Caribbean Compass Yachting Magazine January 2015

— Continued from previous page
Debs and Johnny Sernberg, with crew Tanya and Danny aboard the Hylas 44
Laros, arrived after 18 days at sea on December 13th — St. Lucia Day, no less — to
a perfect sunrise over the island. Contrary to the view that rallies are for sissies, all
of the crew except for Debs have served in the British Army, stationed in various
international posts including Afghanistan. Tanya says of ARC 2014, “It was a fabulous
fleet with great camaraderie. Although we didn’t see any other boats from five
days out until now, there was confidence in knowing we were part of that fleet. We
liked the fact that we could talk to others by radio.”
For the Atlantic crossing, Tanya and Danny, who have chartered in the Grenadines
previously, joined Debs and Johnny, who are en route to Debs’ homeland, Australia.
Laros will cruise the islands before heading through the Panama Canal in April.
Joy and Ian Winterborn, who sailed in ARC+, have been cruising ever since they
joined the Caribbean 1500 rally in 2004. They customarily cruise the Lesser Antilles
for three or four months a year (“in Canadian winter”), leaving their immaculate
Gozzard 41, Reberth (an Annapolis show boat new in 2002 and then as an example
of a well-maintained ten-year-old in 2012), in Grenada during the summer. Joy says,
“We did the 1500 because at that time we had no offshore experience — not counting
Atlantic crossings on the Queen Mary and the QE2 — and we hadn’t been sailing
long, and it was a good ‘umbrella’. It gave us that comfort factor — plus two former
Clipper round-the-world-race crew!”
arrival is “the best time of the year”. Anthony has worked in yacht tourism since he
was 15 years old. “I’ve always liked boats. I was raised in Marigot, and whenever I
was out of school I was down on the bayside. I got a canoe and went out to the boats
to sell fruits and look for work shining the boats.” He has now been in the boat-care
business for 20 years. His wife, Verniel, who specializes in interior cleaning and
laundry service, says that the best thing about working with visiting yachts is “meeting
people. You know them, you know the world. And they know us, too, sometimes
year after year.”
SALLY ERDLE (2)
Making it easy for ARC participants to meet local people, IGY Rodney Bay Marina
ensures that all vendor booths are run by St. Lucians and all entertainment
is provided by St. Lucians
After doing another Caribbean 1500 in 2012, the couple received a WCC newsletter
about two of the organizer’s other events — ARC Europe and the inaugural ARC+
— and, Ian says, “I got a crazy idea.” ARC Europe, which sails from the British Virgin
Islands to Portugal, was “excellent”, Joy says. “Although there wasn’t much time for
the slower boats to enjoy the Azores, overall it was an outstanding experience and I
would recommend it to anybody. That was when Cheeky Rafiki went missing, we
could have been called to assist, and when you hear of a boat in trouble it really
brings home the risks.” Joy, who has served as a net controller, adds that the WCC
events’ SSB nets are a real asset.
Why the ARC+ “It gave us the opportunity, along with a previous ARC USA (BVI
to the US East Coast), to complete a 9,000-nautical-mile Atlantic circuit, St. Lucia to
St. Lucia. And the final party at the Capella Marina in Marigot Bay was incredible!”
Now looking forward to another season in the islands, Joy, who has done volunteer
work with students in Dominica, says, “Cruising in the Caribbean is wonderful.
People shouldn’t be put off by security rumors. Don’t be afraid, but be streetwise
— and the main thing: treat people with respect. Make the most of the Caribbean;
there is such diversity here. Get involved!”
While the Winterborns urge ARC sailors to get involved on the local scene, three
members of the St. Lucian Leo family — Anthony, Verniel and their son Johnick —
have a long and happy involvement with the sailors. Independent contractors, the
Leos work as a team, cleaning and polishing yachts, and Anthony says that the ARC
Working on a number of ARC boats at Rodney Bay Marina, Johnick adds, “It’s
exciting. You get to meet people from all over the world, even learn a bit of their language.
I was born into this business, the income is good, and I plan to carry on.”
IGY Rodney Bay Marina manager Simon Bryan says, “We continue to encourage
interaction between the ARC participants and St. Lucians — the marina staff is great
and even our vendor stands, the little chattel houses, are all run by local people selling
local products, food, arts and crafts. The entertainment is all local as well.”
Rodney Bay Marina is committed to its relationship with the ARC. Simon says, “Prior
to the arrival of ARC 2014, a lot has been happening in the marina. The ATM scam that
had affected some users of the bank in the marina turned out to be island-wide; the
perpetrators have been charged and new technology put in place to prevent it happening
again. We’ve also hired a new security company and, with enhanced security in the
marina as well as night boat patrols, there have been no issues since. A new, state-ofthe-art
dive shop, Dive St. Lucia, right next to the marina is another big plus.
—Continued on next page
JANUARY 2015 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 19
www.grenadasailingweek.com
Spice it up
in Grenada!
29 Jan
- 3 Feb
2015