C A R I B B E A N
On
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C MPASS
JUNE 2017 NO. 261
The Caribbean’s Monthly Look at Sea & Shore
30th Antigua Classics Regatta
JAN HEIN
Story on page 16
JUNE 2017 CARIBBEAN COMPASS
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The Caribbean’s Monthly Look at Sea & Shore www.caribbeancompass.com
JUNE 2017 • NUMBER 261 GUY DEAN
PETER MARSHALL
DEPARTMENTS Info & Updates ...................... 4 Business Briefs ....................... 8 Eco-News .............................. 11 Regatta News........................ 13 Y2A ......................................... 18 Product Postings ................... 34 Book Review ......................... 35
Shortwave Weather Turn on, tune in ................... 25
Memories of Matthew
The Caribbean Sky ............... 36 Meridian Passage ................. 38 Look Out For… ...................... 38 Cooking with Cruisers .......... 39 Caribbean Market Place ..... 41 Calendar of Events ............... 44 Classified Ads ....................... 45
Afloat for the storm......... 27, 28
Grenada’s good for wood ....... 32
Art, Design & Production.........Wilfred Dederer wide@caribbeancompass.com Administration.........................Shellese Craigg shellese@caribbeancompass.com Advertising compass@caribbeancompass.com
Caribbean Compass welcomes submissions of articles, news items, photos and drawings. See Writers’ Guidelines at www.caribbeancompass.com. Send submissions to sally@caribbeancompass.com. We support free speech! But the content of advertisements, columns, articles and letters to the editor are the sole responsibility of the advertiser, writer or correspondent, and Compass Publishing Ltd. accepts no responsibility for any statements made therein. Letters and submissions may be edited for length and clarity. ©2017 Compass Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication, except short excerpts for review purposes, may be made without written permission of Compass Publishing Ltd. ISSN 1605 - 1998
On the cover: Captain Karl Joyner at the helm of the 141-foot schooner Columbia during the 30th Annual Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta. Onboard photographer Jan Hein says, “He drives that boat as if it’s a dinghy!” Regatta report on page 16 Compass covers the Caribbean! From Cuba to Trinidad, from Panama to Barbuda, we’ve got the news and views that sailors can use. We’re the Caribbean’s monthly look at sea and shore.
Santa Marta Cartagena
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‘The Compass provides easy access to information we need as cruisers, from sources for weather forecasts to events calendars to changes in regulations. We check for local advertisers in the Compass, wherever we find ourselves. It also provides access to other cruisers’ experiences and opinions. It is an integral part of the cruising life in the Eastern Caribbean.’ John and Nancy Rowland S/V Silver Seas
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
What’s their secret? .............. 20
Publisher..................................Tom Hopman tom@caribbeancompass.com Editor...........................................Sally Erdle sally@caribbeancompass.com Assistant Editor...................Elaine Ollivierre jsprat@vincysurf.com
JUNE 2017
JANE GIBB
Barbados’s Boom! Repair Where?
Caribbean Compass is published monthly by Compass Publishing Ltd., The Valley, P.O. Box 727, Anguilla, British West Indies. Tel: (784) 457-3409, Fax: (784) 457-3410, compass@caribbeancompass.com, www.caribbeancompass.com
Info & Updates Where Lobster Season is Now Closed A “closed season” during which the catching and selling of spiny lobsters (Panulirus argus) is illegal is now in effect in many parts of the Eastern Caribbean. The closed season ensures that the lobsters have a chance to reproduce. In St. Lucia, the lobster season closed on February 28th. No establishment or person should have lobsters in their possession from March 1st until the season opens again on August 1st.
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CHRIS DOYLE
In Antigua & Barbuda, the closed season for lobster started on May 1st, so no restaurants should be serving lobster until the season opens again on June 30th. (Also note that in Antigua & Barbuda, parrotfish cannot be caught between May 1st and August 1st. This is important because they are the cleaners of our reefs.) St. Vincent & the Grenadines and Grenada have coordinated their closed seasons for lobster — they began on May 1st and will run until August 31st. In the British Virgin Islands, the closed season for lobster will begin on July 31st and run until Oct 31st.
2017 Hurricane Season Predictions As of May 25th, forecasters at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center say the Atlantic could see another above-normal hurricane season this year. For the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1st through November 30th, forecasters predict a 45-percent chance of an above-normal season, a 35-percent chance of a near-normal season, and only a 20-percent chance of a below-normal season. Forecasters predict a 70-percent likelihood of 11 to 17 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher; these numbers include Tropical Storm Arlene, a rare pre-season storm that formed over the eastern Atlantic in April), of which five to nine could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including two to four major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5: winds of 111 mph or higher). An average season produces 12 named storms of which six become hurricanes, including three major hurricanes. “The outlook reflects our expectation of a weak or non-existent El Niño, near- or above-average sea-surface temperatures across the tropical Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, and average or weaker-than-average vertical wind shear in that same region,” said Gerry Bell, PhD, lead seasonal hurricane forecaster with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. Strong El Niños and wind shear typically suppress development of Atlantic hurricanes, so the prediction for weak conditions points to more hurricane activity this year. Also, warmer sea surface temperatures tend to fuel hurricanes as they move across the ocean. However, the climate models are showing considerable uncertainty, which is reflected in the comparable probabilities for an above-normal and near-normal season. The 2016 season was the most active since 2012, with 15 named storms, including seven hurricanes and four major hurricanes. The combination of two high-resolution hurricane models will improve forecast guidance for the National Hurricane Center this season. With these upgrades, the model can improve intensity forecasts by as much as ten percent and track forecasts by as much as seven percent. NOAA will update this outlook in early August. Visit www.noaa.gov/media-release/above-normal-atlantic-hurricane-season-ismost-likely-year for more information. Eight Bells TED BULL Chris Doyle reports: Ted Bull, a giant in the early days of St. Lucia yachting, passed away on April 21st. He had a great life, helped everyone he met, and was close to 90 at the end. Ted was always active. I met him first when he was running Trade Wind Yacht Charters. I used to sell him an ad in my guide and then get his wife, Mary Ann, who had a small tailor shop, to make me bulletproof shorts. Our friendship continued through his days of running The Moorings, the Rodney Bay chandlery, and maintaining the Eastern Caribbean Village buildings, where he had previously lived. He was, until his mobility restricted him, a mainstay of the St. Lucia Yacht Club. He loved to sail, and came for many day sails with me on Ti Kanot, as well as sailing with many others in the SLYC. After Ted had retired from his other jobs I asked him if he and Mary Ann would represent my book Sailors Guide to the Windward Islands in St. Lucia, and they did this wonderfully for a decade or two, right up until this year, when clearly Ted’s mobility was making it difficult, so they retired. —Continued on next page
*
Built by sailmakers dedicated to building the finest, most durable and technologically advanced sails possible. British Virgin Islands Doyle Sailmakers BVI, Ltd Road Reef Marina Road Town, Tortola Tel: (284) 494 2569 bob@doylecaribbean.com
Barbados Doyle Offshore Sails, Ltd Six Crossroads St Philip Tel: (246) 423 4600 joanne@doylecaribbean.com
www.DOYLECARIBBEAN.com Antigua & Barbuda Star Marine Jolly Harbour
Jamaica PJG Kingston
St. Vincent Barefoot Yacht Charters Blue Lagoon
Bonaire IBS b/v Kaya Atom Z
Martinique Voilerie Du Marin 30 Bld Allegre
Trinidad & Tobago AMD Chaguaramas
Panama Regency Marine Panama City
USVI St Croix Wilsons' Cruzan Canvas Christiansted
Curacao Zeilmakerij Harms Kapiteinsweg #4
Puerto Rico Dominica Atlantic Canvas & Sail Dominica Marine Center Fajardo, Puerto Rico Roseau St Lucia Grenada Rodney Bay Sails Turbulence Sails Rodney Bay True Blue St George * Dacron and HydraNet only
—Continued from previous page Ted was a wonderful person, a real gentleman, always kind and helpful, and it is a privilege to have known and worked with him and Mary Ann. I think all of us have
end. Neil is enjoying sailing in sailors’ Valhalla, where the winds are fair, the seas are calm, and the anchorages are uncrowded. Neil Lewis survived personal tragedy, lost his boat and salvaged it, had cancer and managed to lick it. Every BRETT HARRINGTON
CHRIS DOYLE
time he was knocked down he picked himself up and got on with life with no bitterness.” JOHNNY PHILIP Johnny Philip, owner of Johnny Sails & Canvas in Grenada, died on May 9th. A graduate of Grenada Boys Secondary School, Johnny was among the first Grenadians to offer world-class services for yachts. After four years’ training in Canada, he returned to Grenada to open Johnny Sails in the early 1970s, where he made and repaired sails, and supplied canvas work and rigging services. His son eventually joined the business. Johnny’s dodgers were especially sought-after as the tubing was bent on site, ensuring a perfect fit. As the yacht services industry in Grenada grew, Johnny always maintained a solid business and a loyal clientele. He will be missed.
Premier Yacht Repair Centre and Hurricane Haven Two unique islands; two unique experiences and multiple reasons to choose Trinidad and Tobago for all of your yachting holidays, storage and repair needs. As the southernmost islands in the Caribbean archipelago, Trinidad and Tobago enjoy the safety of being located outside the active hurricane belt. Trinidad is home to the largest yacht repair centre in the southern Caribbean. You will have access to a 2-mile cluster of high-quality and cost effective yachting services providers, including surface preparation and painting, electronic repairs and traditional Caribbean hospitality, along with a variety of attractions and recreational activities to discover and explore on both islands. Come and experience the best of both worlds!
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YACHTING IN TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
Mental Health Falling Under the Radar, Say Superyacht Crew Superyacht crew are struggling with stress and mental health issues, according to Yachting Pages Media Group, which commissioned a survey of superyacht crew and industry experts in April. —Continued on next page
JUNE 2017
found having Ted as a friend was a real blessing. Narendra Sethia, who worked with Ted in the Trade Wind days, evokes those times on page 40. NEIL LEWIS Long-time St. Thomas, USVI resident, folksinger and pioneer Caribbean charter skipper Neil Lewis died on April 29th. After making a name for himself as a coffeehouse folksinger in Washington, DC, Neil migrated to Charlotte Amalie in the 1960s and made the transformation to charter skipper. He soon moved his base of operations with his island-built cutter, Arawak, to Red Hook, a better day-charter departure point. His daughter Brett posted at http://all-ah-wee.blogspot.com, “In the early 60s Neil used to go into Johnny Harms’ Lagoon Marina and joke around with Tommy Gifford, back in the original building when there were two docks at Red Hook: Harms’ and the public dock. That was when there were two, maybe three boats at anchor — Arawak and True Love.” Later Neil also built and skippered the 46-foot gaff schooner Alexander Hamilton, which he also chartered out of Red Hook. Don Street writes, “I do not want the heading to be ‘eight bells’ as it is not the
Trinidad and Tobago
Storage – Safe | Serene | Secure Repairs – Expertise | Efficiency | Effective Eco-adventure | Beaches | Festivals | Cuisine Eco-adventure – Rest | Refresh | Rejuvenate Cultural Diversity – History | Food | Entertainment ............................................................................. Ministry of Trade and Industry Tel.: (868) 623-2931-4 • Fax.: (868) 627-8488 Email: mti-info@gov.tt • www.tradeind.gov.tt Yacht Services Association of Trinidad and Tobago Tel.: (868) 634-4938 • Fax.: (868) 634-2160 Email: info@ysatt.com • www.ysatt.com
JUNE 2017 CARIBBEAN COMPASS
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—Continued from previous page Out of the crew surveyed, 72 percent had suffered from mental health problems or knew somebody else in the industry that had. Out of this proportion, only 54 percent had talked about their issues, with 70 percent confirming that no support was put in place to help them cope when struggling with stress and general mental health on board. Kylie O’Brien, former chief stewardess and founder of the Stewardess Bible says, “I think there is a general attitude within the superyacht industry that you must simply get on with the job. If you can’t handle the pressures of being a professional seafarer, then perhaps you need a break (which typically means you’re out of a job).” Michelle Williams, website and digital marketing manager at Yachting Pages Media Group explained, “Having met and spoken with many superyacht crew over the years, it’s clear their jobs can be very stressful and sympathy is not typically a forthcoming emotion with the fast-paced nature of this business. “The survey highlights some significant areas for improvement. While many crew admit that the job carries with it a certain amount of stress, many felt it wasn’t addressed by the industry, and the general consensus is to get on with it.” Angela Orecchio, chief stewardess and founder of the Savvy Stewardess Blog, agrees that stress and mental health issues are still, “…generally viewed as standard. Crew are expected to keep up with a busy schedule and social life at the expense of their health.” An overwhelming 75 percent of crew said that the industry is not doing enough to tackle mental health problems and look after the overall wellbeing of crew. Alison Rentoul, crew performance engineer at The Crew Coach explained, “I’m not at all surprised by the number of crew struggling with mental health issues. I believe that there is still an ‘old school’ attitude within the industry. Yachting is tough on people physically, emotionally and mentally, and not enough people know they can get help with the issues they are facing, so they sweep them under the carpet; sometimes with tragic consequences.” In terms of how to move forward and how crew can help to improve and maintain their mental health on board, Angela Orecchio said it’s about deciding to adopt a healthy lifestyle on board. “The industry as a whole can improve by encouraging healthy living on board through events, what they write about and what they show on social media.” In Yachting Pages’ survey, several crew mentioned regular rotation and more down time as ways to help ease the stresses suffered when working long hours and seasons on board. Kylie O’Brien also commented, “The crew is the yacht’s most valuable resource, and it can only be viewed as a good thing to openly discuss mental health issues.” Cruisers Assist Carriacou School While attending sports day at the Dover Primary School, retired professor Ken Mease, a cruiser and new resident of the Windward side of Carriacou, noticed that the classroom could use some sprucing up. After contacting Principal Corine McDonald, arrangements were made to purchase some paint and supplies. Over the Easter break, Ken and his fellow boater Ralph Trout lent a hand to the local team recruited by Mrs. McDonald. By the time the children came back, five classrooms had been painted, floors cleaned and refinished, and all the wooden furniture painted. During the process, friends back in the US made additional contributions to com-
plement the school’s funds and contribution already made. The hope is to do the other rooms and also lay a coat of much-needed paint on the exterior of the school. Many research studies in the US and elsewhere have shown that the environment of the classroom is very important. Starting with projects that impact children in primary school is a great place to help secure a brighter future. There is plenty of work to be done at the Dover Primary School and further contributions are welcome.
Students at the Dover Primary School in Carriacou enjoy improved classroom surroundings thanks to the combined efforts of boaters, a local team, and Principal Corine McDonald Contact Principal McDonald at doverschool2@gmail.com for information on how to contribute to improving the school and the lives of the children and teachers who call it home. Compass Comes to the Vineyard Caribbean Compass is now available at another sailors’ favorite summer spot on the US East Coast. Now, in addition to Annapolis, Maryland and Newport, Rhode Island, hard copies of Compass are available on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. Enjoy! Sailors in other ports, don’t worry — you can always read Compass free online at www.caribbeancompass.com
SAILING SCHEDULE FLORIDA – MEDITERRANEAN Ft. Lauderdale Ft. Lauderdale Ft. Lauderdale Ft. Lauderdale Ft. Lauderdale Ft. Lauderdale
July 2017 July 2017 Sept. 2017 Sept. 2017 Oct. 2017 Nov. 2017
i i i i i i
Palma de Mallorca Genoa Palma de Mallorca Genoa Genoa Palma de Mallorca
MEDITERRANEAN – FLORIDA July 2017 July 2017 Oct. 2017 Oct. 2017 Nov. 2017 Nov. 2017
CARIBBEAN – MEDITERRANEAN Bermuda Bermuda St. Thomas
July 2017 i Palma de Mallorca July 2017 July 2017 July 2017 i Genoa Nov. 2017 i Palma de Mallorca Nov. 2017
CARIBBEAN – FLORIDA Bermuda Martinique Martinique
July 2017 i Ft. Lauderdale Nov. 2017 i Ft. Lauderdale Dec. 2017 i Ft. Lauderdale
Upcoming sailings 2017
July 2017 Dec. 2017 Dec. 2017
Genoa Genoa Taranto Tuzla, Turkey Palma de Mallorca Genoa Palma de Mallorca Genoa
T +1 954 525 8707
Genoa Palma de Mallorca Palma de Mallorca Genoa
Ft. Lauderdale Ft. Lauderdale Ft. Lauderdale Ft. Lauderdale Ft. Lauderdale Ft. Lauderdale Ft. Lauderdale Ft. Lauderdale
July 2017 Sept. 2017 Sept. 2017 Sept. 2017 Sept. 2017 Oct. 2017 Nov. 2017 Dec. 2017
June 2017 Oct. 2017 Nov. 2017 Nov. 2017
i i i i
Bermuda St Thomas Martinique Martinique
July 2017 Nov. 2017 Dec. 2017 Nov. 2017
Nov. 2017 i St. Thomas
Nov. 2017
FLORIDA – CARIBBEAN
E dyt.usa@yacht-transport.com
YACHT-TRANSPORT.COM
i i i i i i i i
MEDITERRANEAN – CARIBBEAN
Ft. Lauderdale
DYT USA:
June 2017 Aug. 2017 Aug. 2017 Sept. 2017 Sept. 2017 Oct. 2017 Oct. 2017 Nov. 2017
Note: For exact dates check with our booking agencies. For further information please visit our website or call us to discuss your specific needs.
JUNE 2017
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
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BUSINESS BRIEFS
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Students Learn of Career Options at Budget Marine Nicole Corvellec reports: Budget Marine in St. Maarten recently hosted a group of third-year high school students who are building a sailboat as part of a school project. Project coordinator Rodger Stringa, who has worked in the marine industry doing repairs on sailboats and megayachts, explains, “The objective for the field trip was to get the students familiar with the industry and show them the many career options available in the marine environment. This group is very dedicated and this field trip to Budget Marine was a reward for the work they have put forward.”
The students were given a short history of Budget Marine followed by a tour through the Budget Marine building, which included viewing the warehouse and its operations. The teens were impressed with the large assortment of products as well as the logistical organization that it involves, which resulted in many questions from the students. Next stop was the paint room with the AWLGrip mixing station and the broad range of paints, resins and epoxies. The students learned about what it takes to keep track of the storage life of paint as well as the safety precautions that need to be taken when offering a paint service. They were also shown the retail store with extra emphasis placed on the plywood station, the big rolls of fiberglass cloths, and West System and Clear Cote epoxy and resins in the Boat Building section, as these are products the students are used to handling in building their boat. Even Stringa was impressed when he saw the service department, as he was not aware that Budget Marine also services dinghies and outboards. After the successful tour the group relaxed during a lagoon cruise on Jukkels Stukkels, a 21-foot launch owned by Robbie Ferron, founder and director of Budget Marine. Ferron offered commentary while driving his boat, so the students could learn more about the marinas, megayachts and lagoon activities. The tour ended with lots of smiles and gifts to take home. For more information about Budget Marine see ad on page 2. First Colombia Náutica Show a Success The first Feria Internacional Colombia Náutica closed on April 30th. The new boat show, held in Cartagena, Colombia, welcomed 56 exhibitors. The approximately 2,500 attendees came from Curaçao, Mexico, Venezuela, Brazil, Panama, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, the UK and the USA, as well as Colombia. “The first annual Feria Internacional Colombia Náutica set the stage to showcase all that Colombia’s recreational boating industry has to offer, as well as provide a new destination for marine businesses to sell their products and expand global trade,” said Miguel Franco, Director of Colombia Náutica. “We look forward to building on the success and learning from Year One to continue growing Colombia’s premier boating sales event and nautical destination.” The boat had on-water exhibits of 26 new and used boats from international brands including Azimut, Ferretti, Jeanneau, Beneteau, Lagoon, Absolut and Bayliner, as well as Colombian brands Todomar, Eduardoño and Cotecmar. The indoor component of the show featured boating products and services in the Centro de Convenciones exhibit center. Eleven members of the US National Marine Manufacturers’ Association (NMMA) comprised the USA Pavilion. Dates for the 2018 event will be announced. It’s Clarkes Court Celebration & Giveaway Time! Arlene Telesford reports: It’s celebration time at Clarkes Court Boatyard & Marina as we invite you to come on down and celebrate our second year anniversary on June 8th. We’ve got gift basket giveaways, surprise gifts and so much more. Here is a sample of what you can expect from some of our subcontractors when you haul out at CCBM in June: • Caribbean Boat Services Ltd. is offering free guardianage for all their clients with vessels stored at CCBM.
• Driftwood is offering ten percent off bottom jobs for private owners who haul out during the month of June at CCBM, plus free inspection of and advice on your teak deck. • Horizon Yachts Grenada is offering a 25-percent discount on guardianage services plus free outboard storage for the month of July on contracts signed during the month of June. • Island Dreams Yacht Services will be entering all the boats in their care at CCBM into a prize draw to win dinner for two at the beachside Aquarium Restaurant. The draw will be made at the evening event on June 8th. —Continued on next page
—Continued from previous page • Palm Tree Marine is offering a free half-hour consultation on mechanical works (specific time allotted per week) for persons hauling their boat out during the month of June at CCBM. • Turbulence is offering free rig check for persons hauling their boat out in June at CCBM. • Waterfall Marine is offering a free one-hour consultation (specific time allotted per week) on prop shaft repairs, and welding for persons hauling their boat out in June at CCBM. Information for these subcontractors can be found under the heading Onsite Business Directory on our website www.clarkescourtmarina.com. Stay connected with us on our Instagram, Facebook and Twitter pages for updates and events leading up to June 8th. Book your haulout today and let us show you why “You are the reason we haul boats!” For more information on CCBM see ad on page 26. Sea Hawk Adds to Aluminum-Boat Paint Line Sea Hawk Paints has added new colors to the Aluma Hawk line, a comprehensive aluminum-boat paint lineup. The introduction of Jon Boat Blue and Jon Boat Tan colors to the existing line of Jon Boat Green, Aluminum Gray and Black gives aluminum boat owners a complete color palette to choose from when coating hulls and above-the-waterline aluminum surfaces. Aluma Hawk paint can be applied via brush, roller or spray and used as a top coat or a primer for aluminum surfaces. The Aluma Hawk AH7000 Series of aluminum boat paint is a quick-dry, high-solids, corrosion-inhibiting coating designed for use on aluminum with no need of additional primers. It is chromate-free and may be used above or below the waterline in fresh or saltwater environments. Plus, its unique dual-purpose phenolic resin formulation allows Aluma Hawk to be used as a primer directly on metal with or without a top coat. Aluma Hawk’s excellent adhesion on aluminum surfaces makes it ideal for a wide variety of vessels and the complete color palette can be mixed and matched allowing for a fully coordinated look. For more information on Sea Hawk Paints see ad on page 9.
CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 9
Ashiel St. Louis Joins Horizon Yachts at CCBM, Grenada Sarah Baker reports: Ashiel St. Louis, from Crochu, St. Andrew’s, Grenada has joined Horizon Yachts Grenada as sales and accounts assistant. After undertaking a systems training and familiarization programme at Horizon’s head office at True Blue Bay Resort, Ashiel will become part of the team at Horizon’s new office and workshop at Clarke’s Court Boatyard & Marina. A past student of Westerhall Secondary School, Ashiel graduated with eight CXC subjects and moved on to TA Marryshow Community College where she achieved passes in accounting, business management and Caribbean Studies, and gained an Associate Degree (Business Studies) in Accounting and Business Management. Straight from this strong academic background, Ashiel began her working experience in 2008 as customer account executive with Clear Harbour Grenada Inc. and from there moved on in 2009 to G4S Secure Solutions Grenada Ltd., taking up a more demanding post as accounts/administrative clerk. Since then Ashiel’s enthusiastic approach has seen her gain more experience and take on more responsibility, spending four years with KM2 Solutions Grenada as accounting/ administrative assistant where, as well as her administrative role, she oversaw the daily operations of the administrative and human resources department and assisted with recruitment. She is currently pursuing a certificate in Accounting from the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA). Ashiel will be using her administrative skills to assist Gary Haynes, Yacht Sales & Service Manager, in running the new Horizon Yachts office at Clarkes Court Boatyard & Marina. The Clarkes Court location is now the centre for the operation of Horizon’s full range of brokerage, sales, guardianage and maintenance services for private yachts. Also, now in partnership with North Yacht Shop, Horizon is running full commissioning, service and repairs for Suzuki outboard engines from the new workshop. —Continued on next page
JUNE 2017
Try Laura’s Beachside Restaurant at Grenada Marine Laura Fletcher reports: We welcome you to Laura’s at Grenada Marine. Our beachside restaurant has been spruced up; we stand at the ready to share with you our new look, our new menu and our new taste experiences. Laura’s offers you fine dining in a relaxed family atmosphere amidst the beauty and tranquility of St. David’s Harbour, Grenada. It is not just our timbers that have had an upgrade. We are very proud to present our new chef, Trevor Modeste. Trevor is a talented chef with years of worldwide experience. His career began on his home shores of Grenada, at the Calabash Hotel. This set his course, taking him for many years to the high seas with Carnival Cruise Lines. More recently he returned to Grenada to share his talents locally. The high seas’ loss was Mount Hartman’s gain as he spent five years at the Cave House, producing fine food. Given all of this experience, imagine how thrilled we are to have him aboard! Trevor is a true allrounder and we are so blessed that he chose to work with us. We will continue to enhance the skills of our team and the experiences of our clients alike. Our whole team has embraced the upgrading of the venue along with the opportunity to learn from Trevor. We believe you will see and taste the difference. R. Otway recently confirmed the same when he said of Trevor, “His food is unpretentious in presentation and yet follows through with spectacular taste.” We have much in store. Chef Trevor will helm events such as our weekly barbecues. Other team members are creating special events throughout the year that will incorporate the different elements of our business, the yachting sector and life in Grenada. Keep your eyes peeled for our schedule of events and have your appetites at the ready. Our doors are open — wait, we don’t have any doors! For more information like us on Facebook, e-mail lauras@grenadamarine.com and see ad for Grenada Marine on page 35.
—Continued from previous page James Pascall, owner and director of Horizon Yachts Grenada, commented, “We are very pleased to welcome Ashiel. Her experience and enthusiasm will be a great bonus to the busy Horizon Yachts core team of Gary, Calvin and Fedon. They are already doing great work and the addition of Ashiel to the team, providing just the right administrative support, will allow us to further expand the range of quality services we offer.” For more information follow Horizon Yachts Grenada on Facebook, visit www.horizonyachtsgrenada.com and see ad in the Market Place section, pages 41 through 43.
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Glossy Bay Marina Now Open in Canouan, SVG Glossy Bay Marina Ltd. and Glossy Bay Construction Ltd. have announced the opening of the new marina on the island of Canouan, in St. Vincent & the Grenadines. Glossy Bay Marina is the first superyacht marina in the Grenadines and the only berthing facility for such yachts up to 100 metres (328 feet) in length between southern Grenada and northern St. Lucia. The marina contains some 120 berths, including 24 superyacht berths. Depths available exceed 5.3 metres (18 feet). Of the remaining berths, 82 are suitable for yachts in the range of ten to 25 metres (33 to 80 feet). Twelve berths will be allocated for the owners of villas to be constructed as a later phase of the development. All marina dock works are complete and infrastructure in place that will provide yachts with state-of-the-art facilities including remotely metered electricity, water, sewage pump-out and high-speed broadband internet connections. Berths are linked by intercom in order to report any issues to the marina office. As marina manager, Glossy Bay has appointed Robert (Bob) Hathaway, who took over responsibility for marina operations in March. Bob has 28 years’ experience in the marine industry in a career that includes yacht design, construction and repair; and boatyard and marina management. He emigrated from the UK to St. Lucia in 2004 and took on the management of The Marina at Marigot Bay in 2006, transforming this harbour into a leading superyacht facility in the region. Bob now looks forward to developing Glossy Bay as the yachting centre for the Grenadines, providing world-class facilities for all yachts in the sub-region and furthering the development of the Grenadines as a yachting destination as well as generating business for the Glossy Bay development and Canouan. While managing The Marina at Marigot Bay, Bob was also a Director of the Saint Lucia Hotel & Tourism Association with a particular brief for the Security and Environmental portfolios, President of the Marine Industries Association of Saint Lucia, and Deputy Chairman of the Saint Lucia Government Watercraft Advisory Committee. Bob remains Vice President of the Caribbean Marine Association and has a specific interest in the development of local community involvement in tourism. Glossy Bay Marina is the first phase in the development of the southwestern corner of Canouan. The Marina Plaza under construction will provide yachting visitors and others with a selection of bars, restaurants, boutiques and other service outlets. Completion is expected in late 2017.
JUNE 2017
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
Axiom Transforms View Above and Below Waterline A new line of 3D Sonar-Equipped Raymarine navigation displays is now available. The Raymarine Axiom is the latest generation of Raymarine multifunction displays which features lifelike imagery behind Raymarine’s exclusive RealVision 3D for superior underwater fish and structure identification. The new rugged, all-glass touch screens are available in seven-, nine-, and 12-inch display sizes and come pre-installed with Raymarine’s new LightHouse 3 operating system. Combined with Axiom’s fast quad core processor, LightHouse 3 delivers an intuitive and powerful navigation experience through a redesigned interface that is easy to personalize. The new line Raymarine Axiom MFDs are available through Budget Marine. Visit www.budgetmarine.com for more information on these products. For more information on Budget Marine see ad on page 2. IGY Marinas Join Triple Crown Poker Run This summer, IGY Marinas will participate in the inaugural Caribbean Triple Crown Poker Run. The series begins May 28th in the BVI, followed by a run at IGY’s Marina at Yacht Haven Grande in St. Thomas on July 2nd, and concluding at Yacht Club at Isle de Sol in St. Maarten on July 16th. Participants will have a chance to be crowned at each individual event, competing for that ultimate prize of the IGY Cup awarded to the winner of the combined three events of the series. The winner will also receive a purse of US$20,000 in cash and prizes. The award ceremony will be held at Yacht Club at Isle del Sol. The Caribbean Triple Crown Poker Run is expected to be the biggest nautical event of its kind in the Caribbean, attracting a combined total of more than 100 boats and more than 1,500 spectators. Visit www.igymarinas.com for more information.
ALEXIS ANDREWS
Vanishing Sail First Edition DVD Now Available First edition DVDs of the award-winning documentary film Vanishing Sail are now available. This 90-minute film tells the story of trading and smuggling by sail in the West Indies, and follows a community of boatbuilders in Carriacou who struggle to maintain their grip on a dying skill. Viewers will see shipwright Alwyn Enoe overcome all odds, completing a sloop just in time to compete in the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta. DVDs can be ordered at www.store.vanishingsail.com.
Caribbean ECO-News Barbuda Marks Boundaries of Coastal Sanctuaries In early April, Barbuda Fisheries completed the demarcation of Barbuda’s coastal sanctuaries. This marks an important milestone in the island’s efforts to manage and protect its marine resources.
Cuba to Host BirdsCaribbean’s 21st International Conference Every two years, bird educators, scientists and conservationists from the Caribbean and beyond gather for BirdsCaribbean’s International Conference. This year’s conference takes place in southern Cuba from July 13th through 17th. More than 200 international delegates are expected to join dozens of Cuban delegates to share the
The main instructors for the workshop are John Stollmeyer and Erle RahamanNoronha, who bring together 40 years of permaculture consulting, design and implementation in the Caribbean tropics. Watch Erle’s inspiring TEDx talk on his journey of regeneration (http://tedxportofspain.com/portfolio/erle-rahaman-noronha). Listen to how they have begun to tackle (www.walkersreserve.com) the mining scars across many of our islands. Feel inspired to live a sustainable lifestyle by immersing yourself in the little community that manifests itself every time Wa Samaki hosts a PDC. We invite you to rediscover terra firma — spend two weeks in one of the best-kept secrets in Trinidad and become part of the Quiet Revolution that is sweeping the globe. Pay what you can afford for this workshop. Sign up soon; spaces fill quickly. For more information visit www.wasamakipermaculture.org or Facebook at Permaculture Trinidad – Wa Samaki Ecosystems. See details posted on our event at www.facebook.com/events/403365483355750.
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MARINElife Recruits Superyachts to Gather Cetacean Data As reported at www.antiguanice.com, the UK-based marine research charity MARINElife is working with superyacht skippers and crew based in Antigua & Barbuda to gain information on whales and dolphins around the region and in the deep ocean. MARINElife trustee, founder and former Research Director, Andy Williams gave a presentation aboard M/Y Grey Matters in Falmouth Harbour, Antigua on April 12th. Andy gave an overview of the species that the vessels might encounter, how to identify the animals and how to record the information in order to contribute to MARINElife’s ongoing research. As the Caribbean sailing season draws to an end, many of these yachts will travel across the Atlantic or up the eastern seaboard of the US and Canada, covering thousands of miles of ocean. Andy said, “Throughout the nearly 25 years of MARINElife, we have a history of innovative research and are leaders in the area of citizen science for offshore research. Using Platforms of Opportunity like ferries, sailing vessels and now superyachts we have located and been able to study rare beaked whales, and made significant discoveries about whale and dolphin distribution and relative abundance. All this data is used to publish in the scientific literature, to support governments in identifying areas of environmental and conservation significance and providing the general public with information they would not otherwise have. “We are already excited about the Caribbean sailing season 2017-18 and hope to reach many more skippers and crew during the Antigua Charter Show 2017 in December.”
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
Caribbean Centre Launches Low-Carbon Shipping Mission A new centre tasked with promoting technologies and operations to help navigate shipping into a low-carbon future was launched at the University of Trinidad & Tobago on March 8th. The centre will cater to the needs of the Caribbean region under the Global Maritime Technology Cooperation Centre Network (GMN) — a project funded by the European Union (EU) and run by the International Maritime Organization. The GMN initiative unites carefully selected technology centres into a global network focused on supporting developing countries in activities including development of national energy-efficiency policies for their maritime sectors. Estimates say ships’ energy consumption and CO2 emissions could be reduced by up to 75 percent by applying operational measures and implementing existing technologies. By collaborating with the 16 countries in the region and various forwardthinking institutions, companies and international bodies, the Caribbean centre aims to make its contribution to energy-efficient shipping. The University of Trinidad & Tobago is a multi-campus facility that hosts specialized programmes dedicated to developmental disciplines including maritime capacity building, energy efficiency, environmental studies and marine research. The Maritime Technology Cooperation Centre for the Caribbean Region (MTCC-CA) will be situated within the Chaguaramas Campus.
Go Deeper into the Green in Trinidad Katrina Kelshall reports: Interested in spending two weeks camping on a beautiful permaculture farm in Trinidad and learning all about designing sustainable sites? Come and meet an amazing mix of Caribbean people, all passionate about saving the Earth. Twice a year Wa Samaki Ecosystems hosts their intensive Permaculture Design Certificate course on their living, breathing 20-year-old site — an old citrus estate that has been transformed into an award-winning farm. Wa Samaki Ecosystems boasts a mix of food and timber forests, intensive organic beds, an apiary, wildlife rehabilitation centre, aquaponics and horticulture. All of this is designed and implemented using permaculture principles applicable across all climates. Over a ten-day period (July 31st through August 10th, with the weekend off to explore Central Trinidad) participants will observe the site from a permaculture perspective, learn how to analyze patterns in nature, come up with unique waterharvesting techniques and get some hands-on experience with natural building. You will look at food systems that support themselves, forest systems that provide food, and how wastes become resources for new products. Gain deeper appreciation for how animals roaming across a landscape can actually regenerate it, instead of degrading it. Learn how an aquaponics system works. Explore alternative energy systems and find out about appropriate technology for a sustainable lifestyle. Investigate invisible structures (financial, social and beliefs) that can make or break successful projects and study groups and societies that have begun the change. Feel empowered to make your own personal mark on regenerating the Earth. For the final assessment you will have the opportunity to work in teams to create your own designs on actual sites across Trinidad. Become an ambassador for climate change adaptation and mitigation.
JUNE 2017
Over three months, a team consisting of Barbuda Fisheries, the Codrington Lagoon National Park, Maurice Underwater Services and the Waitt Institute installed 27 buoys and 15 signs on water and land to mark the boundaries of Barbuda’s marine protected zones. These zones stem from a law passed in 2014, when the Barbuda Council established coastal sanctuaries, no-net zones, and anchoring zones around the island. The Barbuda Council established the protected zones to sustainably manage important marine habitats. The reserves allow fish and lobster populations to replenish and spill over into nearby areas that remain open for fishing. “By designating protected areas, Barbudans have taken a bold step in managing their natural resources. They have protected critical habitats such as the Codrington Lagoon that is home to an immense fish and lobster nursery as well as significant areas of coral reefs including Palastar Reef. We look forward to seeing the ecological and fisheries benefits in years to come,” says Andy Estep, Waitt Institute Science and Field Manager. • Sanctuary areas where no fishing can take place are marked with a yellow buoy with blue bands. • Areas where no mooring or anchoring are allowed have yellow buoys with a green band • Areas where nets are prohibited have yellow buoys with a red band. • Additionally, shipping lanes are marked with red/green buoys. A map has also been created to visualize protected zones around the island. “We encourage anyone fishing or boating in Barbuda’s waters to get the boat card that shows where Barbuda’s coastal zones are located,” says Blue Halo Barbuda Site Manager Robin Ramdeen. Boat cards are available from Barbuda Fisheries or the Waitt Institute (info@waittinstiute.org).
latest in Caribbean bird research and protection. “BirdsCaribbean conferences have always been a place for scientists to collaborate beyond political boundaries,” said Andrew Dobson, President of BirdsCaribbean. “Bringing an international group together in Cuba is particularly exciting. We are excited to have the chance to work face-to-face with our Cuban colleagues.” This year’s theme is “Celebrating Caribbean Diversity”. The Caribbean is a hotspot of biodiversity, with many unique plants and animals. Birds are no exception: 172 species are found only in the Caribbean. The Caribbean is also a cultural melting pot, home to the most diverse group of bird scientists in the world. The conference will focus on the practice of conservation backed by sound science. World-famous keynote speakers will present on current issues in ornithology. Training workshops, panels and talks will cover many topics. These include conservation of island endemics and migrants, bird tourism, bird monitoring, emerging technologies, environmental awareness, invasive species, and many other themes. “You can share your latest findings, upgrade your skills, network with colleagues, or see the 26 bird species found only in Cuba,” explained Andrew Dobson. “We will also be supporting the participation of spouses and children.” “We are thrilled to host this conference at Topes de Collantes National Park in the Sierra de Escambray — Cuba’s second largest mountain range, and home to many unique birds,” said Lisa Sorenson, Executive Director. “There will be many chances to explore, from the forests and waterfalls of the park to the historic town of Trinidad nearby. Join field trips during, before and after the conference to learn more about the endemic birds of Cuba or tour the city of Havana.” The endemic Cuban Trogon, Conference registration is open now. the national bird of Cuba Visit birdscaribbean.org to register or learn more.
YA C H T S E R V I C E S
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their round-the-world adventure; 23 achieved this in one edition of the rally, while others took time out along the way. The fleet evolved over the months and in total almost 300 people, aged from six to 82 years old, took part on board 44 boats. Crews represented 26 different nationalities. On the final day of the voyage, a Parade of Sail from Marigot Bay to Rodney Bay saw the fleet moving up the coast of St. Lucia accompanied by members of the Saint Lucia Yacht Club and the media, and supporters of World ARC. A light breeze made for a motor in an orderly fashion with one yacht behind another in reverse order of length overall.
REGATTA NEWS
8th Edition of Les Voiles de St. Barth After three days of tight competition on the waters off St. Barth, many teams racing in Les Voiles de St. Barth 2017, April 10th through 15th, headed into the final day with high hopes. Sadly, owing to lack of wind, the Race Committee was forced to cancel the final day of racing. Nevertheless, winners were crowned in all nine classes. CHRISTOPHE JOUANY
World ARC camaraderie: helping friends into a berth at the finish
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JUNE 2017
World ARC 2016-17 Finishes in St. Lucia On April 10th, participants in World ARC 2016-17 celebrated the completion of their circumnavigation in St. Lucia. Fifteen months earlier, the World ARC 2016-17 fleet had set out from Rodney Bay to sail around the world. They sailed well over 26,000 nautical miles, crossed three oceans and visited more than 17 countries. This sixth World ARC organized by World Cruising Club saw 35 people complete
Sloops Shine at West Indies Regatta The ninth annual West Indies Regatta, an event for traditional Caribbean-built sailing craft, took place in St. Barth from April 28th through May 1st. Carriacou sloops copped top honors, with Sweetheart winning First Overall to take home the coveted Skullduggery Rum barrel, and Free in St Barth coming first over the line, being dubbed Best Sailed, and also earning the Humanitarian Award for turning back and saving a drifting swimmer. Zemi came second overall with a crew who came all the way from Australia just to be there; Genesis won third overall — and a prize for calling wrong tacks! The Carriacou-built schooner Jambalaya won first place in Schooner Class, and the threemasted schooner Spirit of Bermuda was named Queen of the Fleet for having taken 4,000 schoolchildren through her sail-training program. —Continued on next page ST. BARTH TOURISME
In Maxi 1 Class, George Sakellaris’s Proteus defended its 2016 class win, finishing with a three-point lead over second-place finisher Prospector. Also, for overall best performance among all Maxis, Sakellaris took home the Richard Mille 60-01 Regatta Flyback Chronograph timepiece. On the Maxi 2 Class winner, Windfall, tactician Ian Walker said, “Last year we had damaged the rigging after having won one of the earlier races so there was a bit of unfinished business… it was very satisfying to win.” In CSA 0 Class the winner was the TP52 Sorcha. Phil Harmer, backstay trimmer, noted, “We’ve had lighter wind than you normally get here but that suits the TP52 style of boat.” CSA 1 Class was won by Fortunata, a Soto/Solaris 50. Owner Kenneth Howery said, “This is my first time winning any type of regatta, and I credit it toward our amazing team and Tommaso Chieffi, our tactician, who’s sailed in the Olympics and the America’s Cup.” Aboard the Humphreys 39 Oystercatcher XXX1, which was CSA 2 Class winner, owner Richard Matthews commented, “Our boat is quite slow in light air… but out of desperation, we tried something different and took a big chance on the last leg [of the last race]. It was better to be lucky than good on this occasion. Our tactician Saskia Clark, who has a gold medal in the Olympics and is the ISAF World Sailor of the Year, was very helpful.” In CSA 3, first place went to Blitz. Owner of the King 40, Peter Corrs, says, “We got three bullets last year and another three this year. I think our team sailed even better this year. It’s a great way to end our Caribbean season.” “It has been a different experience for us,” noted Chris de Glanville, owner of CSA 4 winner Pasco’s Jaguar, a Reflex 38, “because we tend to just sail windwardleeward races at home; but this was very different and quite challenging at times.” “I’ve been a Melges 24 sailor for 20 years. We come here to win and to have a great time with friends — and we did just that,” said Frits Bus, owner of Team Island Water World, the victor in the Melges 24 Class. The Bieker 53 Fujin topped the Multihull Class. Owner Greg Slyngstad, summed it up: “We love St. Barth, so no matter what happens in the regatta we have a great time.” Visit www.lesvoilesdesaintbarth.com for more information and full results.
Crossing the finish line that had been their start line marked an end to the circumnavigation with World ARC, as they were each personally congratulated by Andrew Bishop, Managing Director of World Cruising Club. At the Gros Islet cut into Rodney Bay Marina a group of school children was joined by the Minster for Tourism, Dominic Fedee, all waving to welcome the yachts back to St. Lucia. After berthing at the IGY Rodney Bay Marina there was a drinks reception hosted by the marina, where the participants were welcomed back by IGY Rodney Bay Marina Manager Sean Deveaux, and Andrew Bishop. The Saint Lucia Tourist Board hosted a prizegiving dinner in the evening at the Royal by Rex Resorts Hotel. Meanwhile, 26 boats left St Lucia in January as part of the World ARC 2017, and have since visited Colombia and the San Blas Islands, transited the Panama Canal and crossed the Pacific Ocean. World ARC 2018 currently has a record entry list of 40 boats due to start from St. Lucia in January 2018, and a new ARC Pacific fleet will set out from the US west coast to join them in French Polynesia. Entries are now open for the 2019 edition of World ARC and future circumnavigators are encouraged to start planning now for their own adventures. Visit www.worldcruising.com/worldarc for more information.
—Continued from previous page While the Petite Martinique sloop Savvy won the Spirit of the Regatta award for sailing all the way from Grenada to take part, Fllikaroy was honored for being the farthest sailed — from Norway. The organizers say thank you to sponsors Saint-Barth Tourisme, the Port of Gustavia and St. Barth ASBAS, plus the musicians of Sound Citizens and Stell and Snuggs, the St. Barth Film Festival for the closing night spectacle of the film of the Rolling Stones in Cuba, and Michael Gramm for filming. Dates for the tenth West Indies Regatta will be announced.
Spirited, the band featuring West Indies cricket legends Sir Curtly Ambrose and Sir Richie Richardson. Visit www.sailingweek.com for full results. ARC Europe and ARC USA Set Sail On May 6th, crews waved goodbye to the Caribbean as they set off as part of the 2017 editions of ARC Europe and ARC USA.
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PAUL WYETH
WORLD CRUISING CLUB
Thriller Around Antigua! The Peters & May Round Antigua Race, held on April 29th, produced a match race between two ocean greyhounds with an unbelievable finish. Sir Peter Harrison’s British ketch, Sojana, and Jean-Paul Riviere’s French sloop, Nomad IV, battled for 52 miles, just a few minutes apart for the duration of the race. However, Ross Applebey’s Oyster 48, Scarlet Oyster, came from behind to win the race overall after CSA time correction.
“We were over for our start and had to go back, but at least we were at the right end of the line,” commented Applebey. “I am a great believer in taking part in the Peters & May Round Antigua Race. Before you get here, you don’t really know where you are compared to the competition and with longer legs in this race, there is time to debrief on the race course to improve performance. It is fantastic to win the Round Antigua Race but this is only the start.” Many use this race as a warm-up to Antigua Sailing Week. Sojana got a better start than Nomad IV and, after cracking sheets at York Island, the two yachts hoisted reaching sails, surfing through the ocean swell at 20 knots. Downwind across the top of Antigua, Nomad IV was quicker than Sojana at one stage, getting within a few hundred metres of their opponents, but as the pair turned the corner for the reach down the west coast, Sojana’s ketch configuration and longer hull reaped rewards. As the pair made the southwest corner of Antigua, the race was won. Sojana was just too powerful upwind, but crossing the line to take the gun was a bittersweet moment. Sojana had won the battle but failed in their attempt to break the race record by a single second! Scarlet Oyster corrected out to win the Peters & May Round Antigua Race overall by less than a minute from Adrian Lee’s Irish Cookson 50, Lee Overlay Partners, with Sojana claiming third after CSA time correction. In CSA 1, Lee Overlay Partners was the winner, with Sojana in second place. Bernie Evan-Wong’s Antiguan team racing the RP37 Taz claimed third. In CSA 2, Scarlet Oyster was the winner with Jeremy Thorp’s First 40, Joanna, in second, and the J/122 Team Skylark/El Ocaso from the Newport Harbor Yacht Club in third. John O’Connor’s American CNB 76, Sapphire III, led the fleet for the early part of the race and was the winner of CSA 3. Simon Costain’s X-50, Xanadu, was second with Fin McGurran’s Moody 66, Mustique, in third. A special mention goes to the Nonsuch Bay Resort Team, racing an RS Elite to win CSA 4. The 24-foot match-racing boat must have been a wet ride around the windward side of the island. Siegfried Rittler’s classic Tilly XV, the only classic in the race, was second and Philip Asche’s Swan 44, Freebird, was third. John Lawson’s French TS42, BitterSharp, took line honours and the win on corrected time in Multihull Class. The prizegiving was held at Nelson’s Dockyard, where music was provided by
Run concurrently, these rallies are taking some crews homewards and others to new cruising grounds. Venturing west to east across the Atlantic, 26 boats sailed with ARC Europe this year; 23 departed from Tortola, BVI, and will be joined in Bermuda by three others. Allowing time to experience the build-up to America’s Cup, crews will enjoy an extended stopover in Bermuda before continuing to the Azores. As part of ARC USA, 11 boats sailed alongside the ARC Europe fleet as far as Bermuda, and then headed off to the US East Coast, while five ARC USA boats elected to sail from Tortola directly to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, via the Old Bahama Channel. Prior to departure, Nanny Cay Marina hosted the fleet for a week-long programme covering safety demonstrations, crew briefings, onboard equipment checks and social evenings ashore. ARC Europe and ARC USA fleets shared the start line for a bumper turnout of 38 boats. Starblazer was one of the last boats to head out. John and Joyce Easteal have been part of the ARC family since 2009, first sailing an Atlantic circuit and then going on to circumnavigate with World ARC from 2014-2016. Last year, they joined ARC USA to explore America’s east coast, but they have finally turned for home and ARC Europe will be their swan song before moving ashore. Among the fleet are a number of other familiar faces from ARC’s past, including four boats returning to the USA after sailing to the Caribbean with the ARC Caribbean 1500 last November, and eight boats from 2016 editions of ARC and ARC+. The fleet will keep in touch at sea on the SBB radio net, and each day they’ll receive position reports and routed weather forecasts from World Cruising Club’s Rally Control. Each yacht is also fitted with a YB Tracker so those at home can follow the fleet online via the website and YB races app. Visit www.worldcruising.com/arc_Europe and www.worldcruising.com/arc_usa for more information. ON THE HORIZON Mini Transat 2017 to Finish in Martinique The Mini Transat singlehanded transatlantic race will depart La Rochelle, France on October 1st, and finish at Le Marin, Martinique after a stopover in the Canary Islands. Boats are expected to begin arriving at Le Marin around November 14th. This race has a time limit: a boat failing to cross the finishing line within six days in Las Palmas and 12 days in Le Marin after the first boat in each category finishes will be scored DNF. Visit www.minitransat.fr for more information. Dates Set for Grenada Sailing Week 2018 You may think all has gone quiet on the regatta scene down in Grenada, but the team behind the scenes is already busy putting together next year’s Grenada Sailing Week, to be held January 29th through February 3rd. Venues are being finalized, sponsors organized and exciting race courses planned, to make 2018 an even bigger and better event. If you missed it, read Compass’s first-hand report on Island Water World Grenada Sailing Week 2017 at www.caribbeancompass.com/online/march17compass_online.pdf For more information contact info@grenadasailingweek.com
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The 36th Annual Bequia Easter Regatta ended on April 17th with the prizegiving taking place at Bequia Plantation Hotel. The closing ceremonies were honoured by words from Dr. Godwin Friday, Parliamentary Representative for the Northern Grenadines, and the Hon. Cecil McKie, St. Vincent & the Grenadines Minister of Tourism, a proud supporter of Bequia Easter Regatta. Dr. Friday emphasized the importance of sailboat racing as integral to Bequia’s Easter festivities, and Minister McKie thanked all regatta participants for “being part of developing Regatta activities, and making the weekend exciting and successful”. With yacht registration taking place at the Frangipani Hotel on April 12th and 13th, a total of 50 boats were signed up for the event — 26 yachts; 21 local double-enders in what has been dubbed the Bequia Heritage Division; and three Youth Optimist dinghies. The Bequia Heritage Division was divided into six classes by length, ranging from 12 to 28 feet. The yachts competed in four classes: Racing (CSA), Cruising 1 (CSA), Cruising 2 (Simplified CSA rating) and J/24 (One Design). Yacht Division races were officiated by Principal Race Officer James Benoit from Grenada, who again did an outstanding job providing guidance and support for the Regatta Racing Team, a job he has done so expertly for the past 18 years. The Bequia Sailing Club also had keen appreciation for long-time Protest Jury Judge Harry Keith and his wife, Malinda, a Race Committee stalwart, who travelled from Florida and provided great feedback and support, plus Protest Committee member Geoffrey Pidduck from Antigua, and Timer Randy Mainwaring and head of Marks Team Wayne Frank from Grenada. Both the yachts and the double-enders enjoyed relatively light airs for their three race days in the series. The doubleenders also had the option of sailing a non-series warm-up race on Good Friday, while intrepid yacht skippers had the option of a single-handed Round the Island race on the Easter Sunday Lay Day. This year’s single-handed winners were David Staples on the Pogo 40 Hallucine in CSA Class, and the Cal 39 Brizo in Non-CSA, both from the USA. Yachts flew the flags of France, St. Lucia, Grenada, Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Ireland, Great Britain, the United States and Canada. The six J/24 entries — including boats from Trinidad, St. Lucia, Grenada, Barbados and St. Vincent & the Grenadines — competed in six races for the title of J/24 Southern Caribbean Champion for 2017, which was won by Stephen Bushe and crew on Am Bushe, from Trinidad, after a tight battle with Grenada’s Die Hard, skip-
BEQUIA EASTER REGATTA 2017
The EASTER Heritage Continues!
by Tom Donoghue The victorious crew of Bequia’s own Black Berry, who took first place in the 28-footers’ Class 7 of the Heritage Division
CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 15
Yacht Division Racing Class winner Category 5 from Grenada, back on the podium after being T-boned in a race three months prior
The Bequia Sailing Club sends our heartfelt thanks to our Major sponsors Mount Gay, Flow, Hairoun, SVG Tourism Authority, and Action Bequia, and to all those small businesses and individual donors who contributed, without whose support this Regatta would not have taken place. Thanks also to the many volunteers who stepped up to the plate and made Bequia Easter Regatta 2017 happen. The Bequia Onshore Activities Management Committee thanks Flow, Action Bequia, SVG Tourism Authority, WeFM, StarFM, NBC Radio, SVG Ministry of Tourism, Sports & Culture, National Lotteries, Dockside Marine, Gonsalves Liquors, Bank of SVG, Bequia Express, ECGC, Hairoun, Caribbean Woods, Hot97.1FM, CK Greaves, Nice Radio, OSV Group, Bequia Venture, Smith Bakery, Massy Stores and Solana’s.
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KENMORE HENVILLE
pered by Robbie Yearwood. In Racing Class, Richard Szyjan’s Modified Hobie 33, Category 5 — which had to withdraw from January’s Grenada Sailing Week after being damaged in a collision — emerged victorious, ahead of Team Regis Guillemot’s Melges 24 from Martinique. The Bequia Heritage Division hosted competitors from the neighboring islands of Mayreau and Canouan, who joined the Bequia fleet in the weekend of racing and fun. All eyes were on “the big boats” — the 28-footers — which saw Black Berry, skippered by Orson Ollivierre, take first place overall. The three Optimist dinghies were a welcome sight, as the Bequia Sailing Club has just reinstated its Youth Division and plans to invite young sailors from neighboring islands to compete here next year. At the prizegiving, the Opti-racing “sailors of the future” — Orion Ollivierre, Kelroy Phillips, Jossal Bynoe and Jaheim Ollivierre — received a huge round of applause, and kudos were given to their instructor Eddie Brown. Two yachts of note, racing for the first time in Bequia, were Brizo, a Cal 39 from Chicago, Illinois; and Celtic Spirit, a 72-foot ketch from Ireland. Both arrived in Bequia without racing crew. Brizo got an entire crew of local sailors from the village of Paget Farm, and placed a respectable third overall in Cruising 2. Celtic Spirit enlisted a crew of 12 people from all over Bequia, who declared it to be their “most fun regatta in years”. One of the crew actually signed on for Celtic Spirit’s continuing voyage to Spain. Full results will be posted at www.bequiaregatta.com. Bequia Easter Regatta 2018 will be held March 28th through April 2nd.
ANTIGUA CLASSIC YACHT REGATTA 2017 “An absolutely brilliant accomplishment!” said Anna Landry, who crewed on the 65-foot Carriacou schooner Jambalaya, when asked about the 30th anniversary running of the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta. The event, the first of Panerai’s Classic Yachts Challenge international series for 2017 and held April 19th through 25th, saw 47 entries racing in Vintage, Classics, Traditional, Classic GRP, Spirit of Tradition, and Tall Ships divisions. To commemorate this milestone year, the venue shifted from Falmouth Harbour to the elegantly restored Nelson’s Dockyard, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. To get hearts thumping, 19 yachts competed in the pre-race Concours d’Elégance, a beauty pageant for yachts. Conditions of contestants were as varied as designs and rig. The 79-foot Alfred Mylne yawl, Mariella, was pure elegance after an 18-month restoration in Italy. In contrast was the 1911, 57-foot Harris gaff yawl, Anne Marie, on her way to the UK for major surgery after “a near-death experience”. The overall winner was the 77-foot Fife yawl, Latifa. The sailing competition began with the Single-Handed Race on the 20th, with eastnortheast winds of ten to 14 knots. Fifteen competitors sailed a course set for upwind tacking contests and a run downwind. The favourable conditions discouraged reefing, resulting in a strenuous workout for lone sailors. Winners of the SingleHanded Race were the 51-foot 1965 Aage Nielsen ketch, Saphaedra, in the over 45-foot class, and under 45 feet, the 33-foot 1961 Kim Holman sloop, Stiletto.
30 Years of Brilliance
JUNE 2017
Above: A splendid ‘spruce forest’ popped up at historic Nelson’s Dockyard as classic yachts gathered for the gala 30th running of the Classics Right: On the Butterfly course, Columbia, the 141-foot replica of a Gloucester fishing schooner, swaps reaches with the Carriacou-built schooner Jambalaya, of a type once used for cargo in the Lesser Antilles The first in the four-race series met east-northeast winds of 14 knots and relatively calm seas. Tight races saw Janley, a 46-foot PCC that was First Overall in 2016, dueling with Vagabundo, the 1945, 42-foot German Frers ketch; Vagabundo won on corrected time by 1:09 minutes. In Vintage Class A, Latifa inched past Mariella by 27 seconds on corrected time. In the Traditional Class, the 42-foot Carriacou sloops Genesis and Free in St Barths fought like sisters. Genesis won on corrected time by 1:48 minutes. On the second day, 17 knots on the Butterfly course tested the fleet on every point of sail. The extra wind was welcomed, especially by the big girls. The 138-foot Herreshoff gaff-rigged schooner, Mariette of 1915, drove hard, hitting 13 knots, yet placed second behind the 62-foot Herreshoff schooner, Mary Rose, in Vintage Class A. The victory for Mary Rose was well earned, given that her newly repaired foremast was re-stepped only an hour before the race began. In Vintage Class B, The Blue Peter, a 65-foot Alfred Mylne cutter, placed first on corrected time to even the score with Latifa. The two boats, along with Anne Marie, a 57-foot Harris gaff yawl, are old friends — their last race was in Cowes, in 1938! Thirty years ago, the founders of the Antigua Classics planned a “boat show” element via the Cannon Course. Twenty-four miles of reaching between two marks allows vessels from every class to pass each other repeatedly, and often dramati-
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cally close. With steady winds of 20 knots from the east, the Kenny Coombs Memorial Cannon Race 2017 was a lively salute to his genius. Like a history book with the pages turned by the wind, the stories passed by: Guiding Light, a 37-foot Gauntlet, was built for the Earl of Normanton in 1934; the 59-foot Henry Gruber yawl, Peter von Seestermuehe, sailed in the first Whitbread Race in 1973-74; Mariella served as a British Admiralty coastal patrol boat at the start of WWII; the 52-foot Samsara, built in 1924 for North Sea fishing, also served in WWII; Tilly XV, a 39-foot Sonderklasse gaff sloop, was built in 1912 for Prince Heinrich Von Preussen; and the Carriacou sloops Zemi, Sweetheart, Genesis and Free in St. Barths each hold rich stories from the beach where they were all built. For the last day of racing, the wind speed started at 16 knots, climbing steadily to the low 20s. On the Windward course, flying sails popped out for the broad reach after the first mark. Rounding the mark at Old Road Bluff saw a few traffic jams as boats hardened up for the beat, and tight tacking duels. On the final reach, knotmetres got a workout, some hitting the mid-teens. At the final prizegiving, it was most fitting that, after her Italian refit, the Antiguaflagged Mariella returned to Antigua to win the Mount Gay Rum Trophy as winner of the most competitive class. She also won the coveted Panerai watch, awarded to the boat with the lowest total corrected time from Traditional, Vintage or Classic Class. The Kenny Coombs Memorial Trophy went to Genesis; the Anne Wallis-White Trophy for Smallest Boat was awarded to the 30-foot Alden cutter Calypso; and winner of the Seahorse Studio Trophy for Spirit of the Regatta was Faiaoahe, a 66-foot Spirit of Tradition sloop. Visit www.antiguaclassics.com for full results. Thanks to the ACYR Press Office for information in this report. Next year’s Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta will be held April 18th through 24th.
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ANTIGUA SAILING WEEK 2017
Lazy Dog Wins Overall at Golden Anniversary Event PAUL WYETH (2)
Puerto Rico’s Lazy Dog topped a fleet of 150 boats to capture the Lord Nelson Trophy as Overall Winner of the 50th Antigua Sailing Week
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The winner of The Lord Nelson Trophy for Overall Winner was Sergio Sagramoso’s Puerto Rican Melges 32, Lazy Dog, which raced in the highly competitive CSA 4 Class. A boat from Puerto Rico won the very first Antigua Sailing Week and now, 50 years later, a boat from Puerto Rico won again. Although Scarlet Oyster was just short of winning the Lord Nelson Trophy, the crew left the stage with a huge haul of silverware including The Governor General’s Cup for first overall in CSA 5, Best British Race Charter Yacht, Royal Southern Yacht Club Shield Trophy for the Inter-Yacht Club Challenge and the Peter Deeth Trophy for second overall in CSA 1-6. Sojana, in CSA 1, was close to winning the Lord Nelson Trophy for the second time but settled for the Curtain Bluff Trophy for the overall win in CSA 1, The Corum Cup for winning overall in CSA 1-6, and the Fletcher Trophy for Best British Yacht. Fritz Bus’s St. Maarten Melges 24, Team Island Water World, had an epic battle in CSA 6 with Antigua National Sailing Academy’s Cork 1720, Spirit, skippered by Jules Mitchell. Team Island Water World won the class and Best Caribbean Boat in Start Boat A. Spirit was the Best Antiguan Boat in Start Boat A. The K3 Foundation, racing Kialoa III, and Conviction had a fantastic regatta: each yacht scored seven bullets to win its respective class, CSA 2 and CSA 3. Winning the Big Banana Trophy for Best Caribbean Yacht and the Grant Thornton Trophy for Best Boat Overall in CSA 7-9 was Cary Byerley and Sir Robbie Ferron’s Lord Jim from St. Maarten. The team had to overcome a 1.5-point deficit in the last race to their long-term rivals, Sir Bobby Velasquez and his St. Maarten team, racing L’Esperance. They went on to achieve victory by just two seconds. “Two seconds and half a point: shockingly dramatic,” commented Sir Robbie. “I could never believe it would be that close. In all my years, I have never won a regatta like that and I doubt if anyone else has!” Visit www.sailingweek.com for full results. Thanks to the ASW Press Office for information in this report. The 51st edition of Antigua Sailing Week will take place from April 28th to May 4th, 2018.
JUNE 2017
Antigua Sailing Week is held annually at the end of April, usually with some 100 boats competing. For the event’s 50th anniversary, April 29th through May 5th, boats and sailors from 33 different countries came to make up a 150-strong fleet racing in nine CSA classes, four bareboat classes, two multihull classes and a club class. With full-blown tradewinds prevailing and daily parties, the 50th edition of Antigua Sailing Week lived up to its promise of great Caribbean sailing and fun. Robbie Ferron, co-skipper of Micron 99 Lord Jim, who has been coming to Antigua Sailing Week since 1982, says, “For me Antigua Sailing Week has become really special again. It has always been a great event and it is capturing the essence of what Caribbean regattas should be all about. A lot of great communication with participants has highlighted the need for sailors to socialize after racing. These daily prizegivings are great for that. “Reflecting on how Antigua Sailing Week had evolved, this regatta has done the right things for the competitors and it is getting the appropriate response. Sailors are enjoying the experience and that is why it has such a great turnout and I believe that the momentum will continue beyond the 50th regatta,” he continues. The competition was, of course, intense. By Day Three, ten teams went to the race course unbeaten, but only three returned with their perfect score intact. On Day Four, all classes except the Club Class had completed six races or more, kicking in the discard rule which caused yet another shuffle in the overall standings. The intensity of the racing was confirmed by a single fact; after four days of competition only the Polish R-Six Multihull, skippered by Robert Janecki, remained unbeaten out of 150 yachts. On the final day, there were some shock results, resulting in a number of teams having a chance to attain the Lord Nelson Trophy for overall winner. One of the favorites, Ross Applebey’s Oyster 48, Scarlet Oyster, was called over the line at the start and did not return for some time. However, the Scarlet Oyster team picked off the opposition one by one to scrape back into second position. Jonty Layfield’s Swan 48, Sleeper X, took the gun and the race win, but Scarlet Oyster emerged as CSA 5 champion. In other hot classes, Sergio Sagramoso’s Melges 32, Lazy Dog, scored its fourth bullet. The Bajan TP52, Conviction, skippered by Clint Brooks, scored its seventh win, as did the Maxi Kialoa III and Sir Peter Harrison’s Super Maxi, Sojana. From St. Maarten, Cary Byerley and Robbie Ferron’s J/39, Thousands of Micron 99 Lord Jim, won the trophy for Best Caribbean Yacht sailors attended the Grand Awards Ceremony held in Nelson’s Dockyard. The UNESCO World Heritage site was a fitting venue for the historic occasion of the regatta’s 50th edition. Asot A Michael, MP, Minister of Tourism, Economic Development, Investment & Energy of Antigua & Barbuda, gave a heart-warming welcome speech that highlighted how important Antigua Sailing Week is to the twin-island nation. Guest of Honour, His Excellency Sir Rodney Williams, Governor General of Antigua & Barbuda, presented the main prizes.
Y2A BY ELLEN BIRRELL
Antigua Sailing Week 2017 Affords Youth Development Youth2Adult — Y2A — is a series of articles celebrating sailing’s role in youth development for Caribbean children.
PAUL WYETH (2)
Fraito Lugo of Puerto Rico, who was featured in last November’s Y2A column, made it big in May at Antigua Sailing Week (ASW). The weeklong event was also a triumph for teen youth development during top-notch racing. Garth Steyn traveled from St. Maarten with
secure a position in the final with a race to spare. Helmed by Olympic medalist Ossie Stewart, Scarlet Oyster lagged behind R-Six, skippered by Poland’s Robert Janecki. By the three-race final, four teams, all from different countries — Rebel (Antigua), R-Six (Poland), Sojana (Great Britain) and Dingo (Trinidad) — duked it out for first-prize honors. Rhone’s Rebel team, including Antiguan teenagers Angelise Gordon and Jahread Jeffyrs, took second
Young Antiguan skipper Rhone Kirby and his teen crew took second place overall at the Nonsuch Bay RS Elite Challenge 2017, held on ASW’s lay day, racing against competition that included teams from regional podium regulars Lazy Dog, Scarlet Oyster, Dingo and Sojana
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Antigua’s next Olympic sailor, in 2020. Currently the Antigua Laser Champion, he’s also done great things internationally. Definitely one to watch!” Regarding Rhone Kirby’s recent accomplishment, fellow Antiguan Omari Scott (currently Optimist Race Coach, Coral Reef Yacht Club in Miami, Florida) says, “I know Rhone very well. Rhone reminds me a lot of myself: a local guy with loads of talent who is completely dedicated to making a career for himself in the world of sailing. We are not as fortunate in the Caribbean with the finances to train and explore the world of sailing as much as we should or would like to, but there are ways to make it happen. I have been through all the hoops to get to where I am as the head coach at Coral Reef Yacht Club and a coach for the United States Optimist Sailing Team. Rhone is cur-
youth from Kidz at Sea, an organization he founded to introduce children to sailing and to nurture youth toward marine vocations. In CSA 4 Class, a field of 13 boats ranging from J/120s to Sergio Sagramoso’s Melges 32 Lazy Dog, which Fraito Lugo helmed, competed in Antigua’s vast ocean course. With four firsts, and a sixth as their worst race, Fraito’s team handily took first overall in the class. Meanwhile, ASW’s Lay Day event spotlighted an upand-coming young Antiguan sailor — Rhone Kirby. Paraphrasing from Antigua Sailing Week’s report: “After a tremendous Damian Marley experience at Reggae in the Park in Nelson’s Dockyard, English Harbour, midway through Antigua’s weeklong annual sailing event, eight teams from several nations raced in ASW’s fifth edition of the Nonsuch Bay RS Elite Challenge.” In the first heat, two teams with perfect score-lines at ASW, Scarlet Oyster and R-Six, took on the young Antiguan crew aboard Rebel and Puerto Ricans racing Lazy Dog. After two races, the young all-Antiguan team skippered by Rhone Kirby was in the driver’s seat. He showed expert boat-handling upwind to
overall. Sojana took first and R-Six third. Kathy Lammers, current Caribbean Sailing Association president, says, “Rhone and his team did really well, finishing second overall. We’re really proud of them. Rhone won the Nonsuch Bay RS Elite Summer Series final and, thus, won the top of two spots for Antiguan teams in the RS Elite Challenge on Lay Day. The second-place winner of the Summer Series Final was their fellow Antiguan Bernie EvanWong, who succumbed to Rhone Kirby’s excellent sailing in the Lay Day event.” Continuing to paraphrase from ASW: “Jules Mitchell (18 years old) and his all-youth team of 18- and 19-year-olds finished second in CSA 6 Class. Garth Steyn of the Kidz at Sea program in St. Maarten came with his boat Moondance and took out many Antiguan youth sailors from the National Sailing Academy — different youngsters on each day of racing. They had a great time and learned plenty.” Kathy Lammers additionally commented, “Jules Mitchell is a young sailor we have our eyes on in Antigua right now. He is working toward becoming
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rently going through these hoops and it will all pay off for him. I’m happy to see another young talented local sailor do big things for his country, himself and his family. Rhone is a good friend and very dedicated to the sport of sailing. I wish him nothing but the best.” Stay tuned for more reports about Caribbean youth development through junior sailing. In the meantime, support youth learn-to-sail programs and competitive sailing in Caribbean islands large and small. The quality of life in the Caribbean depends on today’s youth getting the support, tools and training to be tomorrow’s leaders and conservationists. Ellen Birrell attributes her opportunity to cruise the Caribbean aboard S/V Boldly Go to life skills built in childhood. Believing swimming and sailing are essentials for island youth, she supports grass roots and competitive junior sailing, and serves as chair of sailing development for Caribbean Sailing Association. If you know of a Caribbean youth sailor or adult to put forward as a Y2A feature candidate, please contact ellenbirrell@gmail.com.
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JUNE 2017
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Stay longer, pay less
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
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Barbados is fast becoming a Mecca for international sailing events. Sue Pelling investigates the island’s unique model that makes it so attractive to visiting sailors.
THE
Caribbean, with its natural attractions that include sun, clear turquoise water, constant tradewinds, and regular, sensibly priced, direct flights from key destinations, has long been recognized as a prime option for those seeking the winter sun. Now, with such a diverse selection of sailing events on offer throughout the Caribbean during the postChristmas race season, ranging from local regattas to the biggest superyacht events in the world, it’s not surprising the number of sailors lured by delights of tropical sailing continues to grow.
really makes a difference. With this in mind, we strive to continue to make our guests happy and comfortable and most of all, offer top class racing.” The results of the committee’s clear vision and associated global publicity campaign has put Barbados on the map as a prime playground for high-performance yacht and multihull teams and windsurfers. For these adrenaline-fuelled speed sailors, the thrill and opportunity of being able to break records and win their skipper’s weight in Mount Gay rum in the 60-mile sprint around the island of Barbados is too tempting to resist. The current record-breaking time to beat is 2 hours, 37 minutes, 38 seconds, recorded in 2016 by the super-fast foiling multihull MOD70 MS Barbados Concise 10. The original record time established in the first race, in 1936, was 10 hours 20 minutes, set by Sea Fox, a cargo schooner sailed by Captain Lou Kenedy.
BOOM TIME BARBADOS!
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event organizer Andrew Davies, Barbados has developed into a popular world-class dinghy championship destination. Over the last six years, Barbados has hosted an impressive stream of international dinghy events including the Fireball, SAP 505, and GP14 World Championships. And as we go to press, the Olympic Finn Masters, and OK World Championships are taking place from Barbados Yacht Club and Barbados Cruising Club. In her position as chairman of the world championship organizing committee and Mount Gay Round Barbados Race Series Manager, Alene Stone said it is extremely rewarding to welcome visitors back time and time again: “Barbados is a unique family friendly destination, and we are delighted to be able to share our amazing sailing conditions and fabulous Bajan hospitality with the international sailing community. We see new
Barbados is an interesting case because other than its genuinely friendly welcome, sailing heritage that dates back over 80 years, and a reasonably healthy regular turnout for club racing for dinghies, J/24s and yachts at the island’s main clubs — Barbados Yacht Club and Barbados Cruising Club — visiting sailors to the island, other than cruising sailors, historically were fairly low key. Having said that, there was a time in the 1920s and 1930s when Carlisle Bay was filled with trading schooners that delivered food supplies from Canada to Barbados. On their return voyage they took rum, molasses and fine Barbados sugar back to their destinations. In more recent years, in the last ten years or so, the most recognized sailing event in Barbados was probably the Mount Gay Regatta. Even then it was only through the likes of local sailors such as Peter Gilkes, passionate about encouraging a more international turnout, did Barbados as regatta location begin to appear on the global radar. Upholding its rich racing heritage, which dates back to 1936, and identifying its opportunities to break records as its Unique Selling Point, the Mount Gay Round Barbados Race Series (MGRBR) was relaunched six years ago and has become the island’s signature sailing event. Organized by Barbados Cruising Club in association with Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc, and Mount Gay, the MGRBR was cleverly positioned on the calendar in January to be the opening event of the Caribbean race season. On the global map The timely and successful re-launch, under new management, headed by a small but professional committee including Peter Gilkes, Alene Stone and Howard Palmer, has resulted in the MGRBR becoming a world recognized event that offers top class racing for local, classic, and booming charter fleets. Gilkes, Consultant to the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc for Yachting Development and one of the many who have been instrumental in developing Barbados as a key sailing destination, commented, “We are blessed with this amazing, natural sailing playground in Carlisle Bay and are delighted that we are now in a position to share it with the sailing community both locally and globally. “Of course the conditions are key when it comes to selecting an ideal sailing location, but Barbados has so much more to offer. Those who return to the island time and time again for sailing events say that other than the warm friendly welcome, and the guaranteed fantastic sailing, it is the logistics — having the event based at one location, near the capital city of Bridgetown and the easy access to and from the airport — that
Vision To ensure Barbados became known as more than just a “one-pony race”, there was a vision to diversify and create a base in which to develop its unique model to run successful sailing events. Carlisle Bay, the sailing hub in Barbados, offers the keen racing sailor plenty of natural attractions, not
Above: The 2016 GP14 World Championship saw 105 boats competing in Carlyle Bay for the global title Below: The MGRBR event includes around-the-island and coastal around-the-buoys races. Here, the British classic The Blue Peter goes for Cruising Class gold in the 2017 Coastal Series
PETER MARSHALL (ALL)
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by Sue Pelling
least of which is good, clear uninterrupted air. Although the tradewinds can occasionally whip up a swell, which can create a challenge particularly when launching off Barbados Yacht Club’s white sandy beach, once through the surf, the race course offers spectacular sailing with the winds generally around 12 to 18 knots. For many, Barbados is more than just a regatta venue; it is perfect for a family holiday with many racers extending their trip either side of the event. Barbados is noted as being a friendly island with little crime, which is why it is a popular choice for holidaymakers. A world-class dinghy championship destination Thanks to the backing and support of Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc (BTMI), the MGRBR committee, the Barbados Sailing Association, and the island’s valuable relationship with the British-based sailing
visitors turn into returning friends, year in year out.” Andrew Davies, Event Director at Barbados World Sailing, responsible for coordinating the dinghy championship events, is also a keen competitor. His years of championship experience and his knowledge put him in the ideal position to ensure the overall success of these popular events. In his role as liaison between class associations, local sailing authorities, Customs, tourism boards and sponsors/partners, Davies is able to deal with all the boring and time-consuming bits. Importantly, through his connections with local shipping lines he obtains preferential deals for transporting fleets of dinghies and is able to offer competitors the best possible championship package. —Continued on next page
—Continued from previous page Naturally the success of these events is the result of a lot of hard work by dedicated members and volunteers, but there is no doubt Davies is the link and one of the key components that makes it all happen.
classes to the island.” Devon Chase, Senior Development Officer for Sport in Barbados, concurs, and adds that it is all about building a good reputation: “The island’s successful hosting of the Fireball Worlds, SAP 505 World PETER MARSHALL (ALL)
Above: J/24 races are a staple on the Barbados calendar, with both local and international events Below: Bajans are famous for their own sailing prowess, too. Ralph Johnson’s Farr 53, Rapajam, is a ‘frequent flyer’ on the race course
• GP14 World Championship – March 26th through April 4th, 2016 • Mount Gay Round Barbados Regatta – January 16th through 24th, 2017 • OK World Championship – May 24th through 31st, 2017 Committee members, including Peter Gilkes (left) and Alene Stone (right, with representative of event sponsor Mount Gay) re-launched the now world-recognized Mount Gay Round Barbados Race Series
The Finn Masters World Championship will be held June 2nd through 9th, 2017
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International Sailing Events Held in Barbados Within the Past 12 Months to Date
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
Championships and the GP14 World Championships, just to mention a few, has been testimony to our ability to attract and execute world-class sailing events and it is our intention to continue to build on this legacy. “In addition, although we’ve been in the business of tourism for many years, Barbados continues to retain its aspirational positioning. People are still very much
JUNE 2017
Davies, commenting from the current world championships, said, “Having built up a good, trusting relationship over the years with shipping lines such as Geest, I am able to offer a good deal to the sailors, which is key. Thankfully, all the world championships to date have been hugely successful and, with sailing as a sport in Barbados on the increase, we hope we can build on the success and welcome more and more
excited by the prospect of a visit to Barbados. Outside of the sailing, there is the nightlife, the restaurants, the activities and the attractions and the friendliness of our people, all of which, when combined, make the Barbados experience a compelling one for prospective visitors. With these factors in mind, the response from the sailing community to the island has always been positive and therefore encouraging for us.” Not just racers It is also important to remember that the Barbados Government, which is passionate about the development of sailing, has just overseen the building of a snazzy new 40-berth marina facility at the conveniently located Shallow Draught harbor. Chase says that the Government of Barbados has pledged its continued support to the development of yachting and sailing, and to making life as easy as possible for visiting sailors. Chase said, “As well as the new marina, it includes a new building built specifically to house officials of Customs, Immigration and Port Health; plans are also in train to effect the SailClear Program, this with a view to easing the clearance procedure for visiting sailors. This system will allow the captains to enter all of the Customs and Immigration clearance details for their crew online prior to arrival, and simply update same as they travel between the islands. “To complement Government’s developmental efforts, we at the BTMI have actively been promoting the island as a desirable yachting and sailing destination while seeking new opportunities to attract other worldclass sailing events to our shores. “Barbados is heavily dependent on tourism and we have seen examples cited through recent studies which have shown the benefits (e.g. the generation of much-needed foreign exchange, job creation, etcetera) to be derived from yachting and sailing activities. It therefore made sense for us to pursue this activity as a viable option of providing additional economic benefits to the country.” Barbados lies nearly 90 miles east of the Caribbean chain in the Windward Islands, and is an ideal landfall for yachts crossing the Atlantic from the Cape Verde or Canary Islands. Until recently however, mooring facilities were limited but since the development of the new Shallow Draught Marina in Bridgetown, there’s been an influx of cruising sailors, including a fleet of 73 yachts and 297 crew competing in the Atlantic Odyssey earlier this year. The Bajan celebration of Jimmy Cornell’s Caribbean Odyssey was the last of the four events in the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc.-sponsored “Barbados 50” project to mark the 50th anniversary of Barbados Independence last year. It was also, however, the first of the Caribbean Odyssey’s three-year commitment with Barbados, so hopefully there’ll be even more yachts arriving for the 2018 event next February. Chase, talking about the future of sailing on the island, said, “Ultimately it is our goal to establish Barbados as one of the premier yachting and sailing destinations in the Caribbean region, not only in terms of competitive events but also as it relates to attracting a more leisurely yachting and sailing enthusiast — one who just simply wants to spend some time on the island. Taking into consideration where we are to date relative to our competitors, we are mindful to be realistic with our ambitions and do recognize that there is still some work to be done in terms of continually improving the product. Little by little we have been and will continue to make small steps in the right direction. The Government is more than well aware of the potential that exists, and I’m sure will be guided by broader policy objectives and continued strategic planning.” As a final note, William Griffith, CEO of the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc., commented on the all-important economic impact of sailing events in Barbados: “Sailing is in our heritage, so we are passionate at supporting these events and showcasing our fantastic island through maritime interests. Tourism on the island of Barbados continues to grow but hosting events like the GP14 Worlds, which brings in hundreds of extra visitors, adds immensely to our economy, so it is a valuable resource to us.”
ST. THOMAS CRUISING LIFE by Suzanne Wentley
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Frenchtown and in the exclusive Yacht Haven Grande. In fact, because it’s so easy for US citizens to fly to the island (no passport needed), I could show off my new home to visitors. My parents visited and stayed at one of the plush resorts (hello bathtub!), and my cousin flew in for a long weekend. Brad’s high school friend, currently living in Portland, happened to be on a cruise that stopped here. On a beautiful, clear day with a light breeze, we took him and his wife out for what turned out to be their very first sail. The cruising life in St. Thomas really is easy. There is plenty of room in the anchorages, and unlike in neighboring St. John it’s okay to drop the hook. Mooring balls are everywhere, but it is technically illegal to rent them. Instead, long-term liveaboards must go through an arduous government process for a permit to build their own. Short-term anchoring is less of an issue. Long Bay off downtown Charlotte Amalie has good holding and it’s a short commute to public dinghy docks at the Coast Guard station or Yacht Haven Grande. The latter is within walking distance of a grocery store, while the former is right downtown near Nile Valley, one of my favorite Rastafarian all-vegetarian restaurants. For US$10, you can pile on enough tasty curries, banana fritters and lentils to feel like it’s Thanksgiving.
It’s Sunday afternoon in St. Thomas. Do you know where your cruising friends are? The first place to look is Dinghy’s, a relaxed beach bar on Water Island, a small bit of land only accessible by boat at the mouth of the most active harbor in the US Virgin Islands. True to its name, inflatable dinghies line the edges of the bar as live reggae music fills the air. The view is moored boats, big smiles and freeflowing Painkillers. Not there? Your friends could very well be taking advantage of the brisk trades to sail around Charlotte Amalie and over to nearby Little Buck Island, where there is a
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Clockwise from top left: Where are your friends? In St. Thomas, they could be anywhere A getaway in Magen’s Bay The author with her visiting parents at Drake’s Seat
wreck and plenty of sea turtles in clear waters to welcome snorkelers. Still can’t find ’em? Maybe they are running errands on land, replenishing stores with some of the least expensive and most easily accessible liquor, food and hardware for purchase throughout the Caribbean. St. Thomas is different from other islands, thanks to the hustle and bustle that comes from thousands of gawking cruise ship visitors passing through each week. But for the independent cruiser, it’s well worth stopping and exploring. The captain and I arrived on S/V Tortuga, a 32-foot Down Easter, at the end of hurricane season 2016. The kitty had dwindled precipitously low, and, as an American, he needed to find a job that didn’t require a visa. St. Thomas is filled with such opportunities. Brad worked at a barebones charter company, making sure the weekend warriors who rented expensive Beneteaus actually knew how to hoist the main without hurting themselves. He stayed busy fixing engines and dealing with other mishaps in the fleet, while I connected with the yoga community and taught at a local studio and on a nearby beach. To keep the dream alive, we needed to work. But most of our cruising friends — whom we met while sailing around the Bahamas and Dominican Republic — were retired. They also stopped in St. Thomas for fun and replenishing. So many boaters we knew made the stop in St. Thomas. It was wonderful to catch up on the adventures we all had sailing through Puerto Rico and the Spanish Virgin Islands over happy hours at many of the great bars and restaurants along the waterfront, in
The other public dinghy dock is at Crown Bay Marina, closer to Water Island and the airport. This is another safe spot with a gourmet grocery, ice cream shop and an easy-access fuel dock to fill up the big boat with diesel and water. You may find those cruising friends here, too! If the traffic noise along the waterfront bothers you, simply motor around the bend east to Red Hook. Vessup Bay is a little too rolly and busy with the hourly ferries to St. John and the British Virgin Islands, but Christmas Cove is a popular spot to tuck into the lee when the trades blow strong. Plus Pizza Pi, the popular floating restaurant that delivers a crusty pie via dinghy, is there. It’s a must. All the anchorages offer easy access to the rest of the island via St. Thomas’s unique and fun public transportation system known as Safaris. [See article on page 23.] For US$2, take these open-air vehicles to hardware stores and huge, bulk-style grocery stores. Be sure to bring reusable bags! The island banned plastic bags in a wonderful effort to reduce its environmental footprint. We were worried about crime on the island, since St. Thomas actually is infamous for having one of the worst murder rates in the nation. But while drugs are common and there is a clear distinction between the haves and have-nots, I never felt unsafe. During the day, I had no problem walking 20 minutes from the dinghy to the post office to pick up my General Delivery mail. Of course, I never walked alone at night, but I didn’t always lock up the dinghy. Some nights I heard gunshots, but I was tucked up safe in the V-berth. As everywhere, you need to be aware and careful. Sailors also know how to be friendly and adventurous. A friendly greeting of “good morning” or “good afternoon” will get you far in St. Thomas. Use these phrases and if you’re like me, you’ll quickly make friends. I even scored an invitation to a keg tapping at Frenchtown Brewing Company, which offers delicious craft IPAs that will be heavenly to those suffering from the ubiquitous pale lagers throughout the rest of the Caribbean. Speaking of which, St. Thomas is an ideal jumping-off spot for those heading down island. It’s a quick sail to the pristine nature trails of St. John, and the popular bars and baths of the BVI. With a full kitty and a boat filled with inexpensive groceries and stores, cruisers can appreciate these quiet anchorages even more. And then, the rest of the Eastern Caribbean chain is before you.
Be comfortable with crazies Of course, and not especially surprisingly, riding a Safari sometimes presents an excellent opportunity to get up close and personal with people suffering from mental health or anger-management issues. So once you greet the entire ridership with a “good morning” or a “good afternoon”, it’s wise to keep to yourself. One time a woman in the front seat was banging on the front plexiglass division, demanding that the Safari
SAFARI 101 by Suzanne Wentley
Above: No car? No problem. St. Thomas’s Safaris will transport you to the shopping center and then back to Red Hook or the Charlotte Amalie waterfront Below: The author’s cousin Katherine, riding in Safari style
you to ring the doorbell attached to the ceiling to alert the driver to stop at the next stop, do so happily. A good attitude really goes a long way on St. Thomas. Know when to get off There is an art to getting off the Safari at the right spot. Ring too early and you’re walking. Ring too late and you’re walking. Ring just right and the driver stops exactly where you want, and your day is made! This takes practice. To walk into Frenchtown, ring the bell well in advance. Otherwise you’re halfway to the airport. Remember, the driver isn’t going to stop in the middle of the road — unless, of course, he or she stops in the middle of the road. Then other drivers on the street honk and swerve, shaking their heads. Safaris stop running at sunset, and you don’t want to get stuck. One time, as dusk emerged, my Safari driver demanded everyone disembark at the Tutu Mall and wait for another Safari. I was standing there with a few others, and I started to figure out Plan B in my mind. Maybe I’ll fork over $10 for a taxi. Maybe I can call a friend. A woman chatting into her cell phone nearby saw me and stopped talking. She looked at me and pointed her finger, as if reading my mind. “Use your head!” she commanded. “Use your head!” So I started to imagine another Safari arriving. And soon one did. And I hopped on, dollar in hand.
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driver go faster. It seemed she was worried about missing the ferry to St. John. Another woman exited the Safari at a stop and, at the request of the driver, asked the rest of the riders if anyone wanted to go to Coki
Beach. This enraged the first woman. She started screaming at the woman standing on the curb, cursing her out and calling her every nasty name you can imagine. The woman was shocked. The Safari drove off. And here’s the thing: An older woman sitting behind the angry woman started laughing. The teenage student in a uniform next to me gave her a fist-bump and nodded his head in approval. I kept quiet. Another time an overweight man, who also happened to be sitting in the front seat, apparently had Tourette syndrome. He started crying, yelling, “I didn’t do it!” and then would pretend to fall out of the side of the truck. Then he would start cursing loudly. Then start crying again. The man sitting next to him swung his legs over the seat and scrambled into the bench behind him. The Safari, you have to understand, is not for the faint of heart. Be kind to others That’s why it’s vital to be kind to everyone on the Safari. People of all sorts ride it, and we’re sometimes all packed in tightly together. There is a bus, but it almost never comes. So if you’re trying to get to work, church, school or Kmart, and you don’t have one of the ubiquitous rusty and squeaky island cars, you’re on the Safari. So be nice to your neighbors. Help people load their bags on. If you’re sitting on the aisle, hop down so that people on the inside can easily get off. If someone asks
JUNE 2017 CARIBBEAN COMPASS
“Good morning!” Greet everyone kindly on the open-air public transport trucks known as Safaris with these magic words — not “hello” or “beautiful day, isn’t it?” but specifically “good morning” or “good afternoon” — and your experience will be greatly improved. There are certain things worth noting when it comes to hopping aboard the best way to travel in the US Virgin Islands, and the proper greeting is the most important. As someone who arrived in St. Thomas on a sailboat and without a vehicle, I rely heavily on Safaris. They are operated independently by savvy entrepreneurs whose trucks have benches to fit anywhere from 12 to 25 people jammed in with their purses, shopping bags and babies. For US$1 or $2, depending on how far you’re going, you can get around the southern and eastern sections of the island in no time. There’s a specific route that travels in a big loop from the University of the Virgin Islands through downtown Charlotte Amalie, up Raphune Hill to the Tutu Mall, then around to Coki Beach and Red Hook and back again to the waterfront. Here are some basic tips for making a Safari ride a pleasant one: Know where and when to flag ’em A simple raised arm is all it really takes to flag down a Safari anywhere. Make sure you’re on the correct side of the road to go where you want, and be in a spot where it’s relatively safe for the vehicle to pull over. There are informal dirt pull-offs all along the road in addition to a few clearly marked stops. If someone is randomly standing on the side of the street, chances are they’re at the regular Safari stop. Greet them with the magic words and try to find a little shade while you wait. On weekdays, Safaris run from about 5:30AM until sundown. On Sundays, there are fewer. One will drive by every five to ten minutes, and rarely are they completely filled. Don’t be shy if there are four people in a seat. They can squeeze in a fifth. We all have to get someplace. Did you raise your arm and the vehicle kept on going? Maybe you noticed a bunch of pale tourists inside, taking pictures and smiling broadly? That, my friend, is not a Safari. That is a taxi, and although it performs the exact same function as the beloved Safari, it costs ten times more. Safaris are usually rustier than taxis and filled with working people — like myself. These trusty vehicles also might be covered in stickers proclaiming a driver’s love of God, or they may sport a bullet hole or two. Each one is unique. Get your dollar ready A one-way ride on a Safari costs either US$1 or $2. How do you know? Good question. From Red Hook to the mall, it’s $1. From Frenchtown along the waterfront to Havensight, it’s $1. Anything more, it’s $2. When you’re on the fence, just give an extra dollar. Because, really, when do Safari drivers even get a bathroom break? Some people tip a Safari driver, as their signs frequently remind riders. If you’ve got a lot of bags and you’re making it difficult for them to fill up to capacity, give an extra dollar. Some days, when I get to my destination in record time, I tip an extra dollar as well. Feel like you were waiting forever? This happens. Once I finally hopped on after a long Sunday wait and sat next to a Rastafarian. Of course, I greeted him properly. He asked how I was, and I told him, shaking my head, that I hadn’t been sure a Safari was ever going to come. “Paaaaaatiennnce,” he said slowly. It took patience just to hear him give that advice, but it’s a good one. Be patient and be grateful. No other island has the Safari.
Selected On-Line Weather Sources
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“Red sky at night…?”* When was the last time you really looked at the sky during happy hour? For that matter, when was the last time you even tapped the barometer? Yet weather prediction occupies a large part of a Caribbean sailor’s attention. According to Wikipedia, it was not until the invention of the electric telegraph in 1835 that the modern age of weather forecasting began. Before this time, it was not widely practicable to transport information about the current state of the weather any faster than a steam train (and the train also was a very new technology at that time). By the late 1840s, the telegraph allowed reports of weather conditions from a wide area to be received almost instantaneously, allowing forecasts to be made from knowledge of weather conditions farther upwind… In the United States, the first public radio forecasts were made in 1925 on WEEI, the Edison Electric Illuminating station in Boston. Television forecasts followed in Cincinnati in the 1940s on the DuMont Television Network. The Weather Channel, a 24-hour cable network, began broadcasting in 1982. The technology used to disseminate weather forecasts is continually evolving. Although it’s been a long time since people tried to predict the weather by examining onion skins or seeing whether or not the groundhog went back into his hole, it has also been a while since mariners routinely listened to WWV radio for marine storm warnings. The use of once-popular weatherfax has been replaced by GRIB. Although SSB radio is still indispensable, today, with WiFi so widely available in the Caribbean, increasing numbers of sailors get their weather information from on-line sources. SSB or SatPhone weather is still important when offshore, out of WiFi range. Here we present a selection of sites that various Caribbean cruisers have recommended (tested PC and Android tablet compatible). Is your favorite weather website not listed here? Let us know! Caribbean National, Regional and Island Weather Websites • ABCs Weather: www.meteo.cw/rad_loop.php • Cuba Met Institute (Spanish): www.met.inf.cu • Curaçao Met Department: www.meteo.cw • MartiniqueWeatherRadar (French): www.meteofrance.gp/previsions-meteo-antilles-guyane/animation/radar/antilles • Panama Weather (Spanish; requires Adobe Flash Player and is not Android compatible): www.hidromet.com.pa/index.php • St. Martin (French): www.sxmcyclone.com/?page_id=1129 • Trinidad & Tobago Weather Radar: www.metoffice.gov.tt/radar • US National Weather Service (for USVI and Puerto Rico): www.srh.noaa.gov/sju • Barbados weather satellite (Barbados Weather Radar is off the air pending facility reconstruction}: www.barbadosweather.org/barbados-weather-dir-Sat.php General Weather Websites • NOAA’s Environmental Visualization Laboratory (great satellite images, animations and more visual storm stuff): www.nnvl.noaa.gov • Mike’s Weather Page: www.spaghettimodels.com • http://www.windfinder.com • PassageWeather (provides seven-day wind, wave and weather forecasts): www.onboardonline.com/weathertools • Weather Underground: www.wunderground.com/hurricane • www.windyty.com (shows wind speed and direction for 14 days in about three-hour increments) Weather Conversions • http://weather.org/conversion.htm Commercial Marine Weather Service Websites • Buoyweather (free two-day forecasts in addition to paid-for custom forecasts): www.buoyweather.com • Chris Parker’s Marine Weather Center (listen free on daily SSB nets or subscribe for daily e-mails for your area): http://mwxc.com/index.php • Crown Weather Services (provides a good Tropical Weather page in addition to paid-for custom forecasts): www.crownweather.com • Worldwide severe storm prediction (paid subscription): www.stormpulse.com • Caribbean Weather: http://weather.org/caribbean.htm Hurricane Information Websites • Caribbean Hurricane Network (latest local updates from correspondents on the islands): www.stormcarib.com • US National Hurricane Center: www.nhc.noaa.gov • NHC Offshore Reports: www.nhc.noaa.gov/marine/offshores.php • Offshore Waters Forecast (Caribbean/SW Atlantic): www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/MIAOFFNT3.shtml • AccuWeather: http://sirocco.accuweather.com/sat_mosaic_640x480_public/IR/isahatl.gif • Atlantic Hurricane Tracking Chart (print out for offline reference): www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/tracking_chart_atlantic.pdf • Caribbean Rainbow Loop: www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/east/carb/flash-rb.html • NOAA Climate Discussion: www.climate.gov/news-features • NHC Marine Graphicast: www.nhc.noaa.gov/marine/graphicast.php?basin=at#contentw.nws.noaa John J. Kettlewell says, “The map at earth.nullschool.net is an interactive pilot chart, showing current conditions around the world. When you open the page you see the entire globe, then you can zoom in to see smaller regions. Click on Earth’ in the lower left to get a menu. You can choose to see the world’s current wind or current patterns, or ocean waves, all with animation.”
‘
Happy weather windows! * The “red sky” adage only holds true in the mid-Northern Hemisphere, where westerly winds prevail. In Caribbean, our Eastern Tradewinds prevail.
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Selected Caribbean Shortwave Weather Reports Summer 2017
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
STATION & REPORT DESCRIPTION FREQ** TYPE MODE Daily Offshore Forecast A Voice USB Eastern Carib. Weather (Chris) 4045 & 8137 Voice USB (Note 1) Daily Caribbean Weather 6215 Bahamas Weather (Chris) 4045 & 8137 Voice USB (Note 1) Trinidad Emergency Net 3855 Voice LSB/Ham Carib. Emergency & Weather Net 3815 Voice LSB/Ham Bahamas BASRA Weather Net 4003 USB Bahamas Weather C6AGG Net 7096/3696 Voice LSB/Ham US E.Coast, W. Atl. N&W of Bermuda (Chris) 8137 & 12350 Voice USB (Note 1) E. Caribbean Weather Net (Denis) 4420 USB KPK Cruising Safety Net (sponsor SSCA) 8104 Voice USB Cruiseheimers Net 8152 (8146, 8164) USB E. Caribbean Weather (Chris) 8137 & 12350 Voice USB (Note 1) W. Caribbean Weather (Chris) 8137 & 12350 Voice USB (Note 1) East & ESE sponsor requests (Chris) 8137 & 12350 Voice USB (Note 1) Offshore Forecast A Voice USB Offshore Forecast A Voice USB Carib., Atl. & Pac. Weather (Chris) 8137 & 12350 Voice USB (Notes 1 and 1a) Caribbean Emergency & Weather Net 3815 Voice LSB/Ham When active tropical systems in Atlantic (Chris) 3817 USB Offshore Forecast A Voice USB Maritime Mobile Net (Emergency, Weather & Assistance) 14300 USB/Ham
info@caribbeanhorizons.com www.caribbeanhorizons.com
JUNE 2017
UTC AST* 0930 0530 1000 0600 1000 0600 1030 0630 1030 0630 1030 0630 1100 0700 1120 0720 1130 0730 1145 0745 1215 0815 1230 0830 1230 0830 1300 0900 After 1300 0900 1530 1130 2130 1730 2200 1800 2235 1835 2300 1900 0330 2330 24/7/365
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** Frequencies (in kHz): A) NMN, Chesapeake, 4426, 6501, 8764, 13089, 17314. Caribbean Sea approximately 25 minutes later. NMG, New Orleans, 4316, 8502, 12788. Caribbean Sea approximately 25 minutes later.
Whether it’s canned goods, dairy products, meat, fresh vegetables or fruits, toiletries, household goods,
Note 1: Unless severe weather threatens, this net is not conducted on Sundays. When there are active Tropical systems in the Atlantic, Marine Weather Center (Chris) runs a net at 2300 UTC/1900 AST on 8137, USB. Note 1a: Please hail Marine Weather Center (WCY) 15 minutes before the net so that Chris knows where to aim his antenna to reach you. This net is geared primarily to offshore Atlantic and Pacific passagemakers. For schedule updates see www.mwxc.com TIPS • WWV has World Marine Storm Warnings (Voice) at 8 minutes after each hour and Solar Flux information at 18 minutes after each hour on 2500, 5000, 10000, 15000 & 20000 (Switch to AM mode)
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• During hurricane activity, information can be found continuously on the Hurricane Watch Net on 14325 USB/Ham and 3950 LSB/Ham. • Anyone, licensed or not, may legally operate on Ham frequencies in the event of life-threatening or DISTRESS situations. • In case of maritime emergency, there is a 27/7/365 Maritime Mobile Net on 14300 USB/Ham. Any vessel IN DISTRESS may call in, even if not a licensed Ham operator. • Glenn (callsign KPK) listens for emergency/humanitarian calls of any kind on his 1215 UTC SSCA Net on 8104 MHz USB. • Chris Parker listens for emergency traffic at the very beginning of every weather net on 4045, 8137 and 12.350 MHz USB. • Also of interest, with weather, security and general info segments, are the Panama Connection Net at 1330 UTC on 8107, and the Northwest Caribbean Net at 1400 UTC on 6209. • A more complete schedule of eastern North Atlantic and Caribbean cruising nets is available at docksideradio.com/cruising%nets.htm Thanks to cruisers for this information. As this issue of Compass went to press, it was correct to the best of our knowledge. Corrections and comments are welcome. Please send them to sally@caribbeancompass.com
Read in Next Month’s Compass: It’s So Turk-uoise in the Caicos A Spinnaker Run Through the BVI Be Part of the 2017 Compass Readers’ Survey!
… and much, much more!
PAGE 25
best prices in Grenada at our two
* Atlantic Standard Time (AST) does not shift to DST in the summer in Caribbean waters.
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JUNE 2017 CARIBBEAN COMPASS
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Aboard in Tropical Storm Matthew:
The Morning After by John Rowland reach anywhere near that strength by the time it reached us. Many of the folks who had been through similar situations urged us to stay aboard during the storm to deal with any problems that might come up, such as a leak or something breaking. Besides, you don’t want to miss the experience. (I guess that includes being wet and shivering under a blanket at 0300 hours.) With one day to the storm’s predicted arrival, the marina became alive with people adding mooring lines, wrapping sail covers, filling water tanks, clearing decks, securing tenders, and so on, and so on…. There is no telling what damage a storm will do to the infrastructure of the island, so it is prudent to have tanks topped off and be provisioned for a few days.
‘We considered our options and decided
PAGE 27
Securing the boat into the slip in preparation for a storm is called “spider webbing”. The basic idea is to have as many lines as possible restricting the boat’s motion in any given direction. Our friend Bernard on S/V Beesmej gave us one very good idea. Normally, when we dock, we secure the loop end of our mooring lines to the cleats on the boat and the bitter end to the cleats on the dock. When securing for a storm, it is better to reverse that procedure and have the bitter end on the boat so that adjustments can be made as conditions change without leaving the boat. On G dock in RBM there are two slips between the finger docks. Next to us was a 47-foot trawler, M/V Laurel. To help keep both our boats from being pushed against the dock as the wind direction clocked around, we rigged two spring lines between our boats, midship of one boat to stern of the other. Cockpit canvas off, sail cover wrapped in a stout
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
to stay at the dock’
JUNE 2017
It’s 6:30AM, September 29th, 2016 in slip G16 at Rodney Bay Marina in St. Lucia. Dawn has been trying to penetrate the roiling grey cauldron of clouds above us for an hour now but, so far, has only managed to create an eerie twilight. I’m sitting in my boat’s salon, wrapped in a blanket and huddled over a steaming cup of coffee. I just returned from checking the nine mooring lines on deck again — and, yet again, got drenched in the process. Whatever the temperature is right now, it’s far below the ambient temperatures in the mid 30°C range and heat indexes in the low 40°C range we’ve gotten accustomed to in the past several weeks. The condensation on the ports reminds me of a late fall day in Michigan. The feeder bands following Tropical Storm Matthew are still buffeting us with rain and 30-knot gusts but it seems calm after the previous 18 hours. Forecasts say this will continue into early afternoon. Last night’s sleep for me consisted of a few catnaps amid the howling wind and groaning mooring lines and gusts slamming into the hull. I’m cold and tired but thankful boat and crew are okay. Off and on during the night, I thought back on how we got here. In June of 2015 my wife, Nancy, and I had left the boat on the hard here in Rodney Bay, as we had done a number of times before. We’ve always been very satisfied with the service and the security here. Our intention had been to return in November of that year for another season of cruising the islands, but life got in the way and it was July of 2016 before we returned. As most owners know, a boat left too long can adopt the personality of a petulant child and can find interesting ways of demanding the attention it thinks it deserves. The expected week to get Silver Seas into the water turned into five weeks, and the remaining commissioning list grew to look more like instructions for a minor refit. Then, one morning you open the NOAA website and trouble is coming down on you. We’d spent the better part of the past week watching Invest 97 take a westerly course from Africa toward St. Lucia. Although the disturbance was having difficulty organizing, each day it became clearer we were in for an unpleasant experience of some sort. By the Monday, there was no doubt that the situation warranted careful monitoring. There was a steady parade of boats coming in from the anchorage, coming from Martinique and from down island, seeking the protection of the marina or the mooring field in the inner lagoon. Although it was still not clear if the disturbance would be a tropical wave, a tropical depression or a tropical storm, and the spread of maximum wind-velocity predictions varied between 30 and 60 knots, it was certain by Wednesday afternoon there was going to be some serious weather upon us — and woe to those who were not prepared. We considered our options and decided to stay at the dock. The marina at Rodney Bay is considered a safe “hurricane hole” for up to a Category 3 storm, and none of the predictions suggested Matthew would
line, decks cleared of anything not secured and dinghy secured in the davits at an angle to allow accumulated water to drain; we thought we were as ready as possible. We had even laid a bead of clear caulking around all the ports. We woke up Wednesday morning to the news that Invest 97 had received a battlefield promotion to Tropical Storm Matthew. He arrived in the early afternoon. Deluges of rain and building wind, punctuated by vicious gusts, continued through the night into the early morning hours. Nancy and I had never before been aboard Silver Seas through a storm of this magnitude while tied to a dock. For Hurricane Dean, in 2007, we left the boat after she was secured in a slip and went to a hotel. We weathered Felix, shortly thereafter, at anchor because we had no choice. I had no idea how rough a marina slip could be in these conditions. As we were tossed about all night, despite nine mooring lines remaining intact, several times I irrationally considered we might be better off out in the bay on the anchor. Despite the tight restrictions of the lines, there was more vertical, side-to-side and corkscrew motion than I anticipated. If something went really wrong, in open water I knew I had options to use to cope with the situation, but in the confined space of the slip? The rain continued to pummel the decks, the wind continued to claw and hammer the hull, and by dawn my nerves were severely frayed. The highest number I saw on my wind instruments during the night was 47 knots, but I’m sure my instruments are not quick enough to record the momentary gusts. When Matthew arrived the wind was out of the eastnortheast. Through afternoon and evening it clocked around to east-southeast. Through that progression, the two spring lines between Silver Seas and Laurel were essential in keeping both boats from being smashed into the dock. As Thursday afternoon progressed the wind moved back to easterly while it abated to a seemingly calm 20 knots or so. Matthew had moved on. The radio news informed us that the island had fared pretty well, save some areas with flooding, and fallen trees knocking power out in some places and blocking a few roads. The services at the marina will be closed during the day but the evening shift will arrive and the restaurants and bars will open and stories will be told, while Matthew moves on to steal some other sailor’s sleep. Matthew has left behind a reawakened respect for the power of storm forces and a reaffirmed sense of our place in the pecking order of the universe.
At 0600 UTC on September 22nd 2016 the surface analysis chart for the North Atlantic showed Tropical Storm Lisa west of the Cape Verde Islands already north of 20 degrees latitude and tracking well to the north; no threat to the Caribbean. Tropical Depression Karl was several degrees north of the Lesser Antilles, also tracking north of west. There were no features threatening us. Over Africa, over central Mauritania about five degrees west of Timbuktu, was a 1010-millibar low that I didn’t even notice at the time. My interest was in the 40 degrees of longitude, the 2,400 nautical miles of warm tropical waters between the Cape Verde Islands and the Lesser Antilles — particularly during this part of hurricane season when the Cape Verde-class hurricanes happen. Storms like, say, Ivan the Terrible in 2004.
The Storm that Didn’t Get Us by Jim Hutchinson ally. Fast also means you have less time and have to start considering options earlier. The forecast was insistent that it was going to stay south, as far south as Grenada, and that whatever developed would be ours in the southern Windward Islands. And it was forecast to develop and intensify. I asserted that it would pass north of us and I would bet on it. Most hurricanes do pass north of us… well, Hurricane Ivan didn’t… nor did Emily, 11 months
JUNE 2017
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
PAGE 28
NOAA
Two days later, September 24th, the surface analysis chart showed a tropical wave stretching south from the Cape Verde Islands. Paul O’Regan of Carriacou’s Technical Marine Management said there was also a low associated with the wave and that it was moving fast — 25 knots (typical is ten to 15 knots) — and was expected to develop. Fast is good in an approaching low/tropical wave — they can’t get it together… usu-
September 26th, 2016. ‘I didn’t think we’d get hit this time but I took it seriously anyway’ later. But most of them do. That’s a pretty safe bet this early in the game. And Tropical Storm Lisa, which had started near where this wave was, had just gone northwest a thousand miles and was down to a fizzling
tropical depression in mid-ocean. On Monday September 26th, the low and its wave were a huge mass of weather wider than the Lesser Antilles, ten degrees (600 miles) to the east of us with the low-pressure center still south of our latitude. It wasn’t even a depression or a storm, no cyclonic rotation. But the low had now earned a designation — 97L. Both the actual track and the forecast stood on; it was going to hit us dead center here in the southern Windwards. While I was still willing to bet that it would eventually turn north, it was threatening enough for us to prepare in any event. The forecast said that 97L would slow, begin to organize and would intensify into a full hurricane as it approached and crossed the Lesser Antilles into the Caribbean Sea. And it was a very large blob of convective weather — some part of it would likely be ours. So I went into the mangroves, where there is no WiFi — no more weather graphics for a while. But once I decide to put in for shelter, forecasts become secondary. I’ll be setting up for a hit that is one step harder than the forecast calls for. Paul, TMM, and several others had small fleets they were watching for absentee owners. Our early warning is when they and the Sea Rose, Carriacou’s floating metal shop, start moving into the mangroves. Then I check the weather again and make my decision, taking into account the least favorable forecast. This time I was also keeping an eye on an absentee friend’s boat, which was also watched by Paul. So when Paul started moving his fleet in, I moved her boat in. So that I could watch them both, I followed with my own yacht to claim the space beside her. Cassiopeia I and Ambia are small boats. Cassi is a Tartan 33, only nine feet longer than Ambia. Both have operating propulsion. So I single-handed each of them in, chose their spot, anchored them just off, and started running lines into the mangroves. I had moved in too early, at least a day too early, so I left both boats standing off, moored between anchor and lines ashore. I am what one Compass editor calls a septuagenarian, so I worked slowly and carefully. —Continued on next page
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PAGE 29
AMENITIES
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
At 10:30AM EDT on Wednesday, September 28th 2016, NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image of TS Matthew just east of the Lesser Antilles
from other yachts that had come in. Also, Georg, who brought in some boats that Arawak Divers were watching, was making the rounds in one of the plastic beach kayaks that Arawak rents. I commented that he had the perfect boat for running lines into the mangroves, low, narrow and pointed, so you can take a line as far as possible into the mangrove roots before having to climb into the trees. He joked that I shouldn’t tell; it was a secret. But useful secrets should be shared. For instance, Sally, Paul’s wife, packed a big bottle of drinking water for each of Paul’s crew. Don’t dehydrate and avoid heat exhaustion. You need to last long enough to set up properly and then to deal with the weather itself… if any. Tuesday night there was a breeze and it rained. Ambia was closed up and I was snug with my frugal little fan blowing on me. Being rested when it begins is a good idea. Tomorrow night could conceivably be (though I doubted it) an all-nighter. A tropical wave and low pressure south of the Cape Verde Islands on the Africa side of the North Atlantic Ocean, 2,400 miles upwind of us, was speeding across the ocean, but forecast to slow and strengthen just as it hit us in the southern Windward Islands. And yes, it was forecast to stay this far south. Our hit probably wouldn’t be too serious, but on the other hand…. So most of the fleet moved into the local hurricane hole. I thought that the precaution was probably unnecessary, but I had moved in too — I set up more often than I get hit. And so far I haven’t been hit when I wasn’t set up. So here we are again, tied in and waiting for the massive low pressure system designated 97L that will soon become tropical storm then hurricane then major hurricane Matthew. Wednesday, September 28th, 2016 was “storm” day for us, forecast to start late afternoon and continue through the night. There’s a lot of popular lore about how storms seem to always strike at night. And there is much anecdotal evidence; many storms do strike at night. Still, one wonders where the storms are during the day. —Continued on next page
JUNE 2017
—Continued from previous page It was a hot, breezeless day, sweaty work. That was followed by a hot, breezeless night screened in from the bugs. I have a small fan over the head of my berth so I can sleep in a breeze, not a pool of sweat. I don’t use it often here in the tradewind, but it is worth having when I do. The next day, Tuesday, the day I should have moved in to the mangroves, there was a nice little breeze. The forecast hadn’t changed except that the center was now expected to pass a hundred miles north of us late Wednesday, the center of a blob of weather still 600 miles across. I reckoned tropical storm conditions at worst, probably less — except in squalls. The forecast now put us in the “navigable semicircle” in which a system’s forward movement is subtracted from the cyclone’s wind speed — in the “dangerous semicircle” the storm’s movement is added to the wind. But either semicircle can be dangerous. So that I wouldn’t have two boats to deal with if I proved wrong, I went ahead and snugged Cassi into the mangroves, picking a spot where the limbs would separate either side of her forestay. I pulled her bow firmly into the roots with ropes spread to either side led to the cockpit winches, then snugged up the bow lines. Cassi would be fine that way for storm conditions. Check my “Shelter From the Storm” in Compass’s archive (www.caribbeancompass. com/online/july10compass_online.pdf, page 26) for tips regarding threats of a full hurricane or worse. For now I left Ambia hanging between her anchor and the trees, out where the living is better: more breeze and fewer bugs. I could pull her in on short notice if deemed necessary. I was still expecting conditions that I could have survived anchored in the bay. Plus we were now landlocked from any swell. The cyclonic wind would be into the open side of the bay we’d just vacated, blowing waves onto a lee shore. With most of the work already done, Tuesday was largely a lay day. I did a dinghy paddle around to see who was here and how they were set up — they looked fairly secure for what we were expecting. I had several visits
—Continued from previous page About a hundred boats had moved into the mangroves for protection. While that’s a crowd in this particular hurricane hole, I’ve seen twice as many, lots of them inbound fleeing from the north. But yachts tend not to flee towards the storm’s forecast track, which was where we were. So it was a fairly local crowd. Perhaps being on the storm’s forecast track is a safety
JUNE 2017
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
PAGE 30
NOAA
darkened and I got the sailing rig down just in time to avoid a knockdown by the first gust of a substantial rainstorm. The squall ended as I finally made shore by paddle power and pulled up dripping wet. The wind persisted, maybe 15 to 25 knots, and I paddled home across the bay close under the land then sailed bare pole down the mangrove creek to my spot. It blew an intermittent gale that night. And my, how it rained. The water in my dinghy was deeper than I’d seen in years. And during the night and into the morning, surf could be heard crashing onto the cobble shores of the bay just the other side of the mangroves. A report from a big boat that had stayed in the bay said that there had been a bit of pitching in a short swell. That report from an English sailor, which, compared to another account, was a bit of an understatement. Most of us stayed in the mangroves Thursday as well, expecting more swell in the bay. My next satellite look at the storm was on Friday when I brought the boats out of the mangroves. By Saturday’s satellite, 97L had become Category 5 Hurricane Matthew dominating the central Caribbean, still a 500-mile-wide blob of weather but now with cyclonic circulation, two huge areas of intense convection, and an eye. And, in marked contrast with the 25-knot speed of 97L, Matthew was now moving at four knots, very slowly. For us, 97L had passed. For others, major Hurricane Matthew was approaching. Over several days the storm made a sharp turn to the north, narrowly missed Jamaica, hit the southwest peninsula of Haiti full strength, went through the Windward Passage and over the east end of Cuba, and did a northwesterly turn to pass up the southwest Bahamas over the Tongue of the Ocean. After that, Matthew hit Florida
Hurricane Matthew did turn to the north — eventually factor — I often regard the other boats as a bigger threat than the weather itself. Wednesday’s weather was cloudy and breezy with occasional small squalls. I was restless, so sailed my little dinghy out through the mangroves and across the bay to have lunch and maybe see a current satellite picture. Once out of the mangroves it was pretty lively sailing. About halfway across the bay the sky
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and points north. The path of Matthew’s storm-force winds was 250 miles wide. The path of hurricane-force winds was less than a hundred miles across. Matthew’s Category 4 and 5 winds covered a small fraction of that. My story is about dealing with a rather ordinary degree of threat, a hazard that can be readily weathered if you prepare — but might get you if you don’t. About one in four storms that I prepare for could have got me if I hadn’t prepared. I didn’t think we’d get hit this time but I took it seriously anyway. Doing all the work to move in and secure, then undoing it all, untying everything, moving back out, and stowing everything to be ready for the next threat was practice. I was glad I’d done it, even though it had not been strictly necessary. Still, it had saved me the hardship and stress of a buckaroo night at anchor in a short swell. The change of pace and extra work felt good, despite interrupting about a week of my regular routine. And I was reminded how spoiled we are in the southeastern Caribbean — other than occasional killer storms, things are pretty soft here. Still, I know sensible, seaworthy sailors aboard very capable yachts who make it a point not to be in the hurricane belt during hurricane season. As it turned out, that was not the end of our dealings with Matthew. Several days later the west swell that the southern half of the storm had built up while Matthew was Category Five in the central Caribbean began to arrive in the Windward Islands. The swell had traveled hundreds of miles against a moderate easterly wind so it was long and low, not particularly uncomfortable out on the bay. But it was breaking heavily on the shore, washing sand over the seawall, and tearing up the dinghy docks. Then 97L / TD #14 / Hurricane Matthew really was gone (for us), the swell Matthew had kicked back from the central Caribbean was gone, and the dinghy dock was gone. The sand had been shoveled and swept out of the Gallery Café and I was having breakfast when Ellie, who had also moved her yacht into the mangroves, came in and said, “That was a good exercise.” That says it real well. On this particular island we hadn’t had a scare that made us run for cover and go through all the bother of setting up for three hurricane seasons. We needed the practice. If our next storm threat is soon, we’ll be ready. Most of the people who experienced Matthew to some degree didn’t have much problem. To those who were nearer the eye when Matthew passed it is an entirely different story — well over a thousand died.
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BUMPED BY A SHARK by Tina Dreffin
JUNE 2017
Above: ’They came at me from ten feet below and leveled off directly in front of me…”
wanting to appear too girlish. “Be brave,” I told myself. “I was nearly bumped by... a... two... two sharks! Bull sharks!” I stammered. I trembled all over. I told the story. It was an hour before I calmed down. But I felt emboldened, whereas before, I’d felt helpless around approaching sharks. Now, whenever I tell the story, I flex my weeny bicep and say, “Yes! I sure showed them!” Tina Dreffin is into her 40th year in cruising. Her latest book is Bluewater Walkabout: Into Africa, a voyage about cruising with four teens onboard: www.bluewaterwalkabout.com
PAGE 31
Below: ‘I felt emboldened, whereas before, I’d felt helpless around approaching sharks’
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
We were anchored in Cruz Bay in St. John, USVI aboard Freebird, a Grainger 42-foot catamaran. “Babes, come for a swim! I’m dying to cool off,” I shouted to Peter. He was in the engine room below decks. “Can’t. Changing the oil. Go ahead. I’ll catch up with you later,” Peter shouted back. The oil fumes were giving me headaches, so I took him up on his offer to not hang around until he was free. I should have given my thought process some consideration when I said, “dying”. I jumped off a stern sugar-scoop. The water felt refreshing. I followed the sea wall to the north as I finned towards the outer harbor. Once I hit the reef, I relaxed, taking in the stunning hues of blues all around me. Waters were clear as gin and shallow enough to free-dive into coral caves. There, damselfish with electric lights set across dark blue scales twinkled brightly. A blue tang darted about in front of its hiding place, warning intruders away. The reef always calmed my soul, bringing me into a greater state of awareness. We were preparing to cross the Anegada Passage to St. Martin soon, and I was feeling apprehensive. Although we’d made passages often, there always seemed to be a surprise when we least expected it — and always at night. Time passed as my musings took me away. I continued working down the reef, heading farther down the harbor. When I swam down to collect an empty shell a moray eel jutted his thick head out, curious about my close passing. Satiated with the reef, I decided to venture farther. This time, I headed towards the open sea but stayed along the wall. It’s always interesting what I find: abandoned anchors, outboard engines, and stern grills. Either they were jettisoned or fell off. Once, I came across a tablet. “Oops,” I thought. “Someone slipped when they moved off the trampoline of a catamaran while heading back into the cockpit.” Although I was in open water, I wasn’t concerned about my safety. Attached to my ankle was the tether of a yellow kayak, announcing my presence. Before towing a kayak, I often ran into close encounters with dinghies. Now, dinghies roar up to see if the kayak is drifting away, not expecting to see me. I rounded a bend and saw waves breaking ahead. Suddenly, out of the depths came two sharks. I knew them to be bull sharks because of their short, blunt snouts. I quickly checked their fins. Yup, there were the black tips on their fins, too. I used to catch bulls when shark fishing in the Bahamas with our young sons. Bulls always gave me the most trouble when reeling in. The shark jerked the line back and forth during the haul onto the beach at first light. The name “bull shark” refers to the short, sturdy form of its body and hostile nature. Bull sharks prefer shallow waters that are warm. It was summer, and I was right in their habitat. “Silly me. Now I’m in a bit of a pickle. Surely, they’ll swim under me and carry on their merry way,” I thought. But bull sharks are curious and known for their aggression. Rated among the top three species most likely to attack humans, they are joined by their more famous cousins, the great whites and tiger sharks. The two sharks swam in close unison, one above the other. It was likely that a male was pursuing a female, being mating season. Swimmers are most often attacked during mating season when a bull can be unusually hyper — no doubt pissed off about not having found his honey yet. But this guy had his honey, making them double trouble. They came at me from ten feet below and leveled off directly in front of me, a distance away. On the approach, there was no change in depth. Because we were in shallow water, my eyes sighted theirs. Usually, when I free-dive for lobsters or fish, the sharks remain on the sea floor, a bit below me. I don’t worry too much because I know they’re interested in the fish, not me. But I didn’t have any fish with me now. And they were still coming at me. My heart thudded in my head, and my blood ran cold. It was terrifying not to be able to call for help. No one was around. No one would know if I even died out here all alone. My kayak would be found drifting at sea. Headlines roared in my ears of, “Swimmer Lost at Sea”. What was I thinking to be out here in the middle of nowhere? I berated myself — only briefly — before heading back into survival mode. “What do I do?” My thoughts immediately raced back to an old diver buddy of mine who fought with sharks whenever they tried to take his fish. Mike is beefy and large, able to fight the beasts, but I’m not. My small frame is laughable in the eyes of two sharks. Mike has more bruises on his body at any given time from bumps of sharks. Peter used to dive with him. Peter watched transfixed as Mike once fought off a shark with a spear in one hand and the dead fish by the eyeballs in the other. When last around Mike, I thought it might be a good idea to gather a bit of information, so I queried him one summer day. The warm waters were beginning to attract sharks into shallow areas to mate. I might come upon one some day. “So Mike, what’s the best course of action to take if ever bumped by a shark?” “Hit ’em back!” “Say what? Are you kidding?” I said. “It’s either that or you’re their next dinner!” So we got down to brass tactics. “Back away, slowly, if you can. Fight like your life depended on it. Bang the snout hard with your fist. Keep facing your predator.” Afterward, I filed the intel in the back of my brain. As the sharks kept on their slow approach, motor neurons collided as I pulled back Mike’s intel. As an author, I refused to lose my hands to a bloody shark, but my feet were okay if I had to choose. My time had come. The distance between the sharks and me became ten feet, then six feet, and now only four. I screamed, “ACTION” as if on a film set — and I was the actress.
I quickly pulled the kayak in close and gathered the extra line so as not to become entangled with the tether. In tossing dock lines, I always threw the lead line with loads of extra rope length between the head and the reel to enable a good landing. I utilized that practice now. I wanted plenty of kicking room with my feet without the tether yanking them back. I counted down. “Three, two, one! Go!” I reeled back, pulling my knees in tight against my chest. As yellow eyes fixed on mine, the snout of the biggest shark came in the line of my bull’s-eye target. “KICK!” I plunged the heels of both feet directly into the snout and prepared to meet my maker. The force of my kick spun me over backward. I quickly reversed to face the devil. But lo and behold, if the mean guy hadn’t spun off at a 45-degree angle, headed back into the void of the sea, taking his mate with him. Thunder roared in my ears, adrenaline rushing up my veins. Did that just happen? I was incredulous. You mean this stuff works? Did I just successfully fend off not one, but two bull sharks? Not wanting to stick around for another party, I nearly walked on water getting back to the boat. I clambered aboard Freebird. “Peter! Peter!” I yelled with alarm in my voice. I never call him Peter. To me, Babes is his real name. He sprinted into the cockpit, taking in the view of my shaking frame. I wanted to cry, but held back, not
A One-Stop Solution for Wooden Boat Work by Don Street
JUNE 2017
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
PAGE 32
SALLY ERDLE
Anyone in the Eastern Caribbean who has a wooden boat that needs repair — or a fiberglass, aluminum or steel boat with wood components that need repair — should take a good look at Grenada these days. In Grenada there is someone whom I feel is one of the best shipwrights in the world. There is also a carpenter who has
The Best Stories from Caribbean Compass Now available as an eBook at Amazon.com, Cruising Life: The Best Stories from Caribbean Compass is a collection of 49 outstanding stories selected from more than 200 issues of Caribbean Compass. Ann Vanderhoof, author of An Embarrassment of Mangoes and The Spice Necklace, says, “Given a new life beyond the magazine, the pieces in this collection resonate and sparkle in a very different way, offering new pleasures. Beyond its entertainment — the first piece had me hooked — the collection is sure to spark ideas in both cruising sailors and armchair dreamers.” US$8.95 Read a preview and order Cruising Life now at www.amazon.com!
The 1899-built Galatea, racing in Grenada Sailing Week 2017. Her extensive bow repairs are undetectable spent his life doing nothing but fine joinery work (when he is not off sailing) in the Eastern Caribbean. There are others with similar skills scattered throughout the Eastern Caribbean, but in Grenada they are both in the same boatyard, a yard that has a massive boat lift and a storage area that has so much space it is rarely full even in hurricane season. I have owned wooden boats for 72 years. The first was Snipe number three, designer William Crosby’s original boat of a class that now numbers well over 100,000. This was followed by a Comet, a 16-foot centerboard version of a Star, followed by Iolaire, a 46-foot engineless yawl built in 1905 that I bought in St. Thomas in 1957 and owned for 52 years. During the last 33 years, in Ireland, I have owned and raced a Dragon called Gypsy, the oldest Dragon in the world still racing, built by Anker & Jensen in 1933. I have spent the better part of my lifetime helping shipwrights repair Iolaire and Gypsy. I have had Iolaire in boatyards in the Caribbean, in the States, and in Europe, and have observed the workmanship of their shipwrights and joiners. I feel I am justified in making the statement I made at the beginning of this article. Judd Tinius, a 42-year-old from the US, is a fantastic shipwright. Look at his Galatea. Galatea is a Swedish-built yawl of 68 feet LOA, 50 feet on the waterline with a beam of 12’6”, a draft of 8’6” — and only 18 inches of freeboard amidships. She was built in 1899 by Plymm and designed by Axel Nygren. There is absolutely no way you can see that Judd has replaced seven feet of bow that was once knocked off in a collision. Judd started sailing in an Olin Stephens-designed 14-foot Blue Jay. Then he crewed in his father’s Folkboat, and later aboard Lady Washington, a replica square-rigger that did educational cruises from California to Alaska. This got him interested in classic rigging, which led him to working with Jamie White of the San Francisco Maritime Museum, and the well-known rigging expert Brion Toss. Judd was part of the crew who re-rigged the former German nitrate carrier and Australian grain racer Moshulu, a 417-foot, four-masted barque whose mast rose a full 200 feet from the deck. Judd started his informal apprenticeship at age 11, sweeping floors in his uncle’s boatyard in Everett, Washington. He was taken under the wing of a very good British boatbuilder/joiner who worked for his uncle. In the US Pacific Northwest in the late 1980s and early ’90s there were plenty of wooden boats that needed repair. Judd learned a lot about replacing rotten stems and planking that has stood him in good stead in later life. —Continued on next page
—Continued from previous page He followed the usual routine of a young sailor, heading to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to find a job on a yacht heading south. After bouncing around the Caribbean and Europe, crewing on and delivering boats and working in yards, he headed back home to Everett. Here he started his own small and mainly DIY boatyard. After Judd had run the yard for a few years, the then-owner of Galatea, who had owned her for 21 years, put her up for sale. He had taken a liking to Judd, and in 2000 offered Judd Galatea in a deal Judd could not afford but could not turn down. Judd decided the wet northwest coast of the States was best left behind, so he headed south, with a crew including his father and two of the workers from his yard. From Panama he headed east, hoping to make the Antigua Classic Regatta. Unfortunately Galatea blew out her mainsail off the south coast of Puerto Rico and ducked into Salinas to repair it. Galatea missed the 2001 Classic Regatta, but placed first in Vintage Class A in 2007 and second in Vintage Class B in a tiebreaker for first in 2009. As well as being an excellent shipwright, Judd is an excellent sailor. Judd spent years in the Caribbean before heading to Europe in the spring of 2010 with a full crew of four, crossing the Atlantic via Bermuda and the Azores. He ended up in the Baltic, taking part in the Baltic Classic Regatta circuit, which ended with the first Classic Regatta in St. Petersburg. In October 2010 disaster struck. While sailing off the east coast of Sweden, Galatea was run down by a motor vessel and seven feet of the bow was knocked off. Judd managed to make port without sinking, made a settlement with the ship’s owners, laid Galatea up in Stockholm and departed to Palma to earn money to do the rebuild. He arrived back in Stockholm the following April, with one leg in a cast from ankle to hip — after breaking the leg getting off a boat onto the dock, when a block that was JANE GIBB
JUNE 2017
Dominican Republic Cayman Islands Haiti Cuba Jamaica Trinidad ABC Islands Puerto Rico Lesser Antilles in 3 volumes
www.freecruisingguides.com Compliments of:
Marina Zar-Par
Boca Chica, Dominican Republic www.marinazarpar.com
PAGE 33
FREE CRUISING GUIDES
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
being used as a step rolled out from under him — but managed to jury rig Galatea and get her to Szczecin, Poland, 30 miles up a river. The Poles thought he was nuts — arriving with a broken boat and a broken leg — but after watching him work, they took him under their wing and helped him. In three months he replaced seven feet of Galatea’s bow, doing such a magnificent job that it is impossible to tell that it is new. Back underway, it was off to a friend’s yard in Weymouth, England, where he spent the next ten months working on Galatea and other boats, then back to the Caribbean singlehanded. He ended up in St. Croix, running St. Croix Marine. Disaster struck again, on Good Friday, 2016, when an upper shroud turnbuckle broke and Galatea’s mast went overside. Thanks to Judd’s contacts on the US west coast he was able to have enough Sitka spruce to build a new mast shipped to St. Croix. Most spar makers would refuse to even start building a mast until a full mast bench was built, a bench longer than the spar and absolutely true. This was not available, so Judd lined up some sawhorses out in the open, got to work, and built a magnificent oval spar. The spar was stepped, and, with no time for trial sails, Galatea was off from the Virgin Islands en route to the Windwards to race in Grenada Sailing Week. Judd recently formed a partnership, Driftwood Fine Yacht Woodwork, with Steffen Meyerer, who has spent his life (when not sailing) doing superb joinery work on boats, both below and on deck. Steffen was born in a little town in the center of the largest forest in Germany. He became interested in woodworking during vacation time, when he was either working in the forestry department or in a small shop that designed and constructed innovative wooden kitchen paraphernalia. Working with wood, seeing it going from the tree to a finished product, started a passion. When he finished his schooling he, like many others of his generation, took a year off and went wandering. He toured New Zealand for a year on a bicycle. He then returned to Germany and did a full three-year cabinetmaking apprenticeship with a firm that did nothing but cabinetmaking and redecorating house interiors with very fancy wood paneling, making the rooms look ancient. Once the apprenticeship was finished, wanderlust set in again and Steffen headed to Dakar, Senegal, hoping to find a berth on a boat heading to South America. That did not work out and he found himself in Cape Town, South Africa where the boat bug really hit him. He took every chance he could to crew on boats and literally learn the ropes. He found himself at the age of 23 the owner of a 37-foot Endurance. If you are young, have a boat, and are in Cape Town, what do you do? You talk your girlfriend into joining you on a trip to the Caribbean, which Steffen did. Once in the Caribbean, various jobs restocked the finances until, as he says, “I followed the sawdust trail and ended up working for Chippy in Antigua for seven years.” A three-year apprenticeship in cabinet-making in Germany followed by seven years working for Chippy as a joiner on yachts of all sizes is training that cannot be matched. In 2010 the wanderlust set in yet again, and Steffen, with his girlfriend, now his wife, and their small daughter headed south. They ended up in Grenada, where Steffen set up his own shop, Driftwood, at the entrance to Port Louis Marina. Steffen had built up an excellent reputation as a fine woodworker while working for Chippy. Once he set up his own shop, business poured in. He had to hire extra help. Business finally snowballed to such an extent that he has opened a second shop, in Clarkes Court Boatyard & Marina, where Judd has also established himself. Clarkes Court is the only place I know of in the Eastern Caribbean where those seeking wooden boat repairs or other woodwork jobs will find a fantastic shipwright, a top-notch joiner shop, a marina, and a hauling and storage facility all in one place.
PRODUCT POSTINGS Summer’s here and the time is right for hauling out, repairing, renewing and reequipping your boat for next season. Check out the product postings below. You might find just what you were looking for — or didn’t yet know you needed! Shop local! Browse around — the Caribbean is well known for its fine chandleries. If your local chandlery doesn’t stock the items you’re interested in, manufacturer’s websites are given.
JUNE 2017 CARIBBEAN COMPASS
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LED Light Consumes Only 1/50th of an Amp LED lighting has changed how people enjoy the outdoors at night. Davis Instruments’ Mega-Lights provide bright, clear light, while only drawing 1/50th of an amp. With their advanced, easy-to-replace LED bulbs and high-output circuit boards, Mega-Lights are so efficient, they’ll run for 2,000 hours — over 80 days — on a fully charged 12-volt boat battery. They even feature a light sensor that turns them on automatically when it gets dark.
Rugged Mega-Lights are built for the outdoors. They’re 100-percent waterproof with an O-ring seal. The Fresnel lens projects light an impressive 3.7km, and an included 320 mA bulb provides the option for twice that illumination. The Mega-Light Utility light comes with a UL-approved, 4.5m heavy-duty cord with fused plug and hanging bracket. An incandescent bulb is included for softer lighting. The Mega-Light Masthead is perfect for use as a navigation, interior or security light. It comes with a stainless steel bracket to mount to a mast, or bulkhead, or inside an engine compartment. With six #10 holes and two key-way slots, it offers a wide variety of installation options, and even comes ready for use with a Davis Windex. It’s pre-wired with a 30cm lead. Visit www.davisnet.com for more information. What’s That Smell? Boats with marine heads will often begin to smell funky. Sometimes all it takes to remedy it is some simple maintenance; other times it’s a DIY repair. Either way, Raritan Engineering offers two easy-to-use, safe and environmentally friendly bioactive cleaners, and Sani/Flex Odor Shield, a premium quality sanitation hose. CP (Cleans Potties) Marine Toilet Bowl and Drain Cleaner harnesses the power of specialized bacteria with 100-percent biodegradable cleaning agents. Available in 650ml bottles, CP leaves the bowl, drain and sump sparkling clean and fresh-smelling. Because it’s chemical-free, it’s the only product safe to use with KO. KO (Kills Odors) is Raritan’s premium quality holding tank treatment. Its bioactive ingredients quickly break down and liquefy waste, and neutralize the cause of odor. Its chemical-free formula doesn’t require boosters to dissolve tissue. It comes in 650ml and 3.78l containers. Raritan’s Sani/Flex Odor Shield butyl rubber marine sanitation hose is the perfect choice for DIYers. With a bend radius of up to two times its diameter, its extreme flexibility makes it easy to snake through close-fitting spots and get around tight corners. Once installed, it provides the lowest odor permeation level among the competition. Sani/Flex Odor Shield is offered in 25mm and 38mm diameters. Visit www.raritaneng.com for more information. Intelligent Y-Adapter After cruising around and anchoring out all winter, you pull into a marina — to find it only offers 30A power when the boat runs on 50A? The YQ230 Intelligent Y-Adapter from Hubbell Marine gives owners the freedom to hook up without concern. It allows them to safely connect any 50A, 125/250V AC marine cord set to two 30A, 125V AC dockside receptacles. The YQ230’s intelligent onboard circuitry automatically checks polarity of the dockside receptacles, and that both 30A plugs are fully engaged and oppositephased. Its integrated
power indicator light confirms safe operation. Built-in safety features automatically shut power transmission off if an improper wiring condition is detected. Further, should one plug not be fully engaged, or come loose while the other is connected, the unit cuts off power. This prevents the disengaged plug from becoming live. Fully sealed against humidity, fog and rain, the YQ230 is housed in a tough, UV-resistant, high impact casing. Sealing grommets keep moisture out, while integral cord clamps protect all cables from strain. Visit www.hubbell-marine.com for more information. Bucket Seats Haven’t we all wanted bucket seats at some point in our lives? Whether it’s to take a break while working on the hull during a haulout, or to have a handy seat at the next beach barbecue — and have something to hold your stuff, too — this one does double duty. Shurhold Industries’ Bucket Seat/Lid turns its World’s Best Rope Handle Bucket, or any ordinary 20-liter pail, into a convenient combination stool and storage container. Made of durable plastic, the Bucket Seat/Lid has built-in padding for comfortable seating. Water won’t collect on its slightly convex design. It snaps securely onto a bucket to keep contents safe and intact. Visit www.shurhold.com for more information. Deck Plate Key Meets Pocket Tool Wonder if you can bring this on the plane? Davis Instruments’ Snap Tool Multi-Key is a deck plate key with attitude. It’s packed with features and fits in a pocket. A palm-sized toolbox, the Snap Tool Multi-Key has 8mm, 10mm, 11mm and 12mm hex wrench sockets, a scraper, and a sharp recessed cutting blade for line and cord. It has a slotted screwdriver and is the world’s only deck key with a Phillips head. Its button snapper and unsnapper are perfect for shrunken canvas or corroded snaps. The zipper puller tames even the stiffest and stickiest of zippers, and is perfect for when the pull-tab is missing. Boaters appreciate that the Snap Tool Multi-Key fits most deck caps — old and new. Its shackle tool works on galvanized and stainless shackle pins, and is rugged enough to unscrew even corroded ones. And because it was designed by outdoorsmen to be handy in any setting, it has a lanyard hole and bottle opener. Thicker and stronger than other similar tools, the patent-pending Snap Tool Multi-Key’s plate is manufactured from hardened 304 stainless steel, so it won’t corrode or break. It measures 7cm W x 11.4cm L, weighs a mere 80gm. Visit www.davisnet.com for more information. Wheels Up! In a perfect cruising world, we can always tie our dinghy to a lovely dinghy dock. But sometimes you just have to drag your tender up onshore. Some boaters use anything they can find to haul it up, from reluctant bystanders to dock carts. Others simply resort to dragging it on the ground. Davis Instruments solves this problem with a set of portable, removable wheels that enables one person to maneuver a dinghy with ease. Wheel-a-Weigh comes in two sizes and both are simple to install using common tools. Included 316 stainless steel pivot brackets are permanently mounted on the solid transom of a wood, fiberglass, aluminum or inflatable boat. They’re positioned to the maximum width to accommodate an outboard and for greater stability. To these, the wheel assemblies are attached using quick-release detent pins — up to keep them out of the water, down for when moving it over ground, or removed for storage or towing. The durable Wheel-a-Weigh Standard is for boats up to 100kg. It has inflatable 26cm tires with non-corrosive hubs for use in a marine environment and weighs only 4.2kg.
For boats up to 150kg, there’s the rugged Wheel-a-Weigh Extra Duty. It features 36cm inflatable tires with non-corrosive hubs and weighs 7.2kg. Its unique design features curved frames that move the point of balance up under the boat for easier maneuvering. Visit www.davisnet.com for more information.
BOOK REVIEWS
One for the Little Kids, and One for the Big Kids
With Grace, by Joanne C. Hillhouse. Little Bell Caribbean, © 2016. Hardcover, 48 pages. Color illustrations throughout. ISBN-13: 978-1-934370-62-9
Although the author concentrates more on wine (she says this is because, according to her observations, it’s the most popular tipple aboard) than on what Jimmy Buffet meant by “boat drinks”, the more than 30 boat-friendly cocktail recipes might inspire you to whip up something unusual — using local liqueurs, wines, spirits, and produce — to sip on deck at the end of a long day’s sailing or exploring. Nothing requires a blender, and there are concoctions that could tempt you away from your habitual “rum and…” Some tall, cool gin drinks sound delightfully refreshing; the Walking Earl — a whisky cocktail — looks like fun; there are nautical-sounding vodka drinks such as the Salty Dog and the Sea Breeze; and a Veracruzana — tequila with strictly fresh pineapple and basil — says “tropical party time!” There are some virgin cocktails, too. This would be an apt gift for an oenophile cruiser embarking on a circumnavigation, or the budding charter sommelier/bartender. Available from http://bloomsbury.com
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
The Boat Drinks Book: A Different Tipple in Every Port, by Fiona Sims. Adlard Coles, © 2017. Paperback, 176 pages, Color photography and illustrations throughout. ISBN: 9781472930651 The Boat Drinks Book, just out last month, is a look at cocktail culture in harbors around the world. As you cruise through the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Baltic, Pacific, and Caribbean, Fiona Sims urges you to explore waterfront regions through local drinks (and to a lesser degree, food), seeking out specialist merchants, hanging out in bars, and uncovering distilleries, breweries and wineries, all within a short taxi ride of your boat. Caribbean rum aficionados won’t find too much new here — despite nice mentions of the River Antoine and Clarkes Court distilleries in Grenada, there’s only one “boat drink” recipe from the Spice
Isle (a Grenadian Kiss, sort of a coffee-rum milkshake); predictably Painkillers and Pussers highlight the BVI (the rum punch recipe is the standard “one of sour, two of sweet…”); and all the top rums of Barbados are listed — yes, there’s more than Mount Gay! But no rhums from the French islands come into play: quel dommage.
JUNE 2017
Raising your family aboard, or have young visitors? This book is a revealing peek into island life — and a young girl’s heart. In this picture book for children aged eight years and up, Grace, of Grace’s Peak, loves
her hill, and her home above the village, above the whole island. All her trees are lush and full of ripe fruits, except for the one at the far end of her orchard. She hates that tree. So when the smiling, barefoot girl from the village asks Grace if she can pick fruits to sell at the market, it is from that sad, bare tree that Grace “generously” allows her to pick. Little does Grace know that the young girl’s kind, generous heart and her sweet special song will make the impossible happen, and change life at Grace’s Peak forever. Alscess Lewis-Brown, Editor of The Caribbean Writer, says, “With Grace explores a Caribbean space richly woven with magic, mystery and fantasy — an engaging fable, not only for young readers but any reader poised for a new reading experience that twists and turns on a suggestion of allegory.” The book is beautifully illustrated by Cherise Harris of Barbados. With Grace is Antiguan author Joanne C. Hillhouse’s sixth book in a mixed bag that includes the novellas The Boy from Willow Bend and Dancing Nude in the Moonlight — a coming-of-age story and a romance, respectively — the adult literary fiction Oh Gad!, the picture book Fish Outta Water, and the teen/young adult novel Musical Youth — a finalist for the Burt Award for teen/young adult Caribbean fiction. Hillhouse’s main nonprofit activity is http://wadadlipen.wordpress.com — nurturing and showcasing the literary arts in Antigua & Barbuda. With Grace is available at bookstores or from campanitabooks.com.
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The Renaissance Marina, located in the heart of Oranjestad is part of the Renaissance Aruba Resort and Casino and can accommodate more than 50 yachts. Located at 12° 31' 2.3124'' N 70° 2' 16.8'' W, Renaissance Marina is the island‘s most beautiful marina. It stretches over much of this picturesque waterfront community combining the largest entertainment and shopping facility in Aruba with the natural beauty of the Marina.
The marina supplies fresh running water and 110/220/360V 60Hz electricity, satellite TV with security guards on duty 24 hours a day. For your convenience there are showers and ice machines available. Contact us by phone at +297 588-0260 or visit our website: www.renaissancemarina.com Operating Hours: Mon - Sat, from 8am to 6pm
THE CARIBBEAN SKY: FREE SHOW NIGHTLY!
The Sky from Mid-May to Mid-June by Jim Ulik
Mrs. Bronson: There was a scientist on the radio this morning. He said that it’ll get a lot hotter, more each day, now that we’re moving so close to the sun. And that’s why we’re... That’s why we’re... Rod Serling: The word that Mrs. Bronson is unable to put into the hot, still, sodden air is “doomed”, because the people you’ve just seen have been handed a death sentence…. The place is New York City and this is the eve of the end, because even at midnight it’s high noon, the hottest day in history. And you’re about to spend it in the Twilight Zone. Radio Announcer: Ladies and gentlemen, tomorrow you can fry eggs on sidewalks, heat up soup in the ocean, and get help from wandering maniacs if you choose. — from The Midnight Sun (1961)
Later this evening the June Lyrids meteor shower will reach its peak. The meteors will appear to come from the constellation Lyra near Vega, as shown in Figure 2. Saturday, June 17th The Moon reaches last quarter this morning and will set just after 12:00 noon. The ability to see any shooting stars over the next few days will be better because there will not be any moonlight to interfere. Tuesday, June 20th Looking east just before sunrise there will be a conjunction between Venus and the Moon. The best viewing time is before the Sun rises at 0543 hours. The Ophiuchid meteor shower will reach its maximum rate of activity. Shooting stars will be radiating from Ophiuchus from May 19th into July. Also look for Saturn to be near the source of these meteors. Wednesday, June 21st Even though it may seem like summer all year long in the Caribbean, it isn’t. At 0024 the Sun will reach its most northern point above the equator. Today is the June Solstice or the summer solstice and the first day of summer. The temperatures may not vary that much throughout the year but the humidity levels will skyrocket. The Caribbean is already 20 days into the Atlantic hurricane season. Thursday, June 22nd For a couple of weeks, the International Space Station (ISS) can be easily seen passing through the night sky. Because of its orbital path and the tilt of the Earth
JUNE 2017
FIGURE 1
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
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JIM ULIK
The Sun is moving towards its most northern position at 23.43°N. Summer is approaching and the temperatures are rising. Hopefully the conditions will not be as severe as in the storyline above. So far, the Sun seems to be in a relatively stable state. Conditions on Earth will change, but we shouldn’t be concerned that the Sun will begin to increase in size and scorch the Earth in the near future. Still, the Sun often displays periods of high activity that affect Earth. As mentioned in previous articles, eruptions on the Sun’s surface can cause significant damage to satellites, GPS, power grids, electronic communications, etcetera. Under normal circumstances some of the Sun’s energy is deflected by Earth’s magnetic field, some is absorbed by oceans or landmasses and a portion is then radiated back into the atmosphere. A pleasing way to see some of the Sun’s energy is through wavelengths of color, as in a rainbow. Another example is when the Sun is just above the horizon. Then, from an observer’s position, sunlight passes through the atmosphere that is more than 12 times thicker than when it is directly overhead. Under these conditions, wavelengths toward the blue spectrum are scattered more. That is why the Sun at sunrise and sunset appears yellow, orange, or red. Volcanic eruptions can also cause red sunsets. The red Sun is produced by a highly reflective cloud of sulfuric acid droplets, formed from sulfur dioxide gas injected into the stratosphere. (See Figure 1.) Eruptions in winter bring relatively warm oceanic air over a landmass through atmospheric circulation. A cooling effect occurs in summer owing to the reflection of sunlight off the volcanic gases and dust. Volcanic eruptions only The Sun appears red when seen through the eruption of Chance’s Peak in Montserrat have an impact on temperature and circulation of the atmosphere for a year or two. Aerosols from an eruption eventually fall out of the atmosphere, resulting in little long-term effect. around the date of the June solstice the ISS remains in constant sunlight during its Friday, June 16th entire orbit. The space station makes an orbit around Earth every 90 minutes travelVenus sits high in the eastern sky during the early morning hours before sunrise. ing 17,000 mph (over 27,300 km/h). Turning towards the west will find Saturn above the horizon as it begins to set. —Continued on next page
Marina Zar-Par
Dominican Republic
18.25.50N 69.36.67W
THE FOCAL POINT FOR CRUISING YACHTSMEN T
• High Quality Sheltered Moorings • Slips to 120’ with depth 10’ • 70 Ton Travelift (30' beam) • ABYC certified machanics • Shore power 30, 50 and 100 amps • All slips with fingers
• Showers, Laundry, Restaurant, 24 hr security • Immigration office in the marina for clearance • Free WIFI and Free Internet • Dinghy Dock • 12 miles East of Santo Domingo & 7 miles East of International Airport
Visit: marinazarpar.com email: info@marinazarpar.com Tel: 809 523 5858 VHF Channel 5
GRE NADINES SA I LS GREN & CANVAS • BEQUIA Services provided: NEW SAILS SAIL REPAIRS U/V COVERS & FOAM LUFFS BIMINI, DODGERS & AWNINGS DINGHY COVERS UPHOLSTERY TRAMPOLINES STACKPACKS & LAZY JACK SYSTEMS
REPRESENTATIVE DINGHY CHAPS IN A DAY Tel (784) 457-3507 / 457-3527 (evenings) e-mail: gsails@vincysurf.com VHF Ch16/68
JIM ULIK FIGURE 2
Above: There are four meteor showers this period with their points of origin in the eastern sky
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
“The U Undiscovered di dC Caribbean” ibb ” Bocas Del Toro, Panama
Full Service Marina • Calypso Cantina
BOAT PAINT & STUFF Time Out Boat Yard Saint Martin Next to the French Bridge
ANTIFOULING SPECIALIST:
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Haul Out Yard • 60-Ton Travelift
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Fiberglass + Epoxy & Polyester Resins Epoxy primer + Polyurethane Top Coat 9°20’.05”N, 82°14’.45”W
Phone: + (590) 690 221 676 info@boatpaintstuff.com www.boatpaintstuff.com
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Safe Haven in Paradise
FIGURE 3
All times are given as Atlantic Standard Time (AST) unless otherwise noted. The times are based on a viewing position in Grenada and may vary by only a few minutes in different Caribbean locations, Jim Ulik of S/V Merengue is a photographer and cruiser.
Bocas Marina
JUNE 2017
Below: The International Space Station orbiting Earth NASA
—Continued from previous page Friday, June 23rd Three situations are associated with the Moon today. The Moon is at its closest orbital point to Earth (perigee). The Moon has reached its closest point to the Sun (perihelion). Lastly it is now in the New Moon phase. Three lunar events and you can’t see any of them. In any case the Moon and Sun are lined up, so look for the tides to be higher than normal. Tuesday, June 27th The June Boötid meteor shower peaks tonight. The shower is active from June 22nd to July 2nd. The number of meteors can vary from zero to 100 per hour. The June Scutids is a minor meteor shower that also peaks tonight. This shower may produce two to four meteors per hour. Friday, June 30th Happy Asteroid Day! The concept of Asteroid Day was initiated in 2014 by astrophysicist Brian May (famed guitar player and songwriter for Queen) and filmmaker Grigorij Richters (film 51 Degrees North). It is estimated that more than one million asteroids have the potential to impact Earth. Asteroid Day was created to increase public knowledge of when asteroids might strike and how we can protect ourselves. The Haitian Astronomical Society (Societe Haitienne d’Astronomie) is planning a special public meeting on June 30th to raise public awareness. Other events will be coordinated separately through Ricardo Correa, press officer for the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico and astronomer Dr. Oscar Álvarez from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología y Medio Ambiente – CITMA). Rising just before noon is the Moon at First Quarter. The Moon’s gravity generates tides that cause a drag on the speed of Earth’s rotation. Leap seconds are added to compensate for the Earth’s gradual slowing rotation. Today is the 45th Anniversary (1972) of the first leap second. Thursday, July 6th It is only three days until the Full Moon. Because the Moon is so bright it will block out all but the brightest objects in the sky. However, Saturn will still be visible near (south and east) of the Moon in the constellation Ophiuchus, the serpent-holder. Sunday through Thursday, July 9th through 13th In the pre-dawn hours another Full Moon lights up the night sky. By late morning, activities in astronomy and science are present in the Caribbean once again. The University of the Virgin Islands College of Science and Mathematics, St. Thomas has organized a conference. Seminars will address fundamental research related to the field of gravitational waves and supermassive black holes. Workshop participation includes career faculty, postdocs, and PhD students. Graduate and undergraduate students are welcome to attend. Financial aid may be available. Saturday, July 15th Today marks the 45th anniversary (1972) of the launch of Pioneer 10. That was the first spacecraft to enter the main asteroid belt. Pioneer 10 continues traveling into deep space carrying a plaque bearing a message about its origin to a possible extraterrestrial intelligence. In the News After leaving Pluto behind, the New Horizons spacecraft is on course for its flyby of Kuiper Belt object 2014 MU69. New Horizons is traveling at 32,000 mph (51,500 km/h), currently 3.5 billion miles (5.7 billion kilometers) from Earth and still escaping the gravity of the Sun. At this distance, radio signals sent between the spacecraft and Earth will take about five hours and 20 minutes. New Horizons only has 465 million miles to go until it reaches its destination.
LOOK OUT FOR…
Australian Pines: Not Conducive to Barefootin’! by Lynn Kaak
HELP TRACK HUMPBACK WHALE MIGRATION Your contributions of tail fluke photographs of humpback whales from the Caribbean region are critical for conservation efforts.
As you travel through the Caribbean, every month there’s something special to look out for. Pines in the tropics? Casuarina equisetifolia, known as Australian Pine, is pretty much everywhere in the Caribbean, and in the tropics and subtropics in general. While they may have originated around the western Pacific and eastern Indian Ocean basin, they have travelled well, and have flourished. They have adapted to their new homes so well that they’ve been labelled as an invasive species in a number of places.
INTERESTED in Helping? Go to www.CARIBTAILS.org
BILL ABBOTT
COMPASS
JUNE 2017
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
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CARTOONS
MERIDIAN PASSAGE OF THE MOON
Casuarina is a bit of a catchall name, and there are 17 species. Equisetifolia is most commonly found in the Caribbean, with its name derived from the Latin word for horse, in reference to the foliage that is reminiscent of a horse’s mane or tail. They are also known as Ironwood, She Oaks, and Whistling Pines. While they may look like a typical conifer, they don’t have needles, but very small scaly leaves clumped together that, from a slight distance, look like needles. The tree splits into many twigs, and the trunk may be bare on larger trees. These trees can grow from six to 35 metres (20 feet to 115 feet), making them a standout on the beaches. Casuarina equisetifolia has small red female flowers that grow together in a long strand. The male flowers are spikier. The seeds, when they develop, are tiny “winged” seeds, encapsulated in a small woody, oblong container that is very much like a tiny, spiky pinecone. These are extremely unpleasant under bare feet! The wood can be used for shingles and lumber, and is excellent for cooking fires as it burns at a high temperature. A fast-growing tree with trunks up to about one metre (three feet) wide, casuarinas can be useful sources of local lumber. One of the problems with these trees, besides those prickly “pinecones” underfoot, is that not much can grow under them. If enough shed material sits on the ground, the chemical composition of the organic material makes the environment hostile to
JUNE & JULY 2017 Crossing the channels between Caribbean islands with a favorable tide will make your passage faster and more comfortable. The table below, courtesy Don Street, author of Street’s Guides and compiler of Imray-Iolaire charts, which shows the time of the meridian passage (or zenith) of the moon for this AND next month, will help you calculate the tides. Water, Don explains, generally tries to run toward the moon. The tide starts running to the east soon after moonrise, continues to run east until about an hour after the moon reaches its zenith (see TIME below) and then runs westward. From just after the moon’s setting to just after its nadir, the tide runs eastward; and from just after its nadir to soon after its rising, the tide runs westward; i.e. the tide floods from west to east. Times given are local. Note: the maximum tide is 3 or 4 days after the new and full moons. For more information, see “Tides and Currents” on the back of all Imray Iolaire charts. Fair tides! 21 0924 11 0132 June 2017 22 1022 12 0220 DATE TIME 23 1124 13 0308 1 1823 24 1227 14 0355 2 1904 25 1324 15 0442 3 1953 26 1428 16 0530 4 2052 27 1524 17 0620 5 2120 28 1616 18 0717 6 2204 29 1704 19 0808 7 2249 30 1758 20 0907 8 2335 21 1008 9 0000 (full moon) July 2017 22 1110 10 0022 1 1835 23 1210 11 0110 2 1919 24 1309 12 0158 3 2003 25 1408 13 0247 4 2047 26 1455 14 0335 5 2132 27 1543 15 0422 6 2219 28 1629 16 0509 7 2307 29 1714 17 0557 8 2355 30 1706 18 0645 9 0000 (full moon) 19 0735 10 0044 20 0828
other plants. This can be good or bad, depending on your landscaping requirements. The fact that they also reproduce quite easily means that they are bumping indigenous plants and trees from their natural setting. Australian Pines prefer soil with good drainage, and they seem quite happy in the sand. They are extremely tolerant of salt, and can even take a good soaking of seawater during flooding or excessively high tides. While normally found on the coasts, they can be found up in the hills in the areas affected by the rain shadow, as they prefer not to have a great deal of water. Their ability to withstand high winds has made them popular for windbreaks, especially on beaches, and they assist with erosion control. So while not the most decorative tree, nor do they have an edible fruit, they do serve a purpose.
SOLAR COOKER ABOARD by Neil Sanders I have been building solar cookers and using them successfully for a year now. Baking cakes and bread, cooking chicken or pork chops with potato wedges, carrots and beans in a couple of hours. But I was asked recently if it would work on board a yacht.
cooker in a supporting frame on the foredeck and pointed it roughly at the sun. The weather was sunny with a bit of cloud. Not the perfect cooking day but worth a try. Would it work? Would the boat’s movement impair the process? Would the assembly survive rocking caused by passing craft? What effect would the wind have? We deliberately avoided constantly adjusting the cooker’s position, only resetting it to follow the sun every hour and a half and moving it once when the mast’s shadow fell across it. At 1:30PM, our estimated tasting time arrived and we explored the contents of the pot. Two beautifully cooked pork chops on a bed of steam-baked vegetables greeted us, below which the collective juices bubbled. Success! Lunch was served! I did learn some useful lessons, however. It took longer to cook onboard than ashore. Onshore I will put out the cooker at 10:30AM and have a perfectly cooked meal ready between 12:30 and 1:00PM, whereas on board it took more time. I believe it was because the temperature of the pot was affected by the constant
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
wind. Perhaps a windshield would help. Rope preventers may also be necessary to hold the cooker on a sloping deck. But if you have somewhere onboard in the sunshine for three or four hours, and, ideally, sheltered from the wind, it works just fine. Although there are many designs of solar cookers available, the one I prefer is a simple cone with an angle of 75 degrees and 33 inches across. The angle is important to maximize the pot insolation. I used a box cutter or Stanley knife to cut out eight heavy duty corrugated cardboard “petals”, painted with two coats of
PAGE 39
I built a collapsible conical cooker from eight cardboard triangles. I covered them with recycled reflective Mylar before sewing them together and added a simple clamp to keep the resulting “funnel” firmly open. The cooking vessel is a thin-walled pot with the lid spraypainted matte black on the outside; this pot is placed inside a Pyrex casserole with a glass lid. This is then supported on a wire trivet inside the open-topped funnel and left facing the sun to cook. Any simple wire stand will act as a trivet to keep the pot elevated inside the cooker. Testing day arrived and at 9:30AM we set up the
with sloping sides from four thicknesses of corrugated cardboard and stuck them together with wood glue. I held the plug in the base of the cooker with a screw, as seen in the photos. You can of course use any flat material for the petals. I have used plywood, hardboard and flat galvanized sheeting. The perfect reflective material I found is two-millimetre-thick self-adhesive Mylar, available from Amazon. There is so much energy in sunshine that it really does not matter too much what you use. Less effective cookers just take a little longer to cook. But no worries about the gas blowing out, the pot boiling over, or the food burning. The flavor is great and the fuel is free. Go build yourself a solar cooker — or buy one from the internet!
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JUNE 2017
Clockwise from left: Checking to see if it’s lunchtime! Perfectly cooked pork chops and veggies Placing the eight-sided plug in the base of the cooker The components are all readily made or found
Sanding Sealer and covered with the silver insides of snack bags. A variety of glues work to stick the Mylar to the cardboard; my favorite is spray adhesive. I then used a sail needle and twine to sew each petal to its neighbor with a figure-of-eight stitch. This enables the petals to fold flat against each other for ease of storage and transportation (amaze your friends at the next beach potluck!). Then I cut out an eight-sided plug
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Letter of the Month TED BULL, FRIEND AND MENTOR Dear Compass, I first sailed into Rodney Bay, St. Lucia, in January 1983 aboard a 32-foot wooden yacht that I’d sailed across the Atlantic with a friend. After a few months ambling up and down the islands, we found ourselves penniless and back in Rodney Bay, where we anchored in the inner lagoon. There were a total of three yachts in Rodney Bay Lagoon, including our own. The other two were a small German yacht that ran day charters, and a British-flagged double-ender whose owner told us that he did occasional skippering jobs for a company called Trade Wind Yacht Charters (TWYC), which was run by an English fellow called Ted Bull. A week later, I had my first job in the Caribbean, taking a yacht up to Martinique to have a spray dodger fitted. I returned the yacht above the water, and with the same number of pieces she had had when I first boarded her, so Ted eyed me approvingly and gave me a job as a skipper. Ted was a gentle, softly spoken man, born and raised on the Isle of Wight, UK, where his father had been a boatbuilder who built wooden motor torpedo boats during the Second World War. Ted had apprenticed with him from the age of 14, and then joined the Royal Air Force, working his way up through the ranks and retiring with the rank of Squadron Leader. In 1980, together with four partners (one of whom was Alberto Cibils, who built the F&C 44 racer/cruiser for German Frers), he set up TWYC in St. Lucia, in the inner lagoon at Rodney Bay. By the time I arrived, TWYC had a small fleet of ten yachts, all Frers designs. There were two other charter companies on the island: The Moorings, in Marigot Bay, and Stevens Yachts, a couple of hundred yards up the Lagoon from TWYC. This was long before Rodney Bay Marina was built, and in the high season, one might see only a dozen yachts in Rodney Bay. Ted was very much the hands-on man, able to fix just about anything on a yacht. Not only was he a mechanic, plumber and rigger, but he was also a highly experienced sailor and he was much liked and respected by every one of his St. Lucian staff and the local community. He lived at Number One Eastern Caribbean Village, right next door to the charter company — which essentially consisted of a 40-foot ship’s container, grandiosely called “The Office”, two small workshops and two small jetties. When guests arrived to charter a yacht, he, his wife-to-be, Mary Ann, and his dog Misty, would invite them into their living room for welcome drinks. The guests would then cross his front lawn and step aboard the yacht. As the months passed, I became increasingly involved in the company, and eventually became Ted’s office manager. There were many problems because poor overseas
The best anchorages are only in Don Street’s Caribbean pilots Other guides are best for shore-side information & are provided to the charter fleets so what harbours & anchorages they do include are more crowded. Street’s pilots include: south east & east coast Grenada, the south & east coast of Carriacou, & the east coasts of Cannouan & Martinique. These are not covWhen cruising the Caribbean be sure ered by other guides but Street considers them the best in the eastern Caribbean to have Street’s guides on board as your primary PILOT. Only Street has: now Venezuela is no longer safe. The perfect pilotage companion x Inter-island and harbour pilotage for all the other guides x Tidal information Order online x All eastern Caribbean anchorages USA/Caribbean: iUniverse or Amazon Street’s pilotage information is time- (search Donald M. Street) less and is your key to a quiet night’s UK/Europe: www.imray.com sleep in unspoilt anchorages! (search: Don Street)
head-office management had virtually bankrupted TWYC, so Ted and I struggled to keep the company afloat and pay the salaries every week. In 1986, we moved TWYC to the newly built Rodney Bay Marina and things started to improve as a result of investment by a new company Chairman, though unfortunately a few years later both Ted and I fell out with the man. I left TWYC in 1989, and Ted not long thereafter, with not a cent in his pocket from the company that he had started and part-owned. He went on to work with The Moorings in Marigot Bay. Ted Bull was a great deal more to me than my boss and business partner. He was a friend and mentor for more than 30 years, and on many an occasion in my early days at TWYC, he set me back on the right track when the exuberance of youth might have toppled me. I was honoured when he asked me to be Best Man when he and Mary Ann wed in 1988. After I left TWYC, I stayed in touch with them both. When I last visited them, in 2011, Ted was putting the finishing touches on the apartments he had built below his own home — he was already over the age of 80. Ted was one of the few people who shaped my life at the age of 27 and enabled me to spend my next 34 years in the Caribbean yacht charter business. I will miss him greatly, as will every person who knew him. Narendra Sethia St. Vincent Clockwise from left: Ted and Narendra at the wedding reception of James Tait (then manager of The Moorings in St. Lucia) Ted last year at the St. Lucia Yacht Club in Rodney Bay In 1984, heading out to help a disabled yacht. Jo (at left) was Trade Wind’s mechanic and John Akhurst (center) had also worked with Ted (at right) in the UK
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TechNick Ltd. Engineering, fabrication and welding. Fabrication and repair of stainless steel and aluminium items. Nick Williams, Manager Tel: 1 (473) 405-1560 S.I.M.S. Boatyard, True Blue, Grenada technick@spiceisle.com
NEILPRYDE Sails Grenada Check out our website or contact us directly for a competitive quote on rugged and well-built sails that are well suited to the harsh environment of the charter trade and blue water cruising.
Jeff Fisher – Grenada (473) 537-6355 www.neilprydesails.com
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restaurant & boutique hotel fisherman to table OpenFarm daily and for lunch and supper, 12-9pm at afrom beachfront coconut plantation. 2 miles the harbor. Open daily for lunch and dinner.
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Call 784.458.3400 for industry bay, bequia directions or reservations. PH 784.458.3400 Crescent Beach, Bequia www.sugarreefbequia.com (Industry Bay)
continued on next page
Caribbean Compass Market Place
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FEEL THE FREEDOM PAGE 42
With Independent Self Steering AND an Emergency Rudder
JUNE 2017
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
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FOR SALE IN BEQUIA
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Enquiries to Neil at winbeq@yahoo.co.uk or +1784 431 8124 continued on next page
Compass Market Place
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PAGE 43
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FOR SALE 1987 Island Packet 38’ “Salty Shores” Rare centerboard two owner boat. Extremely well maintained by second owner. The centerboard and all centerboard brackets and hardware have been re-engineered. Also added, a rudder keel strap not on early IP’s of this year. New rudder bearings and epoxy glassed rudder. This boat is set up perfectly for cruising the Caribbean. Upgrades include: Maxwell windlass, 55 lb bronze Barnacle anchor, new stanchions and lifelines, new genoa tracks, primary winches, chainplates, standing rigging. Stalok’s Harken furling, new S/S arch, 6 x 65 watt solar panels with charge controller. New custom centerboard, new Yanmar 4JhJE 54hp. $110,000
2007 Island Packet 445 Lovely vessel with excellent maintenance record, one owner, always in IYC's care. Equipment includes: Fridgaboat Keel Cooled refrigeration, bow thrusters, Autopilot, Raymarine wind, knot and depth meters. Boat set up for bareboat chartering so has minimal electronics, perfect for adding the newest gear. Asking $360,000
Andrea King, Island Yachts Charters, Red Hook, St. Thomas, USVI E-mail: sailing@iyc.vi Ph: 800-524-2019 • 340-344-2143
CARIBBEAN COMPASS JUNE 2017
JUNE 2 2–4 2–5 2–9 5 5 9 9 12 – 18 15 16 – 18 17 17 – 18 17 – 19 19 20 21 22 – 24 23 – 25 24 24 26 29 30
Public holiday in the Bahamas (Labour Day) St. Lucia Open Dinghy Championships, (758) 384-2517 Petite Martinique Whitsuntide Regatta Finn Masters World Championships, Barbados. sailbarbados.com World Environment Day Public holiday in some places (Whit Monday) FULL MOON Mott Memorial Hobie Challenge, Grenada. www.pcycgrenada.com International Optimist Regatta & Clinic, St. Thomas, www.styc.net Public holiday in some places (Corpus Christi) Roots & Soul Festival, St. Lucia. www.stlucia.org/summerfestival/roots-soul Public holiday in BVI and Anguilla (Queen’s Birthday) Lagoonies Regatta, St. Maarten. www.smyc.com Heineken Regatta Curaçao, facebook.com/regattacuracao Public holiday in Trinidad & Tobago (Labour Day) Summer Solstice Fête de la Musique, St. Barts. www.saintbarth-tourisme.com St. Kitts Music Festival, www.facebook.com/stkittsmusicfestival Caribbean Open Laser Championships, St. Maarten. https://laserchamps.com International Summer Sailstice. www.summersailstice.com Public holiday in Venezuela (Battle of Carabobo) Public holiday in Trinidad & Tobago (Eid ul-Fitr, end of Ramadan) Fisherman’s Birthday; local boat racing in many communities Public holiday in BVI (Territory Day observed) SUZANNE WENTLEY
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CALENDAR
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Ahoy, Compass Readers! When in Trinidaf, pick up your free monthly copy of the Caribbean Compass at any of these locations (advertisers in this issue appear in bold): Budget Marine Caribbean Marine Electrical Coral Cove Marina office Coral Cove Corner Post Coral Cove hardware Crews Inn Hotel Customs office Dynamite Yacht Management Services Echo Marine Electropics Gittens Immigration office Marc One Marine Supplies Peake’s Trading Peake’s restaurant Peake’s chandlery Power Boats office Power Boats restaurant Power Boats grocery Prop Scan Rick’s Dive World Sweet Water Marina Tank & Fuel Tropical Marine office TTSA YSATT office
JULY 1
Firecracker 500 race, BVI. West End Yacht Club, martin@sailsistership.com 1 Public holiday in Suriname (Emancipation Day) 2 Public holiday in Curaçao (Flag Day) 3 Public holiday in Cayman Islands (Constitution Day) 4 Public holiday in Puerto Rico and USVI (Independence Day). St. John USVI Carnival 4 - 10 Aruba Hi-Winds Kitesurf event. www.hiwindsaruba.com 5 Public holiday in Venezuela (Independence Day) 9 FULL MOON 9 Barbados Cruising Club regatta. www.barbadoscruisingclub.org 10 Public holiday in the Bahamas (Independence Day) 10 – 11 St. Vincent Carnival, www.carnivalsvg.com 14 Public holiday in French islands (Bastille Day); yole races in Martinique, http://yoles-rondes.net 14 – 18 St. Lucia Carnival, www.luciancarnival.com 21 – 23 Culebra Cup regatta, Puerto Rico. BRISA, smileandwavesailing@gmail.com 23 – 26 Select Yachts Grenada Charter Show. www.selectyachts.com/grenada-charter-yacht-show-2017 24 Public holiday in Venezuela (Simón Bolívar’s Birthday) 25 Public holiday in Puerto Rico (Constitution of Puerto Rico Day) 25 – 27 Public holidays in Cuba (National Revolutionary Festival) 30 – 6 Aug Around Martinique Yoles Rondes race, http://yoles-rondes.net TBA Tobago Heritage Festival, http://tobagoheritagefestival.com
All information was correct to the best of our knowledge at the time this issue of Compass went to press — but plans change, so please contact event organizers directly for confirmation. If you would like a nautical or tourism event listed FREE in our monthly calendar, please send the name and date(s) of the event and the name and contact information of the organizing body to sally@caribbeancompass.com
CLASSIFIEDS reduction). Contact Cardan Knights Tel: (784) 456-0867 or (784) 528-2483
41’ ROGER SIMPSON Light weight cruising catamaran. Fast & easy to sail. One of her sister ships "Ti Kanot" owned by the famous Chris Doyle for his Caribbean Cruising Guides. US$55,000. Marc One Marine Supplies Ltd. Tel: (868) 684-7720 (Luc) E-mail: ldemontbrun@hotmail.com
73' SCHOONER VALHALLA World Cruising, length on deck 65'. EU295,000. Full information on www.sailboat-of-steel.com
33’ CROWNLINE SCR 315 Twin 377 MAG 8 cyl engines, 260 hrs. US$69,000. Lying St. Lucia. Tel: (758) 484-6999 E-mail: kouly@att.net See video: https://goo.gl/ypjuPV See photos: https://goo.gl/UKHze2
BEQUIA - MT. PLEASANT Residential Building Lot. Lower Mt. Pleasant road, Belmont area. Admiralty Bay view, walk to restaurants. 10,478 sq/ft. US$185,000. Island Pace Real Estate. E-mail: info@islandpace.com BEQUIA - MT. PLEASANT 9,700 Sq ft, wide views of Admiralty Bay. Optional architect designed approved plans available for a 2 bdrm house. US$79,000. Tel: (784) 458-3656.
RENTALS
CSY 44 WALKOVER Classic, great condition & on its own mooring in Tyrell Bay, Carriacou. US$79,000. Tel: (473) 403-0695 Email: ronjackietatanka@gmail.com
BEQUIA - LA POMPE Large 2 bedroom house and/ or 1 bed studio apartment.Big verandah and patio, stunning view, cool breeze. Internet, cable TV. 2 weeks minimum, excellent long-term rates. Tel: (784) 495-1177
CLASSIFIEDS US 50¢ PER WORD Include name, address and numbers in count. Line drawings/photos accompanying classifieds are US$10. Pre-paid by the 10th of the month e-mail: shellese@caribbeancompass.com
ST. VINCENT- CUMBERLAND BAY Black Baron Restaurant for rent / lease. Fully functional restaurant w/ kitchen equipment, seating, internet, phone, water, electricity & accommodations. Tel: (784) 533-1119 or E-mail: wallanch@gmail.com
WANTED
23’ JEANNEAU CAP CAMARAT 675 2 x 85hp 2 stroke Yamahas w/ 70hrs use, bimini, VHF, CD, anchor, life jackets, trailer. Lying Mustique, EC$55,000 ONO. Tel: (784) 533-0213 E-mail: mfindlay@mustique.vc
YOUR CLASSIFIED IS ON-LINE!
VEHICLE FOR SALE
ST. VINCENT- FIAT 500 1.4L SPORT 2008 Manual, light blue, 2,250 miles, sunroof, AC, imported from England, very good condition. EC$25,000 ONO. Tel: (784) 533-0213 E-mail: mfindlay@mustique.vc
PROPERTY FOR SALE
ST. LUCIA- RODNEY BAY Luxury marina waterfront villa with private pier & pool. 4000 sqft. house on 11,434 sqft. of land. 4 bed/4bath w/ gourmet kitchen. E-mail: kouly@att.net Video: https:// goo.gl/xNFsz2 Pictures: https://goo.gl/31pFkW ST. VINCENT NEAR GEORGETOWN About 4 miles from the Argyle International Airport. 182 acres of good, arable land. Lots of fruit trees, private road, no neighbors, bounded back to crown lands. Lots of clean drinking water, water supply comprises 3 rivers & 4 springs. SVG’s indigeous parrot present on land. Land sold per sq/ft (EC$3), by lots or in its entirety (with a price
2 CRUSADERS 7.4 MPI Gas engines, 375 hp each. Perfect working condition. Re-powering. Located in Dominica. Any reasonable offer considered. Tel: (767) 277-2571 E-mail: underwater@ champagnereef.com
JOB OPPORTUNITY BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS- BAR MANAGEMENT Moonlight Bar Café, an unusual beach bar, restaurant & event partnership opportunity in Trellis Bay , is awaiting a couple of skilled restaurateurs. Themed on local, organic principles & supplied by our own farm & food network, we are artists with a famed location & a monthly Full Moon party, equipped with a beach bar & beach kitchen, but need a cool team to pull off a vision of alternative food & cultural entertainment. Interested? Tel: (284) 542-0586 or e-mail Aragorn dreadeye@surfbvi.com.
I have been connected with the marine insurance business for 47 years. I have developed a rapport with brokers and underwriters at Lloyds and am able to introduce boat owners to specialist brokers in the Lloyds market.
e-mail: streetiolaire@hotmail.com www.street-iolaire.com
COMPASS CARTOON
BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS - SALES MANAGER needed for diesel engine/equipment distributor in the BVI. Responsible for sales throughout the Caribbean for marine and industrial engines/ generators, excavation equipment, transfer switches, electrical distribution equipment, ups, power quality products, marine air conditioning and refrigeration systems, marine transmissions & other products. A minimum of 5 years sales experience, great interpersonal skills & management of sales processes is required. Job requires sales analysis, preparing reports, marketing, working with a dealer network & supervising a small sales staff. Email CV to modmgmtsols@gmail.com
DON‘T LEAVE PORT WITHOUT IT!
PAGE 45
55’ TRIMARAN HELLEMAN 1993 5 cabins, 110 hp diesel 12" plotter, 6.5KW genset, dive compressor, water maker, new anchor chain, solar panels. Lying Trinidad. Tel: (868) 268-6865 US$59,000. E-mail: roman12345@mail.com
34’ SPARKMAN & STEPHENS “Brian Lello” A classic boat in good & original condition. Complete restoration recently done with no expense spared. Lying Grenada, ready to sail. US$18,000, priced to sell as upgrading. For more info, E-mail: repairafloat@gmail.com
SHARES - Ownership or partnership, 55’ Trimaran. All my life I have been on the way to Australia, now have the right kind of boat. If you are ready for serious sailing, E-mail: roman12345@mail.com
The insurance business has changed. No longer can brokers talk of low rates. Rather, the honest broker can only say, “I’ll do my best to minimize your increase!” There is good insurance, there is cheap insurance, but there is no good cheap insurance. You never know how good your insurance is until you have a claim. My claims settlement record cannot be matched.
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
LAGOON 47 CATAMARAN 1993 Combines great comfort & high speed. In perfect condition as maintained by the same owner for 22 years & by ourselves. The boat can be seen between St.Maarten and Martinique. US$225,000. E-mail: cataladyanne4@ gmail.com
MISC. FOR SALE
Marine Insurance
JUNE 2017
BOSTON WHALER 2016 OUTRAGE 370 3 x Mercury Verado 300 hp, < 100 hrs, still on warranty, too many options to list. Lying Port Louis, St Georges, Grenada. US$400,000. Tel: (473) 403-9622, E-mail: mrossy52@gmail.com
34' LUHRS Used to take famous people to sport fish. Engines need work. Lying in Mustique. US$12,000. Tel: (784) 530-9065 E-mail: orcafishing@vincysurf.com
DEEP-SEA FISHING BOAT Fiberglass, 40’-55’, beam built to match length, used or new. Preferably located within the Caribbean. Exchange of land for value of boat. Tel: (784) 456-0867 or (784) 528-2483
BILL THOMAS
BOATS FOR SALE
DON CRESCI
TOONS
SCOTT MASEAR
COMPASS
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2012 Beneteau Oceanis 37 2009 Lagoon 420 2008 Jeanneau 36i 2006 Lagoon 380 Owners Ver. 2001 Grand Soleil 46.3
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ED UC RED
JUNE 2017
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
PAGE 46
60' Moschini Mostes 60 1990 Quality Blue Water Cruiser $220K
60' Southern Ocean Hull #19 ‘79 True Passagemaker, Solid $179K
57' Mystic 1999 Quality & Value Asking $399K
52' Amel Mango 1982 Legendary Offshore Cruiser $129K
52' Beneteau Oceanis 523 ‘06 5 Cabin Layout $225K
51' Beneteau Cyclades 2007 Gen & Air, Roomy Cruiser $139K
48' R&CLeopard 48 2014 One Private Owner $645K
46' Beneteau 46 2007 Loaded, Immaculate $229K
42' Solaris 42 1975 World Cruise Equipped $195K
42' R&C Leopard 42 2003 Significantly Refitted $185K
ED UC RED
ED UC RED
50' Jeanneau I50 1996 Nicely Upgraded! $141K
50' Hunter 50 CC 2011 Luxurious, Fully Loaded! $329K
49' Hunter 2008 Best Value In The World! $239K
49' Trader 485 Signature ‘02 Luxurious, Rugged Cruiser $99K ED UC RED
45' Passport 45.6 2000 Well Maintained $295K
44' Lagoon 440 2009 Immaculate/Pristine $380K
43' Hans Christian Christina 43 ‘99 Best Buy on Newest Model $219K
43' Shannon 43 1991 Ideal Offshore Voyager $139K D
D
E E UC UC Voted Best BVIRYacht Brokerage by Property and Yacht Readers Choice Awards in 2013 & 2014! ED RED
42' Soverel 42 1982 Fast, Fully Refitted $60K
42' Hunter 42 1991 Bargain Priced, Work Required $55K
ED UC RED
ED UC RED
38' R&C Leopard 384 2010 Clean & Fully Equipped $229K
38' Island Packet 1989 Solid Cruiser/ Quality $99K
42' OC Ocean Cruising 42 1985 Fantastic Ocean Cruiser $115K
41' Hunter 41 2006 Equipped for Long Distance $109K
40' R&C Leopard 40 2009 Private, Owner's Version $269K
39' Fountaine Pajot Fiji 1991 World Cruise Equipped $129K ED UC RED
38' Island Packet 2001 Equipped for Offshore $189K
37' Sunbeam 37 1991 Super High Quality $105K
36' Beneteau Swift 34 Trawler ‘11 Immaculate, Cruise Equipped $209K
33' Bavaria 33 Cruiser 2006 Cruise Equipped, Very Clean $50K
^ >>/E' >Kd^ K& K d^͊ >/^d zKhZ K d t/d, h^͊ &Žƌ DŽƌĞ >ŝƐƟŶŐƐ ǀŝƐŝƚ͗ ďǀŝLJĂĐŚƚƐĂůĞƐ͘ĐŽŵ ADVERTISERS INDEX ADVERTISER
LOCATION
PG# ADVERTISER
LOCATION
Anjo Insurance Art Fabrik Barefoot Yacht Charters Bequia Plantation Hotel Blue Lagoon Hotel & Marina Bluewater Walkabout Boat Paint & Stuff Bocas Yacht Club & Marina Budget Marine BVI Yacht Sales Camper & Nicholsons Captain Gourmet Caraibes Diesel Services Clarkes Court Cruising Life Curaçao Marine Dominica Yacht Services Doolittle's Restaurant
Antigua Grenada SVG SVG SVG C/W St. Maarten Panama St. Maarten Tortola Grenada SVG St. Maarten Grenada SVG Curaçao Dominica St. Lucia
18 MP 23 15 22 MP 37 37 2 46 19 MP 16 26 32 24 MP 39
Grenada Tortola USA Trinidad C/W Trinidad SVG Grenada C/W Trinidad SVG Grenada Grenada SVG Guyana Grenada C/W UK
Down Island Real Estate Doyle Offshore Sails Doyle's Guides Echo Marine Edward William Insurance Electropics Fernando's Hideaway Food Fair Free Cruising Guides Gittens Engines Gonsalves Liquors Grenada Marine Grenada Tourism Grenadines Sails Guyana Tourism Horizon Yacht Charters Hydrovane International Marine Iolaire Enterprises
PG#
MP 4 40 33 18 MP MP 25 33 MP 39 10 7 36 27 MP MP 40/45
ADVERTISER
LOCATION
PG# ADVERTISER
LOCATION
Island Dreams Island Water World Island Yachts Charters Johnson's Hardware LIAT Lulley's Tackle Marc One Marine Marina Santa Marta Marina Zar-Par McIntyre Bros Mercury Marine Mid Atlantic Yacht Services Multihull Company Neil Pryde Sails Parts & Power Off Shore Risk Management One Caribbean Ltd Peake Yacht Services
Grenada Sint Maarten St. Thomas St. Lucia C/W SVG Trinidad Colombia Dominican Rep. Grenada C/W Azores C/W Grenada Tortola Tortola C/W Trinidad
MP 48 44 14 8 MP MP 28 36 25 47 MP 43 MP 30 32 44 12
Trinidad Martinique Aruba St. Lucia C/W C/W Grenada St. Kitts SVG Puerto Rico Grenada SVG Grenada Venezuela Martinique Trinidad
Power Boats Regis Guillemot Renaissance Marina Rodney Bay Marina/ IGY Sea Hawk Paints Sevenstar Yacht Transport Slipway Restaurant St. Kitts Marine Works Sugar Reef Bequia Sunbay Marina Technick Tobago Cays Turbulence Sails Venezuelan Marine Supply WIND YSATT
PG#
MP 17 35 13 9 6 MP 24 MP 29 MP MP 10/ MP MP MP 5/ MP
MP = Market Place pages 41 to 43 C/W = Caribbean-wide
Mercury SeaPro... Reliable, Durable and Hard Working –everything you want from a commercial outboard. FOURSTROKE RANGE – 150HP TO 40HP FOURST
/HDUQ PRUH DW ZZZ®PHUFXU\PDULQH®FRP
JUNE 2017 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 47
Published by Compass Publishing Limited, Anguilla, British West Indies, and printed by Guardian Media Limited, Trinidad & Tobago