Caribbean Compass Yachting Magazine - March 2020

march 2020 CARIBBEAN COMPAss pAGE 4
25 Years of Partnership
Of all the marine activities in the Caribbean, the one for which
the region is best suited is the yacht cruising. The experience of
going from island to island, at whichever pace is desired, and
stopping for whatever time in any of the many attractive bays
and inlets, is one that is a very happy fit with the region in many
ways. It’s an experience that has created multi-year joy and
satisfaction for many visitors, without any significant negative
impact on the communities of the Eastern Caribbean.
No other media has focused on this niche like Caribbean
Compass has since its inception. No other publication has understood
the experience and the challenges as well. No other publication
has celebrated the experience so well and has decried
the mostly unnecessary limitations on this experience.
All of us at Budget Marine wish Caribbean Compass many
more successful years in addressing this niche in the same manner
as it has in this first quarter of a century and we are proud
to be a part of this milestone, having been part of Caribbean
Compass since the first issue!
Robbie Ferron, Director
Budget Marine
St. Maarten
Advertising since Issue Number One, March 1995 (see above)
Celebrating Compass’s
Silver Jubilee —
Looking Back,
Looking Forward
by Sally Erdle
The Early Years
After completing a nearly sixyear
circumnavigation aboard
our 1963-vintage Rhodes 41
sloop, So Long, by sailing into
Bequia just before Christmas of
1994, Tom Hopman and I wondered,
“What next?” We didn’t
have to wonder for long.
On New Year’s Eve 1994, over
drinks aboard our friend Elen
Schwartz’s Carol ketch, Prana, in
Admiralty Bay, the pioneering circumnavigator
Bob Law of the trimaran
Pistachio mentioned that
he had seed money to invest in a
newspaper. Did we know of anyone
who might be interested in
starting one?
Tom and I looked at each other
and said, “Hey, we could do that!”
We had worked as charter and
delivery captain and crew, and
cruised the Eastern Caribbean,
since the early 1970s. Along with
his US Coast Guard licenses, Tom
had a business degree in his back
pocket. Before leaving Bequia on
our circumnavigation, I’d written
freelance articles for a couple of the
glossy sailing magazines, as well as
for Jim Long’s seminal Caribbean
My previous experience was minimal —
I’d written for a few magazines including
Jim’s Long’s seminal Caribbean Boating.
Boating. We later enjoyed reading anything we could get our hands on throughout our
travels, and during a yearlong stopover in New Zealand I was privileged to work as a
feature writer for the Northern Advocate newspaper’s “Shoreline” marine section.
Arriving back in the Windwards, we thought that it was ridiculous for this area, with all
its boating activity, not to have a dedicated recreational-marine publication of its own.
—Continued on next page
The Renaissance Marina, located in the heart of
Oranjestad is part of the Renaissance Aruba Resort and
Casino and can accommodate more than 50 yachts.
Located at 12° 31' 2.3124'' N 70° 2' 16.8'' W, Renaissance
Marina is the island‘s most beautiful marina. It stretches over much
of this picturesque waterfront community combining the largest
entertainment and shopping facility in Aruba with the natural
beauty of the Marina.
The marina supplies fresh running water and
110/220/360V 60Hz electricity, satellite TV with security
guards on duty 24 hours a day. For your convenience
there are showers and ice machines available.
Contact us by phone at +297 588-0260
or visit our website: www.renaissancemarina.com
Operating Hours: Mon - Sat, from 8am to 6pm