USVI Charter Yacht show was a huge success

With its aluminum hull glistening in the sun and the Jamaican flag flying proudly in the wind, Burn Rate stood out among the 40 sea vessels on display at the three-day United States Virgin Islands (USVI) Charter Yacht Show in St. Thomas.

Not surprisingly, the Palmer Johnson-built 120-foot sport boat won the Best Yacht award in the 66-foot and Over category.

Captain Evert Theron on board Burn Rate (Photo by Ron Fanfair)

Captain Evert Theron and his wife – Tanya is the yacht’s Chef -- accepted the honour at the awards show on November 9, the penultimate day of the event that attracted over 100 brokers in-person from the Caribbean, the United States, Canada and Europe. Another 40 brokers attended virtually.

“What makes us different is that we have a luxury vessel with speed and a 39-foot tender boat,” he said. “With the extra boat, we can do off-shore fishing and also be anchored at one bay for our guests to do lunch anywhere in the Virgin Islands.”

Tanya Theron also won the Appetizer prize and was tied for runner-up in the Dessert category in the Culinary competition.

Burn Rate Captain Evert Theron and his wife Tanya (Photo by Ron Fanfair)

Burn Rate is registered in Jamaica.

“For tax and chartering purposes, Jamaica has excellent regulations in place for yachts to be registered there,” Theron said.

Following their marriage six years ago, he and his wife decided to travel around the world before they got children.

“In the process, we looked at how we could incorporate work into our travel plans, “ noted Theron who is from Capetown, South Africa. “So, we went to Spain and started working in the yachting sector. Then, we went to Bali and sailed from there to South Africa and then on to Florida before coming to St. Thomas four years ago.”

The second largest of the USVI, said Theron, is appealing for boating.

“There are good sailing grounds here and you are part of both the United States and the Caribbean which is the best of both worlds which means you can get all the supplies and parts you need,” he added.

Stewardess/Mate Karien Koekemoer, Deck Mate Daan De Beer and Engineer Louis van Wyk are the other Burn Rate crew.

Keagan Steyn has been captaining Sea Dog since it was delivered three years ago from South Africa where he spent his early life before moving to the United States with his family 20 years ago.

Sea Dog Captain Keagan Steyn and his partner Olivia Boyd (Photo by Ron Fanfair)

The runner-up in the Best Yacht Up to 55-feet category has a master cabin and two guest cabins and can accommodate up to six guests. The catamaran also has a fly bridge and forward and stern cocktail lounges.

The USVI, British Virgin Islands and the Windward and Leeward Islands are Sea Dog’s cruising areas during the winter and summer.

“This boat is my baby,” fondly says 27-year-old Steyn who completed his Royal Yacht Academy Coastal Yacht Master License certification four years ago.

His girlfriend, 23-year-old Olivia Boyd, is the Chef/First Mate.

Keagan Steyn and Olivia Boyd with their runner-up prize (Photo by Ron Fanfair)

Vivacious and full of energy, she graduated from Ashburtons Chefs Academy in England.

“I like to source all my ingredients locally and prepare dishes to meet our guests’ needs,” said Boyd who also enjoys photography.

They quarantined for two months on the boat at the height of the COVID pandemic early last year.

“We got our diving certificates knocked out of the way during that time,” said the couple who live on their vessel. “We just wanted to keep busy”.

This is the first year that Justified Horizons, a new model 65-foot catamaran with a large upstairs shaded fly bridge that provides additional space, is available for charter.

Captain Ryan Querry and his wife, Dani, who is the Chef along with Stewardess/Mate Christian Doyle captured the Best Crew Award.

“We leverage our combined talents to offer an experience that is a step above,” said Querry whose vessel completed 22 weeks of charter prior to the Yacht Show. “We capably handle our jobs individually and we work together well as a team so that no guest is left wanting.”

The six-cabin Lagoon 65 can accommodate up to 10 guests.

“The size means large families and groups of friends can come on board and have fun,” said Querry who is also a dive instructor. “We also take safety very seriously to the extent that all of our crew have received their COVID booster shots.”

Captain Ryan Querry on board Justified Horizons (Photo by Ron Fanfair)

He and his wife have been in St. Thomas for the past nine years.

“We love the pace of life and this area because of the climate, the water clarity and what it offers for scuba diving,” said Ohio-raised Querry who spent time in Ontario when his parents owned a timeshare in Barry’s Bay that’s two hours west of Ottawa.

This was the fifth year that the Virgin Islands Professional Charter Association (VIPCA) has hosted the USVI Charter Yacht Show at the award-winning Yacht Haven Grande Marina.

The USVI Charter Yacht show attracted a wide range of sea vessels (Photo by Ron Fanfair)

Last May, ‘Caribbean Journal’ named the USVI ‘the Caribbean’s hottest yachting destination’.

What makes the USVI unique for yachting?

“We are easy to get to, there’s a fantastic choice of islands to go and see, great sailing between the islands and a wide range of bays and anchorages along with a seven-day itinerary,” said VIPCA Executive Director Oriel Blake. “You are really not going to run out of options.”

VIPCA Executive Director Oriel Blake (Photo by Ron Fanfair)

Recognizing that the marine industry was flourishing during the pandemic, Governor Albert Bryan Jr. allowed the seaports to remain open.

“The only place you could have a charter on a yacht was the USVI,” said Blake, a former Yacht Captain. “Suddenly, we had this amazing booming industry and we have grown almost too fast to keep up with. In the last couple of years, we have seen a lot of American captains and vendors come over to fill positions. We are also reaching out to USVI residents, informing them about the entrepreneurial potential here in the territory.”

Lady Sharon Gale was the runner-up in the Best Yacht 66-feet and Over category (Photo by Ron Fanfair)

Fiscally managed by the Community Foundation of The Virgin Islands, VIPCA has worked closely with the government and the Departments of Education and Labour to offer training to young Virgin Islanders interested in a career in the marine industry.

“The staffing of the Yacht Show was by marine apprentices who we have already taught to sail and who are getting their Captain licenses,” said Blake. “It is just going to be a matter of years before we start seeing much more ownership of the industry by people who are born here.”

Recent high school graduate Sierra LeVangie completed the five-week Virgin Islands Youth Marine Apprenticeship program last July. She was the youngest of the 11 participants.

“We learnt all the dynamics of the different types of boats and their basic workings,” said the 18-year-old who works on the Ocean Surfari that offers deep-sea sport fishing and relaxing day excursions. “We also got lifeguard, basic first-aid and fire safety training.”

Born in Louisiana, LeVangie migrated to St. Thomas with her family seven years ago.

She aspires to be a Captain and charter boat company owner.

At the opening ceremony on November 7, Bryan said the decision not to close the USVI shores to sailors during the pandemic has paid handsome dividends.

USVI Governor Albert Bryan Jr. (Photo by Ron Fanfair)

“We said we are going to honour what is in our national anthem, ‘Hold out a welcome for one and all’,” he said. “That attitude has certainly paid off as last year was one of the most amazing seasons on the water in the Virgin Islands. It wasn’t easy and there was a lot of resistance, but we meant we were going to do it.”

Bryan said the government is committed to investing in the charter, cruising and fishing industries by installing new ports.

Last year, the USVI secured over $1.2 billion in federal aid.