Caribbean Compass Yachting Magazine - November 2017

— Continued from previous page
CLUB POST-HURRICANE REPORTS
• Commodore Escrich of Club Náutico Internacional Hemingway of Cuba reports
that although the entire island of Cuba was left without electricity during some days,
the headquarters of CNIH did not suffer serious damage. “No vessel was harmed at
SALLY ERDLE
approximately 30 percent of our hulls can be repaired and we have been able to
retrieve some of the rigs and equipment. Incredibly, one of our two storage sheds
was one of the few things left standing on the beach and we are fortunate to also
have both of our coach boats floating.
We hope to be able to re-start Saturday sailing in the near future. Longer term, we
hope to resume our after-school classes from January and will be recruiting for new
instructors. In the meantime, we will be busy with fibreglass and gel coat!
• Daphne van der Peijl reports: Everybody at the Sint Maarten Yacht Club is safe.
We’ve been working around the clock to get the mess cleaned up, now it’s time to
see what’s needed to get back, even stronger. The Yacht Club building plus the
storage containers are completely intact. Unfortunately, we lost a big part of our
dock, the deck, the roof of the restaurant and half of our fleet. We have more than
Marina Hemingway,” he adds. “That proves the conditions of this marina as a shelter
for boats in case of hurricanes and storms.”
• Club Náutico de San Juan, Puerto Rico, reports: Our marina weathered the storm
perfectly. We had a situation with the northeast corner of the covered slips area,
but the rest of the marina is doing great, including 100-foot boats, and with no damage
to our infrastructure.
• Chris Haycraft, Commodore of the Royal BVI Yacht Club reports: The Club House
in Road Town appears to have stood up relatively well. Unfortunately, there is damage
to the roof, the restaurant and the deck, which will require considerable work
to repair.
There is also positive news at our sailing centre at Nanny Cay, despite the area
being virtually unrecognizable following Irma. Our initial assessment indicates that
half a million US$ damage at the Yacht Club, which we’ll try to compensate for by
raising funds.
We are able to organize St. Maarten Heineken Regatta 2018, including the necessary
entertainment. It might not be as big as past years, but it will probably be one
of the most beautiful!
Commodore Christopher Marshall adds: Rebuilding the Sint Maarten Yacht Club
will also us to continue our efforts to promote sailing, increase tourism through sailing
events, and to bring the local community together.
NOVEMBER 2017 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 19