The Tribune

• Sector eyes ‘solid bookings’ through May 2022

• But ‘slim pickings’ for many until Thanksgiving

• Charters booking now for ‘go to’ destination

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Bahamian marinas are eyeing “solid bookings” from this Christmas to May 2022, Tribune Business was told yesterday, with many already “sold out” for the year-end holiday season.

Peter Maury, the Association of Bahamas Marinas (ABM) president, said the group had already sent out e-mails to boats, yachts and charter companies urging them to reserve slips now for the winter and Spring seasons otherwise they may find none available.

Suggesting that The Bahamas continues to benefit from its US proximity, he added that this nation’s COVID-19 health protocols - including the locally much-maligned health travel visa - were seen as less bureaucratic and cumbersome than having to navigate multiple countries’ measures when sailing between multiple Caribbean countries.

And, while the recent US Labour Day holiday weekend brought the summer boating season to a close, Mr Maury voiced optimism that marinas will be able to survive the traditionally “slim pickings” they enjoy between September and Thanksgiving as many vessels retreat back to Florida and the US east coast for repairs and to better avoid the hurricane threat.

Describing The Bahamas and its archipelagic geography as “a blessing” for sailing/yachting during COVID-19, he told this newspaper: “Reservations are reservations. People can book, but for now it gives us something to look forward to for 2021-2022.

“We’re sold out for Christmas [at Bay Street Marina] and lot of the other marinas are looking at the same. This is typically a slow period, but we’ve sent out e-mail communications to yachts that were here last year saying that if you are looking at dates book them now because we’re running out of slips.

“A lot of boats have sent in their information and we’re holding spots. It’s a reservation, and does not guarantee us anything, but at least it’s something to look forward to. We’re sold out, and when I mean the season, it’s from Christmas to May. We have solid bookings,” Mr Maury added.

“It’s hard to gauge anything against these past couple of years, which have been tragic for The Bahamas. We’re looking forward to better times, and if we start this season off in the way we ended the last one everyone will be happy because we will have a lot of yachts. I think we can look forward to a strong season in 2022, and now it’s a lot of maintenance and vacation for staff.”

Mr Maury said similar feedback on Christmas and winter-spring bookings was coming from multiple other ABM members. He described the Labour Day close to the summer 2021 boating season as “average”, adding that storms such as Hurricane Ida had not helped to attract visiting yachts for late August and the US holiday weekend.

“The storms moving around early didn’t help so much,” the ABM chief revealed, “but it is what it is. It was about average, nothing great, and I just called Customs to check out another boat. Guys are getting ready to go back. For a lot of yachts it’s a yard period. They go and get their hulls changed and repaired.

“It’s hard to say how good Labour Day was because 2019 was Dorian and then, in 2020, it was the pandemic. I can’t remember that far back. I’ve got a couple of boats that are going to stay here, so that is going to help me take care of payroll, but it’s going to be slim for sure; slim pickings, but we’ll be here until Thanksgiving.”

Mr Maury said The Bahamas’ winter boating season will kick-off at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show in early November 2021, where the ABM operates a joint booth with the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation to promote this nation to yachts and charter companies.

“The boats and charter companies like the way The Bahamas had handled the pandemic despite our current woes,” he added. “It’s funny, because I heard Bahamians saying [criticising] it all the time, but people going to the Caribbean and other parts of the world feel The Bahamas is the most convenient to access, and that it’s safe to come here.

“When I heard that last year, I was like: ‘Wow’. Our protocols and policies are very challenging, but the boats and yachts coming in say it is easy to go online and update the health travel visa. Yet travelling between other Caribbean nations, it’s a complete mess. We have the advantage of being one country and a collection of islands.

“I said this early on: For this type of tourism The Bahamas is a blessing. For maritime people who want to sail around the islands, we’re the ‘go to’ place. A lot of charters are booked in advance. They’ll book now for winter and spring. They’re booking now for The Bahamas.”

Mr Maury added that there appeared to be “no cure in sight” to stop COVID-19 or slow it down, adding that every time a warning was issued a new variant of the virus seemed to emerge. However, he said the yachting/boating market had helped to “fill a few gaps” when much of the tourism industry shutdown last year, and now merited more promotional attention.