Caribbean Compass Yachting Magazine - August 2018

Y2A BY ELLEN BIRRELL
Bequia’s Jojo Adams
and the Bequia
Youth Sailors
Future Outlook
Jojo is keeping track of his sea days so that he can one day sit for the RYA Captain
Certification. Two years ago he longed for ocean-crossing races, now he sees himself
acquiring either a Yacht Master online or RYA Captain certification. Accumulating
sea days is a part of that preparation. With the devastation that Hurricanes Maria
and Irma made to the northeastern Caribbean last year, more of the super yachts
were in Admiralty Bay, Bequia this winter. It has sparked Jojo and others to aspire
to work aboard like vessels one day.
“Every time I go Grenada or other open-water travel, I keep track of it in a notebook.
I’ll be prepared soon with enough sea days to sit for a certification,” Jojo explained.
Youth2Adult — Y2A — is a series of articles celebrating sailing’s
role in youth development for Caribbean children.
Jojo Adams’ calm demeanor and even speech contribute to
the sense of maturity he has gained since interviewed by Y2A
two years ago at age 16. At that time, he had helmed keel-less
boats ranging from Optimists to Lasers. In the past two years
he has migrated to sailing 12-, 16-, 18- and 28-foot local
double-enders. (A 28-foot double-ender normally has a crew of
eight.) His favorite boat at age 16 was a Laser. Now, his favorite
is the 18-foot double-ender.
Becoming more practical, instead of ocean racing, which lit his
imagination as a career when he was 16, Jojo now he sees himself
attaining the certifications to become a commercial captain.
Turning 17, he crewed as jib man on the 16-foot double-ender
Ark Royal with his brother on trapeze. They competed in the
Mayreau Regatta, and then the Petite Martinique Regatta, ending
the Grenadines’ race season with the Carriacou Regatta. In
their class, against a field of three to five boats, they took first
place each time!
That same year, the captain of a Carriacou schooner invited
Jojo to crew for him in Bequia Easter Regatta’s Around the
Island Race. Fellow Bequia Youth Sailors (BYS) member Javid
also got this chance. Jojo has also sailed around Bequia in a
28-foot double-ender when not racing. With its four-foot draft,
unlike most monohull racing keelboats, it can hug the shoreline,
which gives everyone on board a thrill.
The following year of 2017, this time with Jojo at the helm of the
17’8” More Worries, they took first in both the Carriacou Regatta
in July and Bequia’s Independence Day Regatta in October.
What does Jojo think about sailing?
“Sailing is a good thing. You have to be quick. It keeps you fit,
and keeps kids off the road, out of trouble. Once you learn it,
it’s a lot of fun.”
He brought his 17-year-old crew Courtney Jacobs to the interview.
At 17, like Jojo, Courtney lives in Union Level, a neighborhood
high above Port Elizabeth, Bequia’s main town. Courtney’s
father was an engineer on the Bequia-to-St. Vincent ferry
Admiral and now lives in Canada. Courtney chimed in that “you
have to have faith and come up with solutions” when out on the
water. When asked about the future, Courtney says, “Keep sailing
alive!”
Finding humor in sailing, too, they tell of one day’s practice in
Admiralty Bay. Jojo was at the helm with Courtney as sheet
man. The mainsail needed to be trimmed. Unaware that
Courtney was about to sheet in, Jojo reached over and yanked
the mainsheet in. Courtney had based his balance on grabbing
the sheet. A split second later with the line gone and nothing to
hold onto, into the sea he went!
Jojo showing a trainee how to rig the trapeze
AUGUST 2018 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 15
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Insurance
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