FROM THE MASTHEAD
HELP THE CARIBBEAN COME BACK
Everyone on the Active Interest Media Marine Group editorial staff has enjoyed the pleasures of cruising the Caribbean. In my case, I’ve made 21 trips down there (yes, I’ve kept count) for sailing, powerboating and events over the years. We all love it, and every time a storm rips through the region, as several did last fall, our hearts sink. The fragile infrastructure and the fantastic people who occupy the islands are still recovering.
Maria and Irma were especially rough on the northern islands in the chain, resulting in loss of life, livelihoods and property. The storms hit Puerto Rico and the BVI especially hard, and many other islands were damaged. The editors of our sister publications Soundings, Sail, Power & Motoryacht and Passage-Maker visited several northern Caribbean islands in December and found them hobbled, but struggling to regain their footing as swiftly as possible to recapture the tourism business upon which the region depends.
Our own executive editor, Andrew Parkinson, joined a group of charter brokers and managers in early January aboard the 197-foot (60-meter) Abeking & Rasmussen Dream for a cruise through the islands just to the east and south of the Virgins (see his story in this issue). The group visited Sint Maarten, St. Barths and Anguilla. They found plenty of damage and bureaucratic dysfunction, but by and large, things were moving toward recovery, Andrew says.
The Dutch/French island of Sint Maarten/St. Martin, long popular as a pickup and dropoff hub for superyacht guests, was among the worst hit, with its international airport mostly destroyed, but as of January it was still operating, albeit out of tents. Recovery has been slower there than in St. Barths and Anguilla, where residents have taken it upon themselves to rebuild quickly instead of waiting for their governments to act. “It’s all about community and their willingness to get on it themselves,” Andrew says. On St. Barths, Gustavia’s main streets, with their tony shops and restaurants, are fully up and running. The St. Barths Bucket, a premier superyacht sailing event, is on for March. Some hotels are still recovering, but many of the island’s beautiful villas are back in shape.
Although Antigua—another superyacht hub—took a hit, its infrastructure was spared the worst and its marine services are mostly intact. Unfortunately, its sister island, Barbuda, lost an estimated 90 percent of its buildings. The Windward Islands to the south were largely unaffected, and many charter yachts have moved down there for this season.
The rally cry from all the islands is that the Caribbean is open for business. While there is much rebuilding left to do, the natural beauty of the archipelago is mostly intact and remains appealing to cruisers and charterers, even in the north. And the residents need all the commerce the yachting community can deliver.
“You can go and have a 5-star charter experience just as before the storms,” Andrew says, “but you may need to temper your expectations on some islands when going ashore.”
It’s still cold up north. The islanders need a lift. I’m all in for number 22. Who’s with me?