Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou (left), Commodore of the Gustavia Yacht Club and Monaco Yacht Club member, and Commodore of Sint Maarten Yacht Club Frits Bus exchange Burgees during the ceremony.
SIMPSON BAY--The Sint Maarten Yacht Club (SMYC) Sailing School has received a generous donation from Gustavia Yacht Club in St. Barths and the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation to support and encourage local youth to enjoy sailing classes.
A ceremony was held at the Gustavia Yacht Club to celebrate the partnership between the two yacht clubs starting January 1, 2023. The donation was made by founder and Commodore of the Gustavia Yacht Club, Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, to Commodore of the Sint Maarten Yacht Club Frits Bus.
The logo of the Gustavia Yacht Club will be showcased on two of the sailing school Optimist boats.
Commodore Frits Bus expressed his sincere appreciation for the donation on behalf of the Sint Marten Yacht Club.
“This donation is very significant in terms of extending our Youth Sailing Programme and getting more schools involved,” he said. “In particular we want to help disadvantaged kids who are interested and want to try sailing but their parents cannot afford it. Thanks to this donation we can enrol these children into the programme. We also receive funds from other sources to support the programme which is the most important part of the Yacht Club’s activities in terms of developing future sailors.
“The Yacht Club organises keelboat races and regattas regularly, we also teach adult sailing classes, but on a daily basis the emphasis is on teaching youth sailing and we have several programmes running. The maritime industry has many opportunities for local youth to find a career path in trades that are in demand and learning to sail facilitates these opportunities.”
