New superyacht refuelling facility for Caribbean's Nevis island
A superyacht refuelling facility has been set up at Long Point Port, Nevis island, and has already undergone a test-run with sailing yacht 'Clan VIII'.…
A new refuelling initiative is being set up on the Caribbean island of Nevis, with a view to increase the island's offerings amidst growing tourism opportunities, according to media reports. The facility at Long Point Port will offer superyachts in the increasingly busy Caribbean waters another opportune location from which to top up fuel levels.
According to the Caribbean Journal, the Nevis Air and Sea Port Authority's (NAPSA's) chairman, Colin Dore, put the initiative down to an increase in yacht tourism, particularly with a number of local activities bringing traffic to the area, and added: "There is an upsurge now in yacht tourism within the Federation. There is Christophe Harbour coming on stream shortly and the Marina at Cades Bay, Tamarind Cove, coming on stream. We are trying to position ourselves to capitalise on whatever spin-off there will be from those activities."
A test-run of the project has already taken place, with superyacht Clan VIII being the first superyacht to test the refuelling facility.
Clan VIII's captain, Captain David Evans, spoke exclusively to SuperyachtNews.com about the test-run which took place prior to the yacht's participation in the St. Barths Bucket. "The refuelling at Nevis was really because of the schedule. We departed Palma late February and arrived in Antigua with fuel enough for the Bucket," explained Captain Evans. "The owner came out a little early and we cruised with him around Anguilla before heading to St. Barths to practise for the Bucket. The owner is an avid golfer and we all really wanted to see the new development in St Kitts so I asked GAC, our usual fuelling agents, to look into this for us … In fact, [the owner] had a round of golf while we moved to Long Point and fuelled up.
"The service itself was simple with a truck coming to the dock. It was a question of fittings, which I have found an issue in quite a few places. All the people on the ground were extremely friendly - we even had a local news team there."
The test-run did suggest the facility wasn't quite up to standards yet, but the positive experience certainly showed it wasn't far off. "I would say the dock needs improvement for taking superyachts," added Captain Evans, "but otherwise I was happy with the service - and the owner did not even have to miss a beat of his holiday. It was a win-win situation."
According to the Caribbean Journal, the Nevis Air and Sea Port Authority's (NAPSA's) chairman, Colin Dore, put the initiative down to an increase in yacht tourism, particularly with a number of local activities bringing traffic to the area, and added: "There is an upsurge now in yacht tourism within the Federation. There is Christophe Harbour coming on stream shortly and the Marina at Cades Bay, Tamarind Cove, coming on stream. We are trying to position ourselves to capitalise on whatever spin-off there will be from those activities."
A test-run of the project has already taken place, with superyacht Clan VIII being the first superyacht to test the refuelling facility.
The facility will provide more refuelling opportunities for superyachts visiting the Caribbean. Credit: Bryony McCabe
Clan VIII's captain, Captain David Evans, spoke exclusively to SuperyachtNews.com about the test-run which took place prior to the yacht's participation in the St. Barths Bucket. "The refuelling at Nevis was really because of the schedule. We departed Palma late February and arrived in Antigua with fuel enough for the Bucket," explained Captain Evans. "The owner came out a little early and we cruised with him around Anguilla before heading to St. Barths to practise for the Bucket. The owner is an avid golfer and we all really wanted to see the new development in St Kitts so I asked GAC, our usual fuelling agents, to look into this for us … In fact, [the owner] had a round of golf while we moved to Long Point and fuelled up.
"The service itself was simple with a truck coming to the dock. It was a question of fittings, which I have found an issue in quite a few places. All the people on the ground were extremely friendly - we even had a local news team there."
The test-run did suggest the facility wasn't quite up to standards yet, but the positive experience certainly showed it wasn't far off. "I would say the dock needs improvement for taking superyachts," added Captain Evans, "but otherwise I was happy with the service - and the owner did not even have to miss a beat of his holiday. It was a win-win situation."
Sailing yacht Clan VIII took part in the St. Barths Bucket following its visit to the refuelling facility. Credit: Bryony McCabe
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