ENDEAVOUR II UNDERWAY ON JOST VAN DYKE
Kevin Gray is really going great guns in Jost Van Dyke as he spearheads the excellent building of a new JVD 32 wooden sloop, Endeavour II in a boat-building shed behind Foxy’s. The Design Team is comprised of local students Deshawn Chinnery, Ruby Pickering and Delvin Leonard, who are assisting in cutting, shaping, and dry-fitting the components of the transom, stem, and keel into the boat’s jig – traditional shapes with the use of modern woodworking tools and methods. A JVD Design Team of local Jost Van Dyke residents has been formed to advise on the construction of Endeavour II making sure that it conforms to the lines of traditional island sloops and the demands of sailing inlocal waters. While evoking the traditional sloops, Endeavour II is designed to meet the demands of modern-day safety and maintenance requirements so that it can serve as a demonstration and educational sailboat throughout the Caribbean.
With the summer over, construction continues with volunteers and the students on weekends completing the hull shaping of the jig and building the floor frames and ribs. Launching is planned for May, 2006.
The Jost Van Dyke Preservation Society, a BVI non-profit corporation, is managing this project with the support of many sponsors and individuals, including student labor with support from the Education Department. The sloop is the Society’s first major project within its broad mission to preserve the history, culture and environment of the island. Readers of All At Sea are encouraged to support this worthwhile nautical project. For more information please visit www.sloopnews.org or call 495-9891.
MAYOR OF NANNY CAY TURNS 50
Most of Nanny Cay turned out to help Ken “Stick” Blinn celebrate his big 50th at Josiah’s Bay Beach recently. Talk about how to spend a wonderful Sunday afternoon. The food was delicious, with Pauline, Olaf and Ken doing the cooking and pot luck contributions all around. Ken’s Mum, Marie Feuerstaet, and Aunt, Loretta “Lolly” Finnegan, were in for the event from Chicago so it was a real family affair. Happy Birthday, Stick, and many more!
MARINE BIOLOGIST, SHANNON GORE, ADDRESSES TORTOLA LADIES CLUB
It’s always great fun for the non-marine sector to learn more about marine life. Shannon Gore, from the BVI Department of Conservation and Fisheries, gave an excellent slide show for the monthly TLC luncheon at the BVI Sports Club recently. She informed us about the migration and nesting habits of our turtles and the sea life of our whales as well as the negative damage of anchoring to coral reefs and sea bottoms. I enjoyed it so much that there will be a personal interview with Shannon in next month’s All At Sea so please watch for that.
CONSERVATION & FISHERIES LEAD IN SAFETY AND TRAINING
Speaking of the C & F Department, local fishermen were recently trained in vertical long line fishing, targeting deep water snappers and groupers. The workshop was designed to train BVI commercial fishermen how to do long line fishing in waters between 700 and 1,000 feet to ease the fishing pressure on reefs. Alvin Christopher, Minister of Natural Resources, stated, “It is with this in mind that the government has committed itself to the development of the fisheries industry as a third pillar of the economy.” The training is part of an ongoing program the Conservation and Fisheries Department is holding to train local fishermen in various methods designed to preserve the environment while increasing the commercial viability of the profession. And our very own Foxy used his vessel, Ocean Gem, at the North Drop Bank just north of Jost Van Dyke catching snapper, hind, and 30 pounds of Wahoo. Way to go, guys!
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