BELLBUOY- FEBRUARY 2025 by thebarbadosyachtclub

BE Y

the Newsletter of The Barbados Yacht Club

MESSAGE FROM YOUR COMMODORE

SAILING NEWS

SAILING HIGHTLIGHTS

Photos by The Barbados Yacht Club

Peter Thompson

Commodore

Fellow Members,

First let me apologise for the lack of three previous Bellbuoy editions As mentioned at the AGM, we were focused on getting our General Manager recruited and trained, preparing for the AGM, including the Audit of our financial statements.

While it is now the end of the second month of the year, I don’t think it is too late to wish each and every one of you, and your families, the very best of health, peace, love, joy and happiness for the remainder of 2025

I would like to introduce the members of the Committee and the Chairpersons of the Subcommittees.

Mr. Peter Thompson

Commodore

Sailing Sub-Committee Chair

Mr. Edward Clarke

Vice Commodore

Finance Sub-Committee Chair

Mr. Simon Parravicino

Committee Member

Food & Beverage Sub-committee Chair

Ms. Gillian Leach

Committee Member

Entertainment Sub-Committee Chair

Mr. Satcha Kissoon

Committee Member

HR & Member Services Sub-Committee Chair

Mr. Christopher Skinner

Committee Member

House & Grounds Sub-committee Chair

Dr. Stephen Moe

Committee Member

Boating Sub-Committee Chair

Mr. Noah Haynes

Committee Member

Tennis (Racquet Ball Sports) Sub-committee Chair

We look forward to serving you, our members, in upholding the highest standards for our Club.

One of the biggest concerns at the Club presently is the security and abuse of our Club Your Committee has been reviewing the causes associated with this issue. There are some solutions that are longer term and will take some time to implement. A Security sub-committee, with its genesis founded in the House & Grounds Sub-committee, will be reviewing the issues and long-term solutions. These are related to the access of the credit card machine and its use to pay for the services provided by the Club. Our General Manager, in her update, will provide more information on the changes that will be implemented as short-term measures.

We are listening to your concerns It is, however, very difficult to capture and retain the issues raised while we are individually traversing the compound. As such we would like that you send any concerns you may have to our General Manager and the Office at the following e-mail addresses.

General Managergmbyc@barbadosyachtclub.com

Barbados Yacht Club Officeofficebyc@barbadosyachtclub.com

Using this method, provides us with the ability to record the concerns and have them brought to the Committee’s attention promptly.

We look forward to your continued support.

Peter Thompson

Dear Members,

Since the update provided last month in the Annual Report, the season has started off well for our inter-club tennis team. BYC has so far won both ties played - against Ocean View Tennis Club and Paragon Tennis Club - by scores of 63-18 and 63-19, respectively. These results have put BYC on top of the table after the first two weekends.

Our next match is at home against The Tennis Centre on 8th March starting at 2:30 PM, after a hiatus for Gold Cup.

All members are invited to stop by, have a chat and lend their support.

Sincerely,

Noah Haynes Chair of the Tennis Sub-Committee

Dear Members,

The year has kicked off well so far at the Barbados Yacht Club, and I want to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who helped make it so special Our Valentine’s Dinner was a tremendous success, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. A huge thank you goes out to the entire team—our chefs, servers, bartenders, and behind-the-scenes staff who worked tirelessly to create an unforgettable evening. From the beautifully prepared dishes to the seamless service and warm ambiance, it was truly a night to remember. If you joined us, I hope you enjoyed every moment as much as we enjoyed hosting you!

Beyond the celebrations, I also want to extend my appreciation to all members who attended the AGM and shared their thoughts on how we can continue to improve the Food and Beverage experience at the Club. Your feedback is invaluable, and we are already working on implementing the suggestions, fine-tuning what works well, and addressing areas where we know we can do better.

Constructive input from our members helps us stay on course (I promise that’s the only nautical pun for today!) and ensures that the Club remains a place where everyone feels at home, whether they’re enjoying a casual lunch, a special event, or just a well-mixed cocktail at the bar.

With that in mind, I’d love to invite any members who are passionate about food, beverages, and the overall member experience to consider joining the Food and Beverage Sub-Committee. We are always open to fresh ideas and new perspectives, whether it’s creative menu additions, themed events, service enhancements, or ways to make dining at the Club even more enjoyable. The more voices we have at the table, the better we can tailor our offerings to suit the diverse tastes and preferences of our members.

Thank you once again for your continued support and enthusiasm We have plenty of exciting plans on the horizon If you have any suggestions, thoughts, or just want to chat over a drink, don’t hesitate to reach out, I’d love to hear from you.

Sincerely,

Simon Parravicino Food and Beverage Sub-Committee Chairman

Barbados Sailing Week 2025 was held again this year in mid-January. As in the previous year, the Week began with the Junior Dinghy Regatta for sailors 18 years and younger. Restricted to only one day due to exceptionally high seas, this year’s Regatta attracted a total of twenty-two young sailors, including two from St Vincent and one from Trinidad. Six of our youngest raced around marks close to shore in the Optimist Green Fleet, where they were cheered on from the beach by a large group of enthusiastic parents and supporters. At the same time, the more experienced sailors competed around a trapezoid course in the middle of Carlise Bay in three different classes: ILCA 6, ILCA 4 and O’Pen Skiff Classes.

The Junior Regatta was followed by the Coastal Racing Series on Saturday, 18th and Sunday, 19th January. This year racing took place along the South Coast of the island and in Carlisle Bay. Strong winds and relatively high seas made for challenging sailing conditions and exciting competition The CSA Monohull Racing Class was dominated by local boats, with all four races being won by A-Salt Weapon, skippered by Jason Tindale, whilst Dandelion, skippered by Geoffrey Evelyn, placed second overall and Whistler, skippered by Peter Lewis, finished third. In the onedesign, J/24 Class, Fly, skippered by Robert Povey emerged as the overall winner, with Bunga Bunga, skippered by Charlie Gloumeau, placing second and Pheonix, skippered by Greg Webster, placing third,.

Once again this year, the Mount Gay Rum Round Barbados Race was scheduled for Errol Barrow Day on Saturday, 21st January. However, with winds up to 35 knots and swells up to 3 metres forecast for the day, the Race Committee took the decision to offer an alternative race, christened the Mount Gay Calypso Coast Cup, to those boats that did not wish to sail around the island in the conditions forecast. Seven boats crossed the starting line with the aim of going around the island and seven decided to sail the alternative course along the West and South Coasts. Sailing around the island and repeating their 2024 performances in the CSA Monohull Racing Class, Rapajam, skippered by Paul Johnson, placed first and Whistler, skippered by Peter Lewis, placed second on corrected time, whilst Escapado from the United Kingdom came in third. In the Non-CSA Monohull Class, Hydro Therapy, skippered by Gregory Cuke, and in the Multihull Class, Spirit of Everest, skippered by Robbie Yearwood, also completed the around island sail. Unfortunately, no records were broken again this year.

The Presentation of Prizes for this year’s Sailing Week took place at the Yacht Club on the evening of Wednesday, 22nd January, and the curtain then came down on this year’s event at 5:00 pm on Thursday, 23rd January when six boats crossed the starting line in Carlisle Bay to take part in the Rum to Spice Race, which finished the following day in Tyrell Bay, Carriacou.

Satcha Kisson

HR & Member Services Sub-Committee Chair

Dear Members,

The HR & Member Services Sub-Committee’s has a dual mandate in 2025. We want to provide our members with the best mechanisms possible for them to raise and address all concerns and to ensure they are aware of what their Management Committee is doing for them.

In equal measure, we will ensure that our hard-working staff are taken care of with their own issues being addressed. Overall, our aim is to promote the best atmosphere for our Club to continue to be our haven in Barbados.

We will keep you posted on all steps being taken.

Christopher Skinner House & Grounds Sub-Committee Chair

Mr. Skinner is a Canadian educated, Chartered Secretary, resident in Barbados. He is experienced as a Manager of International Business Corporations operating in Barbados, with Senior level experience in Barbados private sector.

He is a long-standing member of the Club and has served in the following capacities: Committee member 2000 - 2003 Vice Commodore 2003 – 2006 Commodore 2006 – 2009

Edward Clarke Vice Commodore Finance Sub - Committee Chair

Mr. Edward (Ed) Clarke is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and is a Certified Internal Auditor with more than 50 years' experience in the field of auditing,

accounting, financial services, and international business management. He began his accounting career at Pannell Fitzpatrick & Company Chartered Accountants in Barbados (now Ernst & Young), and he later joined Texaco and subsequently Chevron and served as a senior Manager in their Finance teams in Barbados, Nigeria, and the USA. Ed Clarke is currently the Managing Director of Four Cross Inc, a local consultancy company. He is the former President of the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Immediate Past Chairman of the Barbados Private Sector Association and former Co-Chair of the Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation (BERT) Monitoring Committee. He is married to Jane.