Ahoy!
As a long-term live-aboard sailor — and serial circumnavigator — I am well aware of my options as a marine consumer. We boaters, whether charter or private, aren’t like a hotel or resort. We’re not stuck in one location. If we don’t like how we’re being treated, we vote with our keel. The world is our oyster. We have numerous options as consumers, as visitors, as tourists.
That said, I’m happy to report how much we enjoyed our two-month stay at Village Cay while repowering our 43-foot sailboat Ganesh with Parts and Power.
James Hart, the marina manager there, made us feel particularly welcome. When we needed a crane to lift aboard our new engine, Clarence Malone of The Moorings graciously offered us the use of his, gratis, “over the lunch break.” Ditto, Anthony and Laura over at BVI Yacht Charters, who allowed us to forklift our cockpit floor and hard dodger ashore.
But, most of all, it was the good folks at Parts and Power who impressed us. Sebastian John is a highly knowledgeable, very careful diesel mechanic. Sanchez Christopher flowed like smoke throughout our engine room — and aligned our new Perkins M92B with the precision of diamond cutter. Nigel Palmer never flinched — even when being squirted with hydraulic fluid. And Tony Tuckett was a wizard in the warehouse — making sure we had exactly the part we needed, precisely on time.
Even a few of “Diesel Dan” Durban’s jokes were funny!
I couldn’t have been in better hands.
When we had a small problem with Customs (they wanted to charge us temporary import duty on our vessel while having major work done), Comptroller Wade Smith straightened the whole mess out with a phone call.
The bottom line is this: The VI deserves its Caribbean-wide reputation as being “yacht friendly.”
The marine industry, of course, realises the importance of this. We spent money at Nautool, Golden Hind, Village Cay, Richardson’s Rigging, Nanny Cay, Budget Marine, and the Marine Depot.
Economic benefits
But the economic benefits to the general community go even deeper: During our two months on Tortola, we spend almost exactly the amount of money we made last year… all of it! Yes, we gave the lion’s share to Parts and Power, true, but we also left sacks at Clarence Thomas, Port Purcell Pate, Bolo’s, Grateful Belly, Rite Way, OneMart, The French Bakery, Bobby’s and so on. We frequented local restaurants, gobbled up cones at both ice cream shops in Road Town, fought for our dryers at Freeman’s, discovered some cool threads at the Red Cross Thrift Shop, and purchased fabric at Clover’s. We also took many taxis and enjoyed numerous movies at U.P.’s Cineplex. And, since I’m a professional marine journalist, I was able to communicate my admiration of Tortola residents via various international publications.
Actually, the finest moments of our visit were listening to folklorist Elton Georges (you might know him by other titles, but that’s how I think of him) regale us with a string of charming and sweet tales of Old Tortola.
The point I’m attempting to make in this rambling missive is this: I could have spent my time, talent, and money in Sint Maarten, Antigua, Grenada, St. Lucia, Trinidad, or St. Thomas. I did not. I came to Tortola when I needed to repower my vessel, and am glad I did.
PS. The new engine purrs!
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