Caribbean Compass Yachting Magazine - December 2019

— Continued from previous page
Six years later, on October 25th, 2019, a nine-member jury at the High Court of St.
Vincent & the Grenadines found both Enard Douglas and Jeromie Jordan of Union
Island guilty of aggravated burglary, wounding with intent and causing grievous
bodily harm. The long delay in the case coming to trial was not unusual in SVG; a
backlog results from the facts that SVG has only one High Court judge and the
Criminal Assizes are not held year-round.
Although evidence presented in court indicated that Douglas was directly responsible
for wounding the American couple, he and Jordan were tried jointly. The two
young men, who were 15 and 16 years old respectively at the time of the assault,
are due to be sentenced as this issue of Compass goes to press.
We’ll have a report in next month’s Compass.
Ring in 2020, Caribbean Style!
If you haven’t rung in a New Year in the Caribbean yet, you’re in for a treat. There
are festive parties across the Caribbean on New Year’s Eve, better known as Old
Year’s Night.
Restaurants and bars across the spectrum — from ritzy resorts to ramshackle rum
shops — hold Old Year’s celebrations. Get a bite to eat, do bit of barhopping, and
then join a party to enjoy the fireworks and dance the night away in the open air.
The Barbados Cruising Club at Carlisle Bay throws an Old Year’s Night party each
year, and Foxy’s annual party on December 31st on Jost Van Dyke in the BVI is legendary.
Bequia is popular with sailors for an Old Year’s pub-crawl along the waterfront,
followed by first-rate fireworks launched off a barge in the harbor. You can
even get in some yacht racing with the Nelson’s Pursuit Race in Antigua, held every
December 31st, with plenty of partying after. December 31st is a public “Year End
Celebration” holiday in Cuba, too.
Virtually every major town has fireworks. Notable shows regularly occur in Trellis Bay,
Tortola; Admiralty Bay, Bequia; Clifton, Union Island and Kralendijk, Bonaire. Note
that Fort-de-France, Martinique, customarily holds their fireworks on December 30th,
not the 31st, so you can catch the show there and then boogie to another island for
Round Two the next night.
After a night of partying, many folks head to a beach to watch the sunrise.
New Year’s Day is commonly called Recovery Day, a popular day for a beach
“lime” (hang-out) or a lazy picnic brunch. If you’re still in the mood to celebrate,
there are Junkanoo parades in the Bahamas, the annual Festival Parade in
Montserrat, and “Sugar Mas” carnival in St. Kitts.
or at Dockside Marine, next to the Porthole Restaurant in Port Elizabeth. If you are
unable to donate, attend the auction itself and bid for that rare gem that you just
can’t resist!
For more information visit www.bequiasunshineschool.org or call Suzanne at (784)
528-7444.
Broadway to Bequia Theater Festival
John Burstein reports: If you love theater, sail in to Bequia right after New Year’s to
see three great shows performed by a troupe of highly skilled, top-quality actors
from New York, Boston and London. The Broadway to Bequia Theater Festival takes
place January 8th through 14th, 2020. All shows are at 6:45PM.
“Love Letters” by AJ Gurney — a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for drama — will be
performed on January 8th and 9th. “A rare work whose emotional richness offers a
full-bodied theatrical experience.” — Hollywood
december 2019 CARIBBEAN COMPAss pAGE 6
Sailors’ & Landlubbers’ Auction
Suzanne Gabriel reports: The Bequia Sunshine School is a non-profit organization for
children with special needs. The annual Sailors’ & Landlubbers’ Auction has become
a significant source of income for the school and a huge source of fun for all who
attend. The 2020 auction will be held at The Fig Tree restaurant on the waterfront, at
the end of the walkway in Belmont, on Sunday, February 9th.
Viewing starts at 12:00 noon and the auction at 1:00PM sharp. Donated food and
drink will be on sale, with all proceeds going directly to the school.
Lend your support by donating items for the auction such as boat gear, art and
handicrafts, unwanted gifts, household goods, jewellery and other new or gently
used items. Donations can be dropped off at the school during regular school hours
See “The Big Bang” by Jed Feuer and Boyd Graham on January 10th and 11th. It’s
the entire history of civilization in 90 minutes. “The zaniest, most wacky and nonstop
hilarious play I’ve seen in years — no decades.” — CT Theater Review
The festival finale is “Bakersfield Mist” by Stephen Sachs on January 13th and 14th.
A Critic’s Choice in the Los Angeles Times, it has been called “deeply moving” by
the Chicago Tribune and “stunning” by Broadway World.
For more information visit BroadwaytoBequia.com or call (784) 458-3210.
Welcome Aboard!
In this issue of Caribbean Compass we welcome new advertiser Helix Anchors hurricane
mooring installations of the USA, on page 31. Good to have you with us!