fleet of boats, while others that had bookings convinced clients to take substitutions on unaffected islands, or be patient. Factories in Europe have been working overtime to replace lost boats and work permits have been waived to facilitate getting a crucial sector of the tourist economy back in operation. ‘The BVIs are now a bit like they were 20 years ago,’ says Josie
Tucci, vice-president of Sunsail. ‘Instead of full bars it may be a guy on the beach with a cooler and a BBQ, but the spirit of the place is still there. It’s a bit more rustic and in some ways more fun.’ In St Thomas the Carlos Aguilar Match Race was cancelled in
December, but the annual St Thomas International Regatta (STIR) held in March is not backing off, with Bill Canfield back on the helm as director. ‘It’s tough,’ Canfield admits, ‘there is still a lot of clean-up needed and damage to fix, and our local sponsors have been more focused on their own issues than providing their typical levels of support. Air fares are expensive, there are fewer flights than in normal years and housing can be hard to find for visitors. Accordingly, STIR have adopted retro 1970s and ’80s themes
for the event, with rum parties on the beach rather than big music bashes on the busy urban waterfront at Charlotte Amalie, a 40-minute drive on the other side of the island from the main venue at St Thomas YC in sleepy Cowpet Bay. Canfield admits entries are down, as expected, but they are not
that bad under the circumstances. Local native St Thomas sailing legend Peter Holmberg is upbeat too, and confirms the 2018 regatta will ‘revert to a more casual, old-style type of regatta, which I think makes great sense when looking at the new breed of events (like
Les Voiles and the Caribbean 600) and with STYC having a lack of the dockage the big programmes now desire. So it’s smart to look at our strengths of having a great beach setting and a warm and friendly yacht club facility. We should play to our strengths and not try to compete with the glitz of the other events.’ St Maarten was hit very badly but its local infrastructure has also
been on the mend to try to rescue something from the winter season. St Maarten YC is pretty small and was hit hard by the storm so the main regatta venue has moved to nearby Port de Plaisance where a race village is planned, along with free dockage during the island’s signature event, the Heineken Cup. ‘Our registration numbers are actually tracking close to last year
at this time, which is great news,’ said regatta director Paul Miller. The addition of a new casual ‘Island Time’ class with discounted entry fees and one race per day has been offered to attract cruisers, and the popular four-day format of buoy and round-the-island racing is retained as usual. And finally, to get a sense of perspective, it’s instructive to hear
Peter Holmberg’s thoughts on what it’s like to be living and working in the wake of the storms. ‘It is a different place in the years following a disaster,’ he says. ‘You can see the scars, even with the foliage back to full bloom. The population has changed –many people were forced or decided to leave during a hard recovery process, and many off-island work crews arrived as part of the new temporary population. It is a reset period for the island communities. ‘But there are some upsides. It’s quiet, there are fewer people,
driving is easy, and it brings back memories of the old days, which is nice. After seeing a few of these in my lifetime you get reminded that this is our reality, our world. Like a tree getting chopped down, it will regrow, often stronger. ‘In spite of the hardship I have often seen improvements in our
communities once the recovery completes itself. ‘So my hopes are that each island will rebuild, and regenerate
their community and their culture, using all they have learnt from the past, to be a better place once rebuilt.’ Amen to that, Pete.
Dobbs Davis
20 KNOTS UNDER SAIL! FAST, FUN & AFFORDABLE
q
One-design racer with proven ORC record brought to you by the team that built the Mumm 30, Mumm 36, and Farr 40 classes
DONOVAN 26 OD
Test sails available in Annapolis CALL TODAY! +1 410.268.1001 Order your boat today for a spring delivery!
STAGGYACHTS.COM Built by:
SEAHORSE 29
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100
