–braves storm on way over

MINISTER of Business, Dominic Gaskin on Monday welcomed the Nereid’s International Yacht Rally, the fourth to date, to Hurakabra Resort on the Essequibo River where more than 14 yachts are moored after sailing thousands of miles.He told the gathering that he hopes to see yachting mushroom into something even bigger here, as it has immense potential for our country.

Gaskin encouraged the tourists to make full use of their time here, by soaking in as much of historic sights as they can, and enjoying our culture and foods.

The event was organised by the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Business and Hurakabra Resort.

Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) Chairman, Gordon Bradford said he is pleased to see how the event has grown, and feels it should be nurtured for further enhancement where more yachts can sail into Guyana to the beautiful region.

Speaking on behalf of his fellow yatchers, Russell Alzendorff of the ‘Enterprise’, the largest yacht in the flotilla, said the voyage to Guyana was not an easy one, as they had to brave a storm on their way over.

He, however, thanked Minister Gaskin, as well as Davide Matelicani, the Italian organiser of the voyage, for their hospitality and for making their stay safe and comfortable.

He also talked of Matelicani’s infectious enthusiasm in organising the rally and the bureaucracy involved in travelling to Guyana.

Some participants, he said, sailed thousands of miles just to be here, having left their homes and families back in France, Germany, Switzerland and Britain.

He said the group also swapped their highly successful careers to take on the rally for a life of being their own plumbers, electricians, carpenters, mechanics, doctors and seamstresses all living and sailing on a yacht.

They accomplished all this, he said, in the most difficult of circumstances while at sea, at a rolling anchorage, with limited tools and even more limited access to trustworthy help.

The journey, he said, also entailed wandering in and out of cafés looking for Wi-Fi connections, and hopping down busy shopping areas looking for SIM cards and stores to buy spares.

But, living on a yacht, he said,is not as insane as some may think, and is well worth the while to arrive in a country like Guyana where one gets the sense that a new adventure awaits.