We apologise for the delay in getting this update to you but our head office is based in the BVI which hindered communications and information. We would like to provide you with an update on our operations following the passage of Hurricane Irma on Wednesday 6th September.
Horizon's base in the British Virgin Islands was severely impacted by the storm. We're pleased to confirm that our bases in Antigua, Grenada and St Vincent were not impacted, and are fully operational.
In the BVI, our first priority has been to confirm the whereabouts and well-being of our staff. Communications have been very limited since the storm, and we are very happy and relieved to report that all are now accounted for.
Our BVI Base at Nanny Cay experienced varying levels of damage. Power, water and limited communications were restored to Nanny Cay Marina yesterday evening (Monday 11th Sept). Our offices experienced superficial damage, so with the restoration of utilities we are seeking to return office operations to normality by the end of this week.
The docks in the inner marina of Nanny Cay - where our yachts are located - were destroyed by the storm. Nanny Cay have already ordered new docks that will arrive in the next 6 weeks, which is excellent news.
Many of our charter yachts experienced damage as a result of the storm. We have commenced the process of inspecting each yacht, but this will take some time. As news becomes available on specific yachts we will report back to charter guests and owners accordingly. We hope that by next week we will have a much better understanding of which yachts survived and are repairable.
If you have a charter booked with our BVI base, we will contact you as soon as we are able to discuss your options. This will be linked to our yacht-assessment work, so please bear with us whilst we gather all the information required to provide you with a complete picture. We are advising that those of you with charters booked up to Jan 5th, 2018 consider switching destinations to either Antigua, St Vincent or Grenada, providing flights can be changed. All 3 destinations have direct flights from the US and other direct services. Our staff are ready to provide assistance – please contact the base that is of interest to you directly on the links provided in this email.
We would like to thank everyone who has expressed their support at this most challenging of times – the outpouring of help and good wishes has been overwhelming and heartwarming. If you would like to make a donation to Hurricane Irma relief in the BVI, you may do so at one of the many worthy organisations listed on
https://bvirelief.com/. We encourage each and every one of you to copy this link and distribute it to all your friends, sailing club members or anyone else who has a love of the BVI.
We will recover and rebuild in the BVI, but this will need some time, but with your help we know we will be better and stronger than ever. Our bases in Antigua, Grenada and St Vincent all provide superb Caribbean sailing vacations, so please do contact them when you're considering your next charter.
With our sincere thanks for your ongoing support.
Horizon Yacht Charters
