WATERFRONT
W
ood rots. Paint peels. Cloth fades and thread disinte-
grates. Metals oxidize. All this happens more quickly in
the tropics, accelerated by so much UV-laden sunshine
and humidity that ranges from muggy to miserable for
eight months out of the year.
For the locals of the British Virgin Islands (BVI) life in paradise comes
with a perpetual maintenance migraine, but for cruisers and charter cli-
ents the signs of tropical decay have long been part of the charm. No one
comes down island expecting Switzerland. We certainly didn’t.
The Editor of Sail magazine, Peter Nielsen and I came to gauge how well
the islands have recovered since Sept. 6, 2017, the day Hurricane Irma
rolled through the BVI, causing massive destruction. Quoting Conor
King Devitt of The BVI Beacon: “In the days after Irma, apocalyptic
images of the boats in Paraquita Bay circulated on social media and
in international press reports. The photos—displaying wrecked yachts
stacked like the Anegada conch shell piles—gave many owners and
charter operators little hope for the future of their businesses.”
Charter boat rentals are a massive economic driver in this island ter-
ritory of 35,000 people. Prior to Irma, the charter industry consisted of
more than 4,000 beds afloat. As of January, the number of charter berths
was reported to be 3,200 and growing. By comparison, there were only
1,000 bookable hotel rooms. Rebuilding a charter fleet, as it happens, is
faster than getting a wrecked resort back in business.
Marketing VP for The Moorings Josie Tucci said the Paraquita
hurricane hole for the charter fleets has been re-engineered based on the
lessons of Irma. “Before there was a chain that ran along the seabed. The
boats would be anchored but also attached to this big chain,” Tucci said.
“Now every single anchor point is an individual point not on a chain.
And they’re spaced out so there’s a boat space between each boat, whereas
before I wouldn’t say they were rafted-up but they were pretty tight.”
Peter Nielsen’s approach was straightforward: Go from place to place
A Spirited
Rejuvenation
The charming ambiance that has made the BVIs so attractive for so long
remains among new infrastructure and an unbreakable spirit.24