French-based yacht manufacturers Fountaine Pajot, which specialises in sailing and power Catamarans, has disclosed plans to host its major 30th anniversary celebrations in St. Lucia. President of the company Jean Francois Fountaine says everyone who has bought one of his Catamarans over the past thirty years will be invited to sail into St. Lucia next November for the celebrations.

Mr. Fountaine has had several meetings with the General Manager of the Rodney Bay Marina Mr. Cuthbert Didier to discuss arrangements for the anniversary activities. Mr. Didier says more than three hundred boats are expected to participate, bringing more then fifteen hundred persons with them for the three-day celebrations. He says this is expected to translate into significant actitity for food and drink suppliers, entertainers, craftspeople, land-based transport providers and other bussinesses on the island. Mr. Didier says discussions are continuing about extending some of the activities to neighbouring islands, including St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada.

St. Lucia is part of the nine-member OECS group making a joint appearance at the Grand Pavois boat show, one of the three largest in the world. The joint OECS participation is being coordinated by the OECS Secretariat which is using the event to help promote the sub-region's critical tourism industry and the yachting sector in particular. Delegates from Antigua/Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts/Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Anguilla and the BVI, have set up booths under one OECS pavillion. The Secretariat expects a significant increase in yacht arrivals and revenue generation from the sub-region's participation in the boat show. More than 100,000 visitors are expected to attend the event, many of them yachts people looking for new destinations.