Seafarers seek shelter from Hurricane Beryl

SEVEN days ago, Hurricane Beryl was on a crash course for the southern Windward islands, eventually wreaking havoc on Grenada – Carriacou and Petite Martinique; St Vincent and the Grenadines – Union Island, Canouan, Mayreau and Palm Island and Bequia – and parts of Barbados, Tobago and Jamaica.

As Beryl approached, an influx of boats and yachts were seen coming to Trinidad.

In an X (formerly Twitter) post on June 30, Minister of Finance Colm Imbert said, "The government is preparing to accommodate them."

Speaking to Newsday by phone on July 6, Minister of Trade and Industry Paula Gopee-Scoon said this accommodation and the waiving of fees for boat and yacht owners was a measure of goodwill.

"It was also a way of showing off our country's yachting sector for those who have come here in distress."

Vice president of the Marine Services Association of Trinidad and Tobago (MSATT) – which represents all businesses that support the marine sector – Jesse James agreed.

"A lot of these boat owners are our customers. We need them to come here.

"Beryl is a regional disaster and we had to reach out to assist with the situation. When the registration is finished, you will see over 200 yachts have fled here."

Gopee-Scoon said on July 6, the official numbers have not been presented to her as yet, but well over 160 boats and yachts are registered in Trinidad and Tobago.

When asked what additional benefits the yachting sector and TT could gain from the influx, Gopee-Scoon said, "TT has very skilled craftsmen, and the boat and yacht owners can get a lot of services done.

"We spent quite a tidy sum in the micro and small businesses in the yachting sector, particularly in the post-covid era, as a lot of them suffered with the borders being closed, so we provided support to them."

James, describing Grenada after Beryl hit, said, "Boats are in trees and falling down like dominoes."

He commended the collaborative effort of all the government agencies – Customs and Immigration, the Coast Guard (TTCG), the Ministry of Agriculture Land and Fisheries and his line minister, Gopee-Scoon.

James said the TTCG had been particularly helpful during this time, as three vessels broke down while trying to reach TT.

Trouble in paradise

Zi Vu a boat owner from Vietnam, spoke to Newsday on July 2 at the Power Boat Association, Chaguaramas. She said she was docked in St George's, Grenada, and heard the news of Beryl making its way up the islands.

"It was a very stressful situation for us, as we didn't know if it would hit Grenada or not.

"We decided to head to Trinidad at the last moment, but our boat was not 100 per cent ready."

Vu and her partner Tom Maszkoqski decided to make their way to TT after getting an assurance from James that all systems were ready to accommodate them.

"When we left Grenada, the wind was strong and the seas were confused. It calmed a bit, but around 1.30 am, our engine died.

"We sailed towards Trinidad, as the wind was favourable for us."

She said they contacted North Coast Radio, which said they would be taken care of.

"It took us 11 hours of sailing to get to the channel of TT and then we contacted James, who sent us a tow boat."

Vu said they were relieved when they were rescued.

"The whole experience was very welcoming and reassuring.

"After 23 hours at sea in a high-stress situation, it was a great feeling. They are heroes!"

Vu and Maszkoqski have checked into Crews Inn Hotel, as they plan on staying for a month, to do some repairs on their boat.

"We also plan on exploring TT – the tours, nature, the people and the food."

During the week of July 1-5 MSATT turned the Power Boat Association into an operation centre.

Newsday also spoke on July 2 to Dr Nikola De Leon, a veterinary officer at the  Ministry of Agriculture's Animal Production and Health Division who said it had been inspecting pets coming into TT by sea.

"Considering the way they had to flee to Trinidad, they may not have had all the documents for entry to Trinidad.
"We're doing rapid risk assessments, and based on those assessments we are allowing the pets into the country."

Newsday asked if there had been any complications thus far.

De Leon said, "No, because to enter any country in the Caribbean the pets would need to meet certain health requirements, and once they fulfil those, we allow them, based on that.

"We assess the risk of the animal entering to our population, the disease status of the animal, but most of them are very well taken care of and up to date on all their vaccines."

On July 2, over 20 pets had been assessed and registered since June 30.

Tedious registration process?

Frankie Quesnel, a seaman for over 35 years, took Newsday to visit owners of yachts off Monos Island and Scotland Bay who had anchored  in TT waters on July 2.

On the way, he explained, "There are usually 15-20 boats out here and right now you can see about 75-100.

"All of these boats here (are)  sheltering (from) the storm and will probably stay there for a bit."

A Florida yacht owner who did not want to be named said while he is grateful for the accommodation in TT, the system of registration needs to be improved.

"There needs to be more clear information on the government's website about clearance and how to efficiently go about the entire process."

He said it took him approximately six hours on July 2 to get everything completed.

"Today they were backed up, and even seeing all those people there, (Immigration and Customs)  took lunch and locked the doors."

In response, Gopee-Scoon said, "We knew we had a problem before (with the registration process) and we acted on it.

"We had developed some legislation which was supposed to be a single harmonised form, but after the legislation passed, there were complications with some of the stakeholders."

She explained there are many stakeholders with regard to boats and yachts coming to TT.

"The single harmonised form was a replacement for the 14 forms that are required, but there were issues with the implementation."

Gopee-Scoon said she is hopeful the Sail Clear system will be put in place in early 2025.

"This is the system used in the region, and it's an online clearance system for entry and exit for yachts and boats."

While the process was frustrating to the Florida yacht owner, he will move back and forth between TTand Grenada, while monitoring the seas for hurricane activity.

While he is here, he plans on exploring TT as much as possible.

Brent Warren from St Augustine, Florida, said when word of the storm got to him, he was in the Grenadines.

"I came to TT as quickly as possible and I'll be staying here for a month or two."

Warren said he was one of the first boats to arrive in TT, but the process of registering was still "tedious."

"It took me an hour and a half to fill out the paperwork and another two hours and a half at Customs and Immigration."

Warren is happy to be in TT, however as he is with his wife, seven-year-old son, four-year-old daughter and 16-year-old niece.

"I'm looking forward to doing the hikes and visiting the waterfalls.

"I also have some repairs to do on the yacht, so I'll get that done while I'm here."

Warren said he's been living on the seas for a year and a half now and has visited all the islands in the Caribbean thus far.

Timothy Steer, from Ft Lauderdale, Florida, has been boating for two years full-time.

When the storm was approaching, he was overnighting in Grenada.

Steer plans on staying in TT with his wife until the hurricane season finishes, but was yet to register when Newsday spoke to him on July 2.

"I was here 20-plus years ago and I love the country.

"I haven't registered with the authorities yet, but I plan to first thing tomorrow morning."

Gopee-Scoon told Newsday she was very pleased to assist and thanked all the agencies involved in the process.