Manager of the Rodney Bay Marina Mr. Cuthbert Didier says the opening day brought him three six-month bookings for his marina. The SV Choutrac has booked for six months from December 2005, the SV Lenay from January 2006, and Stewart Winter has booked a berth for cricket world cup 2007.

St. Lucia and the rest of the OECS are staging a joint exhibition at the Grand Pavois, one of the world's top three boat shows, under the theme "Many Islands One Sea". The joint exercise is being coordinated by the OECS Secretariat, as a response to what OECS Director General Dr. Len Ishmael says is the under-utilisation of the yachting potential of the sub-region. The Secretariat expects the sub-region's participation in the show to increase yacht arrivals and bring much needed additional revenue to the islands.

Besides Mr. Didier, the St. Lucia delegation to the Show include Mr. Keiths Compton of the Marine Industries Association of St. Lucia; Mr. Maurice Moffat of the Marine Private Sector; Ms. Yasmin Walcott as translator, and Ms. Sandrine d'Alexis Lasiri of the St. Lucia Tourist Board.

The delegation spent some of the busy opening day sharing information on St. Lucia's marine and on-shore tourism products and services. They say a number of business people wanted to discuss the possibility of forming strategic alliances for distribution of products such as dive equipment and for manufacturing other products like dingies.

Mr. Didier says there was a very strong awareness among the visitors of the geographical location and marine facilities of St. Lucia, and he credits this in part to the defiscalisation arrangement with neighbouring Martinique.

The other countries represented at Grand Pavois are Antigua/Barbuda, Anguilla, the BVI, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St.Kitts/Nevis, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Submitted by Kendol Morgan, OECS Communications Officer on assignment in La Rochelle France.