Boatshed Expands to the Caribbean

Boatshed Expands to Grenada in the Carribean

As one of the world’s largest yacht brokerage groups, Boatshed is expanding its presence to the southern Caribbean island of Grenada. By combining an online sales platform with traditional yacht brokers in more than 60 offices worldwide, Boatshed’s new location is with Island Dreams.

Island Dreams is a yacht maintenance, sales, and management company based at Port Louis Marina in St. George’s. They also have a satellite office at Clarkes Court Boatyard on the south side of the island in Woburn.

“Grenada has become more attractive as a location for buying a boat as the range of marine services here has increased,” says Anita Sutton, who with husband Mark has owned and operated Island Dreams since 2003.

“We now have three boatyards in Grenada, so there is a nearby yard to haul a boat being surveyed. With Clarkes Court Boatyard, Grenada can now haul much bigger boats. There are two Grenada-based marine surveyors with others on neighboring islands. There are some new services, such as life raft servicing, that have opened in the last year,” she says. “We will soon be adding virtual reality images to our Boatshed Grenada listings so a purchaser can make a more informed decision about a boat they may be interested in.

We have a real variety of boats in Grenada, and I am loving the variety of boats listing with us, from Caribbean classic to family cruisers to vessels ready for a blue water adventure.” Boatshed also has Caribbean locations in St. Vincent, St. Lucia and the British Virgin Islands.

islandreamsgrenada.com

usa.boatshed.com

By Carol Bareuther, Southern Boating June 2018

Photos Courtesy of Island Dreams

What To Do In Grenada

More About Boatshed:

Boatshed’s sales platforms have pioneered the clear and transparent marketing and sale of used boats online. This practice has elevated them to be one of the best in the industry. An advantage of marketing a boat for sale with Boatshed is that an owner reaches beyond the locality of the boat.

Budget Marine Spice Island Billfish Tournament

Spice Island Billfish Tournament Celebrates 50 Years

One of the biggest sportfishing tournaments in the Caribbean in terms of boat and angler participation and size of targeted catch celebrates its half-century this year. The Budget Marine Spice Island Billfish Tournament takes place January 21-26 out of the Grenada Yacht Club in St. George’s, Grenada. “We are expecting as many as seventy boats this year, as we are offering a cash prize for the first time,” says Richard McIntyre, tournament chairman.

“That is, five-hundred thousand EC (USD $185,000) for anyone who catches a 1,000-pound or larger blue marlin. Many have reported seeing or fighting these monster-sized billfish in our territorial waters, so we wanted to highlight to the world what is in our backyard.” Blue marlin, white marlin and sailfish are bountiful and the basis upon which results are determined; however, anglers also target yellowfin tuna, dolphin fish (mahi-mahi) and wahoo for additional points and prizes. “Visiting boats are welcome and so are visiting anglers,” invites McIntyre, and suggests to arrive early if you’d like to get on a boat.

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By Carol Barethuer, Southern Boating, January 2018

Caribbean Marine Parks

Caribbean marine parks that fall below the hurricane belt should be high on your list to visit this season.

September is the height of the hurricane season in most of the Caribbean. Storms are a low risk in southern Caribbean islands such as Grenada, Tobago, and Bonaire, located at or below the hurricane belt or south of 12° latitude. It’s here that cruisers will ﬁnd safe anchorages, capable yards and nautical attractions like marine parks.

In Grenada, for example, sightsee below the seas via guided snorkel trips at the Underwater Sculpture Park, where life-sized human sculptures made out of concrete and rebar serve as artiﬁcial reefs. These works of art are located in the Moliniere-Beausejour Marine Protected Area. grenadaunderwatersculpture.com

The Buccoo Reef Marine Park in Tobago is one of the most beautiful and accessible coral reefs in the Caribbean. The brain, staghorn, star, and elkhorn coral communities here are alive and healthy. Daily tours to the reef are available aboard glass-bottom boats.

In Bonaire, the numbers speak for themselves at the Bonaire National Marine Park: more than 350 ﬁsh species, 86 dive sites and nearly 60 tony and soft corals. SCUBA diving with local dive operators is a great way to see this very healthy marine park, which has a strict no-anchor policy. buccoo.net/seaside/buccoo-reef; stinapabonaire.org

By Carol Bareuther, Southern Boating Magazine September 2017

Photo: HOWARD CLARKE/GRENADA SEAFARIS POWERBOAT ADVENTURES

Marinas, music and racing

The 35-square-mile island of Anguilla sits right in the middle of the Caribbean’s prime megayacht cruising grounds, with the U.S. and B.V.I. to the north and St. Maarten and St. Barths to the south. Yet, it’s a destination without adequate dockage for these large yachts. Anchoring out and a dinghy ride in is the only way to visit Anguilla’s incredible beaches, five-star resorts and not-yet-overcommercialized island vibe—a movie star’s magnet. This is about to change with the construction of the island’s first megayacht marina at the existing Altamer Resort, a plan that has been on the drawing board for years. Now, in the wake of the resort’s acquisition by New York-based Time Equities and the partnership with Anaconda Holdings—whose chairman Jeff Boyd was instrumental in the creation of St. Maarten’s Princess Port de Plaisance, Yacht Club at Isle de Sol and Portofino Marina—a megayacht marina on Anguilla is to become a reality. Plans call for dockage capable of accommodating yachts from 30- to 200-feet LOA. The marina will also serve as an official port of entry. Marina guests will be able to enjoy all the amenities at the Altamer Resort, a boutique villa property located on the island’s west end at Shoal Bay. The final design stages for the marina wrapped up in late 2015, however, no date has been set for completion. Future plans call for a restaurant, promenade, duty-free shopping, and a 164-unit resort.

Grenada’s first-ever music festival

Seaside venues and an exciting program of local and international artists are the main attractions at the first-ever Pure Grenada Music Festival set for April 5-10. Cruisers donated their old sails to make shaded areas around the Festival Village, which will be located on the spacious green at the Port Louis Marina along with the main stage. At the Festival’s conclusion the sails will go to local workboat owners. The 170-slip, full-service, Port Louis marina is host to the opening night performance featuring Grammy Award-winning pop and R&B superstar, Estelle. Reggae Night and Rhythm and Soul Night happens at Port Louis, too, where the headline acts are Grammy-winning reggae band Steele Pulse and chart topper, Joss Stone. The most exciting night for nautical types is the Rock De Boat concert set on a floating stage in picturesque St. George’s harbor. Canadian duo, Madison Violet, will perform its hit version of These Ships, and Guadeloupe’s Erik Pedurand will present his award-winning island Creole tunes. grenadamusicfestival.com

Antigua’s Granddaddy of Caribbean racing

Catch the action from Antigua Sailing Week with the “Granddaddy of Caribbean Regattas” on April 22-30 at the Antigua Yacht Club in English Harbour. The best vantage point to watch the racing from shore is at Shirley Heights Lookout, where a special regatta breakfast party is set for April 24^th. See the sailing by sea aboard the Wadadli Cats on a chase-the-race charter. Not in Antigua? No worries. Results will be posted in real time on sailingweek.com.

By Carol Bareuther, Southern Boating Magazine April 2016

Head South to the Aruba Regatta

Big boats, beach cats and board sailors will all find a class in which to compete at the International Aruba Regatta set for August 14 to 16. An 80-plus boat fleet is expected with sailors flying in from Bonaire, Curaçao, Venezuela, the United States, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The action takes place off Surfside Beach located between the Queen Beatrix International Airport and the island’s capitol of Oranjestad. Last year’s additions of stand-up paddleboard and micro-boat races as well as a self-built boat demonstration and race are set to continue. “One of the things that makes this regatta special is that all courses, which are short and geared toward competitive sailing, are in sight of the regatta beach. This makes it possible to follow the races from the shade of the beach tents with a beer in your hand!” says organizer Eric Mijts. Shoreside activities include food, live music and entertainment at the Regatta Village on Surfside Beach. aruba-regatta.com

Center Console Tournament in the U.S.V.I.
Get your team together and be one of the first to fish the new ‘Wet N’ Wild’ Center Console Tournament set for August 28th and 29th to be held out of IGY’s American Yacht Harbor Marina, on St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. “Fishermen in this two-day tournament, which is held in tandem with the USVI Open/Atlantic Blue Marlin Tournament (ABMT), can score points by catching the Virgin Islands ‘Big 5’—blue marlin, white marlin, sailfish, wahoo and yellowfin tuna—on stand-up light tackle,” says Tournament Director Jimmy Loveland. “There will be best team prizes for the top three teams with the most points and a Best Angler prize.” Entries are expected from the B.V.I., Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, St. Martin, and the U.S. mainland. Several center consoles are available for charter from outfits such as Ocean Surfaris, Capt. Alvin and Offshore Adventures. The ‘Wet N’ Wild’ Center Console Tournament is part of MarlinFest, a week of fun activities around the ABMT that includes an arts and crafts festival, chowder competition, golf tournament, beach BBQ, and daytrip to the BVI. abmt.vi

New Boatyard in Grenada
The Clarke’s Court Boatyard & Marina has been redeveloped into a major yacht storage yard under new ownership. Located on Grenada’s southern shore east of the capital of St. George’s, the yard can haul vessels up to 242 tons with a 39-foot beam and store up to 400 yachts at a time on the hard. A soft opening happens this month, while Phase I will be completed shortly after. This includes the haul-out slipway, reinforced load-bearing track, concreting of the main storage area, washrooms, and service building that will house the chandlery. The build-out of Phases II and III, which includes development of the marina and construction of a restaurant, swimming pool and accommodations, will follow over the next few years. Call (473) 439-3939; info@clarkescourtmarina.com

By Carol Bareuther, Southern Boating August 2015

Chocoholics flock to Grenada

Grenada is nicknamed “The Spice Isle” for its production of nutmeg—it’s the second largest growing and exporting nation in the world behind Indonesia. Few realize, however, that this southern Caribbean island is also a chocolate lover’s paradise. The best way to sample this fact is at the Grenada Chocolate Festival, set for May 8 to 17 and held out of the True Blue Bay Resort & Marina. “Grenada is one of the very few countries in the world that produces a high quality, organic and sustainable cocoa, and a very special and delicious Bean to Bar Chocolate,” explains organizer, Magdalena Fielden, whose husband Russ worked in the charter yacht industry until buying the resort in 1998. “The creation of the Grenada Chocolate Fest has been inspired by the vision of Mott Green, the late founder of the Grenada Chocolate Company, who wanted to develop a sustainable chocolate industry that would inspire different sectors of the community to be creative and take advantage of the very valuable cocoa that the island produces.” Chocolate parties, health benefit workshops, hands-on culinary sessions, factory visits, farmer for a day outing, a beachside chocolate fest, chocolate tasting yacht charter, and sunset bonfire with culinary competition are all part of the fun. New this year, Diamond Chocolate factory will participate and offer visitors a chance to design their own chocolate bar. “Visitors can choose from among the events which, of course, will feature a lot of chocolate and cocoa tasting!” chocolate. truebluebay.com

Barbados May Regatta

The Virgin Islands, St. Maarten and Antigua are the three big island destinations for yacht racing in the Caribbean. Yet this month marks a great chance to get off the beaten track and sail or spectate on Barbados. Formerly British-owned, the island is located east of St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines and will host the Barbados Sailing Association’s Barbados May Regatta from May 21 to 24. The action takes place in Carlisle Bay just off the capital city of Bridgetown, and the festivities will be held at the beautiful 90-year-old Barbados Yacht Club. Multiple classes are held including some multihulls added for variety and a fleet of one-design J/24s. More than 30 yachts from Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, Grenada, St. Lucia, Martinique, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines attend making this Barbados’ premier regatta of the year. The race committee plans varied, challenging courses tailored to suit each class, which means great racing for all. “The Club has excellent facilities for sailors with no great distance required to travel after a day of racing,” says organizer Penny McIntyre. “There is a fantastic camaraderie among the sailors and lively after-race parties, barbeques, DJ’s, happy hours and a coconut vendor. If you have not sipped a Mount Gay and coconut water, you best come join!” The regatta is sponsored by Mount Gay, providers of the signature red hats, and Banks Breweries. barbadosyachtclub.com.

By Carol Bareuther, Southern Boating May 2015

Caribbean Carnivals

Parades and parties kick off the celebrations held to commemorate St. Lucia Day on December 13^th. Named for the patron saint of light, St. Lucy, this holiday was founded on the commonly held belief that Christopher Columbus discovered St. Lucia on this day in 1502. This idea has been soundly disproven, but it hasn’t stopped the Carnival-like atmosphere that lasts right up until Christmas. The don’t-miss highlight is the Festival of Lights. Days before, residents throughout the island decorate their homes with homemade lanterns. The real spectacle begins when the sun sets on December 13^th with a parade of people carrying beautiful lanterns around Derek Walcott Square in the capitol city of Castries. Other festivities include choir competitions, street parties with live bands, fish fries and food sales, and local sporting competitions such as a game of cricket. stlucianow.com

St. Kitts & Nevis Carnival

National pride combines with Christmas spirit to make the St. Kitts & Nevis Carnival or “Sugar Mas” unlike many other islands’ carnival celebrations throughout the year. Calypso competitions begin mid-December and include beauty pageants and the naming of the Carnival Queen—complete with the crowing of the Calypso Monarch. The real entertainment heats up December 26^th with J’ouvert, a street jam where revelers follow their favorite bands whose instruments and sound systems are located on the backs of trucks. The Grand Carnival Parade, a massive show of costumed dancers, stilt-walking Mocko Jumbies, steel pan bands, and decorated floats, takes place in this dual-island nation’s capital of Basseterre on New Year’s Day. stkittsneviscarnival.com

Carriacou Parang Festival

Local and visiting islands’ string bands play a blend of Christmas carols with traditional folk tunes at the annual music festival held on Grenada’s offshore island of Carriacou December 19-21. The Festival started in 1977 as a way to keep alive the age-old custom of bands walking house to house to serenade friends and family. Today, eight-piece percussion bands carry on this tradition and compete for prizes. The big contest, held on the tennis court in Hillsborough, entails performing one Christmas carol and one piece of the band’s own choosing, which may be in keeping with the seasonal theme or a calypso-like satire on island life and politics. It’s easy to make it a day trip to visit Carriacou for the Parang Festival. Ferries depart several times daily from St. George’s for the 90-minute trip to Hillsborough, and a flight on a commuter air carrier takes only 15 minutes. carriacouparangfestival.com

By Carol Bareuther, Southern Boating December 2014

Grenada Celebrates Competition, Carnival and Chocolate

August is an awesome month to charter a yacht out of the southern Caribbean island of Grenada. “The clarity and calmness of the seas makes for great snorkeling,” says Jacqui Pascall, who with husband James manages Horizon Yacht Charters’ base at the True Blue Bay Resort & Marina. The company offers bareboat, crewed and learn-to-sail charters aboard a fleet of Bavaria monohulls and Fountaine Pajot and Lagoon multihull yachts. “There are fewer crowds during the summer so you can always find a lovely anchorage to overnight. Plus, the reduced low-season charter rates make it easier for families to enjoy the trip.” It’s possible to visit Grenada’s offshore island of Carriacou to the north as well as islands in the Grenadines such as Bequia, Mustique, Canouan, Mayreau, and the Tobago Cays during a one-week sail. What’s more, there are several ways to partake in island cultural events this month.

The Carriacou Regatta Festival kicks off on August 1st with a single-handed race around the island in traditional wooden boats. The sailing competition continues through August 4th when prizes will be given on the beach in the main town of Hillsborough. Several shore-based activities happen at the same time such as beach games by day and shows at night. Grenada’s SpiceMas Festival takes place August 7-12. This annually anticipated event features a week of food, music and traditional arts. The Pretty Mas Pageant on August 1st is a feast for the eyes and ears with Calypso, Soca and steel pan bands and dancing troupes of costumed revelers on parade. There are a number of excellent viewing spots and quaint cafes throughout the historic town of St. George. Chocoholics will enjoy the Grenada Chocolate Fest at the True Blue Bay Resort August 18-24. This chocolate extravaganza includes a tour of a working cocoa estate, chef competitions and samples of decadent chocolate treats.

World-class sport fishermen and fishing aficionados from around the globe are invited to the 2nd Annual MarlinFest. Set for August 5-11, the event is gathering a groundswell of interest by turning the U.S. Virgin Islands/Atlantic Blue Marlin Tournament in St. Thomas into a spectator sport. “It’s a place to gawk at some of the finest fishing machines in the world docked one slip next to the other at the American Yacht Harbor Marina, a place to personally meet owners and builders, and a place to learn angling techniques from the crews whose photos you see in magazines,” explains tournament and fest organizer Jimmy Loveland. Day trips to the B.V.I., sunset parties, a center console competition, arts and crafts festival, and carnival-like Jump Up complete with a chowder competition are all part of the fun. abmt.vi/pages/mfweb.htm

By Carol Bareuther, Southern Boating August 2014