Dear Editor,
In reference to the article in The Daily Herald on Monday, October 23, 2017, page 3, Entitled “Yacht Owner: ‘Marinas should not offer slips during hurricane season,” I would like to offer the following response.
Whomever the yacht owner is that sent the comments to the paper is not at all wrong and closing the marinas during hurricane season is certainly an option and one that we have often considered. That said; there are some other issues that we have had to take into consideration as well that should be known.
Over 75 per cent of the vessels at the marina during this past hurricane were local yachts, meaning that they are here in St Maarten year-round and run their business out of here. A good deal of these yachts are locally owned and registered and thus St Maarten is home port. If we are to close the marinas where do they go? How many trips south will they have to make, only to return a week later? How do they know when to leave and where to go?
While this past storm was well predicted and pretty much stayed on track with the predictions, this is not always the case and oftentimes the owners of these vessels fear heading south only to end up heading into the storm, rather than away from the storm.
There is not enough storage and or haul-out space in St Maarten to accommodate hauling all vessels out and thus some people find themselves with no other choice but to weather the storm at the dock and or on anchor. The logical decision for most is on the dock so they have the possibility to get off the yacht if the storm so warrants it.
A good deal of the damage caused was from yachts that did not start the storm at the marina but simply ended up there from wherever they were moored.
No reputable marina will ever deny a yachtsman safe harborage in the event of a storm. We urge them to leave, we sometimes insist that they leave, but at the end of the day if they refuse to leave and or elect to stay, we can’t send them out into harm’s way.
As for the comments regarding the damage to the dock and the collection of such damage from the yachts: Once again we do whatever we can to urge these yachts in question to head out and explain to them all that they are docking at their own risk and that should they choose to stay their insurance will be responsible for their yacht and the damage to our dock. Remember, this is their choice after having been well informed and after having signed to and agreed to the terms of staying.
As a community we prepared our homes, vessels, cars and personal belongings for a natural disaster to the best of our ability. The destruction that occurred is heartbreaking, but turning our backs on the local boatowners was not something the marina was prepared to do.
In the passing of Irma at least those who were at the dock had the option to get off their vessel onto the dock to seek shelter. Had they been on anchor, which would have been their only other option, the outcome might have resulted in personal injury and/or worse, loss of life. Let’s not lose focus on the bigger picture; we are focused on cleaning up, rebuilding and jumpstarting the economy for future of St Maarten.
Jeff Boyd
President Marine Management and Consulting
