Brian Gandey Brian Gandey is a Canadian from Montreal (Quebec). He co-owns – with his wife Cindy (Cynthia) Chestnut - Conch Charters BVI Ltd., a family-run business that has been chartering exclusively out of the BVI for some 27 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” (www.conchcharters.com/Home/tabid/146/Default.aspx).
Brian first came to this part of the Caribbean in 1970, as a backpacker on vacation. Some years later, tiring of the Great Canadian Winter, and after a detailed Caribbean research trip (in the early 1980s), he and Cindy decided to move to the BVI to open a business. As boat owners back in Canada, a charter operation seemed a natural fit. Brian came first and applied for work permits and a Trade License in 1986, “at the end of the (Chief Minister Cyril) Romney era”. They started their “fleet” by buying two boats, gradually increasing the number over time. Cindy continued to work in Montreal in order to ensure a steady cash flow, moving to Tortola in 1987 – the year they ran their first charter. They lived in the Waterfront Apartments for eleven years but in 2000 bought a house in Slaney – still an easy commute to work!.
Brian has witnessed many changes since he moved here in 1986. Like numerous other people many of the features that first attracted him to Tortola are now gone or disappearing. The view from Conch Charters has altered a lot. When they first decided to come here, Brian and Cindy decided they would stay “until the first traffic light came” and then move on. Obviously they didn’t, and now there are three sets of lights in Roadtown, and the residents have survived an abortive attempt to put more around “The Roundabout”. These innovations are, of course, part of a package of increased (if not improved) roadway communications in the Virgin Islands, and have changed along with a massive increase in vehicles to fill – and sometimes overfill - the roads. There are also a lot more houses on Tortola and in the Roadtown area in particular. These changes all reflect a lot more money coming into the country.
Another important development for Brian has been an improvement in the quality and variety of foodstuffs – a fact that is always close to the heart of a Montrealer. Brian sees this improvement resulting from an increase in the quality of the clientele that has its own set of demands, and has led to this facet of society “growing up”. Undoubtedly the attempt of the government, and the industry, to promote “high end’ tourism has also been important in this respect.
The government has also changed. It has grown in size, of course, but it has also altered its outlook. It is now more structured, and is more geared to promoting international tourism (and international finance). Although the institution of “at large” elected members in both government and opposition has its critics, Brian believes that this has had a positive effect upon the country by helping it to become more international and less local in its orientation. The Tourist Board, for example, is a major player in the industry now and it is a relatively recent innovation.
The growth of the financial sector has also been a major development in the country since the early 1980s, when tourism was the most important game in town. Brian remembers the fall of Manuel Noriega in Panama in 1989 which was one of the key factors that led to the growth of the financial sector as the major “pillar” of the economy of the Virgin Islands.
Brian has also noticed significant changes on several of the islands of the country other than Tortola. In particular Virgin Gorda, which was a “sleepy” area when he arrived, is now a top location for tourists (as well as “snowbirds” and permanent migrants). Another more widespread tourist industry development has been the growth of the “shoulder seasons” around the traditional chartering times. When Brian and Cindy first started Conch Charters there was no real summer business. There is now.
Brian believes that he arrived in the BVI at a fortuitous time. It would be possible to come now, but it would be much harder to “make it”. In part this is because it is generally harder for people to come from outside the country and start a business compared to the situation in the 1980s. But in addition there is more competition now, in the Virgin Islands and elsewhere, and this makes life more challenging. The local charter yacht business is now probably at its saturation point. In the past differing international conditions also helped. At one time the US government subsidized yacht building, resulting in more vessels being produced, thus making it easier for Brian to get additions to his charter fleet. In addition, during poor economic times more boats were available when companies went bankrupt. And during the Iraq war there were fewer Americans in the region and this helped Canadians. But the industry is constantly changing and not all of the shifts are for the good of the small operator.
Brian has been an active member of VISAR (Virgin Islands Search and Rescue: see www.visarbvi.org) since its inception in 1988 and has received a Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal for his services to the community.
If Brian and Cindy were to “do it all over again” they wouldn’t do much differently. During their “Caribbean research period” in the early 1980s, they did consider opening a “B and B”, but upon reflection Conch Charters was the right choice.
There has been a lot of progress in the Virgin Islands in the last three decades – although there is still “a bit of the Wild West” in the country. There are more rules and regulations, for instance, but they are not always adhered to. And these rules are an added cost of doing business. But education has been improved – HLSCC is a big factor here – and there are more employable “locals” for the tourist industry - although education levels in general are still not good enough on a country-wide basis, and many people are left behind, and many people feel they have to leave the country to improve themselves. The National Parks service has been an important innovation – the institution of mooring balls, for instance, “changed the rules” for the charter boat sector. VISAR has also changed things for the better. On the other hand there are still problems with the ferries (Brian remembers a similar issue when he first came here in 1970).
There are still some important issues to be addressed in the country. Land prices are high – as are prices in general. Food supplies have improved, but they are not cheap. There is often little for expat spouses to do in the country and this may compel some people to leave. Many expats who were born here do not feel fairly treated. There is still no fair and consistent system to integrate people, who migrate here, into the society of the country over time. Legal Residency is an issue.
On the other hand taxes are relatively low, the climate is significantly better than that back in Montreal (for much of the year, anyway) and Brian and Cindy see no reason to ever permanently leave their adopted country.
Draft of October 30th 2014, of interview of October 8th, 2014.
