Boating safety week a success despite weather interruption

~~Adz:Right~~ Roadtown, Tortola - The Virgin Islands Shipping Registry (VISR) today declared Boating Safety Week a success despite weather interruptions.

The week culminated today with a boat show and safety display at the Road Town Jetty and Sir Olva Georges Plaza respectively.

Senior Marine Officer Mr. Dave Smith said although Hurricane Omar disrupted their activities planned for Wednesday and Thursday, the week achieved its basic objective of increasing awareness of boating safety. The week was observed under the theme, Be safety smart right from the start. 

“Overall I think we got the message out to a lot of the youngsters and that to me is very important. We had a lot of students come out from the different schools where we carried out our demonstrations at the Sir Rupert Briercliffe Hall,” Mr. Smith told the Department of Information and Public Relations.

The police, fire and shipping registry vessels were open for public viewing today at the Road Town Jetty and Mr. Smith said despite the rain many people stopped by to see “firsthand what the vessels look like and what they are capable of doing.”

According to the senior marine officer, the VISR plans to complete its roster of activities next week with a trip to Virgin Gorda on Wednesday to conduct safety demonstrations for the students there and an open house at its offices on Thursday. The Virgin Islands Shipping Registry is thankful to all who contributed to making Boating Safety Week a success.

The annual observance of Boating Safety Week is designed to emphasise the importance of safety for the boating public and increase the awareness of boating regulations in the Territory.