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Word is Wily T being evicted again.

Posted By: GlennA

Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 10/31/2018 08:11 PM

I have not been able to verify this but I have heard from two independent sources that the very conservative DeVos family, (ne Betsy) feels that the debauchery of the Willy T is inaproprate for Peter Isalnd and has found a way to have the Willy T served with eviction from Great Harbor within 30 days. As I said, this is not verified but would certainly appreciate any supporting or contridicting facts.
Posted By: trueblue

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 10/31/2018 09:55 PM

One can only hope! Not sure where the Willy T should move to, but certainly away from the tranquility of one of the last pristine mooring fields in the island. I am not, and never have been, a fan of the Willy T. But I know many are. I hope a workable solution can be found.
Posted By: harleybuffett

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 10/31/2018 10:08 PM

Well crap.....we are bringing a couple of newbies down in 25 days....hopefully we can find Willy wherever ends up!
Posted By: JasonHelmbrecht

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 10/31/2018 11:35 PM

Originally Posted by trueblue
One can only hope! Not sure where the Willy T should move to, but certainly away from the tranquility of one of the last pristine mooring fields in the island. I am not, and never have been, a fan of the Willy T. But I know many are. I hope a workable solution can be found.

There are plenty of pristine anchorages if that's what you want. Peter Island already had mooring balls, cruise ship traffic, and a shoreside establishment. Can't see how Willy T impacts Great Harbor. Now you can go to Norman Island and have basically what Peter Island Great Harbour was.
Posted By: OldRed

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/01/2018 02:01 AM

Looking, I don't see the DeVos family owning it now. It appears the Van Andel family currently own it.
Posted By: Kmon

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/01/2018 12:04 PM

Originally Posted by OldRed
Looking, I don't see the DeVos family owning it now. It appears the Van Andel family currently own it.


Both families are the founders of Amway.
Posted By: Maria_and_Steve

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/01/2018 01:50 PM

It seems that money, money and more money talks once again in the BVI's. First the WillyT gets thrown out of Norman because of big money and now may be out from Peter Island because of even bigger money. The government will always side with the rich, or so it seems.

The WillyT would fit right in at Christmas Cove, USVI if they want to leave the BVI's! Just a thought 😜
Posted By: sail445

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/01/2018 02:14 PM

Christmas Cove is under the US flag and the boat would have to be inspected by the US Coast Guard and have all kinds of safety equipment that’s not required in the BVI.
There would most likely be issues with the VI Natural Resources Department
Posted By: snmhanson

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/01/2018 06:06 PM

I think Christmas Cove would be an awesome place for it too. Pizza Pi for dinner and then drinks at the Willie T. But I agree with sail445 that the logistics of it and trying to maintain it's character in the USVI might be a challenge.

Maybe North-Sound is an option now. Sounds like the majority of resorts there still have a while until they are operational so it might be a great place to bring in an instant restaurant/bar. Could locate it just south of Prickly Pear or it might fit really nicely in Brias Bay.
Posted By: sail445

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/02/2018 12:31 AM

My personal opinion is that the Willy T has to be in crystal clear waters like Norman or Peter due to the fact that people dive off the boat.
There have been two cases one that I know of where a diver was drunk and knocked the wind out his lungs and sunk to the bottom and would have died if a group of Britts weren’t there and one dove in and recovered him.
North Sounds waters are too murky
Posted By: warren460

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/02/2018 02:59 AM

I agree totally
Posted By: calsail

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/02/2018 01:46 PM

An aside: any word on the redevelopment of the resort.
Posted By: YachtReprise

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/03/2018 02:54 AM

Originally Posted by GlennA
I have not been able to verify this but I have heard from two independent sources that the very conservative DeVos family, (ne Betsy) feels that the debauchery of the Willy T is inaproprate for Peter Isalnd and has found a way to have the Willy T served with eviction from Great Harbor within 30 days. As I said, this is not verified but would certainly appreciate any supporting or contridicting facts.

Glenn,

I'm not sure that the PI Resort has any ownership of Great Harbor. The LaFontaine family owns the eastern end of the harbor, and I think the Romney family owns the western end, including Oceans Seven.

Of course things could have changed recently!

The deVos family never owned PI Resort. It was always owned by Amway. (Granted, a technicality) I don't know why the vanAndels ended up with the resort...sometime around the early 2000s. But there has never been any involvement by the resort in Great Harbor.

I too wish that the Willy T would drift over to the USVI and stay there. Great Harbor used to be one of my favorite anchorages!
Posted By: sleepychef

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/04/2018 01:45 PM

The Willy T of old would not be suitable for Christmas Cove but the new one is fully up to date with all required safety equipment for the US Coastguard.

It is Amway who are playing naughty saying they won't open the resort if Willy T is allowed to stay.
Posted By: Manpot

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/04/2018 03:30 PM

..except the resort is about two years away from reopening..just what we need right now..lose yet another tourist attraction.Disgusting. I say put the " T" in Soper's and you get the charter folks with moorings and anchorage and you can shuttle land based tourists from the dock at the wrecked " Fish N Lime" (which Heather and Ewan, owners of the "T" also owned). I think that would be great for everyone and f$%k AmWay and Peter.
Posted By: sail445

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/04/2018 07:09 PM

Wow that’s a major upgrade! I hope it didn’t lose it’s flavor.
Posted By: Winterstale

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/05/2018 12:22 AM

Originally Posted by Manpot
..except the resort is about two years away from reopening..just what we need right now..lose yet another tourist attraction.Disgusting. I say put the " T" in Soper's and you get the charter folks with moorings and anchorage and you can shuttle land based tourists from the dock at the wrecked " Fish N Lime" (which Heather and Ewan, owners of the "T" also owned). I think that would be great for everyone and f$%k AmWay and Peter.


^^^Great idea....
Posted By: calsail

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/05/2018 02:36 PM

No loss if they don’t reopen. Keep the WT
Posted By: GeorgeC1

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/05/2018 04:13 PM

Sopers is not really a viable place for the WillyT. The Mooring balls are almost always full and anchoring is difficult due to depth. The North sound could be viable but the owner would probably be concerned about losing the USVI business. The best place for it is easy. The Bight on Norman Island. If not there it should be relocated further out in the bay in Great harbor. I am not sure why they tucked it right into the Mooring area.
G
Posted By: sail445

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/05/2018 05:57 PM

During the winter months it sometimes gets rolly at the entrance to Great Harbor PI, the center of the bay is around 80’deep.
The Bight was the Best spot.
Posted By: warren460

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/06/2018 11:10 AM

Maybe some belongers will start a petition getting visitors to sign on.
Posted By: Manpot

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/06/2018 12:00 PM

If you could only reach the " T" in a taxivan then the Gov. would never interfere for fear of turning off their big voting bloc. As the " T" is owned by non-belongers ( lovely term, right?) they really dont care and just go with the big $$ that is AmWay..or ScamWay or whatever they are now.
Posted By: crmoores

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/07/2018 02:14 PM

I say put the " T" in Soper's and you get the charter folks with moorings and anchorage and you can shuttle land based tourists from the dock at the wrecked " Fish N Lime" (which Heather and Ewan, owners of the "T" also owned). I think that would be great for everyone and f$%k AmWay and Peter.

Great idea!
Posted By: sleepychef

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/07/2018 02:43 PM

Hi The Willy T is owned by Belongers
Posted By: Manpot

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/07/2018 09:08 PM

Heather and Ewan are belongers?
Posted By: sleepychef

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/08/2018 12:32 AM

Heather for more than a decade as far as I'm aware
Posted By: Manpot

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/08/2018 02:09 AM

Delighted to hear that..might help them.
Posted By: sail445

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/08/2018 11:38 AM

Shuttling people from land would turn the T into an nightmare.
Posted By: TIMRIM

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/08/2018 03:57 PM

Willy T needs to be back at Norman. It has been there for years, a landmark. It's like Saba Rock moving to Marina Cay.
Just my opinion.
Posted By: Orange_Burst

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/09/2018 06:28 PM

I guess the word heard was correct.

Here's the article - http://bvibeacon.com/willy-t-is-being-told-to-move-again/
Posted By: henryv

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/15/2018 02:39 PM

The last thing the BVIs need at this time is the loss of another attraction. While not for everyone the trip reports over the years clearly suggest that for many boaters a night on the WT was a significant part of their island experience. The charter operators should bring pressure to bear to encourage the government to reconsider.
Posted By: cwoody

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/15/2018 03:56 PM

Might be another temporary move, but until Saba and Bitter End reopen, the east side of North Sound might be a good spot.
Posted By: henryv

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/15/2018 05:28 PM

There should be no reason to move from the current location. It is well removed and out of sight relative to the resort location. The customer base is not the same so the resort can't fear loss of customers. Oceans 7 is rarely open and seems to have operated primarily as a day trip location for cruise ship passengers. It is nice to have an option of an inexpensive meal in a fun venue. The directive for them to move should be rescinded.
Posted By: isuee94

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/15/2018 05:41 PM

Unfortunately, money talks and the local government listens. We have a charter planned for Feb. 2019 so we are following this situation closely to see where the Willy T ends up.
Posted By: henryv

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/15/2018 06:00 PM

Well if money talks then the government needs to be reminded that the charter industry is a major contributor to the BVI economy. What is good for the charter industry is good for the BVI and the Willie T has long been a big part of the boating world experience. The narrow interests of a few deep pockets should not take precedence of the many spending their tourist dollars on a charter boat.
Posted By: isuee94

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/15/2018 06:25 PM

Originally Posted by henryv
Well if money talks then the government needs to be reminded that the charter industry is a major contributor to the BVI economy. What is good for the charter industry is good for the BVI and the Willie T has long been a big part of the boating world experience. The narrow interests of a few deep pockets should not take precedence of the many spending their tourist dollars on a charter boat.


I don't disagree, but apparently the local govt cares more about the interests of the deep pockets.
Posted By: Maria_and_Steve

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/15/2018 10:38 PM

Actually the local govt seems to care more about money put into THEIR individual pockets, as evidenced by the Willy-T fiascos, Normal Island development plans, Mosquito Island development, etc., etc. etc. Just sayin' 😳
Posted By: LeLe

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/16/2018 11:11 PM

Hi everyone. I have been visiting the Virgin Islands since the 1980’s and have been to the Willy T on several occasions. My husband and I recently purchased a 45’ Catamaran that is in the charter fleet and this past March we took our “adult” children (ages 20-25) to the BVI and visited Little Harbor. I think Little Harbor would be a great location for the Willie T and would love to hear your opinions.
Posted By: Christo

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/16/2018 11:22 PM

Assuming Little Harbour Peter Island...No mooring balls...
Posted By: LeLe

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/16/2018 11:25 PM

Sorry, Jost
Posted By: tradewinds

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/16/2018 11:47 PM

Still not enough mooring balls and it would take biz away from Sydney's and Abe's.
Posted By: sail445

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/17/2018 12:19 PM

Originally Posted by LeLe
Sorry, Jost


There might be a problem on Jost with the local Bar and restaurant owners not wanting the competition.
Tony Snell from the Last Resort opened in Little Harbour Jost Van Dyke before he moved to Bellamy Cay because they burnt down his business.
Posted By: Eriesailor

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/18/2018 06:30 PM

What about the south side of Thatch Cay across from Sopers Hole? Currently no mooring balls but that could be changed, and it is a dinghy ride away from the Soper's Hole mooring field. Very close to customs and about as close to the USVI as you could get while still being in the BVI. I'm not aware of any planned resorts for that island so nobody there to complain.
Posted By: Manpot

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/18/2018 06:50 PM

Little Thatch is privately owned...not sure how that would sit with the exclusive guests they have there..
Posted By: sail445

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/18/2018 07:15 PM

A lot of ferries come storming through the cut and the water drops off quickly.
Posted By: msdj69

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/19/2018 06:12 PM

Originally Posted by sail445
Originally Posted by LeLe
Sorry, Jost


There might be a problem on Jost with the local Bar and restaurant owners not wanting the competition.
Tony Snell from the Last Resort opened in Little Harbour Jost Van Dyke before he moved to Bellamy Cay because they burnt down his business.


Hell, the Willy T could DRIVE business to the Little Harbour locations. Win-win for everybody.
Posted By: sail445

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/19/2018 06:54 PM

They wont buy it,they like things the way they are,too much business would put a burden on their life style
Posted By: henryv

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 11/20/2018 01:26 AM

This discussion should not be focussed on finding alternate locations for the Willy T. The current location is quite fine and there is really no reason that they should have to move. Land owners do not own the surrounding waters. This is simply a case of the BVI government losing sight of the importance of the presence of boaters to the local economy. The narrow views of Peter Islands owners should not be dictating the use of Great Harbor.
Posted By: Cpt RedBeard

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 12/15/2018 03:28 AM

Anyone know the latest on the Willy T? We'll be chartering from 12/22-12/31 and I'm curious if I should expect to find it at Peter, elsewhere, or homeless? Thanks!
Posted By: JasonHelmbrecht

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 12/15/2018 01:21 PM

Originally Posted by Cpt RedBeard
Anyone know the latest on the Willy T? We'll be chartering from 12/22-12/31 and I'm curious if I should expect to find it at Peter, elsewhere, or homeless? Thanks!

For your dates, she should be at Peter.
Posted By: captdennyj

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 12/18/2018 12:12 AM

Norman Island, and the Willy T, was always or first night after departing road harbor and generally our last night before taking the boat back. Then , we heard they had moved to Great Harbor on Peter Island.
That was super and made for a shorter passage up the Sir Francis Drake Channel to North Sound, Virgin Gorda.

Yep, the Willy T was, at times, a bit fun and wild, however it did appeal to the charter sailors and the day fast boats from the USVI. It was fun, and good times, and Erica did the leap from the upper deck, but kept her bikini bottom and top well secured to her body.. Boooooo !!! Oh well, I pulled her up on the dock, and treated her to a couple of reward pain killers.

In fact, at this very moment, right now, here in our home port of Dana Point, Ca, I just happen to be proudly sporting my black Willy T, cut off sleeve T shirt that I wore to the gym this morning and later on a short hike. On the back, i has a fun lady with a beer in her hand and ..

it says, WILLIAM THORNTON......" Stewed, Screwed and Tattooed " , Not sure how many of this particular shirts are around since I was a little lucky and bought it at the bar on board, in May , a few months before Irma.

As to a new berth, or mooring or anchoring,.......

We are not sure what the solution is going to be, but may the Willy T find a new home soon , where us buccaneers, and buccanettes, can have a grand fun time.

Not sure if we will be stopping by Peter Island, this next trip , I think our plan is to leave road harbor and go directly over to Cooper, pick up a mooring, snorkel cistern point, and then go ashore to the Cooper Island Beach Club. We have not been to the
Rum Bar as yet, looks interesting, and then we very much enjoy having a have a fine dinner at the restaurant. The other plus , is a shorter passage up to Virgin Gorda Sound.

Hopefully, the owners of the Willy T will have a location all squared away soon, and the party times roaring in fine fashion once again. Those windups on Peter island are flat messing with a great tradition.
Posted By: captdennyj

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 12/18/2018 03:14 AM

Lets hope that the Willy T will find a new home soon.

I was thinking of north sound on virgin gorda, moorings, places to anchor, and protected from the seas.

Someone said that the USVI boats would likely not come there, but from what we have seen most of them are power boats, and tie up to the docks at the Willy T. They travel fast , so the extra distance of a few miles should not be a big deal.

They may have to work with More secure , and add in addiitnal moorings.

The main biz, seems to be the charter boats, bare boat, and skippered, so the party should be on.

Would be great if the windups on peter island would just chill and leave the Willy T alone. The Willy T was a tradition with a whole lot of us, and actually our first overnight after leaving road harbor was the Bight and the Willy T. And then drop off early to
snorkel the Indians and Pelican Is.

Probably a lot more going on behind the scenes that we are not aware of.
Posted By: NCSailor

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 12/18/2018 10:25 PM

Originally Posted by captdennyj
Lets hope that the Willy T will find a new home soon.

I was thinking of north sound on virgin gorda, moorings, places to anchor, and protected from the seas.

Someone said that the USVI boats would likely not come there, but from what we have seen most of them are power boats, and tie up to the docks at the Willy T. They travel fast , so the extra distance of a few miles should not be a big deal.

They may have to work with More secure , and add in addiitnal moorings.

The main biz, seems to be the charter boats, bare boat, and skippered, so the party should be on.

Would be great if the windups on peter island would just chill and leave the Willy T alone. The Willy T was a tradition with a whole lot of us, and actually our first overnight after leaving road harbor was the Bight and the Willy T. And then drop off early to
snorkel the Indians and Pelican Is.

Probably a lot more going on behind the scenes that we are not aware of.







It's more than a few miles from Norman to North Sound. If the Willy T. moved to North Sound it would be a 2 hour trip each way from RH or STJ with CI clearance. Not to mention the cost would double per person. Willy T. could make it in NS after BEYC and Saba Rock reopen. There are other viable locations such as Little Harbor JVD but there is no way the established businesses there would put up with it. A short term solution would be Sopers Hole. But when the shore facilities are fully rebuilt there would not be enough mooring space.
Posted By: Orange_Burst

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 12/20/2018 08:02 PM

There is a new article in the BVI News today:

http://bvinews.com/new/booting-will...peter-island-developments-too-important/
Posted By: GeorgeC1

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 12/20/2018 10:02 PM

It’s amazing to me that a BVI local would believe that Salt Island is a viable Anchorage for the WillyT!
Posted By: tradewinds

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 12/20/2018 11:23 PM

He's obviously out of touch and too used to being spoon-fed.
Posted By: NotquiteCapnRon

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 12/20/2018 11:23 PM

If post I read previously indicating that owners of Willy T and Fish & Lime are one in the same, how bout' they just tie off to the F&L sea wall in Sopers, hang a Fish and Lime sign on her and call it a day. Admittedly, I do not fall into the Willy T demographic, but I loved F&L.
Posted By: RatmansWife

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 12/20/2018 11:45 PM

The commenter is a nitwit; that’s why he parrots this rubbish.

Fish and Lime was terrific. Drove by there last week and it’s dead. Hope it can be revived. Until Soper’s and the Customs office are up and running, it probably doesn’t make sense to invest.
Posted By: GlennA

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 12/21/2018 12:42 AM

If you think about this situation there is only other concusion to arrive at: Someone was paid off.
1) Peter island is at least 2 years away from reopening.
2) Peter Island Resort does not own any of the shoreline of Great Harbor
3) Peter Island's threat not to open is a bluff. They don't ave that option. Are they really going to abandon a $100+ million asset just because the Willie T is a mile away from any of their facilities?
Posted By: YachtReprise

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 12/21/2018 03:47 AM

Originally Posted by GlennA
If you think about this situation there is only other concusion to arrive at: Someone was paid off.
1) Peter island is at least 2 years away from reopening.
2) Peter Island Resort does not own any of the shoreline of Great Harbor
3) Peter Island's threat not to open is a bluff. They don't ave that option. Are they really going to abandon a $100+ million asset just because the Willie T is a mile away from any of their facilities?


All truedat.
Posted By: TomGarvey

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 12/21/2018 02:55 PM

There's speculation in the BVI News article's comments section about pay-offs to politicians from the wealthy landowners. While that could be a possibility, I think the explanation is likely to be less nefarious, though also corrosive to the BVI: the BVI government seems to be bent on catering to the wealthy at the expense of Belongers, sailors and relatively modest land-based guests. The airport expansion, which would only accommodate larger private jets, is another example of that. It seems like they aspire to be like Anguilla, as an example. There also could be the desire to rub elbows with the ultra-rich.

There's certainly lots of this type of thinking and behavior at work in the US on a much larger scale, where the middle class is being gutted in favor of the wealthy, so the BVI is hardly unique or distinctive in this. It does puzzle me, though, why Government seems to overlook what they already have - the world's greatest chartering "product." Maybe it's just not glamorous enough for them.

My $0.02.
Posted By: JasonHelmbrecht

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 12/21/2018 06:01 PM

Originally Posted by TomGarvey
There's speculation in the BVI News article's comments section about pay-offs to politicians from the wealthy landowners. While that could be a possibility, I think the explanation is likely to be less nefarious...


That explanation is likely dead on target.
Posted By: GlennA

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 12/21/2018 10:06 PM

But Peter Island is far from a "rich person's playground". Until recently a large part of its clientel were Amway top producers. Definitely far more middle class than Oilnut or even Scrub Island.
Posted By: TomGarvey

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 12/21/2018 11:42 PM

I'm thinking more about the wealth of the owners than that of the patrons.
Posted By: henryv

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 12/22/2018 02:41 AM

I would think that the combined economic value of all of the charter operators along with the many businesses that they support would easily outweigh the narrow considerations of the Peter Island resort owners. The government needs to be reminded of the serious harm to the local economy that will result if tñe charter clients lose interest in spending time sailing the BVIs. Now is not the time to drive out one of the charter industry attractions.
Posted By: RatmansWife

Re: Word is Wily T being evicted again. - 12/22/2018 12:08 PM

It’s a strategic decision: the clients of the new resorts will want to come mix with the hoi polloi hordes from MSC cruises.

Seriously, my guess is that the owners of those islands, long time “supporters” of the NDP realized they needed this done now, while their boys were still in power. Elections are coming, campaigns are not cheap, and a deal was done.
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