Parts & Power Ltd. named a sponsor of 2022 USVI Charter Yacht Show
by Carol Bareuther 30 Jul 2022 20:31 BST
November 12-15, 2022
Kit Purdy, vice president and general manager for Northern Lights (right) works with a yacht captain (left) © Parts & Power Ltd
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Parts & Power Ltd. is an official sponsor of the 2022 USVI Charter Yacht Show, according to event organizer, the Virgin Islands Professional Charter Association (VIPCA).
Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2023, Parts and Power is the Caribbean distributor for Northern Lights marine generators and Technicold marine air-conditioning, refrigeration, and ice machines.
The company, headquartered in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, has 15 dealers in the USVI, BVI, St. Maarten, St. Martin, Antigua, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, Barbados, Grenada, and Trinidad, with a dedicated website.
Parts & Power representatives will attend the 2022 USVI Charter Yacht Show, set for November 12 to 15, at Yacht Haven Grande Marina, as well as the Show's Marine Expo on November 11. Strong sponsorship from several businesses is a strategic way in which VIPCA has built the USVI Charter Yacht Show into one of the 'must attend' events in the Caribbean for boats and brokers alike.
"The USVI Charter industry is and has been, important to Northern Lights and Parts & Power. In the 1980s, charter vessels began needing a generator to attract customers. The challenge was that no reliable marine generator servicing and support was available in the Caribbean at that time. Parts & Power began searching for a new product by asking commercial fishermen from the Northeastern U.S. what one generator would they choose and depend on to go offshore for seven to 10 days in the winter? The consistent answer was Northern Lights," says Tom Gerker, managing director. "The USVI Charter Yacht Show is a great opportunity for us to meet with our charter customers and to interact with owners of Northern Lights equipment to discuss operation and maintenance issues," says Tom Gerker, managing director.
Reliability means everything to crews, customers, and brokers in the crewed charter yacht industry where cancellations due to mechanical problems can be costly.
"Each season, unfortunately, we have yachts with broken GenSets or similar. It's mostly an issue that cannot be fixed in a day or two, as these new yachts have complex systems. So, it's essential captains do understand their yachts engineering and can manage to either call for a mechanic before an issue happens or can handle simple maintenance tasks," says Lela Joannidis, BoatsAtSea.com Head of Operations for the Caribbean and Mediterranean market. Joannidis is based at headquarters in Anguilla, BWI, and attends the USVI Charter Yacht Show annually to see vessels and meet crews first-hand.
Northern Lights, headquartered in Seattle, WA, USA, began building Prime Power Generators for remote fishing villages in Alaska in the 1950s and soon after for fishing captains. In both situations, loss of power could be life-threatening. Today, Northern Lights continues its Alaska-tough build, but with a cooling and yacht-friendly package that makes these products uniquely qualified for the Caribbean charter industry. Key products ideal for crewed charter yachts includes Marine Generators from 5-40kW (3.5-32kW @ 50hz), Technicold Marine Air Conditioning from 24,000-180,000BTU, Fresh Water-Cooled Load Banks, and High-Capacity Ice Makers for fish holds.
Calling crewed yachts and brokers - Register now!
Over 70 exhibiting charter yachts are anticipated for the 2022 show. One of these is Outta Touch. The 105' Intermarine Motor Yacht illustrates the broad mix of yachts on show from the Caribbean fleet, which includes a wide variety of luxury yachts and superyachts, both sail and power.
"It's important for us to attend the Show because Outta Touch has a new crew and program, that I believe brokers will enjoy meeting and hearing about. We are well positioned as a superyacht that offers cuisine from an award-winning chef, extraordinary service from the stew, and a very wide selection of water activities, including scuba diving, jet skis, wakeboard, sea scooters, fishing from our tender, and more. The Show is an important way for us to establish and maintain relationships with brokers, other crews, and the yachting community in St Thomas. We receive fabulous support, advocacy, and information from VIPCA, and thus want to support this event by attending," says Captain Keith Cressman.
Yachts can register now here. Yachts showing in the 2022 USVI Charter Yacht Show pay only $1.65/foot/day for berthing in Yacht Haven Grande Marina from one week before to one week after the show and additionally on arrival a 5% fuel discount.
Charter brokers can register at usviyachtshow.org. Charter brokers can join VIPCA here to receive one free broker show registration in addition to many other membership benefits. Brokers can receive a 20% discount on accommodations at Bluebeard's Castle by booking by phone at 340-774-1600 and giving the discount code 'VIPCA Yacht Show'.
What's new
Posh Picnics is the theme of this year's VIPCA Yacht Show Culinary Competition, set for November 11, 1 to 4 p.m. Yacht chefs are required to pack a three-course lunch, including a light snack, a main, and a sweet treat with a wine pairing to serve to guests 'at the beach'. Judging is based on presentation, creativity, taste, uniqueness, and compatibility of paired wine. Judges include the USVI's Champion Boxer and Chef Julius Jackson; Ms. Tegan Lucas, Sommelier; and William Torrillo, Professional Photographer and Owner of Mango Media.
"Cooking with Habibi is thrilled to announce this year's Culinary Competition theme of Posh Picnics. I wanted to throw a bit of a curve ball to all the talented chefs this year by having them bring meals to the judges, rather than the judges coming to them, to mimic the growing requests from guests on charter for seaside meals. We are hosting the competition at a central location at IGY's Yacht Haven Grande to allow the chefs to shine without having to worry about hosting for the Show. I invite chefs to enter and bring their picnic A-game to the competition. Your baskets, serving styles, and presentations are going to be key! So excited to see what all the talent will bring this year," says Maya Wierzbicki, competition coordinator.
Yacht chefs can register now until October 31. Once registered, chefs can join the following Facebook Group for tips and the latest updates. For questions, contact Wierzbicki at .
The yacht show website is home to a wealth of information for show attendees, brokers, and crew alike, including the re-energized schedule for the 2022 USVI Charter Yacht Show.
Sponsors of the USVI Charter Yacht show include the USVI Department of Tourism; Yacht Haven Grande; IGY Marinas; the Gowrie Group representing Trawick and Cigna; Parts & Power Ltd., distributor of Northern Lights; Mango Media; Offshore Marine; Catamaran Central; Moe's Fresh Market; Grey Goose, distributed by West Indies Company; Veuve Clicquot and Captain Morgan, distributed by Bellows International; Cardow Jewelers; Harbor Shoppers; VIYA Business Solutions; Maho Apparel and the Charter Yacht Broker Association.