Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
The call by Minister Maurice Lake to remove stricken vessels from St. Maarten’s inlets (see related article) might sound a bit callous to boaters who recently became victims of Hurricane Gonzalo, but is nevertheless to the point. After all, the wrecks in and around the bays and lagoons are not only a maritime risk and in some cases an environmental hazard, but also pollute the landscape.
As long as the unsightly view they create remains, every visitor will be reminded of the natural disaster, which is nothing to be ashamed of, but certainly not the image any destination would prefer to portray either. The sooner people stop talking about Gonzalo the better in terms of the tourism economy.
Of course, the storm of both unexpected intensity and proximity hit only three weeks ago, so it’s understandable that some sailors haven’t gotten around to salvaging what’s left of their yachts yet. One reason may be that the owners are off-island and/or insured elsewhere, which obviously can lead to delays in obtaining the necessary damage assessment.
However, experience with Hurricane Luis in 1995 when even more boats were partially or completely destroyed showed that it can take quite a while before the entire mess is cleaned up. There may be uninsured or “total-loss†cases where there is no interest in the wrecks and government will have to assume its responsibility to have them cleared, at the cost of their owners if at all possible.
One thing to remember is that Luis occurred early September and Gonzalo mid-October, which means there is now even less time before the busy season starts. In the coming days it therefore will need to be “all hands on deck†to get ready and in the kind of shape required to provide guests – whether arriving by air or sea – with the vacation experience they have come to expect from “The Friendly Island.†Nothing less will do.
