Caribbean Compass Yachting Magazine - April 2020

Corona-mania
Info & Updates
night cruises, and term charters. Proceeds will help sustain charitable projects on
the island.
Since K1’s incorporation in 2014, the organization’s focus has been on providing
vulnerable and at-risk youth developmental and educational opportunities through
a wide variety of programs within their Foster Care and Second Chance Program.
Building on their volunteer program, K1 combined volunteerism and disaster relief
The coronavirus has swept the world like a hurricane. See the article about some of
its effects on Caribbean yachting on page 10. And then have a look at the rest of
this issue. Times are odd right now, and the relevance of some of the content in this
issue will be affected by ongoing changes, but you’ll see that the Caribbean is generally
a pretty terrific place to be!
april 2020 CARIBBEAN COMPAss pAGE 4
Spirit of St. Maarten Launched
The K1 Britannia Foundation, a local non-profit organization, has launched a project
called The Spirit of St. Maarten. Its flagship is the Spirit of St. Maarten. Working in
partnership with the maritime and tourism industry, the ship will offer day cruises,
during Hurricane Irma, which later evolved into an official disaster relief program,
called K1 DIRECT, with the assistance of Carnival Cruise Line and Holland America
Line. This relationship with the cruise industry inspired the idea of developing a shore
excursion that creates jobs for youths, and a sustainable year-round source of
income for sustainable projects.
The Spirit of St. Maarten Project is based on a social enterprise business model. The
ultimate goal is to achieve sustainability by enabling non-profits to support themselves
financially in innovative ways instead of relying solely on grants and donations.
This flagship will be employing youth in maritime jobs, as well as in hospitality, thus
creating a holistic approach to supporting vulnerable youth.
Priya Thirumur, Vice President and Cofounder of K1 says, “The Spirit of St. Maarten is
not a K1 project, it is an island project. This is why we have decided to call the boat
the Spirit of St. Maarten, as a flagship for programs with the island’s youth and to
find long-term solutions for social challenges faced by those on this island. It has
been warming to see the support of the community and the maritime community,
coming together to bring this very special flagship to life.”
Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs stated, “The tenacity of each volunteer is very admirable
and I cannot wait to see what their next project will be.”
K1 thanks those who made this project possible, including Electec, FKG, Lagoon
Marina, Lagoonies, Intermar, Budget Marine, Island Water World, Yanmar, Dave
Dowling and Mark, Nexus, Bobby’s Marina, Carnival, Emilio and Erin Johnson, PDG,
Grant Thorton, Marine Couture, and many others.
For more information visit www.k1britanniafoundation.org
or www.facebook.com/k1sxm
—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