Caribbean Compass Yachting Magazine - May/June 2022

Info & Updates
Laura Dekker Joins Caribbean Sail Training NGO
The Scorpio 72
Guppy at
Simpson Bay,
St. Maarten.
Jan Roosens reports:
Caribbean Sail Training
(CST) was established 18
years ago as a registered
nonprofit association with
the aim of providing sail
training for young people
of all nationalities,
cultures, religions and
social backgrounds,
especially people living in
the Caribbean.
Laura Dekker, famous
for being
youngest person
to circumnavigate the
world singlehanded
under sail, became the
newest member of CST
with her Laura Dekker
World Sailing
Foundation and her
yacht Guppy, a Scorpio
72. Laura completed her
solo circumnavigation at
the age of 16 in a 40-foot
ketch, also
named Guppy, arriving
in Simpson Bay, St.
Maarten, in 2012.
She now holds a Yacht
Master Ocean 200 ton
certificate. She and her partner, Sander, do sail training with youngsters in Europe
and have been cruising in the Caribbean.
JEAN JARREAU FOR CARIBBEAN SAIL TRAINING
“My father and the sea were the best teachers I have ever had. And I want to
pass on exactly these experiences that have shaped me so much,” Laura says. “We
want to bring together young people from very different social classes and sail with
them. They learn to take responsibility, they have to face the forces of nature,
operate the boat, navigate, cook, and repair equipment. This will be hard for some.
But only what challenges you makes you grow and helps you to discover your selfconfidence,
your interests and talents.”
Guppy is now member number 73 on the list of Caribbean Sail Training vessels.
CTA offers youngsters from the Caribbean the opportunity to enroll as trainees on
sail training vessels and sponsors their fees. CST also covers airfares and
hotel accommodation for the trainees if needed. Several hundred kids have sailed
CST member vessels as trainees.
Guppy recently completed a several-month training sail around the Caribbean
with 14 young students. She left St. Martin on March 22 en route to Holland, where
she will undergo maintenance and upgrades before returning with new students to
St. Maarten-St. Martin in November.
Visit https://lauradekkerworldsailingfoundation.com for more information about the
Laura Dekker World Sailing Foundation.
Visit www.CaribbeanSailTraining.com for information about Caribbean Sail Training.
Free Program Leads to USCG Captain’s License for VI Youth
Carol Bareuther reports: The marine tourism sector is booming in the US Virgin
Islands. Yacht chartering directly contributed $88 million to the territory’s economy in
2021. This figure is forecast to be higher in 2022.
To meet the USVI’s growing need for a marine workforce and enable young Virgin
Islanders to fill these positions and build professional careers, the Virgin Islands
Professional Charter Association (VIPCA) has announced new and continuing
marine-workforce development programs that are free to selected participants.
These are a first-time Junior Sailing Summer Camp, July 5th to 15th, for ages 13 to 17;
the fifth annual Marine Apprenticeship Program, May 27th to June 24th and August
1st to 5th, for ages 18 to 29; and in partnership with the Department of Labor, a
VIPCA-led 12-month Marine Apprenticeship Work Placement Program with sea time
to qualify for a US Coast Guard Captain’s License, for ages 18 to 29.
“The US Virgin Islands has a booming yachting industry with marine tourism at a
historic peak. Captains are needed, and the best place to start in becoming a
captain is on the water! Making captain’s training available locally has been at the
forefront of VIPCA’s mission since the association’s inception. Recognizing this,
VIPCA was nominated by the Governor to represent the marine industry on the
Virgin Islands Workforce Development board while appointing VIPCA as an eligible
training provider,” says Oriel Blake, VIPCA’s Executive Director.
The Junior Sailing Camp (vipca.org/junior-sailing-summer-camp), held at the St.
Thomas Yacht Club, offers teenagers ten days of learning to sail IC24s and Hobie
Cats. Instruction on land and sea includes understanding the parts of a boat,
navigation skills, reading weather and conditions, safety basics, and of course
plenty of sailing. The Junior Sailing Camp is entirely free to students and sponsored
by RapierMed.
Since 2017, VIPCA has graduated 40 students from its Marine Apprenticeship
program (vipca.org/youth-training), with more than half of the graduates
successfully entering the workforce locally in marine industry careers.
—Continued on next page
MAY/JUNE 2022 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 5