Crown Bay Marina Confident Voice in U.S. Virgin Islands
International yacht bookings not affected by U.S. mainland events

St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, September 26, 2001  
Carole Dudley, Director of Operations at Crown Bay Marina, reports that the state-of-the-art 99-slip facility in St. Thomas continues to receive advance bookings for yachts planning visits during the upcoming winter season, and that no yachts with prior reservations have canceled to date.

Elsewhere throughout the United States Virgin Islands, a U.S. possession in the Caribbean that relies heavily on travel and tourism, many private-sector businesses and local government offices are feeling the economic impact of 11 September terrorist attacks on the U.S. mainland. Hardest hit by slow-downs and layoffs are resort hotels, restaurants, taxi drivers and retailers who are dependent upon visitors arriving by commercial airlines and cruise ships.  

“We are fortunate that our marina’s client base is a mix of U.S. and foreign-flag vessels, whose owners have access to private aircraft,” explains Dudley. “The fact that yacht owners and their guests depend less on commercial airlines than the typical tourist, is an advantage right now for the segment of the marine industry that we service.”  

Poised for the seasonal upswing in yacht migrations from the U.S. mainland and Mediterranean to ports in the Caribbean that traditionally begins each November, Dudley visited the September Newport International Boat Show and plans to attend the Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show this October, “to personally reassure South Florida-based yacht charter operators that Crown Bay Marina stands ready to provide secure dockage, competitively-priced fuel, and even specialized services to facilitate vessel and passenger clearance.”

Dudley points out that St. Thomas operates as a U.S. port of entry and that arrival procedures differ from those on the U.S. mainland. Crown Bay Marina routinely deploys staff to international boat shows in Europe, the U.S. and the Caribbean, to bolster relationships with primary segments of its market.

Well regarded for its management policies that protect the privacy of its yacht guests, as well as for its stringent safety measures, Crown Bay Marina currently maintains a security staff of four, which is routinely augmented for special on-site events — such as the Virgin Islands Charteryacht League“s 27th Annual Charteryacht Show set for November 8 - 11th — and on an as-needed basis throughout the peak yachting season.

For Crown Bay Marina information, dial 340-774-2255 [phone], 340-776-2760 [fax], or log-on to the web site at www.crownbay.com.