Cynthia (Cindy) Chestnut

Cindy Chestnut is a Canadian from Montreal (Quebec). She co-owns – with her husband Brian - Conch Charters BVI Ltd., a family-run business, that has been chartering exclusively out of the BVI for over 23 years (since 1987). It offers “affordable yacht charters with a friendly, personal approach that’s as warm as the tropical sunshine”. The company operates out of the Fort Burt Marina, next to The Pub. Conch Charters sells itself as having “that corner store personal touch” as opposed to the “large franchised stores” which “are the way of the world now” (http://www.conchcharters.com/Home/tabid/146/Default.aspx).

Cindy, once a Bank of Montreal bank manager, comes from the “Montreal ‘burbs” but now owns a house in Slaney (in the Roadtown ‘burbs?) where she has lived for the past ten years – making it a much easier commute to work than back in Quebec. Prior to that she and Brian lived in the Waterfront Apartments for some eleven years. They came to the BVI searching “for greener and warmer pastures’ away from the Great Canadian Winter. They still own a house in Montreal, which they use on their summer holidays.

Tired of snow and ice, and wanting a change, they researched the Caribbean region in great detail looking for a new home, before settling on the BVI as being the best possible place. They came here on holiday in 1983 (Brian had been here as a backpacker many years before) and made the decision to move down here as independent business operators a few years later. As boat owners back in Canada, a charter operation seemed a natural fit. They quickly got their work permits and trade license and started up their business with a fleet of two yachts. Cindy remained in Montreal for a year clearing up their past lives and then also moved down to Tortola. They soon got two more boats in their fleet, which now numbers 47.

Tortola has changed a lot in the past two decades, and the “small town feel” that Cindy like so much in the 1980s is now gone. She particularly regrets the growth in building heights. Once upon a time buildings could not rise above the tops of the palm trees, but this restriction now seems to be firmly in the past and the view from Conch Charters now shows many new structures of increasing size and height. In addition Cindy notes the tremendous increase in road traffic, and the ongoing growth of the Cruise Ship industry – both of which appear to have somewhat limited benefits to the country as a whole. She also feels that the beaches have suffered in recent years, but fortunately the beauty of the place never changes.

On the positive side the development that has taken place in the BVI has led to many new shops and particularly (for Cindy) to new restaurants. “It is nice to have more stuff to buy, on the islands”. There has also been a significant improvement in communications (e-mail, web sites etc.) which have made doing business more easy. There are also more expats, which can be both good and bad. It means more possible friends and a larger social and economic network, but also increases the traffic. But you “learn to grow with the changes”, even if you liked it better the way it was.

If Cindy and Brian were to come here now to start a business, Cindy feels that it would probably be harder. Competition has increased, and paperwork now seems to take more time (for instance getting work permits). However, it is now easier to get repairs done to their fleet, and parts are more available than they were in the 1980s. There is also now a bigger pool of qualified people to draw staff from, making it easier to have a better workforce.

Cindy feels that she has contributed to the BVI by building her business and providing jobs, thereby boosting the economy. In addition she has served on the board of the Royal BVI Yacht Club twice, and is the BVI Warden to the Canadian Consulate in Barbados – making her somewhat responsible for the Canadians in the BVI. The Warden system is a network of volunteers who maintain a registry and act as intermediaries between Canadian Embassies and the Canadian communities in countries with no other official presence – such as the BVI.

Cindy has absolutely no regrets about her move to the British Virgin Islands. It is a nice place to live and is great for kids. It was “the smartest thing we ever did without knowing it”. Cindy and Brian applied for residency about five years ago, and the BVI will “always be our official address” - although they still return to Montreal for visits during the off-season. Chartering does not thrive between mid-August and early October, and their fleet is moved to the ‘hurricane hole’ in Paraquita Bay, except for the occasional rental of one of the large ‘cats’.
 

Draft of April 16th 2010, of interview of April 13th, 2010.

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