Barbados has announced a welcome expansion in its facilities for cruising yachts, which is positive news for the Odyssey rallies which will be making this Caribbean island their first stopover after crossing the Atlantic.
Photo: Peter Marshall
Recognising that the island has always suffered from the shortage of adequate berths for visiting and indeed local yachts, Minister Sealy, as the Minister responsible for International Transport, has approved the construction of 35 new berths located in the Shallow Draft Facility within the port of Bridgetown. The berths will have access to onshore power and water supplies, as well as offices for Customs, Immigration and Port Health.
These new berths will be available from December 2015, in time for the arrival of the inaugural Islands Odyssey which will leave from the Canary Islands in October 2015, and cross the Atlantic to Barbados after visiting all the Canary Islands and making a stopover in the Cape Verdes.
In 2016, as part of the celebrations planned for Barbados’ 50th anniversary independence celebrations, the Barbados 50 sailing rally will trace the historic route from London down to the Canaries and on to Senegal and Gambia, before continuing on to the Caribbean and a chance to join Barbadians in their celebrations.
Yachts taking part in the Islands Odyssey and Barbados 50 will also be able to use the Inner Basin in the heart of Bridgetown, which has recently been upgraded to accommodate around 30 yachts, with new moorings and stern-to docking, as well as shore power and water access.
Photo: Peter Marshall
“The absence of a conveniently located marina and yachting facilities generally have been the greatest handicap for Barbados to fulfil its potential as a destination of choice for yachts crossing the Atlantic to the Caribbean,’ commented Jimmy Cornell, Founder of the ARC and Director of Cornell Sailing Events.
‘Thirty years after the first ARC (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers) made landfall in Barbados, Cornell Sailing Events will use this new opportunity to ensure that once again Barbados can lay claim to being the logical “Gate to the Caribbean“.
Photo: Peter Marshall
