3rd Annual Black Boaters Summit Hailed A Success
Over 100 African-Americans had the unique opportunity to visit the British Virgin Islands in September to take part in the 3rd annual Black Boaters Summit. The summit is organized by a Richmond, California-based marketing company called Honey Let's Travel, which is owned and operated by Mr. Paul Mixon.
Honey Let's Travel started about six years ago to encourage African-Americans to attend Winter Carnival, an event of the Western Region of the National Brotherhood of Skiers. The company produces Black Boaters Summit, which started here in 1998. "That's a lifelong dream," he told The Island Sun. According to Mixon, he first came to the BVI in 1974 when he visited and fell in love with Virgin Gorda and The Baths in particular. "And even then I knew that I wanted to do something here...that was 26 years ago...it took me a little to put it together." The objective of the annual Black Boaters Summit is to introduce African-Americans to the sport of bare boat sailing. He said African-Americans spent $30B in tour and travel last year. "And the BVI didn't get its fair share...so, my mission is to go around America...to African-American professional organizations...and attend those conventions and...get people to come to the BVI..."
There was only one boat taking part in the 1st Black Boaters Summit, with Mixon and about seven other friends, on a boat provided by The Moorings. The following year, he said he was asked by Sun Yacht Charters, now Stardust Charters, to introduce bare boats to the 16,000 members of the National Brotherhood of Skiers, "because they knew that the greatest crossover in any sport is between sailors and skiers; if you snow ski, you probably sail and if you sail, you probably snow ski."
Sun Yacht provided six catamarans at no charge for three nights and four days. "So, I turned that first charter, that was our 2nd annual which was last year and took that from six boats to twelve as I had such a response from the people that I marketed; I did it on the Internet. So, instead of having 48 people, we had 85 people," Mr. Mixon stated. This year, 70 sailors, 12 "landlubbers" and four travel writers attended the September 23rd-30th Black Boaters Summit. The event was different in 2000. Rather than having the sailors fly in one night and spend a night in the hotel, spend a day on the boat and fly out the next night, he arranged it so that the visitors spent two nights in the hotel. Boats came from The Moorings, Tradewind Yacht Charters, Stardust and St. Thomas. They visited places such as the Bitter End Yacht Club, The Baths and Norman Island. Looking towards next year's summit, Mr. Mixon revealed that he is planning to organize a music festival, giving people who don't know about the BVI, a reason to come. While they are here, they will be introduced to Virgin Gorda, Foxy's, Stanley's, the Bitter End Yacht Club, Billy Bones and all the other activities. He wants to bring in at least 200 visitors in 2001 who will stay on land, while up to 240 others on about 30 yachts, sail the beautiful waters of the BVI.