Bequia Easter Regatta 2008 - Caribbean Compass

APRIL 2008 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 10
Read in Next Month’s Compass:
The Ever-Evolving Culebra Regatta
Amazing Ile à Vache, Haiti
My Boat is Too Ugly to Steal!
and more!
BUSINESS BRIEFS
Bumper Season for Marigot, St. Lucia
The Marina at Marigot Bay, St Lucia, celebrated a bumper 2007/2008 festive season
when it welcomed a record-breaking number of super-yachts and megayachts.
Not only did the marina enjoy 100-percent occupancy over the Christmas
and New Year period, but it continued to see a large number of big boats on its
docks well into February.
“The Marina at Marigot Bay became a New Year destination for mega-yacht
owners and charter guests to rival St. Barths and Mustique,” said Marina Manager
Bob Hathaway. He was also keen to emphasize that the Marina at Marigot Bay is an
ideal year-round destination, not just a place for the holidays.
The Honourable Prime Minister Stephenson King took time out of his busy schedule
to pay a visit to Marigot Bay in February to visit the marina with his fiancée and go
aboard the visiting 208-foot motor yacht, Polar Star, for a tour and chat with captain
Charles DuGas-Standish. The visit afforded the Prime Minister the opportunity to see
first hand the importance of the luxury yacht industry to St. Lucia and to hear feedback
about some of the issues affecting yacht-based visitors. Prime Minister King,
who attended the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show in October last year, has
been taking an active interest in yachting concerns.
For more information on The Marina at Marigot Bay see ad on page 26.
St. Maarten’s Marine Professional of the Year
Robbie and Michele Ferron report: The Budget Marine Award for St. Maarten’s
Marine Professional of the Year 2007 was recently presented to Mike Ferrier.
The marine industry on St. Maarten is attracting more yachts, providing more jobs,
and offering great financial contributions to the island. Every year, many people
work hard in communicating the importance of the industry to the public and government.
Budget Marine, being highly involved, is happy to recognize key individuals
for their contributions, and annually gives an award to a person who has been a
particularly outstanding asset to the industry. Previous winners are Sir Bobby
Velasquez, Ernst Looser, Robbie Gilders, Kevin Gavin and Jeff Boyd.
Budget Marine, in collaboration with the Sint Maarten Marine Trades Association is
particularly pleased to award the Marine Professional of the Year Award 2007 to Mike
Ferrier who has excelled in providing better communication and understanding
between the Sint Maarten government, many local establishments and the marine
industry. Mike, owner of NAPA and a former commissioner in the island government,
has served on the board of the St. Maarten Marine Trades association for three years.
The award was presented on March 5th, during a party hosted by Budget Marine.
The annual party is to open the first day of racing for the Heineken Regatta, sponsored
by Budget Marine.
For more information on Budget Marine see ad on page 2.
Northern Lights Tests Quietest
Northern Lights/Lugger, a world-renowned manufacturer of marine generator sets,
is pleased to report the results of a major marine generator test that included the
world’s most prominent builders. The conclusion regarding noise: Northern Lights sets
are the quietest.
In 2007, an independently certified test (by TUV-EPS) was commissioned by Victron
Energy. Marine generator sets were tested at 10kW and below (50 Hz ratings,
1500-3000 RPM).
Of the 19 generator sets tested from the world’s pre-eminent manufacturers,
Northern Lights M773LW2 was deemed the quietest, at less than 65 dBA with no
electrical load. The second quietest machine tested was also a Northern Lights —
the M673LD2, at fewer than 66 dBA. Victron Energy notes in the report that “the
sound levels measured should not be seen as absolute values but as relative values,
for which we used the symbol ΔdBA, showing how much more or less noisy one generator
is compared to another.”
The only two Northern Lights tested proved to be the two quietest.
Independent testing proves that the quietest gensets run at 1500 RPM. All Northern
Lights generator sets are built to run at 1500 RPM in their 50 Hz applications (a modest
1800 RPM at 60 Hz). Other key contributors to Northern Lights’ quiet design are mounts
which dramatically reduce noise resulting from the transmission of vibration, and single-piece,
cast-iron expansion tank/exhaust manifolds which minimize engine noise.
Said Puckett, “By using the best possible components, keeping revolutions low and
keeping customer comfort at the forefront, we are able to build generator sets that
are measurably quieter than comparable models.”
Northern Lights sound enclosures are one of many options that further customize
Northern Light generator sets.
For the full study visit victronenergy.com/generatortest/. For more information on
Northern Lights see ad on page 28.
Boat Kits for the Caribbean
If you have ever thought about building your own boat, whether a tender for your
yacht, a day-sailer, powerboat, or even a cruising yacht, UK-based Jordan Boats
can supply a plywood component kit to get you started.
Proprietor Alec Jordan spent much of his childhood in St. Lucia, and after returning
there in December, found a great deal of interest in his five-year-old business. After
checking Geest Line’s freight rates, he realized that kits could be delivered dutypaid
at the ports served by Geest (St. Lucia, Barbados, Dominica, St. Vincent,
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