bonefish said:
It would be interesting to see what impact the new longer runway has had for St. Vincent. Their old runway was as long as BVI. Might be too soon to tell.
The 9,000 foot runway at a completely new airport on St. Vincent is not landing any planes yet.
"More precise date for St Vincent airport opening to be given at the end of April"....
It is May last I checked...
When operational a 9,000 foot runway could be a real game changer for that region of islands. St. Vincent will have to overcome at least the perception there is a crime problem there. We have sailed St. Vincent and The Grenadines with no issue. We only toured explored the interior of St. Vincent once. We tend to avoid large islands and spend as little time as possible on Tortola during our BVI visits. Almost two decades ago we were touring/exploring a Banana plantation on St. Vincent with a private local man. We came down a path to find a building clearly marked... Chinese Agricultural Extension Service. I was a little stunned. What interest would the Chinese have so far from home?
What all the island leaders have figured out along with most US local leaders is if you do not have at least 7,000 feet of runway you cannot play in the game of business or tourism anymore.
If you enjoy sailing and sailing between islands I encourage everyone to do at least one trip to the St. Vincent area. Young Island Resort is a great place to start and end your trip. Until the new airport has real flights the connections through Barbados can be troublesome. If you are willing to sail overnight you can fly direct to St. Lucia and start there.
