August 30th, 2018
As we move into the middle of the 2019 sailing season, Jessica Perraton-Jones of the Charter Yacht Company provided the following update on the BVI charter industry.
She said that in the wake of the devastating hurricanes last September it was hard to imagine any sort of sailing season in the BVI for 2018. Fortunately, everyone affected worked together to speed the recovery. She noted that, the Charter Yacht Industry played a significant role in the recovery process. Many of the crewed charter yachts were down in The Grenadines and safe from the hurricanes, but they quickly headed back to the BVI to bring supplies and assist with the recovery efforts. From providing some of the first means of transporting people off-island to safety to bringing in much needed supplies to opening their cabins to those who no longer had a place to stay, charter yachts were there to assist. In addition, Nanny Cay Marina, a well-known marina for charter yachts on Tortola, became a central location for obtaining fresh water and aid to the local people.
Shortly after the hurricanes hit, the Charter Yacht Company, and other charter yacht brokers, quickly started compiling information to confirm the status of the Crew and Yachts in the BVI. They visited the islands in November to obtain first hand information and assist with the recovery efforts. In addition, The Charter Yacht Brokers Association, of which Jessica is a Board Member, made a very generous donation through a Gift Certificate Program that encouraged travellers to continue to book charters in the BVI and provided income to the local BVI people who rely on tourism. Jessica stated, “I am so proud of how the Charter Yacht Industry pulled together and made 2018 a very successful Charter Yacht Season.”
Fortunately, Jessica provided an uplifting forecast for the 2019 season. “2019 is shaping up to be a very busy charter yacht vacation season.” she said. “If you haven’t booked your charter yacht vacation yet, there is still time to do it,” she continued. Jessica emphasized that there is a great sense of pride and unity with the BVI people, as well as a strong appreciation for the travellers that visit their islands. She noted that, almost all the local establishments are up and running again, with a few new ones to enjoy as well. The beaches are pristine and the reefs are healthy, surrounded by serene natural beauty. And her view, there is no better way to experience the BVI than on a Charter Yacht Vacation.
The Charter Yacht Company: +1 866-599-2248 | [email protected]
BVI Traveller was created in September of 2017 to help tourism in the British Virgin Islands recover from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Irma.
To that end, we met our goals. In the past 7 years there have been over 1.2 million visits to the website and over 3 million pages have been viewed. There are over 1,000 pages on the site featuring news posts and detailed listings on all hotels, villas, restaurants and sailing charters located in the BVI. The BVI Government and many business, hotels, villas and sailing charters have all agreed that the site “moved the needle on tourism” after Irma.
The site, however, has run its course. It has served its purpose by bringing visitors and local businesses together to rebuild the tourist industry and it is now time to shut down operations for good.
I want to thank everyone for your help and support.
Chuck Metter