VISA REQUIREMENT DIDN'T DETER ROLEX SAILORS

It's not new, but the need for non-U.S. yachtsmen to have a visa in order to enter U.S. waters aboard a private yacht took some sailors en route to this year's International Rolex Regatta, held at the St. Thomas Yacht Club, by surprise.
"The solution was for those without visas to re-route to West End, Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands, and take the twenty-minute ferry ride to the St. John Customs office," said regatta co-chair, John Sweeney. "Since sailors would then have come by commercial ferry, the Customs office would have stamped their passport and allowed them to enter the U.S. Virgin Islands or even to re-enter at St. John aboard a private vessel, as long as they showed the documentation saying that they'd been cleared." ...

GRENADA POISED TO OFFER MORE FOR YACHTSMEN

From destruction to construction, Grenadians have built their way back from the ravages of 2004’s Hurricane Ivan and have now embarked on several new construction projects, many of those of which benefit yachtsmen.
One of these is Peter de Savary’s $1.5 billion EC Port Louis Project. Located in St. George’s, Grenada’s capital city, the development offers a wide range of options for visitors, investors, prospective homebuyers, and yachtsmen. Once completed, Port Louis will include a 350-slip marina with facilities for yachts up to 295 feet, ...

A.H. RIISE SPONSORS
BILLFISH TOURNAMENT

The British Virgin Islands have long been known as the yacht capital of the Caribbean. Now, government officials are hoping to make sportfishermen feel at home in the territory, too. So, when Rolex watch distributor A.H. Riise sought to expand its sales area to the B.V.I., sponsoring a first-class fishing tournament was part of the deal. The Bitter End Yacht Club's (BEYC) owners embraced the opportunity as much as the Riise executives ...

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