Pride
of Ownership
Own a yacht in the Caribbean Whether for personal use or as part of a successful charter fleet, Horizon Yacht Sales offer you top quality sailing yachts and luxury catamarans customised to suit your every requirement and lifestyle. Enjoy an ownership programme offering unlimited sailing, maximum income and the
Horizon Yacht Sales
security of knowing your yacht is managed and maintained to a standard you can be proud of. We offer tax free purchase and the option to try before you buy, in several Caribbean locations. Call us today to speak with our knowledgeable yacht sales professionals.
British Virgin Islands St Martin Antigua & Barbuda Grenada & the Grenadines Phone 284 494 8787 Toll free 877 494 8787
info@horizonyachtcharters.com www.horizon-yacht-sales.com
THE CREW Copy Production Owen Waters, David Blacklock & Traci O'Dea Advertising Production Colin Rathbun & Nick Cunha Advertising Sales Owen Waters :: owen@alookingglass.com Graphic Design Richard George & Nick Cunha Executive Producer Colin Rathbun, aLookingGlass Publishing colin@alookingglass.com For additional information contact Nick Cunha or Colin Rathbun at aLookingGlass or visit www.bviyg.com alookingGlass #7 Road Reef Plaza, P.O. Box 3895 Sea Cows Bay, Tortola, British Virgin Islands t 284.494.7788 f 284.494.8777 www.alookingglass.com | info@alookingglass.com
On the Cover: Superyacht Icarus from above Photo courtesy of Rhoderick Grimes Graeme
letter from the editor Welcome to Yacht Guide's September issue. Summer, in the BVI and we are delighted to have stories come to us from several islands to share experiences with us over here. Our islands and other islands are a cultural melting pot of many experiences brought to and then developed in our lifestyle as we progress, it is what makes us all unique as a community. On a recent trip I met with a group of photographers whose chosen path is to promote and shoot super yachts around the world as they travel on their regular routes. One of those routes or destinations is, the BVI, I hope you enjoy the incredible photos. Keeping us grounded is Chris Simpson, our regular informative broker on the reality of the yacht broker industry in context, positively in the BVI. David looks into what is now becoming a regular seasonal or annual theme of dinghy theft, which is theft by any account and there are more and more calls from the charter companies to exact diligence wherever you can. We take a trip down memory lane with Jeremy Wright and get up to speed with women on the water, our now regular look at women in the driving lane of a maledominated industry. For the season ahead, which is almost here there are new and exciting stories afoot. Here at the Yacht Guide we will be focusing more than ever on yacht reviews and the in depth breakdown of the BVI yachting industry from a global perspective. So , as we approach the cooler months ahead the channel will see more activity and the winter winds will arrive, bringing swell and the start of a new season and the end of a long hot summer. All excess in moderation though if you have been here all summer and enjoyed Festival whilst making the most of the hot season, moderation of excess might keep us all going until Christmas.
Have fun and see you on the water.
aLookingGlass Ltd., publisher of BVI Yacht Guide, assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of the content placed in its publications. For the avoidance of doubt, aLookingGlass gives no warranty or guarantee in regards to any information placed in its publications.
Owen Waters
BVI Yacht Guide and its contents are the intellectual property of aLookingGlass Ltd. Neither this magazine nor any part of it may be reproduced without written permission from aLookingGlass Ltd.
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SEPTEMBER 2009 BVI YACHT GUIDE ALOOKINGGLASS PUBLISHING | www.bviguides.com
Owen Waters
Managing Editor Owen Waters :: owen@alookingglass.com
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Contact us: 284 444 4444(Tortola) or 284 495 5639(Virgin Gorda)
10 Yacht Brokers in the BVI. . .
contents 12 Tracking the Superyacht
Skipper's Tips: Rinky Dinks 8 Dinghy theft is one of the many secrets of the BVI. Our skipper hopes to reveal this secret in order to encourage others to properly lock up their valuables. Provisioning: For an Exceptional Salad, Add an Avocado Chef Susie turns a traditional Italian favourite into a BVI delight by substituting local avocados for fresh mozzarella.
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Yacht Brokers in the BVI are Outselling Their US Competitors 10 The BVI is the perfect place to sell a boat. Chris Simpson from BVI Yacht Sales explains why. Tracking the Superyacht 12 Acquafilms’ Rhoderick Grimes Graeme travels around the world photographing and filming superyachts as they cruise the Mediterranean, Caribbean and Atlantic, with an occasional race in between.
16 EDGE: Regatta Recap
Windsurfing Addict 14 BVI windsurfing instructor and local legend Jeremy Wright explains how he got hooked on the sport and a love of adventure. EDGE: Regatta Recap 16 Our coach and his star student voyage to BĂşzios, Brazil for the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship where they make a name for the BVI. Women on the Water: Sailing for All 18 Alison Knights Bramble of the BVI Watersports Centre believes that everyone should have the opportunity to learn how to sail. She teaches all who want to learn at her sailing facility in Manuel Reef.
18 Women on the Water
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SEPTEMBER 2009 BVI YACHT GUIDE ALOOKINGGLASS PUBLISHING | www.bviguides.com
BVI Yachting D irectory 19 Look here for the most up-to-date yacht charter and broker listings. It's a great place to start if you're looking to buy or charter a yacht in the BVI.
Passi o nate abo ut b o a t s. . .
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Call us on 284-494-4289 or visit www.bviyachtcharters.com BVI YA C HT C HARTER S
www.bvi yc.com THE B OAT S . T HE S AI L I NG. T H E E X P E R I E N C E . . . www.bviguides.com | ALOOKINGGLASS PUBLISHING BVI YACHT GUIDE SEPTEMBER 2009
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SKIPPER’STIPS
Rinky Dinks Dinghys – lost, found or stolen? Not a laughing matter for anyone paying the $3-5k bill
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by David Blacklock
There are many mysteries in the British Virgin Islands. Some are historical in nature—where did “Throw Away Wife Bay” get its name? Some are more whimsical—when is the movie theatre going to open? Others are just plain mysterious—why does Bobby's refuse to keep its ice cream frozen? But the one big mystery has to do with dinghies and their mysterious disappearances. No, the mystery isn't who steals them and why. The mystery is, why doesn't everyone lock their dink when they're ashore or asleep? Locks are pretty cheap, and it only takes a moment. You lock your car, don't you? Of course, many long-time visitors and residents say that it goes against the grain to have to lock the dinghy. That little boat represents freedom; it's a symbol, an emblem of the independent life. That is, until it is removed from its berth by a speculator who has an eye for a good motor or who knows a fisherman with a need for a get-around vessel. Then it's just another heartbreaker—one of the dozens that get scooped up and moved on without a trace.
SEPTEMBER 2009 BVI YACHT GUIDE ALOOKINGGLASS PUBLISHING | www.bviguides.com
There is of course a market for used dinghies. You can ask around for what you want, even put in an order, and pretty soon your prayers will be answered—and at pennies on the dollar. Now, not all theft is local. Stories abound of the maybe apocryphal thief who packed his catamaran with purloined runabouts prior to setting out across the Atlantic, or was it the Pacific. Thirty, was it? Anyway, a good story. St Martin, right? Then again who needs to steal a dinghy when dinghies can just mysteriously untie themselves from the stern cleat and disappear in the late afternoon sun as you pound your way eastwards up Drake Lake? It's happened to me and it's happened to my friends—even really fancy jobs with 60 hp motors. Gone. Just like that. Oops! Dinghies, they have a mind of their own—one day they're here and the next day they're in the mangroves in Hodge's Creek. Or was that Penn's Landing? And here's the biggest mystery—everyone knows who and why, but nobody's saying. Like I say, the BVI is full of mysteries. Oh, and secrets. Little secrets. Like the one about. . . YG
Provisioning For an Exceptional Salad, Add an Avocado by Susie Younkle
Photo by Susie Younkle
Sponsored by
September is prime avocado season, and heavily laden trees can be found throughout the BVI. Rich, silky and buttery are not words often associated with fruit, but avocado is not your typical fruit. In contrast to the sweet uses of most fruits, avocado tends to appear in savoury dishes, as it more closely resembles a vegetable. A unique characteristic of avocado is its rather high fat content—one of only two fruits (the other being olives) that contain any substantial amount of fat. No worries, though.The fats are the healthy monounsaturated kind, and the fruit is packed with nutrients. Most people know avocado as the main ingredient in guacamole. Though guacamole is undoubtedly delicious, if that’s the only way you know to prepare avocado, then it’s time to experiment in your galley. In addition to dips and salsas, avocados are excellent incorporated in cold soups, salads and sandwiches. A little avocado goes a long way and can instantly make a meal seem special—for example, diced avocado in an omelet or a few slices on a sandwich. Avocado is an especially good addition to salads, as I discovered while cruising aboard my sailboat, Orchid, in Dominica last winter. I had visited the outdoor market and purchased a variety of vegetables, including ruby red tomatoes, fragrant basil and a large, glossy West Indian avocado. Our next stop was to be The Saintes, a group of tiny islands off the coast of Guadeloupe. French islands have fantastic cheeses, and I planned to splurge on plenty of fresh mozzarella to add to the tomatoes and basil to create a delectable Italian insalata caprese. Unfortunately, a lingering labour strike in the French islands resulted in food shortages and supermarkets devoid of the gourmet cheeses that usually fill the shelves. Looking for a way to use a huge avocado, I replaced the fresh mozzarella with the avocado in my salad and discovered a superb creamy substitute. Avocado caprese soon became a favorite aboard Orchid. The inspiration for another much-enjoyed salad came from a friend on Tortola who has a lovely property covered with fruit trees. She introduced me to the delightful combination of avocado and papaya in a salad and taught me to incorporate papaya seeds in the dressing for a unique peppery flavour. The
brilliant contrasting colors of the avocado and papaya slices make for a mouth-watering Caribbean salad. Use ripe, yet firm avocado for all salads in order to neatly slice the fruit. An avocado does not ripen on the tree, so you’ll generally have to let it ripen for a few days, using some trial and error to determine readiness. If you misjudge ripeness (as I sometimes do) and find yourself with an overripe avocado, you can always make guacamole. Avocado Caprese Salad My Caribbean twist on a classic Italian salad • • • • •
3 medium tomatoes, sliced 1 avocado, sliced Handful of fresh basil leaves Extra virgin olive oil Salt and pepper
On a platter, arrange avocado and tomato slices and basil leaves, alternating and overlapping them. Drizzle with olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste. Serves four. Spinach Salad with Avocado and Papaya Homemade vinaigrette comes together quickly with pantry staples • • • • • •
2 Tbsp olive oil 2 tsp white wine vinegar 1 tsp papaya seeds 1 ½ tsp honey ¼ tsp Dijon mustard ¼ tsp salt
• • • •
6 C spinach, washed and trimmed ¾ C sliced avocado ¾ C sliced papaya ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
Combine vinaigrette ingredients in a food processor or blender. In a large bowl, toss spinach with vinaigrette. Divide spinach mixture among four plates. Arrange avocado, papaya and red onion on top of spinach. Serves four. YG
Riteway Food Markets provisioning service offers a number of services to help your visit to the British Virgin Islands be a fuss-free, enjoyable experience. Time is of the essence for you and our 20 plus years experience in provisioning has enabled us to tailor our services to suit the needs of all concerned by providing a wide selection of choice foods, beverages, liquor and dry products. So, whether it is your private getaway schooner, or a Super Mega yacht, each order, no matter how large or small, is given the same amount of detailed attention and delivered directly to you. After all, it's the Riteway of way of doing business! www.bviguides.com | ALOOKINGGLASS PUBLISHING BVI YACHT GUIDE SEPTEMBER 2009
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A stock of boats for sale at Nanny Cay Marina
Yacht Brokers in the BVI Are Outselling Their US Competitors
by Traci O’Dea with Chris Simpson
“I can’t speak for all other brokerages,” says Chris Simpson from BVI Yacht Sales, Ltd., “but, generally, we’re doing better than most US brokers.” The driving force behind the particularly competitive pricing in the BVI, he explains, begins with ex-charter boats. “We have more bareboat charter boats per square mile on this island than any other place on the planet, including the Mediterranean. At any one time, there are probably close to a hundred of these ex-bareboats, of one description or another, for sale within the Caribbean.” advised by his brokers and, if other sellers want to “The market is therefore particularly generate interest in their boat, they have to follow competitive,” Chris continues, “especially suit.” And this competitive pricing doesn’t only when you consider the bareboats being released by the big companies, like Moorings affect ex-charter boats. “If you have a private boat that’s never been chartered, you still, to an extent, or Sunsail, where they can release up to about twelve of the same model and year on have to compete with 60% of the boats listed, the ex-charters boats. If you any particular year. It own the same model of generally happens more He who prices lowest boat, but it’s never been through the summer chartered, then that boat is months when there wins; it’s as simple as that a much more valuable boat. are less charters. That’s The engine hours are going also when more of the to be a tenth, or an eighth, or a sixth of a charter boats get phased out, fixed up and tidied boat. The engine hours also reflect the wear and tear up to a certain standard before they get generally on the whole boat, but nonetheless, a buyer handed back to the owners or put up for looking on the internet will see that boat, and he will sale, resulting in a lot of the same model on wonder ‘Why is that boat more expensive than that the market at the same time. He who prices boat?’ he therefore has to be convinced that the price lowest wins; it’s as simple as that.” differential between a private boat and a charter boat, Chris explains that all brokerages in this region, to same year, same model, combined with the additional a greater or lesser extent, have to price against this stiff competition. “If we don’t,” he says, “then the buyer equipment and much less wear and tear is enough to make the private boat purchase worth his while. is not going to see the value in our boat versus our It’s a tough marketplace for private boats, and you competitor's boat, so it’s very, very competitive.” But it’s not really the Moorings or Sunsail who determines have to price it a little bit more keenly than in the US where they don’t have much competition from the the prices. “The Moorings don’t choose the pricing. bareboats and charter boats.” The seller chooses the pricing. He sets the tone. He’s 10
SEPTEMBER 2009 BVI YACHT GUIDE ALOOKINGGLASS PUBLISHING | www.bviguides.com
The type of person who buys a boat has changed as well, and that affects they type of boat that’s selling. “Buyers have evolved over the last decade or so, two decades, really. Few of us have enough time in our lives to enjoy leisure for weeks on end. We’re all too busy earning the money to afford to buy the boat. Twenty years ago, thirty years ago, it was different. People didn’t have so much money, boats were smaller, they were less expensive, they weren’t so nice, but you could get on one, and you could go sailing for three months. You could go to the Pacific. Most of us can’t do that anymore, so you have two weeks, maybe. These kind of buyers are more ‘coastal cruisers’, an industry euphemism which has become popular in that they’re doing more coastal sailing and less blue-water sailing. They can come down here and talk themselves into the idea that even though they’d love to have an Oyster, a Hylas or a Swan, the fact that this type of boat could be three times the price of a Beneteau does not justify the extra expenditure for the time that they can get enjoy her. Furthermore, the production boat can do what they need her to do because the sailing that they’re going to do is not going to take them into the middle of the Pacific, so in reality they don’t really need a heavy displacement boat. So what happens is that those
"We’re living in an absolutely gorgeous area which is a perfect place to begin cruising!"
US, and basically, you can step on your boat, fix a few heavy displacement boats have to price a little bit things, and then go sailing. You’re already here!” more competitively than they would if they were in But not everyone who buys a boat here keeps it the US because they are competing, to a much lesser here. Chris mentions a recent trend he's witnessed extent, but still competing, with the 50-foot Beneteau recently. “Foreign, non-North American buyers are that could be bought for less than $150,000. It’s a much more keen to come and look for a boat here slight downside to the seller because they have to than they are in the US,” Chris says. “It started with price their boats lower, but on the upside, they will this competitive pricing in the charter industry, we sell sell their boats sooner and quicker. The reasons being: A. The pricing is better than it may be in the US and B. a lot of boats to Australians, for instance, who literally clean the boats up, sail them across the Pacific, take We’re living in an absolutely gorgeous area which is a them back to Australia, enjoy having a year off as they perfect place to begin cruising!” sail the boat back through the most beautiful islands Location. Location. Location. Aside from the competitive pricing, location is the second reason why on the planet and then sell the boat for significantly more than they bought her for here. However, there yacht brokers in the BVI are doing so well. “We’re are taxes, so it’s not a massive profit, but ten, twenty, a thousand miles, almost directly to windward, of or thirty thousand dollars Florida. And sailing clear profit with that offshore to windward, People want to come here, they money going towards almost regardless of who want to buy boats here, and they financing their year off. you are, is not a lot of In the yachting industry fun. By buying here you want to keep their boats here in Australia, it’s a known can cut that right out. I’m thing to do now, and we dealing with clients right sell a number of boats each year to Australians and now who had their first boat shipped down here, Kiwis due to this.To a lesser extent, we also do this with but they decided it’s too small. They want something the European buyers.They come because they know the bigger, but they don’t want to go and buy another prices are better here than anywhere else.They come boat in the US and have it shipped down or have to here, they buy the boat, and they sail her home across sail her down. This is another area where we have the Atlantic. Happily, this stream of buyers continues to much appeal in that we’re already in the tropics, we come at us from Australia and Europe, primarily.” are already to windward of that big, long leg from the
The competitive pricing keeps foreign buyers from buying in the US as does that pesky thing called sales tax. “If you keep a boat in the US, almost in any state, you have to pay sales tax. That is a drag, if you can’t move your boat out of America because of seasonal timing you might get hit with that sales tax. We have no sales tax here. As a non-resident owner of a boat here, you’re only financial obligation to the government is temporary importation duty which is $202 a year. Thanks to the government for that. Keep that up as it helps to keep a very healthy marine industry here. People want to come here, they want to buy boats here, and they want to keep their boats here. Long may that continue!” The strength of the dollar is also a factor with foreign buyers. “When the dollar is weak,” Chris declares, “the Australians and the Europeans find even more value in our boats. When the dollar is strong, our boats seem expensive. When the dollar is not strong, then we are in a fantastic position where we’ve got an unending supply of boats for sale, very competitively priced in a really nice location— it’s a great place to keep your boat, not only environmentally but also in terms of the government taxes being relatively low. So, all in all,” Chris concludes, “it makes a lot of sense to buy a boat here. It’s really just a question of whether or not you’re prepared to think outside the box enough to buy a boat outside your own country.” YG
"As a non-resident owner of a boat here, you’re only financial obligation to the government is temporary importation duty which is $202 a year"
"They come here, they buy the boat, and they sail her home across the Atlantic" www.bviguides.com | ALOOKINGGLASS PUBLISHING BVI YACHT GUIDE SEPTEMBER 2009
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All photos courtesy of Rhoderick Grimes Graeme by Rhoderick Grimes Graeme
Tracking the Superyacht
In 2005, I followed the superyacht fleet and made my first Atlantic crossing on Sojana, a fast 115’ ketch that spends every winter in the Caribbean. The occasion was the 100th anniversary of the Rolex Transatlantic Challenge, and the original 1905 course record of 12 days, set by Charlie Barr on the schooner Atlantic, was the time to beat for the various superyachts and maxi racers involved. I was there to film the race with Acquafilms, and it was an adventure with freezing conditions, seasickness and an injury that required a stop in St Pierre, a small island off of Newfoundland, in order to drop off the injured crewman and a caretaker for him which disqualified us from racing. With two crew gone, I ended up doing more sailing than filming, but I have amazing memories and video footage of the north Atlantic. After the stop, the wind freed up, and the waves evened out. We even saw the sun. Many of us got to helm on surfs of over 30 knots. We saw sunfish, basking sharks, dolphins, whales, huge waves and the different ecozones of the ocean go by as we got farther north and east. It’s a great way to see the planet. Many superyachts winter in the Caribbean. With main bases for motoryachts in St Maarten and St Thomas and for sailboats in Antigua, the fleet begins arriving in November for five months of cruising and charters. They come from the Mediterranean, the US East Coast and even the UK and Northern Europe to arrive in time for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. At these main bases, they will provision, find crew and have work done in order to be ready for the season. By late November, there will be herds of youngsters in the bars, cafés
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works out in the end, and the yachts leave with and nightclubs as they all seek jobs for the season, sparkling new imagery for their marketers. and there is a welcome injection of life in English December also sees the Antigua Charter Yacht Harbour and the other seasonal ports. Meeting, the world’s original charter yacht show. This This is also a time when new or recently is where agents, brokers and press converge to see refurbished yachts choose to have their brochures some of the latest yachts, crews, chefs and charter and websites updated with new photos and videos itineraries and report on with the amazing Caribbean them back to the rest of as a background. This is . . . the fleet begins arriving the yachting world. Once when Acquafilms and still they’ve arrived, it’s a flurry of photographers like myself in November for five months varnishing, cleaning, shopping and Alexis Andrews get of cruising and charters and crew interviewing to get busy shooting the yachts for ready for the show and after promotional pieces that that gruelling week, for the holiday charters that have will be mailed on DVD or posted to websites or hopefully been booked during the show. made into brochures for prospective clients to Once the early season dust settles and it’s all see. We all get busy booking models, chartering helicopters and chase boats and checking weather underway, these awesome yachts will disperse all over the Caribbean for their guest trips. There are some sites to make sure we get the best shooting days. We must work around many people’s schedules, so traditional favourite spots, like St Barth’s and Basil’s Bar in St Vincent and the Grenadines for New Year’s it’s crucial to get aboard, get the work done quickly, Eve where many of the world’s celebrities converge without fuss and let the yacht get along to its busy for amazing parties. Some yachts book their spots season with a powerful new marketing tool in hand. in St Barth’s a year in advance. But there are lots of Having grown up in Antigua is an advantage that places farther afield, too, and as the fleet grows, there lets me pick the best spots in the best weather are more superyachts being seen at remote spots to get this work done. Between film jobs with like the Tobago keys and the outer Grenadine islands. Acquafilms and my still photo shoots, it can be a bit Bases in Grenada and other islands are being built to of a challenge to sort out the ever-changing yacht accommodate them. schedules and get it all done, but somehow it always
SEPTEMBER 2009 BVI YACHT GUIDE ALOOKINGGLASS PUBLISHING | www.bviguides.com
A superyacht in race mode
There is also a healthy and growing racing circuit for superyachts in the Caribbean. Some events like the Superyacht Cup in Antigua and the St Barth’s Bucket are dedicated to them while the other Caribbean regattas, such as the BVI Spring Regatta, allow superyachts in their big boat classes. We’ve also been shooting these fantastic events for the organizers, sponsors and lately making custom event films for individual yachts which they give to crew, owners and guests as a memento of the event. The RORC Caribbean 600, Heineken Regatta in St Maarten, Antigua Classic and Antigua Sailing Week round out the big yacht events for the season and once Race Week is done the final exodus happens. Yachts begin to trickle back north in March, and by the middle of June, the harbours will be bare. The Med and US seasons will be in full swing, and many more yachts are now leaving the Caribbean and heading straight for Panama to cruise the Galapagos, South Pacific islands and New Zealand before completing a circumnav and ending up back in Europe or the US. So once in Europe, we film more regattas. It’s a case of getting the most varied footage possible. That means racing on yachts, chasing them from the water and shooting them in helicopters. Add that to B roll from the beautiful European locations and interviews with the top sailing talent that often crew superyachts, and we’ve got enough footage to produce an event film, sell stock footage and supply news outlets and industry companies with imagery. We’ve shot in Cannes, St Tropez, Palma, Falmouth and attend the Monaco Yacht Show compliments the Antigua Charter Yacht Show and is nicely timed just as many boats are about to head back to the Caribbean for winter. At this time of year, yacht crew can’t wait to get back there for the balmy weather, kitesurfing and cheap drinks. In six months, however, they’ll be tired of the hangovers, hot sun and nothing to do but kitesurf. YG
A helicopter provides an incredible angle from which to photograph or film the superyachts
Roddy Grimes-Graeme is a photographer and filmmaker based in Antigua. He is co-owner of Acquafilms and is also a freelance commercial photographer. He specializes in marine subjects and works all over the region and the world. To contact Roddy and/or Acquafilms: 268.725.7873 / roddy@acquafilms.com www.acquafilms.com / www.roddyggphoto.com
www.bviguides.com | ALOOKINGGLASS PUBLISHING BVI YACHT GUIDE SEPTEMBER 2009
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Windsurfing Addict by Jeremy Wright
Trellis Bay today on a quiet day. Photo by Chris Osman
What makes one seek overseas adventures? It’s simple, really. It’s a journey of exploration and a fascination of things new and exciting. How did I get addicted to this? At the age of three, I sailed with my brother and parents to India on a cruise ship.We returned some five years later.After school at 18 years old, I was ready to travel. I sailed and hitched around the world for the next five years and figured out the world was indeed round. Jeremy's roots have always been in windsurfing
“Go West, young man,” was my idea and a very necessary one at that as I lived and loved so many places and people on the way. I started by hitchhiking to Cannes, France and landed my first boat job washing dishes as a galley slave on a power yacht. Next, an amazing sail on a 1920s schooner across the Atlantic to Antigua and then the BVI for a twomonth stay.The story continued with many boats, oceans, islands and stories until I eventually arrived home in the UK. I remembered the BVI experience later when I had that magical moment one day, that moment when you understand where you would like to live your life. In the UK, I had been working for Hood Sailmakers in Lymington, Hampshire for three years. In 1981, I came to work at Hood Sailmakers in the BVI for Bill Bullimore as production
manager. You work hard on your knees, scissor cutting, chalking, stringing and spiking the varnished floors. The sewing machine becomes a part of you. You breathe the sailing world in the Caribbean. Once in the BVI, I saw the one and only windsurfer on a boat called Trespasser. The captain, Jim Fuller, was happy to lend it to me. Then I discovered David and Cathy Ross in Trellis Bay. David had arrived in the BVI in 1979 as one of the first bartenders at Last Resort. He loved windsurfng, having built quite a few early prototypes in Canada. He procured a BVI Trade License to bring in the first production “Windsurfers” to the BVI, and Boardsailing BVI was born, established 1981. Cathy and David operated the windsurfing school in Trellis Bay. After three years as a sailmaker, doing the daily grind, I was looking for something else, and I got the job as instructor and manager of
Wanted to BUY:
C ata m a r a n Ex-Charter OK
tel:
El Salvador (503) 740-55459 email: tropicbank@gmail.com
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SEPTEMBER 2009 BVI YACHT GUIDE ALOOKINGGLASS PUBLISHING | www.bviguides.com
Boardsailing BVI. I was windsurfing more and more, and my love of the sport took over. I would windsurf to Anegada with the BVI Yacht Club Race and sleep wrapped in my Dacron sail on the lounge chairs at the Anegada Reef Hotel. As the yachts would sail away the next day to Tortola, I would wait until they were on the horizon and then jump on my board and overtake them. That was fun. The eighties were the really special years of the HIHO. I competed in the 1982 through 1986, and the sport was developing every year, new designs of boards and sails every year. After racing the HIHO, I started the Pusser’s Painkiller Thriller, and it lasted for 10 years. A downwind-reaching race from East End Scrub Island to West End Sopers Hole, down the Sir Francis Drake Channel. This was a challenge for not only the sailors but the organiser! It ran each year from 1987 to 1997. Then we brought the Blue Marlin Windsurf Tour to the BVI. I was the local coordinator for the second year. I was also involved in the Hawaiian Tropic Challenge, a race to St Croix. All the competitors were housed on a 150-foot North Sea pilot boat owned by Chapman and Fuller (original captain of Trespasser). Wow, what fun. It took me seven hours on one tack to reach St Croix. Catariba was a 75-foot Catamaran that Michael Kusel and I created on a napkin at The First Annual Pusser’s Painkiller Thriller. Designed with windsurfing in mind, he built it in South Africa, and it was an amazing floating hotel. Sadly, it died on White Horse Rock off Anegada early one morning sailing from Antigua. I have sponsored many a person, and my famous windsurfer is Finian Maynard, protégé and mentor. He has made us all proud from the BVI and is presently sponsored by the BVI Tourist Board. So now today, here we are at Trellis Bay, still teaching the sport and loving it with a success-guaranteed twohour lesson. Would you like to get addicted to a natural windblown watersport? New sports come and go, but windsurfing is a very unique sport, and it’s easy to see why it will never fade away—it’s simple and fun with the feel of free wind and water speed controlled by the end of your arms and legs. Do it! Be a fish and a bird all in one package. It’s easy and fun and very much the BVI. YG
Our editor, another windsurfing addict, flying today's windsurfing flag Photo courtesy of Dean Greenaway
One of Jeremy's many teaching crafts
Photos of Jeremy's students, including this one of a young Damien Vanden Eijnde, grace the walls of Trellis Bay
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Coach Chris and sailor Alec Anderson pose for the cameras by Chris Watters
EDGE
Regatta Recap from Búzios, Brazil
VOlVO YOUTH SAIlING ISAF WORlD CHAMPIONSHIP The Volvo Youth Sailing Worlds is the regatta for any sailor under the age of 18. Since 1971, this event has attracted the best youth sailors from all over the world, and it continues to grow almost every year. The 2009 Youth Worlds proved to be the biggest to date with 300 sailors from 60 different nations. Each nation is allowed one boat per class, with seven classes in total. This year, sailors competed in Búzios, Brazil, and it was the first time the event was held in South America. To attend a Youth Worlds is not as easy as booking a flight. Only sailors who have qualified within their country can compete. To qualify for certain nations such as Great Britain, some must compete against as many as 150 youth sailors all gunning for the individual spots. So what about the British Virgin Islands? How many sailors do we have competing for these spots? The answer is none really. Oftentimes in small nations, you choose an opposite technique as a coach to prepare for major international competitions: be selective, and train, train, train. While some nations will go for the other: huge selection, go with the best. Both are used all around the world for events as big as the Olympics. Laser Radial Single Handed Male sailor Alec Anderson, along with me, the coach, were the
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sole representatives for the smallest nation by population and size, the British Virgin islands. With a mere 22,000 population compared to China’s 1,332,230,000, it may seem reminiscent of a story of a guy named David and another dude named Goliath. This was simply not the case. Alec proved that his training leading up to the event was world class. He was able to train with two past Laser Radial World Champions, attend major events with the Caribbean and North America, as well follow a strict fitness program that saw him in the gym four times a week. The amount of food he consumed probably resembled what an NFL linebacker would eat, and his time on the water was more frequent than the classroom. All this was done with one goal in mind: Youth Sailing Worlds. The competition was set over seven days—six days of racing with one day in the middle to rest.
SEPTEMBER 2009 BVI YACHT GUIDE ALOOKINGGLASS PUBLISHING | www.bviguides.com
Alec sailing for the IVB Photo by Dave Kneale/Volvo Ocean Race
Day one of racing for the Boy's Laser Radial fleet in Búzios, Brazil Photo by Dave Kneale/Volvo Ocean Race
Two days ended up being cancelled, one due to high winds in excess of 35 knots, and one day due to no wind maxing out at 3 knots. The other four days saw winds at a manageable 15-20 knots with good size waves and sunshine. Alec’s racing highlights included a 2nd, a 7th and in the last race moving up two spots overall and going from 9th to 7th at the 2009 Volvo Youth Sailing Worlds. The gold medallist, Sam Meech, hails from New Zealand, a country with a population of over 4 million where sailing is as popular to them as hockey is to Canadians. Other nations in the top ten included Denmark, Thailand, Switzerland and Argentina, countries with populations ranging between five and forty million. This being the last Youth Worlds Alec will compete in, the future of the British Virgin Islands' youth sailors is strong, with a dozen or more sailors well on track to follow with bigger intentions than the past. The sailing world is slowly starting
to see the BVI as a producer of world-class results. Thanks, in part, through things as simple conversations on the coach boat amongst the international sailing coaches. “IVB? [the country code for the British Virgin Islands, that each sailor has displayed on their body, boat, and sail] where the heck is IVB?” one coach asks. “The British Virgin Islands,” I say to a few heads turning my way. “Ahh...where is that?” A small chuckle inside as I reply, “The Caribbean.” The look of question slowly fades, but I can still see the confusion. “It’s near Puerto Rico, between Florida and South America.” After the geography lesson, they see where we are coming from and will in the future know what IVB stands for—a very small country with some very big talent. YG
Upcoming Races 6th Back To School Regatta 2009
5-6 Sep
Open Sail to Norman Island
19 Sep
Willy-T Virgins Cup Race BVI Schools Regatta
10 Oct 31 Oct - 1 Nov
North Sound and Back Race
24-25 Oct
Nanny Cay IC24 Nations Cup
14-15 Nov
Pusser's Round Tortola Race
21 Nov
O'Neal & Mundy Commodores Cup & Prizes 19 Dec And if that's not enough, check out the forum on www.IC24.org for more weekly beercan racing action right off the southern end of Nanny Cay. IC24s are the new fad in racing and spreading fast to the rest of the Caribbean and North America.
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Alison and students take a ride on “the ultimate safety boat”. Photo courtesy of Virgin Portraits
by Traci O'Dea
Women on the Water
Sailing for All with Alison Knights Bramble
I don’t believe Alison Knights Bramble when she tells me her future goal is to be lying in a hammock and watching the continuation of what she’s helped create at the BVI Watersports Centre (BVIWSC). I can’t even imagine Alison sitting in a hammock. But I can picture her fixing a hammock or teaching her students which knots they need to employ to make one. Mrs. Knights Bramble, sporting shorts, a baseball cap, a t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up and bare feet, seems much more comfortable on the water or in the classroom than sitting across from me on the deck of The Boat House Restaurant, located above the BVIWSC. Several times during our interview, I see her eyes look past me toward the waters of Manuel Reef, but she is honest and gracious with her time and accustomed to the press she’s been getting over the last few years. Last year, Mrs. Knights Bramble was one of five women honoured during International Women’s Day for their contributions to the territory. Just months after that, at a catered press event at Manuel Reef, she received the “ultimate safety boat,” her Pink Panther RIB. On June 28th of this year, she saw the official formation of Special Olympics in the BVI, an initiative she started through her affiliation with RYA Sailability. “Sailability is the Royal Yachting Association’s programme for making sure that all people, including disabled, get on the water and sail,” she says. The RYA’s focus parallels the BVIWSC’s motto: For Fun, For Life and For ALL the People of the BVI. “For the past five years, through Sailability, we’ve 18
as the top-end qualifications go,” she says. “The been teaching special needs children and adults to get on the water—sail, swim, kayak and snorkel. We Watersports Centre is getting mature enough now to actually be producing its own instructors,” produce young sailors who are able to compete she says. “We have now a little hierarchy with internationally within Special Olympics regattas.” Elsa being a drop down from us.” Elsa Meyers She likes to keep busy. received the RYA dinghy instructor’s certificate The BVIWSC also runs a Sailability apprenticeship last year. “Then we have Eben [Meyers] as an program. “Two of the boys, who are now 18, have assistant instructor. After that, we have a couple attended class here for two days a week then a day boys who are with Horizon trainee assistant Yacht Charters. In instructors. Then September, Glen Her goal, she says, is that she could pass those below them started work for over the principalship to one of the young look up to them Horizon. He’s sailors currently involved with the program. . . as a goal.” walked into a job Her goal, she says, is which most of the that she could pass BVI high school over the principalship to one of the young sailors kids would die for, but in fact, most of the BVI high school kids wouldn’t be able to do it. And he’s put the currently involved with the program—“to know that we can walk away one day, and it will stay to the level time in. Glen has severe learning disabilities; he can’t and standard and above what’s happening right now. read, he can’t write, but he can sail.” To be able to walk away and see it continue.” Still, the Sailability is just one part of the Watersports image of Alison sitting in a hammock just doesn’t Centre. The other part is world-class sailing work. “I do like to dabble and race,” she says, and my instruction, as well as teaching sailors how to become a sailing instructor. “The last time I looked, ears perk up. I knew she wouldn’t be able to sit still. “I like to fix boats. I’m restoring three boats that are we are the only RYA training centre, certainly over thirty years old.” Exactly. She’s going to keep in the Caribbean, if not outside of Europe, that busy, no matter what. YG offers full dinghy and keelboat schemes, as far
AUGUST 2009 BVI YACHT GUIDE ALOOKINGGLASS PUBLISHING | www.bviguides.com
bvi yachting directory RT
NC
TB
EE
SH
VG
Road Town
Nanny Cay
Trellis Bay
East End
Soper's Hole
Virgin Gorda
DIVING & ANGLING Dive Tortola (RT)
284-494-9200
MARINAS & YACHT CLUBS Nanny Cay Marina & Hotel (NC)
284-494-2512
Royal BVI Yacht Club (RT)
284-494-3286
REPAIRS & SUPPLIES Doyle Sailmakers BVI (RT)
284-494-2569
Marine Depot (BVI) Inc (RT)
284-494-0098
Quantum Sails (BVI) Ltd. (NC)
284-494-1124
RESTAURANTS & PUBS Pisces Restaurant (SH)
284-543-6724
Caribbean Images Tours Ltd. (RT)
284 494-6017
Catamaran Charters (NC)
800 262-0308
charterportbvi.com (RT) (284) 494-7955 est. 2002 Fleet size: 80 Sells Boats: No Charters Boats: Yes Brand(s): Non-Specific Year Make: 19232006 Type(s): Non-Specific
BVI Yacht Charters (NC)
284 494-4289
284 494-5820
(284)494-6300 patouche.com (TB) est. 1991 | Fleet size: 6 Sells Boats: No Charters Boats: Yes Brand(s): Peter Spronk, Sea Ray, Privilege, Beneteau Year Make: 1976-2006 Type(s): Sail & Power Cats & Monohulls
pvc@provalorcharters.com (EE) (284) 495-1931 est. 1993 | Fleet size: 16 Sells Boats: Yes Charters Boats: Yes Year Make: 1993 – 2006 Brand(s): Beneteau, Jeanneau, Fountaine Pajot power and sail, Lagoon Type(s): Sail & Power Cats and Monohulls
284 494-6017
YACHT CHARTERS & BROKERS
barecats@surfbvi.com (EE) (284) 495-1979 est. 1993 | Fleet size: 10 Sells boats: No Charters Boats: Yes Brand(s): Fontaine Pajot, Lagoon, Leopards, Island Spirit, Robertson & Caine, Privilege, Voyages Year Make: 1997-2005 Type(s): Catamarans
284 495-9993
King Charters (NC) bviyachtsales.com (NC) (284) 494-3260 est. 1981 | Sells Boats: Yes Charters Boats: No Brand(s): Non-Specific Year Make: 1976-2006 Type(s): Non-Specific Boats Sold/yr: 70 Number of Brokers: 3
Charter Yacht Society (VC)
123hulls.com (RT) (284) 499-0591 est. 2007 | Sells Boats: Yes Charters Boats: No Brand(s): Non-Specific Year Make: Non-Specific Type(s): Non-Specific Number of brokers: 3
Island Time Ltd (NC)
charteryachtsales.com (RT) (284) 494-4868 est. 1986 | Fleet size: 46 Sells Boats: Yes Charters Boats: Yes Brand(s): Beneteau, Jeanneau, Lagoon, Leopard, Norseman, Island Spirit, Athena, Hunter Year Make: 1996-2004 Type(s): Sailboat Cats and Monohulls
Double D Charters (VG)
284 499-2479
Footloose (RT)
284 494-0528
Racing in Paradise (NC)
888 494-6781
Sail Bravura (RT)
284 443-2586
Southern Trades (RT)
284 494-8003
Sunsail (EE)
888 416-8420
The Moorings (RT)
888 416-8420
TMM (RR)
800 633-0155
Tortola Yacht Sales (RT)
284 494-2124
Vacances Sous Voiles (NC)
284 499-1711
Virgin Traders (NC)
284 495-2526
Voyage Yacht Charters (SH)
888 869-8436 FOR SALE: RAKU 30' custom Bradley powerboat
horizonyachtcharters.com (NC) (284) 494-8787 est. 1998 | Fleet size: 36 Sells Boats: Yes Charters Boats: Yes Brand(s): Bavaria, Jeanneu, Beneteau, Fontaine Pajot, Lagoon Year Make: 2002-2009 Type(s): Sailboat Cats and Monohulls
Contact Laura Dangelo at laura_dangelo47@yahoo.com
156 engine hours, twin 200HP yamaha engines Very low maintenance, excellent condition $50,000 FIRM price
www.bviguides.com | ALOOKINGGLASS PUBLISHING BVI YACHT GUIDE SEPTEMBER 2009
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