Welcome to Yacht Guide's August issue  –  In the yachting industry on the islands, August is sometimes called the doldrums. Many private crews flee the area for hurricane insurance protection, and charter bases on the island begin a lengthy process of hurricane prep and intense maintenance.

On the water, it does seem quiet. That can be a good thing for other activities. Whilst the wind calms, visibility becomes better for diving and also a traditional pastime—fishing. I was lucky enough to spend a day with Captain Donnell to scout blue marlin, and why not?

Whilst we are in the height of hurricane season, we can say very little except be prepared for anything, and we bring you a couple stories about storms past and shared experiences, in particular Traci’s adventure with the Husky Salvage crew, a vital part of our island’s hurricane management and a gang that I have been lucky enough to do some grunting alongside in the past. We also bring you tales of the youth and their summer adventures: summer camps across our islands with Sail Caribbean celebrating thirty years and youth regattas for the BVI youth sailing team. We are also proud to include a profile feature focusing on women in the sailing industry. Our skipper brings us his best knowledge on hauling out, in case you thought all boats just sat pretty over the summer.

As to the rest of the summer, well, storms are on every islander’s mind. Information is vital, and whilst the coconut telegraph will spiral named devil-winds at us, keep a close eye on actual facts from the media. One thing you can predict is that people always keep their humour in hurricane season—mostly at the speculation of each storm. Whilst hurricanes are no laughing matter, safety is paramount and worse things do happen at sea. As an island, we are technically at sea, so the same motto applies in terms of batten down those hatches, chin up, ride it out and clean up after. Should we get hit, what will astonish you is the community spirit of cleaning up. Everyone does and will help each other as they have proven in the past. From me and a few other surfers I know, some of those near misses can make for some pretty outrageous rides, all of them named. I have a buddy who lives and surfs in Cape Verde who rides the winds before they become hurricanes to us. He fables anyone able to ride the devil and then let it go to live another day.

Be safe and see you on the water.

Owen Waters