“Yachtie Appreciation Week” scheduled for February 14 to 21, 2016. A week full of fun, events, tours and socialising with fellow cruisers.

Published 9 years ago, updated 6 years ago

The first annual Dominica P.A.Y.S. (Portsmouth Association of Yacht Services) “Yachtie Appreciation Week” on the island of Dominica.

P.A.Y.S. is a non-profit organization aimed at providing yacht services and security to visiting yachts, thereby assuring future development of the yachting industry in Dominica.

Scheduled for February 14 to 21, the Yachtie Appreciation Week has been organized to celebrate the installation of a new mooring field that Schmitt – working with P.A.Y.S., the Tourism Board of Dominica and generous OPO members and other sailors – has been orchestrating in Prince Rupert’s Bay over the last few years.

“All the major rallies go to popular and large islands that can accommodate their numbers,” said Schmitt (the NARC finishes in St. Maarten, the ARC in St. Lucia and the Caribbean 1500 and the Salty Dawg in the BVIs). “Sometimes, as cruisers, when we explore the smaller, less populated islands and get to know the people, we start thinking not ‘what can you do for us?’ but ‘what can we do to help you?”

Schmitt, who has been stopping in Dominica for several years (and two years ago shipped materials there for local “Boat Boy” Albert Lawrence to build a boat), said that the island has no marina of any kind and almost no marine services, so it felt right to make the philanthropic move of buying and shipping materials needed for the mooring field.

The materials include 50 new anchors, mooring balls and all the appropriate tackle.

During Yachtie Appreciation Week, all visiting yachts will receive free moorings, discounted island tours, and nightly socials. As a bonus, St. Maarten Yacht Club will help organize a Rally/Race to get boats from the island of Dominica to St. Maarten in time for the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta.

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