As Grenada's busy winter of 2010 ends, a season that saw a record turnout for the 17th Grenada Sailing Festival's Port Louis Regatta, All at Sea talked with Danny Donelan, Sales and Marketing Manager at Camper and Nicholsons' Grenada location:
AAS: Is it time to relax and take a break?
DD: Far from it. We started gearing up in May to be ready for summer visitors. Basically, we think that Port Louis Marina is the perfect base for yachts during the summer months due to our location at 12 degrees North, outside of the main hurricane belt. And people come our way all year round for the great cruising in Grenada and the Grenadines.
AAS: What seasonal incentives are you offering this year?
DD: We have very low and affordable summer prices for yachts staying longer than one month for this summer. For example, from May 1 through October 31, daily rates start at just $0.33/foot for a 32-foot yacht stay 30 days or longer.
AAS: Describe what visitors find now when
they arrive at Port Louis.
DD: We now have 170 berths complete with all facilities; we probably have more alongside berths than most marinas in the Caribbean. Our rates include free internet (we have broadband connections, which means you can run your businesses or stay in touch with your family with our very high speed service), pump-out of sewage, some of the best bathroom facilities anywhere in the Caribbean, a pool and your own private beach. Other facilities include restaurants, boutiques, craft shops, sail maker & rigging, boat maintenance, chandlery, provisioning, convenience store, resort wear, car rental and taxis. Paid facilities will include water, power and cable TV.
AAS: Your summer rates are designed to attract yachts to make Port Louis their off-season base. What else will
entice them?
DD: Our proximity to all of the good restaurants, chandleries, supermarkets, gyms, playing fields, tennis, basketball courts, etc. make us a very cool place to stay. August brings the Carriacou Regatta and also the week-long Grenada Carnival, a real highlight in the calendar. Costumes, steel bands and calypso can be seen and heard across the island, with the streets of St George's, convenient to Port Louis, the focus for much of the action.
And PLM's location on the outskirts of St. George's is close to the airport, which is the nearest international airport for the Grenadines. Grenada has great international connections to Miami, New York and London in the offseason, and Toronto and Frankfurt added in the tourist season.
AAS: It's a beautiful island that people should take time to explore.
DD: Grenada has so much to offer – our rivers, waterfalls, rainforest, white and black sand beaches, spices, great restaurants and our new, exciting jazz clubs. Best of all for visitors: Grenada's friendly people.
Our website gives an introduction to Port Louis Marina and our beautiful island. It gives more details of the facilities provided for yachts, as well as some practical information on Grenada and the cruising grounds of the Grenadines, including flights, a sample cruising itinerary of the Grenada and the Grenadines, and much more. For more information: www.cnportlouismarina.com, or email danny.donelan@cnportlouismarina.com.
