Representatives from the Caribbean Marine Association were invited to the attend a meeting of the Yachting Committee of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States on 27 and 28 February in Tortola in the British Virgin Islands.
Representing the organisation were president John Duffy of Antigua and Barbuda, vice president Bob Hathaway of St. Lucia and director Anita Sutton of Grenada. Private sector and government representatives from Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Montseratt, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the British Virgin Islands also attended.
The purpose of the meeting was to explore ways of unlocking the economic benefits of yachting to the region and to jointly market the sector while remaining aware of the environment which is the major source of income to most OECS countries. The meeting was conducted by Rodinald Soomer and Dr. Lorraine Nicholas from the OECS Secretariat, with presentations also coming from various parties including the marine association.
High among the objectives was the easing of movements between the various Caribbean islands and the Caribbean Customs Law Enforcement Council in cooperation with the OECS and with the support of the CMA is working toward the introduction of an almost seamless on-line process which will come on stream during 2013. The law enforcement council and the OECS will be releasing more information in the future and has been tasked to get the word out to the yachting community at the right time.
The marine association was also tasked with investigating the reasons behind the penal rates of yacht insurance prevalent in the Caribbean which seem to be unrelated to risk when compared with the East Coast of the US. It was considered by the meeting that these rates are having a deleterious affect on the summer season in the Caribbean.
Although the marine association extends beyond the limits of the OECS to include countries such as Bahamas, St. Martin and Trinidad and Tobago, it was noted that there were some gaps within the OECS where countries have limited or embryonic yachting industries.
It was felt essential that all OECS member countries should have marine associations of their own and become members of the marine association. To that end, the CMA was further tasked to assist Anguilla, Monsteratt and St. Kitts and Nevis to for their own marine associations and to encourage the relatively new Marine Association in Dominica to become part of the CMA. In return, the CMA requested that the OECS create liaisons with other yachting counties in the eastern Caribbean, including Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago, as well as the French Islands of Gaudeloupe, Martinique, St. Barts and St. Maarten.
Before the final session, the delegates were taken on a tour of the main marine areas of Tortola, one of the most popular destinations in the Caribbean.
The slogan “Many Islands, One Sea” was deemed particularly appropriate to the motives behind the conference which was held to have been a success by all those how attended.
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