The Tribune

* 'Mid-range' vessels largely absent from Bahamas

* Marina chief says business off 40-50% since March

* Christmas, New Year unlikely to be 'anything great'

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The Marina Association of The Bahamas (MAB) president yesterday voiced optimism the sector will see a swifter "comeback" than other tourism segments despite missing 70 percent of its market.

Peter Maury told Tribune Business the industry was being impacted by the absence of its traditional "mid-range" customers, typically vessels between 60-80 feet in length, centre consoles and sports fishing craft, whose occupants tended to rent hotel rooms rather than anchor offshore like their larger counterparts.

Suggesting that this niche will likely not return until the COVID-19 testing regime eased and it was easier to stay on land overnight, Mr Maury revealed that business volumes at his Bay Street Marina were "down significantly for the year since March" by around 40-50 percent compared to 2019.

Despite these setbacks, he said The Bahamas' retained numerous competitive advantages through its proximity to Florida and the US as winter drives boat owners further south to the warmer Caribbean.

Having just returned from a West Palm Beach boat show at the weekend, Mr Maury said "everyone's gung ho" to come to The Bahamas and use its multi-island experiences as an alternative to having to endure multiple COVID-19 testing regimes among southern Caribbean nations.

"We have a lot of interest in boats coming to The Bahamas," he told this newspaper, "and we're working with the Ministry of Tourism to get them cleared and get them to come over here. I spent the weekend in Palm Beach talking to boat owners and brokers, and everybody's gung ho. They want to get their boats over here.

"The testing is working great. The marinas are able to get the boats cleared and do the five-day tests, and they're able to go out. I think the whole thing is working pretty good to be honest with you. I just hope we can keep it going. That's the biggest thing.

"It's encouraging, I have to say that. There seems to be a good opportunity for a comeback for us, at least in this industry, not all of tourism. I think we've got some hard decisions ahead in other areas."

Declining to identify those "areas", Mr Maury conceded that not everything in the boating/yachting market is totally rosy with its rebound likely to take some time and extend well into 2021. "We're missing the whole mid-range; the smaller boats," he told Tribune Business. "The 60-80 feet, centre consoles, we're missing all of that.

"We're getting mostly the bigger boats. Until testing gets easier and staying in places on land gets easier, that's it for now. There's not much else we can do. It's mostly boats over 100 feet; 30 metres or more. They tend to be able to stay out and can anchor and go out. People are opting for that.

"We can't complain. They're spending, and putting money into the economy for fuel, groceries and everything else, such as restaurants that are open." The Marinas Association of The Bahamas (MAB) chief said persons on so-called "mid-range vessels" tended to stay the night in land-based accommodation rather than on vessels, which has been made much trickier by COVID-19 health protocols.

"We have what we have, but that's a significant part of the business for a lot of marinas, including mine. I'd say 70 percent," Mr Maury said. "The big boats are a blessing, I'm not complaining, but we're still down significantly due to the uncertainty with COVID-19 clearing and mid-range boats and yachts not being able to come in.

"I was just going through looking at my year-end and we're down significantly for the year. Pretty much since March, we're easily down 40-50 percent. It's drastic, and not too good. I don't think Christmas will be anything great, and I don't think even New Year will be anything great but everybody is watching this vaccine.

"I don't expect it to be better for Christmas and the New Year, but at least in this industry for the Spring that vaccine could make a difference. Three months into the New Year there should be a lot of vaccine out at that point in time, including in the US. I think the hospitality business is going to change significantly based on this."

Voicing hope that The Bahamas will be able to attract new vessels turned off from going to the southern Caribbean by multiple islands with different COVID-19 protocols that have to be met each time, Mr Maury said there was "no better place to be" amid the pandemic other than a yacht anchored offshore provided all on board were virus-free.