Need Boatyard Storage in Caribbean

[WelcomeIII]

Hi all - I am planning to store my Pacific Seacraft 37 cutter on the hard in the Caribbean this summer. Have been trying to decide where. Boat is currently in Rodney Bay Marina is St. Lucia. Price is right for the boatyard, but I was told they had a serious problem with rats and cockroaches last summer. Jolly Harbor in Antigua I like - it does good hurricane prep and the ground is cement, but I have been warned about some bad experiences with the workers in the yard. Nanny Cay in the BVI has a two year wait list I understand. The net is full of bad experiences with the two yards in Grenada. I am worried about personal safety in Trinidad. My insurance does not allow me to go to Venezuela. Are there any good experiences out there? Welcome III

[sailingdog]

Welcome-

If the boat is properly sealed, with screens, I don't think the rats and the cockroaches would be a problem. But, you would have to take all the food off the boat... which is probably a good idea if you're leaving it for any extended period of time anyway.

[Faster]

Check out the boatyard in Tyrell Bay, Carriacou. They do a great job of hurricane prep and are at the south fringes of normal hurricane activity.

If you are having insurance problems re storage, check out Anjou (agents in Antigua and elsewhere)... They don't care where the boat is stored as long as you have a documented viable hurricane plan.

[camaraderie]

Well the yards in Grenada got a bad rep from IVAN when 180mph winds ripped through and 100's of boats on the hard were knocked down domino style. I was there & know what happened. Storage was rather conventional since a hurricane had not happened there for 54 years. All that has changed and Spice Island for one is now using a tie down system.
http://www.spiceislandmarine.com/pho...m?photo_id=600
I would feel quite comfortable about leaving my boat there...it is only 10 minutes from the airport and there is good skill level in the yard if you need something done. (We had our bottom done there at the price quoted and in the time quoted while a new manifold was being fabricated for us. I would however NOT have anything done unless I were there to keep an eye on things. Island Marine is also right in the yard for any do it yourself needs.
Storage is $9/ft./mo + set up/haul etc.
The other nice thing about Grenada is good provisioning with American style grocery right close by. I would rate it a bit better than the stores in St. Lucia.

[Zanshin]

I've done 2 seasons on hard on Virgin Gorda and am very happy with them; their prices are also lower than Nanny Cay and they allow you to liveaboard on the hard and do work on the boat. The chandlery is quite small and stocks only essentials and Spanish Town ... is not {a town}. But there are frequent ferries to Road Town and the people are much friendlier there than on the main island.

[hphoen]

I stored my boat at Bailey's Boatyard in Falmouth, Antigua, last summer. Paid extra for a steel cradle. Antigua Rigging runs the operation and are very competent.

Last summer, it was Grenada Marine, St David's, Grenada. Also a good boatyard.

I was happy with both.

[camaraderie]

Hud...I was fixed up a bit at Grenada Marine after Ivan. Are they doing anything differently there now for storage or is it still just jackstands? I liked it there and they treated me well but I've been hesitant to recommend it since I don't know if any different measures have been taken for yard storage since Ivan.

[hphoen]

Originally Posted by camaraderie

Hud...I was fixed up a bit at Grenada Marine after Ivan. Are they doing anything differently there now for storage or is it still just jackstands? I liked it there and they treated me well but I've been hesitant to recommend it since I don't know if any different measures have been taken for yard storage since Ivan.

Cam,

They use jackstands with a square of plywood under the feet, but they will strap the boat down with heavy duty nylon webbing to yard anchors (hunks of concrete with chain, buried in the dirt). They also offer cradles, but I didn't go that way--I was betting another Ivan wouldn't blow through there for another 50 years.

[camaraderie]

Ahh...they didn't have the straps into concrete last time. Thanks for the update.

[billyruffn]

Re. Trinidad --

Caveat: my first hand info is a bit dated, specifically from the summer / fall 2005.

The security situation in Trinidad can be worrisome, but we found that "inside the wire" (that is, inside the fenced boat yards at Chaguaramas) there were no issues of serious concern. Most of the violence (and there is a lot), is perpetrated by and seems mostly confined to the locals. Much of it is drug / gang-related -- turf issues one would presume. Some of it seemed to be political and related to corruption in politics. While there have been some incidents involving boat people, most of the folks I know feel pretty safe in Trinidad.

What you do is avoid wandering around on your own at night anywhere. During the day things seem to be very safe most everywhere, but we relied on locals to guide us. Just about everything you want or need can be found in the compound in Chagauramas. For things outside, take a taxi. There's a great taxi guy, Jesse James, whom you can trust completely. Go with Jesse and he'll keep you out of trouble. We've just had friends report back that Carnival was lots of fun this year. I'm sure if things were tense, we'd have heard about it.

We plan to leave our boat there during the summer of '09, but rest assured we'll have our ear to the ground during the prior winter season to find out how things are going. Probably the best way to handle it is to talk to others who've been there recently once you get to the Caribbean, find out how many who've actually been there are going back again, and then take your own counsel.

Chaguaramas is a great place to get work done on your boat -- technical trades are very good and the marina owners / managers seem very honest and trustworthy.

Re keeping the critters off your boat....in Trinidad everyone seems to coat the screw portion of the stands with grease. Ditto for around the blocking on the ground -- the idea being that the ants etc won't crawl over the grease. You put screens on everything left open to the air. You plug engine exhausts and close all seacocks. Other precaustions typically taken in Trinidad include covering the boat (white plastic) and installation of an a/c or dehumidifier to keep the mold / mildew at bay. We did all these things and we had no bugs, no mold, no problems -- found the boat as we had left it (and we even left food aboard in cans, bottles and boxes).