Delphine Even
The torch is being passed again to a new generation of leaders at the St. Maarten Yacht Club!
Following up on the AGM meeting in April, Nancy Burzon recently met with the incoming Chairman, Delphine Even, of the newly formed Social Committee. It was a first meeting to begin the transition that will be effective in the upcoming season.
Delphine has been in SXM full time for about 10 years. She related that she met her husband, Joris, at the airport during a tropical storm Dean. They felt an immediate spark and while both were working young professionals in Europe, they soon began planning how to relocate to the same city for their work. They ended up on Brussels and were there for about 6 years before relocating to St. Maarten and raising their family here. Currently, Delphine is the manager at Martijn Trading in St. Maarten. Martijn Trading is a dedicated distribution & marketing organization of branded consumer products with locations on Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten. Joris is a civil engineer by profession, and one of two Managing Directors of Independent Consulting Engineers (ICE).
Delphine mentioned that sailing is a major family topic of discussion and has become a passion for the children also. Competitive sports of all types are family favorites as well, and they love planning adventures.
As she looks forward to the year ahead for the Social Committee, she expects to add activities to the calendar that will be oriented towards children and families. This is a natural extension of the growth of the SMYC sailing school. There are many more children participating in sailing programs now, and that brings their parents to the club.
Also, the summer camp has become the most popular summer camp on the island. All this is perfectly in alignment with the club’s vision and makes it a logical next step to create social activities that can engage the whole family. There will also be some carry over activities, such as the raffle and silent auction fundraiser. We will also continue with the Ladies Lunches, and they will be organized by the former Social Committee.
Krispijn Teunissen
This time we are Spotlighting our new Heineken Regatta Director, Krispijn Teunissen.
Those of you who are active in competitive running, triathlons and biking will no doubt recognize Krispijn.
He has been involved in the organization of these events in the past several years, helping to grow the sports on the island and in the region.
He finished college in 1998 in the Netherlands, majoring in event management. Following graduation, he became involved in an outdoor event management group which created and managed various types of activities for groups of on average 100- 500 people. He also became involved in team building events and learned the value of using outdoor activities and sports as an approach to get people engaged and able to more easily open up with others.
During these years, he met his wife, Islaya Streefkerk, who was born and raised in St. Maarten. From her, he learned much about the Caribbean and became fascinated with the potential of returning with her to St. Maarten to live.
It would take a few years before that could become a reality. During that time in the Netherlands, they started a family. They now have four children, three boys and a girl, the oldest who just graduated from high school.
Just before the Covid pandemic, the family came to the island and Krispijn began working with Trisport, helping with event planning, sponsorships and execution. The family relocated during the pandemic, and he has been working actively since that time, with sports event planning. His wife, Islaya, opened a private practice in psychotherapy and counseling, Your Care.
Family and volunteering both play important roles in his life. When it comes to work, Krispijn appreciates an organization that feels like family, that works together towards shared goals, and does not stop until the job gets done. Volunteering to make a difference on the island is also an important value. To that end, his family is very involved with supporting the Perpetual Plastics initiative, associated with Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC).
While Krispijn is new to the position, he has begun the process of thinking about the future of the event. He looks forward to finalizing the members of the Heineken Regatta Steering Committee and beginning the planning process with them. He has been meeting with sponsors and other key stakeholders.
One of the outcomes of these discussions is that “bigger is not always better”. The Heineken Regatta should strive to be the best racing experience for participating sailors. Additionally, there is growing awareness of the need for sustainability and environmental protection. We can expect to see that awareness grow and be executed much more visibly in coming events.
Garth Steyn
Former Commodore Garth Steyn has been in the news recently, awarded the prestigious Royal Decoration as Member of Orange Nassau, in recognition of his outstanding dedication to community development and maritime education.
For some background, he came to the Caribbean from South Africa with his parents in 1990. From there, he captained a 30’ boat at the age of 19 to Venezuela, Antigua and ultimately St. Maarten. He found his first job on the island working at Aquamania, where he remains involved from a business management perspective.
He co-founded the Kidz at Sea Foundation in 2012. The aim is to help reduce the shortage of Scuba Diving Masters, Boat Masters, and quality boat repair and technicians within the local labor pool. The projects and programs are geared toward teaching the students’ life skills to help them succeed both on and off the water, developing skills such as teamwork, communication, accountability, and self-reliance.
“Under Steyn’s guidance, the Kidz at Sea Foundation has expanded its offerings to include boat building and professional licensing through the groundbreaking Zero to Hero Program. By providing access to these educational pathways, Steyn has empowered countless individuals to pursue fulfilling careers in the maritime sector. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Garth Steyn on this well-deserved honor,” said Lorraine Talmi, President of Kidz at Sea Foundation. “His unwavering commitment to the community and passion for maritime education have had a profound impact, not only in St. Maarten but throughout the Caribbean region. We are immensely proud of his achievements and eagerly anticipate the positive contributions he will continue to make in the years to come.”
Since it started about 6 years ago, the Zero to Hero Program has served 100 young adults, targeting the 17 – 35 years old age group. Eighty-five percent of those students are now working in the marine industry!
Make no mistake, this is challenging work as the participants typically don’t have supportive home life. There is also a perception that the marine industry is a rich man’s domain and that locals are not welcome. This program is changing many peoples’ life path and opening doors to these young men and women. Next in the planning stage is a program for “at risk families”. It will be a 3-year program preparing Moms and Dads for meaningful work in the maritime trades.
The SMYC is quite proud of Garth and this work and very pleased to be a partner with Kidz at Sea in some of the programming.
Ian Hope-Ross
Ian is certainly no stranger to leading the club. He served for 6 years as the Commodore until about 2016. Also he has been in and out of the board for 30 years. He was motivated to stand again as he has a bit more time available now that his son has taken over day-to-day management of this company. He is also a man with a mission, but more on that later.
He is born in Trinidad and came to SXM in 1985. Ian worked here for a year before returning to Trinidad. When he returned, he brought his family and began to build his life here. At that time, the ease of transport was a draw. It was easy to be here and easy to travel around the Caribbean. Many islands at that time had limited inter-island transport. His family grew up here and the youngest was born here. His children were educated here, until going abroad to continue their educational paths. One has returned to the island; one is finishing medical school in Miami and will do her internship there. The youngest is living and working in Canada
Ian began his career with DryWall Systems in 1983. The company specializes in commercial construction. A recently completed project was the renovation of the Westin resort on Dawn Beach, which is now the J. W. Marriott. When asked about what he enjoys about SXM, Ian said, “I have gotten used to it. It was the old SXM he was drawn to. You get entranced. If you had the patience, it was a good place to start a business in construction.
After Hurricane Louis in 1995, a lot of people left the island. It changed a lot but being involved in construction it gave us a lot of opportunity to shape the future and be a part of it.” He joined yacht club shortly after it was founded by Robbie Ferron and Frits Bus. “The early Heineken was sponsored by Island Water World. Budget Marine just getting starting. At the time the yacht club location was split between Chesterfields and Bobby’s Marina. All our events were there in Phillipsburg. It was different. When the club moved to current location, we operated from two containers and a tent for a few years.” As Ian was recalling the early days of the SMYC, it seemed that it was a history worth digging into it. Hmm, wonder who could take that on?
Returning to his mission, he would like to see the SMYC finalize the water rights and fix where the containers are. He would like to see a focus on Infrastructure. “Frits has done a good job in moving us towards that goal. We are
closer now than we have ever been. I would like to get that job done during this term.”
Donna Blakely
The St. Maarten Yacht Club is blessed with many willing and able volunteers, and it is true that we could not effectively manage all the sailing events that we undertake without their help.
But go to any event we host, and you will find the friendly and smiling face of Donna Blakely.
She always goes above and beyond, always a part of the team on the ground.
Donna and her family first arrived in St. Maarten in the early 1990’s, on their family yacht,
a Newporter 40. Their journey started in Toronto, Canada. She noted that one of the key attributes of the Newporter 40 was its storage space. Traveling with 3 young students, home schooling (before internet) at a time when that meant bringing textbooks and lots of supplies, mailing lessons and so forth, added quite a challenge to a trip that is a journey of a lifetime for many sailors. Her children were 10, 11 and 16 at that time.
Their initial stay on the island lasted for 4.5 years. During that time, while living aboard, Donna managed Blue Beard Charters and was one who helped open Mailbox. So, her inclination to get involved was evident early on. Unfortunately, Hurricane Louis, in 1995, took their yacht/home and life took another turn.
They returned to Canada to continue the educational path for their children. While life returned to “normal”, St. Maarten continued to beckon.
They found themselves returning over the years for vacations. When she retired in 2016, Donna moved to the “friendly island”, now dividing her year into summer/fall months spent at her lake home North of Toronto, and SXM for winter/spring of the year. She became a member of the SMYC at that time and has been an active member of the SMYC Social Committee since then.
“St. Maarten sucks you in, Donna says, it
is
a friendly island, and I have made such great friends here. It is so easy to get involved here, unlike many other islands.” She is definitely busy and active.
One thing that brings her particular joy is the development of the Youth Sailing Program at the club. “It has really taken off in the last couple of years, and I am so happy to see the involvement of the local school children. That is so important for the island and the marine trades.” If there is anything that concerns her it is the rapid development of the island and the declining open space of beaches and mountains. “People come back for many years here because of the friendliness and the access to our resources. What will it look like in years ahead? How will the island manage traffic congestion created by the new development?”
Corinne Draesner
She has volunteered and given generously of her time on SMYC committees over the years and is currently a member of the Social Committee and Race Committee.
Corinne was born in northern British Columbia to German parents. Her father worked in the oil and gas industry in the interior of BC. Neighbors had gone to Caribbean for work and reported that if you have an opportunity, you should do it. He found a good opportunity in Antigua and Corinne lived in Antigua from 1968 to 71. Political changes on Antigua caused them to return to Edmonton, Canada, but before long another opportunity presented itself on St. Maarten and they returned.
Ultimately, her father accepted a position as chemist with POTT Rum and remained there from 1972 – 1980, reaching the position of President/Director. The facility was located in Point Blanche and residents still remember the smell of brewing rum.
Growing up, Corinne went to boarding school in Barbados but needed to complete high school in Canada. She then continued her professional development at McMaster University in Hamilton, studying nuclear engineering and physics. It is very likely that she is our only nuclear engineer as a member of the club. She worked in that profession for 31 years in Ontario.
Sailing began to feature in her life in 2011, when she took sailing lessons with Iain Mobbs. Following that she signed up for TradeWinds and went for her first cruise in 2012 in Caribbean. She joined the SMYC and got involved with the Race Committee with Roger Boutelle, her partner at the time. Her involvement with the Heineken Regatta began at that time as well and race committee activities for all sailing competitions continue to this day.
Corinne is quite a role model for those coming to St. Maarten. Get involved, contribute your talents, be active, live to the fullest!
Pierre Altier
When you spend a few minutes in the presence of Pierre Altier, you understand the depth of his passion and enthusiasm for sailing in general and for the Diam 24 One Design Trimaran. He is locally known as the driver and energy source of this growing class of racing multihulls on the island of St. Maarten, Guadeloupe, and Martinique. He is also the winning skipper of his personal Diam – Cry Baby – and is helping to develop the competitiveness of this class as he builds a cadre of skippers who share his enthusiasm and vision for racing.
Pierre has been a member of the SMYC since 2006 and has been on our island for about 15 years. Born in Montpellier, France, he credits his father with instilling the love of sailing and recalls the experience of sailing with his father since he was six years old. He says that from his father he “caught the sailing virus”. Later, he moved to Brittany when he was 18 and continued his development of his sailing skills as a sailing instructor. While there he gained experience as crew for Maxi races in Europe and competed in several racing tours. Next in his journey, he found his way to Tahiti, where he established a sailing school using the Hobie Cat 18 sport catamaran and kite boarding as the basis for instruction. While in Tahiti he met his wife, who is from the Burgundy region of France.
Pierre recently joined the Steering Committee for the Caribbean Multihull Challenge Race & Rally. His input is helping shape course design and plans for the Diam 24 fleet as they participate in this upcoming regatta. For those of you who are on the island in February and March, look for Pierre on the water during the CMC and the Heineken. It is exciting stuff!
In the event you missed it, there is a great article in the August 2023 edition of Sail- World. Here is a link to that article. https://www.sail-world.com/news/265513/WDT-Caribean-2023-is-over-2024-is-on-the-way
Brian Leblanc
Our spotlight this month is on 13-year member, Brian Leblanc, the man behind the successful
SMYC Restaurant and Bar. Brian hails from Salem, Massachusetts in the US. but found his way to the Caribbean when he was 20 to start his career. He arrived with a 50 Ton Master Captain’s license and experience in restaurants and hospitality—a good tool kit for a 20-year-old in St. Maarten. Add to those skills a cheerful and open personality and what can go wrong? After a few early career experiences, including working on a floating bar, he found the opportunity to take over a struggling restaurant operation at the SMYC. In 2010 he opened the restaurant and bar at the current SMYC location and has been in steady operation since then. It has not all been smooth– Hurricane Irma and the Covid 19 Pandemic were enormous business challenges – but with an amazing and pretty consistent team, it comes back better.
What drew Brian to St. Maarten initially is still what brings him joy today. That is, the people of the island, and the unique mix of nationalities and talents that populate the island. He also loves the variety of places that are accessible here. The wide range of cultures and places to visit that can be reached in a 10 – 20 minutes’ drive on the island does not get boring. There are always new places opening and things changing. Also, as a launching place, there are many nearby islands, each with its own personality. A perfect day for Brian and his wife Marleen, is to take advantage of that with their two rescue dogs along for the adventure. Brian’s goal with the restaurant and bar is to provide reasonably priced and consistent quality food and service in a Caribbean casual environment. He knows that he has “regular” customers who come back on their visits to the island and enjoy the fact that they can count on the SMYC Bar and Restaurant to retain its fun vibe. He embraces the “serious fun” motto that has long described the SMYC Heineken Regatta, and other club activities.
Angela and Steve Richards
Steve and Angela first sailed their beautiful boat, Stellina, from the States to the Caribbean in 2016. After a 1,500 mile sail, their first stop was St. Maarten, where they had a reservation at Simpson Bay Marina for two weeks… they stayed for six weeks that time and have been coming back ever since! Their typical yearly routine includes Newport, RI in the summer to see family, a sail through the Chesapeake in the fall, with a return sail to the Caribbean for winter and spring. They usually start the season in SXM, then sail the Eastern Caribbean chain, with a return to SXM before returning to the States. While they love the whole Caribbean chain, they aren’t shy in stating St. Maarten is their favorite. Their time on island has grown from their initial six weeks to four months per season, and Angela is quick to say, “That’s still not enough!”. They joined the SMYC in 2017, as they are avid fans of the youth sailing program and love to see kids having a chance to learn & grow. Steve & Angela feel sailing is a great avenue to learn many skills that translate well to life in general. In addition to being members, they love to recruit new members, they look for opportunities to donate and contribute, including volunteering for the Heineken Regatta, where they were our daily prize givers during the 2023 regatta. What’s next for these two? They are looking into calling St. Maarten home and hopefully we will be able to welcome them back permanently in the near future!
