ROADTOWN Tortola BVI, January 5th, 2012

His Highness the Aga Khan
His Excellency the Governor Mr. Boyd McCleary and Mrs. McCleary
Honourable Members of the Cabinet

Honourable Members of the House of Assembly
Her Ladyship Indra Hariprashad- Charles
Deputy Governor V. Inez Archibald and Dr. Archibald QC
Commodore of YCCS, Mr. Riccardo Bonadero

Commodore of the Royal BVI Yacht Club, Mr. Bob Phillips
YCCS Members
Oil Nut Bay Owners
Members of the Press

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen
I am pleased, on behalf of the Government and people of the Territory, to welcome you to this historic event, the grand opening of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda right here in the North Sound Virgin Gorda.

Today’s opening represents a giant step forward for BVI Tourism and signals the upward mobility of the BVI tourism product. Some would say, ‘this puts us now on the cutting edge of the world tourism market.’

I would simply say that nothing less was expected from a Territory that is world renowned for its natural beauty, its warm and friendly people and its achievements that make it a wonder of the world.

With some 60 islands, rocks and cays, BVI, Natures Little Secrets, is already the sailing capital of the world.
With a population of 30,000 persons, BVI incorporates almost half a million of the world’s companies making it a ‘must’ for everyone who is anyone in the business community.

During this holiday season we all witnessed at the Terrence B. Lettsome International airport all of the top jets in the world, right here, and many of the owners of those jets were meeting up with their super yachts to cruise our waters which are second to none in the world.

So it does not surprise me, although I confess it makes me proud, that the President of YCCS, HH the Aga Khan, selected Virgin Gorda as his new Caribbean base from which to carry on a tradition in sailing excellence that spans 4 decades.

Your Highness, I take this opportunity to welcome you warmly to the BVI and to thank you for the partnership you have forged with a visionary like David V. Johnson, who has done much with his investments in Oil Nut Bay and YCCS to promote the BVI. We know your record of philanthropy and we know your drive for excellence and we believe that persons like you are exactly what BVI needs to help to build, preserve and ensure that our good name continues to be shouted from the highest heights of the international community.

Here in the Virgin Islands we strive to promote quality service and business excellence in Tourism. In fact, the economic lifeblood of the Territory, the corner stone of our economy, is Tourism. If you doubt me, stand on any of our street corners and take a straw poll with respect to how and where people work and you would understand why it is critical for the Government to not only promote but to actively support the Tourism product.

Now let me say a few words about David Victor Johnson, DVJ as he is called by some of his staff. BVI is happy and proud to celebrate this new entrepreneurial creation that is now YCCS with you.

David V. Johnson of Victor BVI entered the BVI in 2005. He often came across to me as a man on a mission, looking for the ultimate place for his generational resort community and super yacht marina; one development that would be his crowning piece after a lifetime in the business and after his most notable work at that time, Bay Harbour, achieved substantial success.

I remember in 2006, when the Owner of Biras Creek Resort decided to close the hotel, DVJ , not wanting to allow the over 100 employees to be made redundant, stepped in and asked the Government of the day to allow him to run the hotel on a lease.

He also said that he still wanted the opportunity to do a new development in the Territory which would be environmentally unique and in harmony with the land. Mine was the Government of the day, and I was relieved and pleased that the doors of Biras Creek, so vital to BVI tourism and economic life in Virgin Gorda especially the North Sound, would remain open.

In 2007, my Government signed a Development Agreement with DVJ for the Oil Nut Bay Development (ONB).

Oil Nut Bay is the most significant tourism development in the BVI since the era of Little Dix Bay and Peter Islands Resorts. Those investments were made some 50+ years ago.

In 2009 DVJ achieved the final part of his dream, a super yacht marina. Johnson, with the BVI Government, pioneered what is now YCCS (Yacht Club Costa Smeralda), a state of the art eco-friendly and magnificent mega yacht marina capable of holding 38 mega yachts berthing.

If I appear to be singing DVJ’s praises, it is only because, I am. It is not often that an investor comes to your shores, invests more that $100 million in the most difficult global economic environment and succeeds in doing so without debt.

That is the kind of courage that builds strong businesses and strong communities. And when in March of last year, I saw the convergence of 22 super yachts right here at this marina for the first annual Super Yacht Regatta and Rendezvous; I knew that the major beneficiary of this investment was the people of the BVI.

And the entire global community knew what happened here because CNN Business recognised the YCCS facility as 1 of 10 new and outstanding mega yacht facilities in the world.

This grand opening of YCCS (Virgin Gorda) is a milestone in BVI tourism development. So we have that partnership of the Builder David V. Johnson, the Operations under the auspices of YCCS and the presidency of His Highness the Aha Khan and the watchful attentive eye of the Government to ensure that the product is in keeping with our standards of excellence in building and conservation.

This new spectacular yacht club will serve primarily for the benefit of YCCS members worldwide and it will engulf the US and Caribbean markets which can only add to our reach and further highlight the good name of the British Virgin Islands.

For the Virgin Islands to partner with one of the leading yacht clubs in the Mediterranean says a lot. It says that our Territory is poised to continue providing vibrant opportunities year round to match the expectations of our visitors. So, this initiative is our way of sustaining and growing our tourism based economy, locally, regionally and internationally.

David, I must say, I was amazed to learn that you had visited 13 Caribbean islands over a 10 year span and that all your investigations kept bringing you back to the natural beauty, sailing paradise, friendly environment that is BVI. Your Highness, I am equally amazed that you had been looking for a place to establish a Yacht Club in the Caribbean for many years before teaming up with David and coming to the North Sound, Virgin Gorda.

The BVI just has that natural pull for quality and both your decision to invest here once again endorses the reality that the Virgin Islands is unique.

On behalf of the Government and people of the Virgin Islands, I welcome everyone again. I thank you for your time, your interest and your support and most of all I thank you for working with the Government and people of the BVI to develop this Territory for the benefit of all of us who call it home.
Thank you.

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