Dear Editor,
Based on the recent article “Anguilla Government signs MOU with Edgewater Resources to develop Marina,” that was published in the November 1, 2018, edition of your paper, I would like to take this opportunity to share my perspective and recollection, on a historical aspect of the untold story of the early beginnings of yachting on Anguilla.
It is for the benefit of any individual who may want to conduct some further research on and around the socio-cultural economic history of the early beginnings of yachting on the island nation of Anguilla.
I also want to dedicate this article to the memory of my late dad Capt. Lionel T. Lloyd, who was a born Anguillian son of the soil from Roaches Hill, who earned his stripes at an early age as one of the “traditional seafaring captains of yesteryear” on the island of Anguilla back in the day. Apart from that, I also want to highlight the educational and economic contributions that the intergenerational members of his family the Lloyds of Roaches Hill made, that have impacted the entire island of Anguilla.
Before I share my historical perspective on the early beginnings of yachting on the island nation of Anguilla; I want to commend Edgewater Resources who conducted the feasiblity study for the mega-yacht marina for upholding transparency at the duration of the study by holding public forums to present its findings, address questions and concerns. I also commend the residents of Anguilla who, according to an article in your publication, came out in large numbers during the said public forums to seek more information, voice their concerns, ask questions and get responses.
I proudly state with Anguillian descendant diasporan pride and I stand firm in stating that the yachting clubs on Anguilla today stand on the shoulders of my late dad Capt. Lionel T. Lloyd, a born Anguillan son of the soil (whose immigrant father Richard James Lloyd was a seafarer from Guyana/Suriname and an Anguillian mother who was a Fleming from Long Bay).
According to my cousin Nurse Vera Lloyd Robinson’s recollection of our family seafaring history on Anguilla, after “Uncle T” (dad’s nickname) completed his education at The Valley Boys’ School, he joined our grandad at sea, where he became an astute dire-hearted student of seafaring, lived it, loved it and gained expert navigational skills, so much so that his dad named him the captain of both of his schooners (the Lady Lloyd and May Lloyd) during his late teens. My cousin also recalled that although grandad’s schooners were a family enterprise, apart from his family he employed many other Anguillian seafarers, as well as provided apprenticeship opportunities for young men who wanted to learn the rigors and challenges of seafaring.
Why do I stand firm in stating that the yachting clubs in Anguilla today stand on Capt. Lloyd’s shoulders? It is based on the fact that during the ’50s, when he resided on the island of St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands, he was the first and only Anguillian to bring private yachts on excursions with visitors from St. Thomas to Blowing Point, Anguilla back in the day.
Based on family stories at the dinner table, apparently during that time it was almost unheard of for yachts to be moored in Blowing Point, or any of Anguilla’s other ports of call. Fond memories and reflections also transcend on and around many a day when my immediate family as well as other family members and friends were invited by dad, who would take us aboard to tour those yachts.
This piece of Anguilla’s seafaring and yachting history should not go unnoticed, because who knew that fast forward, one day a mega-yacht marina would be in the futuristic stage of planning and development on the island nation of Anguilla. It goes without saying that the futuristic marina/waterfront mega-yacht development project will have a major positive impact on, and change the trajectory of the economic future of the island nation of Anguilla.
I would be remiss if I did not mention, without meaning to call anyone out, that in spite of the contribution of my dad’s family, the legendary Lloyds of Roaches Hill, Anguilla, vis-a-vis the marine industry and seafaring heritage of Anguilla, it is unfortunate that such contributions were never recognized or highlighted, when such recognition or highlighting was formally publicized.
During 2003, whereas the honor and recognition was given to a select few of Anguilla’s “traditional boats” that were honored with stamps, the Lady Lloyd and May Lloyd were not highlighted or mentioned. [“Traditional Boats on Stamps Process Needs to be Reviewed” an article in the Anguillian Newspaper].
In addition, more recently when the “traditional seafaring captains of yesteryear” were honored with a postage stamp, and their photos were displayed in the Post Office in The Valley, Anguilla, Capt. Lionel T. Lloyd was not honored with a stamp and his photo was noticeably absent. [Letter to Anguilla Stamp Committee, July 18, 2014, in the Anguillian Newspaper].
It should be also noted with honorable mention that dad was the only “traditional seafaring captain of yesteryear” whose seafaring career grew beyond Anguilla. Dad was able to take the seafaring skills that he honed in Anguilla to later spend over 20 years in the U.S. as a professional civilian employee of the U.S. Naval Service, where he worked alongside the rank and file of enlisted men and women.
On a more personal note, this article is dedicated not only to the memory of my late dad Capt. Lionel T. Lloyd, it is also dedicated to the intergenerational legacy of his family, the legendary Lloyds of Roaches Hill, Anguilla, based on the contributions they made that have positively impacted the educational system and the major economic engine of the entire island of Anguilla.
For instance, one of those descendants was the visionary for the foundation of Anguilla’s “upscale tourism industry.” The Anguilla Tourist Board once highlighted in its brochures “we were the first,” meaning Lloyd’s Bed and Breakfast” (formerly “Lloyd’s Guesthouse) in Crocus Hill (built 1959), and seaside villas in Crocus Bay still going strong, owned by the late David S. Lloyd, (born Anguillian son of the soil), who was also responsible for bringing secondary education to Anguilla.
As the first duly elected legislator, during the time when Anguilla was part of the former colony of St. Kitts, Nevis and Anguilla, he secured the funds and, as he was also a general contractor, he supervised the construction and building of what was then known as The Valley Secondary School. It opened its doors to its first wave of students in 1953. Prior to that time, Anguilla did not have a secondary school, so only a few Anguillian students had the opportunity to travel abroad to nearby islands in order to acquire a secondary school education.
The late Dr. Vivien Vanterpool, one of Anguilla’s revered stellar traditional educators, in an article “Wither Secondary Education after Fifty years in Anguilla” Part 1 in The Anguillian Newspaper, July 18, 2004, stated: “The Valley Secondary School became a reality in 1953, through the instrumentality of the late David S. Lloyd, the then Representative for Anguilla at the Central Government in Basseterre. I personally feel that the late David Sylvanus Lloyd was not given the recognition he so richly deserved in initiating secondary education in Anguilla”.
According to an article “Anguillian pilots honoured for fifty (50) years of service,” November 12 , 2002, the Anguillian Newspaper, Anguilla also has bragging rights for having the majority of pilots (private, commercial, military) within the region, during the last 50 years. It is due to the vision of the late Capt. Clayton J. Lloyd, Anguilla’s first aviation pioneer. Anguilla’s aviation history has captured a moment of homegrown pride, because Anguilla’s airport, former colonial name Wallblake Airport, is now changed and named in his honor the Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport. The airport’s aviation services are owned and managed by another descendant of the Lloyds of Roaches Hill, Capt. David Lloyd of Lloyd’s Aviation Services, and of course the “in spot” Da’Vida in Crocus Bay.
Someone once said, “God bless the day and they had better be glad the day Richard James Lloyd (“Papa Rich,” grandad’s nickname) set foot on the island of Anguilla.”
In closing, once again I say it firm with pride, the yachting clubs in Anguilla today were made possible by the contribution of my late dad Capt. Lionel T. Lloyd “traditional seafaring captain of yesteryear,” who was the first born Anguillian son of the soil to bring yachts on excursions from St. Thomas to Blowing Point, Anguilla, back in the day. Who knew, back then, that a seed that was planted by a born Anguillian son of the soil would one day mean that a futuristic mega-yacht marina is nowadays in the planning and development stages for Anguilla?
May the Creator and the ancestors continue to find Anguillians at home and abroad in their favor.
Yinka
