BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - OWNER and builder of party boat Prince Devonte J, Elroy ‘Ray’ Jeffers came in for high praise for satisfying a need in the growing tourism market within the Federation.
The commendation was made by Tourism Minister Hon. Richard ‘Ricky’ Skerritt on Saturday (Dec. 28) when the vessel was officially launched with a sight-seeing tour of the coastline of both St. Kitts and Nevis.
Minister Skerritt told the more than 150 passengers aboard the vessel that the Jeffers family has taken a “big plunge” by undertaking such a venture.
“About three years ago when the economies of this part of the Caribbean were really going into decline and tourism was facing a lot of challenges all around, you would recall Ray and his family had experienced a very deep tragedy. But Ray was deeply convinced that the time was right to invest and that the support he got from his friends and family and the government, I think it was inevitable that it would be accomplished,” Skerritt said.
He continued: “I’m happy that I have had the opportunity to lead the supportive team which incidentally includes in a very big way the right Honorable Prime Minister Denzel Douglas who, as Minister of Finance, was instrumental in helping to move certain important decisions forward including allowing the Development Bank to go beyond its lending limit to be able to lend the kind of dollars that was needed to help finish this boat.”
Meanwhile, Master of Ceremonies Stedroy Pemberton explained to the gathering that the party boat is a solution to an existing problem in the tourism industry.
In his explanation of solution to problems, he cited what two notable businessmen had done.
“In 1962, Sam Walton saw a problem that needed a solution. The problem was that people needed low prices all the time and not only when they were big sale drives. A solution was to offer them low prices all the time and so he founded Wal-Mart. And one rainy day Rattan Carter looked out his window and at the streets of Mumbai, India and saw motorcycles in traffic carrying entire families, father, mother and children. Out of that observation he offered to families a safe closed car at a price they can afford at half the price of the smallest one on the market.”
He however added that the common trends of both scenarios are that they all saw a need and a problem, and they have provided satisfaction for that need and solution to the problem.
“Today, we have called your presence amongst us to celebrate and present to you a solution to a need and a solution to a problem,” he said.
The vessel, Prince Devonte J, has been in the making in excess of 20 years and it has been a lifelong dream for owner Elroy ‘Ray’ Jeffers, who named the boat after his son who died in an accident in the USA.
“Elroy ‘Ray’ Jeffers looked at our tourism industry and saw the need for a large one-stop vessel to satisfy groups, corporate entities and other organisations both locally and internationally desirous of being together at the same time,” Pemberton said.
Also commending Jeffers on his initiative were the staff of the Development Bank, who assured him that he could return to the financial institution for any further invest he may have, especially if he intends to have another party boat.
Jeffers, in response to the commendations, said that it was a dream came through for him, one which he carried in excess of 20 years.
“This was a dream I had since 1989. I was a boat builder in 1978 and I can remember the first boat I built with my good friend Steven Liburd in St. Kitts. It was called Kayona. I was building boats for 10 years before I left to go to the Virgin Islands, and when I reach on St. Thomas I saw a boat that they called Kontiki. Kontiki was a boat that did boat rides and take out tourists. It had a rusty look and I thought of enhancing it and bringing it back to St. Kitts and Nevis. But I did not. It is from that boat I got the idea of having a party boat in the Federation.”
Jeffers told the gathering that once they have a dream they should work towards making it a reality.
He thanked the National Bank for providing him with the loan in the making of the party boat and declared that Prince Devonte J two is currently in the making.
Prince Jevonte J is being managed and operated by Kittinevi, a local company that promotes tours between St. Kitts and Nevis.
