FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMarch 27, 2019
USVI Charter Yacht Show Set for November 11-14, 2019 @ IGY’s Yacht Haven Grande, in St. Thomas
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. The USVI Charter Yacht Show, the premier event in the U.S. Virgin Islands for charter brokers and crewed yachts to see and be seen, is set for November 11 to 14, at IGY’s Yacht Haven Grande. This ‘Best of all World’s Show’,organized by the Virgin Islands Professional Charter Association (VIPCA) features a unique chance for charter brokersto see an impressive display of sail and power catamarans,monohulls and luxury motor yachts in one location. It also allows crews, managers and local vendors to kick off their Caribbean season and promote themselves and their services at one of the finest global luxury superyacht marinas.
“IGY’s Yacht Haven Grande Marina is the perfect charter base, especially to showcase large yachts,” says Bert Fowles, vice president of sales and marketing for IGY Marinas, headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. “We invite yacht crews to arrive in early November, see our new additions, facilities and services at the Show, and get a jump-start on the season.”
Jump-Start the Charter SeasonIGY’s Yacht Haven Grande Marina is making it easy, and inexpensive, for crews to jump start their season early. First, the exceptionally low Show berthing rate of $1.50 per foot per day commences November 3 and extends through till November 22. Second, there’s an additional 10 percent early-bird discount for dockage paid in full before October 15. Third, the ‘on arrival’ fuel rate comes with a 15 percent discount. What’s more, yachts traveling north from the Southern Caribbean for the show or charter in this area afterwards can enjoy a five percent dockage discount at IGY Marinas in Rodney Bay, St. Lucia, and Isle de Sol, St. Martin, from November 1 to December 15, 2019.
“Being in the Virgin Islands earlier in the season gives crews an opportunity to tour the islands pre-show, giving more in depth and up to date knowledge of the cruising grounds, businesses and services offered as often a lot of changes happen during the off season when local businesses use this time for major renovations or add or change services,” says Jamie Deehan, captain of the 52-foot sailing catamaran, SV Island Hoppin. “These insights can then be explained to brokers at the show, showing the crew as experts on the cruising grounds and allowing the brokers to better explain conditions and activities to guests. This translates to a better charter experience for both guests and crew, hopefully leading to repeat guests and growth in the industry.”
Large Yachts Welcome
Over 60 yachts are expected to attend,including catamarans80-feet and longer and motor yachts in the 100- to 150-foot range. The latter is a segment of the Caribbean crewed charter market that IGY’s Yacht Haven Grande marina caters to in a signature way. This includes everything from marina operations to services and amenities, which includein-slip high-speed fueling, waste and oil removal, 24-hour security, on property shops and restaurants, and nearby access to the island’s best yacht provisioning, catering, laundry, fitness center and ships’ chandlery. These are all elements that led IGY’s Yacht Haven Grande Marina to be named the 2016 Superyacht Marina of the Year and receive the coveted 5 Gold Anchor Award.
“Last year we chose the USVI show because we feel as though it was held at a nicer marina and is run very efficiently,” says Jon Bellemare, captain of the 83-foot Prout catamaran, Blue Gryphon. “IGY’s Yacht Haven Grande does an extremely good job of accommodating a vessel of our size. We dock there quite frequently during the charter season and they are always willing to move other boats around to make sure we can fit in their marina.They provide great services when it comes to provisioning (the golf carts are key!) as well as guests arrival and drop off. We find that our guests are happy with the service they get from the marina and our trips always start and end on a good foot!”
A Broker’s ParadiseOver 100 charter brokers from the Caribbean, U.S. and Europe are expected to attend this ‘must do’ show for international yacht charter professionals. Easy airlift via direct flights to St. Thomas from major U.S. international gateway cities such as Boston, Chicago, JFK-New York, Newark-New Jersey, Washington Dulles, Charlotte, Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale and Miami make it easy to fly to St. Thomas from the U.S. or Europe. For those attending the BVI Charter Yacht Show, the USVI Charter Show offers direct water taxi service from the BVI to IGY Yacht Haven Grande with expedited US Customs clearance. Once in the USVI, there are discounted rates at the Show’s preferred hotels.
“A growing number of boats in the fleet are basing themselves in the US Virgin Islands, and paired with the ease of client arrival, the number of participants in the show has grown exponentially”, says Emily Mack, president of the Charter Yacht Brokers Association (CYBA). IGY’s Yacht Haven Grande’s “offering of a large number of slips on easy to travel concrete docks, allows the yachts to be situated closely together – allowing brokers to see more yachts. The facility itself offers plenty of restrooms, eateries either on site or nearby, as well as last year offering an air conditioned ‘brokers lounge’ with Wi-Fi (very helpful when trying to keep business rolling while attending the show). Many yachts are choosing to offer YHG as a pick-up point for their charter guests, being not only closer to the airport but offering a picturesque, manicured first impression when boarding your charter yacht.”
New for 2019
The 2019 USVI Charter Yacht Show’s dynamic action-packed schedule features four days of yacht viewing, an outstandingopportunity for yachts and crews to highlight signature services, features and amenities to brokers. Plus, there will be a crew cocktail party, awards dinner, sunset cruise, marine expo, and the always anticipated ‘State of the Industry’ address, which highlights many of the off-the-beaten-track anchorages in these world-famous cruising grounds.
“New, there will be a ‘Chef and Bartender Expo’ hosted by Celebrity Chef-Boxer Julius Jackson, which will exhibit all the territory has to offer in food and beverages,” says Oriel Blake, VIPCA’s executive director. “The increasingly prestigious culinary competition will be judged over two days to include more competitors. This year not only is the bar being raised for mixologists, but for chef, yacht and crew competitions with a formal panel of judges to assess the ‘Best of the Best’ for the 2019/2020 season. Last but not least, anticipate a positive shake-up to the ‘themed yacht-hop’this year.”
Crewed Yachts should register by July 1 to receive 20% off with an Early Bird Show Registration Discount. Charter Brokers are also encouraged to register early. For moreinformation and to register, visit:www.vipca.org
Sponsors of the USVI Charter Yacht show include the USVI Department of Tourism; Yacht Haven Grande; IGY Marinas; Offshore Marine; the Gowrie Group; Denison Yacht Sales; Moe’s Fresh Market; Stoli, distributed by West Indies Company; Captain Morgan, distributed by Bellows International; the Charter Yacht Broker Association; Cardow Jewelers; Harbor Shoppers and La Royale Cosmetics.
ABOUT VIPCA
VIPCA is the territory’s 501(c)(6) nonprofit marine association, whose purpose is to promote, protect and further the capabilities of charter yachts and the marine businesses that sustain them. Projects and initiatives VIPCA membership supports includes producing a marine directory of local information, technical advice and resources; improving Customs and Border Protection facilities; gaining ease of access for charter vessels between the USVI and Spanish Virgin Islands; compliance guidance; moving forward a proposal to manage territory wide new transient moorings; marine vocational training for V.I. youth; and surveying and cleaning up bays and mangroves under the organization’s charity fiscally sponsored by Community Foundation Virgin Islands (CFVI.net), VI Marine Rebuild Fund.
