DestinationSaint Lucia I Kenny Abernaty
A safe
pair of hands When a mast breaks or a sail rips you want to know that repairs are being handled by a safe pair of hands. They don’t come much safer than Kenny Abernaty’s
As well as having more than 30 years’ experience in sail making and repairs, Kenny also put his hands to other uses – in the 1990s, he was the goalkeeper for the St Lucia national football team. Raised by a single mum along with his two brothers and a sister, Kenny immersed himself in sport, particularly karate and football. “I used to play football from 4 till 6 and then karate from 7 till 9” One day a friend asked whether he wanted to play as a goalkeeper and he never looked back – his 6ft2 stature helping enormously between the sticks. “In 1991, I became the number one goalkeeper in the Caribbean and in 1995 I was captain of the national side.” Kenny played for local teams Labamba and CYO, winning 18 championships along the way. Sailing was another of Kenny’s
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passions.In the 80s and 90s, Kenny took part in the Prime Ministers Cup in the 1980s and 1990s and also did the Round the Island Race. His love of sailing eanred him the nickname “Winchman” among his team-mates. Sailing and football did not always mic. “I broke my fingers a couple of times and once played a whole season with a broken finger,” he says. At the age of 29, Kenny move out of football and into the world of sailing came full-time after getting married and starting a family – he has two girls and a boy. Having hung up his goalkeeping gloves, Kenny set about learning everything there was to know about rigging and sailmaking. In 2010, Kenny grabbed the opportunity to go it alone and now runs a successful repairs business from a
cosy sail loft conveniently located in the heart of the IGY Rodney Bay Marina. The company offers sail and spinnaker repairs and is the Saint Lucia agent for Doyle Sails. “Yachties always come to the man with experience – they want to know that if a sail or a mast is broken then I can fix it,” says Kenny. “The racing boats often have professional crews but people doing the ARC race for the first time often break a lot of stuff.” Like football, the business requires endurance. “You have to do good work for people and mustn’t be greedy. My work ethic is strong – I work seven days a week. “ Rodney Bay Sails, +1 758 452 8648, rodneybaysails@hotmail.com
