Welcome to the October issue of Yacht Guide
Hopefully at the time you are reading this, we have only had to endure one major hurricane this year, that being Earl. We wish we could tell you that the island was not affected, but it was, and whilst there was damage everywhere, in particular to foliage and trees, there was also significant damage to yachts and the docks housing them. It is true that worse things happen at sea, and as I watched from my own subjective experience of Nature’s wild elements on the North Shore, that sea in particular was not going to let up until it had roared, made its presence known and then disappeared to leave a few owners to pick up the broken pieces. Perhaps Anegada took the severity of the storm in its solitude. What is clear is that no lives were lost, and the BVI community and government did what we have talked about for so long—quickly and effectively pulled together to put things back to order and move on.
In our search for news on the hurricane, we found that the storm was constant but the experiences of everyone were different. A few people found some relief in riding the aftermath at popular surf spots. Riding those waves and looking at a shoreline that had braced a big storm made the difference of what could safely be said as a thank you that it was not as bad as could have potentially been. David set about culling through the rumour mills and wreckage to determine how the storm affected the marine industry, in the hopes of discerning how the damage may have been avoided.
Avoiding damage is a theme in this issue, along with the hurricane reportage, we also feature a Reef Check article on coral damage. Let’s not forget that easy motto, anchor in sand not coral or seagrass as the price on our reefs and environment cannot be insured.
Have fun with this issue. We had a lot of fun putting it together, October being the start of the season and the starting over point as the hurricane season comes to end. The day after the hurricane was like Christmas Day in the BVI with everyone happy to see each other safe and well. We carry on and embrace the season at hand.
See you on the water.
Owen Waters
