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Tourist attraction or an eye sore?
Yesterday May 21, 2012, some businesses in the area expressed that the boats are an ‘eye sore’ to both them and their consumers alike.
One business owner expressed that the boats are not suppose to be there. She added that they are at “the top of the road and it’s the first thing that anybody sees when visiting the area”. She stated that as much as it pains her to see how the area where she is living and has her business is looking, there is nothing she can do about it, because the boats are on a private property and her voice is a little small voice compared to the boat owners.
Another business owner expressed that the boats being there, cause congestion on the roads. She said “when people want to visit the store they change their mind because there is no parking space in the area,” she added. “In the mornings when I come to open the store vehicles are sometimes parked in front, chasing away customers again.”
The two business owners believe that the boats prohibit consumers to the area because of how it makes the area look.
Some businesses support presence of the boats
Despite the complaints by both business owners, Adorya Baly of Panache and Jocast Ramirez and Mari-Luz Fadara of Good Fellas, both businesses in the area, stated that the presence of the boats is not hurting their businesses.
Ms. Baly stated that the boats are the only exciting thing to look at in the area.
Ms. Fedara and Ms. Ramirez said the boats are at no inconvenience to them. They added that the land is private property and has nothing to do with the businesses in the area.
“There are boats parked all around Tortola and those boats don’t be there all the time. The boats aren’t hurting the businesses, once you do proper promotions and get your stuff out there, you are sure of clients.”
Boat owners respond, say boats are an attraction
Meanwhile, boat owners and mechanics of the boats, said most of them that are now parked in the area are being prepared for the Annual Poker Run slated for this weekend, Saturday May 26 and apart from that, the boats are attracting tourists and bringing business to the area.
Speaking to Amos ‘Biggs’ Hodge and Bradley Vanterpool, both of whom are boat mechanics, they said there is no way the boats are a problem to the businesses in the area and their incapability to provide a good service.
Hodge expressed to this news site that the boats are getting ready for the poker run and before that, there were hardly any boats there for a while. He added that the boats are a joy to watch and locals and tourists alike stand to watch the boats all the time.
Hodge further stated, “when this land was vacant and bushy, the public made noise saying the Government need to do something with this area, now boats come and we are do something constructive they still making noise.” He said the “public is wasting their time commenting on the wrong thing, they need to comment on the actual problems that Road Town has, like the sewer problem.”
He added that without this hobby they would be forced to seek another hobby that may not be a good one.
Meanwhile, Vanterpool said the boats at that location attract tourists and the tourists in turn support businesses in the area. He said the boats in the yard act as a museum to the tourist “they come they take photos in and out of the boats and they have a real good time.”
Other than the tourists supporting the neighbouring businesses, he stated that the boat owners and mechanics also support the businesses in the area.
Speaking to boat owners and friends at the site, one of the owners who is also a businessman told this news site that some of the people in Virgin Islands (VI) are “a set of very jealous people”. He added that people he meet suspects him to be a drug dealer or drug user and he would like to assure the public that he is neither.
“I work and I save to buy the things I want in life. It’s too much big and expensive toys for young black people so the first thing they say is that we sell drugs… the typical statement that boat owners in the VI are drug dealers,” the boat owner firmly stated.
Another boat owner, who also has his own business, said there are even strict policies for anyone hanging out in the area where they have a “no drug” policy and no one can buy, sell or use drug in the area.
He also reiterated that the boats are not there for a long time and that they are only there to be prepped for the Poker Run weekend.
In addressing the parking problem made by a business owner, the boat owner stated that even if the boats were not there, no one would still be able to park on the site, because it is private property.
“The site is private property we are breaking no rules or laws. We are just enjoying ourselves, fixing our boats, playing domino and having fun, we are causing no harm.”
Collectively, the group of young men told this news site that the only reason the businesses in the area get the amount of business they get is because the boats attract people in the same vicinity and the tourists then visit the businesses.
One of the boat owners said being at the site, they actually save the surrounding businesses from being victims of burglary attempts.
In comparing their group to other gangs on the block, they said that they are so much different, because they all have jobs and they all have goals.
“Our group is different from other gangs who hang on blocks. Our group help people and gives positive advice to help persons. We have helped people who are under pressure, have been deported or going through a divorce and other life challenging stuff… Everyone who hangs out on the block has a job and this is just where we hang out, we are not interfering with anybody we are just hanging out and fixing and getting our boats ready,” one of the owners said.
He said they will be entering the poker run as a team with matching shirts which is a form of unity among "young brothers".
“Me as a boat owner, if I want to fix my boat I do it with another boat owner for guidance and support because we all try to help each other.”
He said some of the people of the Virgin Islands need to see what they promote, before judging them.
Attempts were made to contact Hon. Mark Vanterpool Minister of Communications and Works and Fourth District Representative along with At-Large Representative Archibald Christian who has spear-headed cleanup efforts throughout the territory, but both were unsuccessful.
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