The 7^th Annual Black Boaters Summit, which took place August 13-22, saw some 145 individuals and families flying down to the islands, chartering boats from The Moorings, Sunsail and Conch Charters and exploring the islands. This year’s group was the largest to date and included boats from St. Thomas, Puerto Rico and St. Maarten, bringing the number of boats in the fleet to 22. The picture shows some of the sailors taking part in the Black Boaters Summit 2004 at Myett's, Cane Garden Bay.

BLACK BOATERS SUMMIT IN BVI WAS THE BEST EVER

The 7^th Annual Black Boaters Summit, which took place last week (august 13-22), saw some 145 individuals and families flying down to the islands, chartering boats from The Moorings, Sunsail and Conch Charters and exploring the islands. This year’s group was the largest to date and included boats from St. Thomas, Puerto Rico and St. Maarten, bringing the number of boats in the fleet to 22.

“Our goal is to have 1,000 African Americans sailing the BVI annually in about two events during the summer and winter,” stated Captain Paul Mixon.

For the first time this year, BBS introduced a Learn to Sail programme and successfully trained 17 new captains. On August 18^th, they participated in the American Sailing Association’s basic keel boat class taught by the Bitter End Yacht Club, followed by volunteer skippers instructing the larger Sun Yacht Charters’ 45 foot boat until the 20^th.

“The future of Learn to Sail is to train 40 new African American captains per year for the next five years, which will tremendously swell the ranks of Black Boaters Summit,” Captain Mixon projected. “The key to getting African Americans here is the Black Boaters Summit, so the more captains we make, they’re not only sailors, they are sellers.”

In recognizing this, the BVI Tourist Board launched a major initiative earlier this year to develop the  African American market for the BVI. Director Mr. Kedrick Malone feels this is strategic to the growth of tourism in the territory, as the African American market is one of the fastest growing in the U.S. travel market and as such is a lucrative one which holds significant opportunities for the British Virgin Islands.  IMAGES USA, a full service multicultural marketing communications company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, has been contracted to prepare the marketing strategy and plan.

“We hope to have this strategy incorporated into our 2005 plan and executed in the latter part of this year into next year,” Director Malone announced.  He said the annual Black Boaters Summit has confirmed that there is great potential in this market for the BVI and we’re working with them to take it to greater heights. “We see great things ahead for this market”.

Said Captain Mixon: “Of all the Caribbean islands I have visited, the people of the BVI are the friendliest, seem to be the most educated and the most hospitable to yachtsmen…because Black Boaters Summit participants are not sailors; we return to the BVI for its gentle winds and turquoise blue waters. Of all the sailing capitals in the world, the BVI has developed the best sailing infrastructure, i.e. great anchorages, good food and reasonable prices.”

One of the skippers taking part in this year’s Black Boaters Summit, for the 5^th time, is Captain Bill Pinkney. Captain Pinkney has been coming to the British Virgin Islands since 1959 and is world-renown for becoming the first African-American to sail around the world solo in 1992 after a 22-month trip that started in Boston and had its first landfall in Virgin Gorda.  Captain Pinkney took the southern route around the five great capes and ended up back in Boston, Massachusetts.  Mr. Pinkney is also a successful motivational speaker and gave encouragement to the Black Boaters to pursue their dreams during a dinner hosted by the BVI Tourist Board at Myett’s Restaurant in Cane Garden Bay on Wednesday, August 18^th.

Asked what brings him back to the BVI year after year, he said: “Where else in the world can you have beautiful weather, wonderful sailing and wonderful people? The BVI has retained that kind of hospitality and openness to people that the Virgin Islands have always been famous for and it is not commercialized. That’s what I love about coming here.”

Joan Gilmore, a licensed captain who runs a sailing programme for kids in Los Angeles, also is a repeat visitor to the British Virgin Islands and has been bringing sailors to the territory as well. She said the BVI is “the prettiest spot in the world”.