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A Look Back on the Season

September 1, 2023 9:22 pm

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Dear Friends of Bitter End,

It’s hard to believe that almost six years ago, Hurricane Irma ripped through the BVI, her eye passing directly over Bitter End. Bitter End Rising confirms there is truth to the adage that after every storm, there is a rainbow, and that is exactly how this season felt in our corner of North Sound.

Being at Bitter End this season felt sort of like an epic family reunion — bursting with warm handshakes, hugs, high-fives, and tears as kindred spirits from across the globe came back to a place we all love. As one of our guests wrote… “I have never spent time in a place and walked away with so many friends and a feeling of home.” This sentiment encapsulates our mission at Bitter End.

We hosted club cruises, traded burgees, held regattas, weddings, and family reunions. Marina Beach, our new stretch of beach dotted with thatched bohios and hammocks, provided relaxation and a place to take in the action of Hobie Cat races, foiling, winging, paddling, kitesurfing, and, as we like to say, “messing about in boats.”

Alongside our world-class marina and watersports amenities, Bitter End offers five distinct drinking and dining experiences, a gourmet market perfect for provisioning, a carefully curated fashion boutique, beautiful beaches, and sunsets that remain with you forever.

While Bitter End is closed for our seasonal respite, our crew is busy getting ready stateside to hit the road with the Bitter End Rambler — our “land yacht” — appearing at boat shows along the Eastern Seaboard. We look forward to connecting with our extended family in Newport and Annapolis!

During the past five years, with your support, we have invested a lot in helping our local community get back on its feet and become stronger and more resilient. We’ve provided grants for job skills training, youth enrichment and education, environmental stewardship, and other programs critical to the long-term success and vitality of the BVI. A sincere thanks to all who have supported us and the Bitter End Foundation, a US 501(c)(3). If you would like to learn more about what we do or make a tax-deductible donation, visit us here.

So, what’s on the horizon for Bitter End? During our closure, we are beginning construction on additional guest rooms to complement our two Marina Lofts, as well as new Beachfront Bungalows that will offer a private oasis and stunning views of Anguilla Cut. We are thrilled to bring these new accommodations online soon and can’t wait to welcome you and your entire crew ashore.

 We’re approaching Bitter End 2.0 in much the same way Myron & Bernice Hokin developed the property 50 years ago. Built by boaters for boaters, our family remains committed to ensuring that Bitter End is your favorite island outpost to play in, on, and around the water.

Whether you’re a resort guest, boat visitor, or Provisions purchaser, thanks for being our mainstay during this journey — we could not have made this epic comeback without you!

Fair Winds,

The BEYC Crew

A Message from the BEYC Crew!

July 26, 2018 11:21 am

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Greetings from the Bitter End team. We hope you’re all having a great summer on, in and off the water, wherever you may be. It soon will be a year since Hurricane Irma scored her direct hit on North Sound, with her sister, Maria, visiting a handful of days later. As most of you know, their unladylike behavior left virtually every structure at Bitter End smashed beyond repair and wrecked most of BEYC’s large and small boats.

As I write this from Bitter End, we’re in the midst of Phase 2 of the cleanup project, which is focused on dismantling structures and disposing of debris. There are 60+ workers on property, supported by heavy equipment and dump trucks. We have acquired a low-emissions, environmentally-friendly incinerator to dispose of organic debris, mostly wood; and we will remove other debris for appropriate offsite disposal.

There’s no doubt that it’s a daunting task to clear our 64 acres of an estimated 3,000 tons of debris from the nearly 70 shattered buildings; to prepare the property for new construction; and to get Bitter End back up and running. But, for us, it’s a very special and exciting opportunity that the entire team is tackling with enthusiasm and optimism. We are working with our architect, Matthew Falkiner of Simplemente Madera, to make sure “BEYC 2.0” will reflect its 50-year legacy of laid back fun and that it will personify the welcoming and friendly energy, vibe, spirit and respect for the natural environment that always has been Bitter End’s lifeblood.

We’re focused on having our mooring field, marina and harbor-front operations, including food, beverage and retail, in full swing by spring, 2019. By then, we will be on our way to building out the rest of Bitter End’s Village center as well as planning and mobilizing for follow-up phases across our 64 acres and along our mile of shoreline. Each day’s progress brings us closer to welcoming you ashore at Bitter End once more.

Bitter End 2.0 will continue its commitment to the Virgin Gorda community, which remains very much in need of support. Aided by the generosity that our guests and friends have shown over the past year we have been able to:

–Respond, within 48 hours of Hurricane Irma’s passage, to the acute needs of Virgin Gordians for emergency evacuations, food, water, medical and other critical supplies. This only was possible through the kindness and generosity of friends in Puerto Rico and North Sound.
–Bring timely and sustained post-hurricane emergency financial assistance directly to Bitter End’s 170+ employees.
–Sponsor a Holiday Party featuring Santa and toys for the local Virgin Gorda Community.
–Continue our support of “VISAR” (Virgin Islands Search and Rescue).
–Contribute meaningfully to the BVI Tech Ed Project, which through a grant in partnership with other BVI hospitality industry participants, has facilitated donation of 650 Chromebooks to the Ministry of Education & Culture of the British Virgin Islands; and has resulted in a follow-on grant for additional Chromebooks that will ensure that BVI high school students in private and parochial schools have access to this technology as well.
–Conduct, along with Sunchaser Scuba, World Oceans Day shoreline and seabed cleanup in North Sound.
–Sponsor the non-profit Saira Hospitality School’s training initiatives for Virgin Gorda and other BVI residents.

Your support and generosity continue to be instrumental in making possible these and future initiatives to assist our community. Fundraising and support for the community will remain a key feature as we ramp up BEYC 2.0. We continue to be amazed by the Bitter End community’s inexhaustible compassion and the persistent energy, strength, support and generosity that reinforces our resolve every day to turn this challenge into the exciting opportunity of bending on new sails and continuing with the remarkable voyage that has been and will continue to be Bitter End.

So please stay tuned! During the runup to BEYC 2.0, please help us at #BringBackBitterEnd by getting out your favorite Bitter End gear, wearing it and using it on the water this summer. Then share the fun with us on Facebook and check for updates there on Bitter End’s resurgence, including some exciting new things that we’ll share with you very soon.

Thanks to every one of our treasured Bitter End friends for your incredible support and your devotion to Bitter End and the BVI over its 50-year history and especially during the past tough ten months.

The post A Message from the BEYC Crew! appeared first on Bitter End Yacht Club.

A Message from the BEYC Crew!

11:00 am

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Greetings from the Bitter End team. We hope you’re all having a great summer on, in and off the water, wherever you may be. It soon will be a year since Hurricane Irma scored her direct hit on North Sound, with her sister, Maria, visiting a handful of days later. As most of you know, their unladylike behavior left virtually every structure at Bitter End smashed beyond repair and wrecked most of BEYC’s large and small boats.

As I write this from Bitter End, we’re in the midst of Phase 2 of the cleanup project, which is focused on dismantling structures and disposing of debris. There are 60+ workers on property, supported by heavy equipment and dump trucks. We have acquired a low-emissions, environmentally-friendly incinerator to dispose of organic debris, mostly wood; and we will remove other debris for appropriate offsite disposal.

There’s no doubt that it’s a daunting task to clear our 64 acres of an estimated 3,000 tons of debris from the nearly 70 shattered buildings; to prepare the property for new construction; and to get Bitter End back up and running. But, for us, it’s a very special and exciting opportunity that the entire team is tackling with enthusiasm and optimism. We are working with our architect, Matthew Falkiner of Simplemente Madera, to make sure “BEYC 2.0” will reflect its 50-year legacy of laid back fun and that it will personify the welcoming and friendly energy, vibe, spirit and respect for the natural environment that always has been Bitter End’s lifeblood.

We’re focused on having our mooring field, marina and harbor-front operations, including food, beverage and retail, in full swing by spring, 2019. By then, we will be on our way to building out the rest of Bitter End’s Village center as well as planning and mobilizing for follow-up phases across our 64 acres and along our mile of shoreline. Each day’s progress brings us closer to welcoming you ashore at Bitter End once more.

Bitter End 2.0 will continue its commitment to the Virgin Gorda community, which remains very much in need of support. Aided by the generosity that our guests and friends have shown over the past year we have been able to:

–Respond, within 48 hours of Hurricane Irma’s passage, to the acute needs of Virgin Gordians for emergency evacuations, food, water, medical and other critical supplies. This only was possible through the kindness and generosity of friends in Puerto Rico and North Sound.
–Bring timely and sustained post-hurricane emergency financial assistance directly to Bitter End’s 170+ employees.
–Sponsor a Holiday Party featuring Santa and toys for the local Virgin Gorda Community.
–Continue our support of “VISAR” (Virgin Islands Search and Rescue).
–Contribute meaningfully to the BVI Tech Ed Project, which through a grant in partnership with other BVI hospitality industry participants, has facilitated donation of 650 Chromebooks to the Ministry of Education & Culture of the British Virgin Islands; and has resulted in a follow-on grant for additional Chromebooks that will ensure that BVI high school students in private and parochial schools have access to this technology as well.
–Conduct, along with Sunchaser Scuba, World Oceans Day shoreline and seabed cleanup in North Sound.
–Sponsor the non-profit Saira Hospitality School’s training initiatives for Virgin Gorda and other BVI residents.

Your support and generosity continue to be instrumental in making possible these and future initiatives to assist our community. Fundraising and support for the community will remain a key feature as we ramp up BEYC 2.0. We continue to be amazed by the Bitter End community’s inexhaustible compassion and the persistent energy, strength, support and generosity that reinforces our resolve every day to turn this challenge into the exciting opportunity of bending on new sails and continuing with the remarkable voyage that has been and will continue to be Bitter End.

So please stay tuned! During the runup to BEYC 2.0, please help us at #BringBackBitterEnd by getting out your favorite Bitter End gear, wearing it and using it on the water this summer. Then share the fun with us on Facebook and check for updates there on Bitter End’s resurgence, including some exciting new things that we’ll share with you very soon.

Thanks to every one of our treasured Bitter End friends for your incredible support and your devotion to Bitter End and the BVI over its 50-year history and especially during the past tough ten months.

The post A Message from the BEYC Crew! appeared first on Bitter End Yacht Club.

BEYC Launches Irma Relief Fund to Support BEYC Employees & the Virgin Gorda Community

October 6, 2017 11:08 am

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On September 6, 2017, Irma, the strongest Atlantic hurricane in the past fifty years and the most powerful ever to strike the eastern Caribbean, caused massive destruction throughout the region. Irma’s eye and her most destructive winds passed directly over Bitter End, North Sound and the island of Virgin Gorda. The entire Virgin Gorda community was devastated, miraculously with only one storm-related fatality.

Just as Hurricane Irma relief efforts were being mobilized, another Category 5 storm, Hurricane Maria, battered the Caribbean, bringing more destruction and paralyzing supply lines and relief efforts. The combination of Irma and Maria destroyed or severely crippled most of the British Virgin Islands’ infrastructure, including water, electricity, transportation and communications. In Virgin Gorda, virtually all homes, businesses, healthcare and educational facilities were demolished or extensively damaged. the two storms have displaced thousands of people from their homes and employment, leaving a humanitarian crisis that will require immense resources and support to achieve recovery.

Bitter End has been our family’s business in Virgin Gorda for over forty years, and we are committed to helping rebuild the Virgin Gorda community and the greater BVI in any way we can. Today, we are asking for your support in the enormous task in front of us. Our mission began with our hands-on relief efforts in the Virgin Gorda and with the You Caring crowdsourcing fund we have created for our employees and the broader Virgin Gorda community that have lost so much to Irma. To make a donation, you can visit our fund by clicking the link here. 100% of the proceeds will go to rebuilding lives of a community that we all share a love for. The community will be grateful for every contribution; no amount is too small.

For those partners and friends of Bitter End who would like to support our efforts on a larger scale, be it individually or through corporate contributions, we have established a donor advised fund, known as the Bitter End Irma Relief Fund in partnership with The Resource Foundation to coordinate disaster relief efforts in Virgin Gorda. The Resource Foundation is a NY based non-profit organization that partners with local organizations to provide long‐term reconstruction and recovery assistance in areas afflicted by natural disasters. These organizations can quickly assess needs on the ground and develop initiatives that offer ongoing assistance in the medium and long-term so that victims can rebuild their homes, schools and healthcare facilities; and reestablish their businesses and restore their livelihoods. The Resource Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization and all contributions to this fund are tax-deductible for U.S. taxpayers. To make a donation or to learn more about our partnership with The Resource Foundation, please visit our donor advised fund on their website at http://resourcefnd.org/funds/bitter-end-irma-relief-fund/. For more information on making a donation or the work we are doing in the region, please contact Kerri Quinn Jaffe, our Chief Marketing Officer at 203-656-5008 or kjaffe@beyc.com.

Throughout these challenging circumstances, it has become even more apparent that Bitter End is far more than a travel destination. It has reminded us that the BEYC experience transcends the typical family vacation, and that there is a real connection between BEYC visitors, and the people of Virgin Gorda. One annual Repeater Guest has recently stepped forward with a Donation Match Program. This family is matching “dollar for dollar” all donations up to $100,000! Help us reach our goal and please consider a donation today. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to this family for their overwhelming generosity.

Although it’s too soon to put a timeline on Bitter End’s recovery, there is no storm of any category that could extinguish our spirit and our dedication to that very special place in North Sound. This kindred spirit is a part of every one of us, past and present, who has experienced Bitter End’s magic. My family and I will do everything we can to find a way to make sure that the spirit and the substance of Bitter End continues on. Thank you in advance for your consideration of support for this important mission. And thank you all for your friendship over the years to Bitter End, Virgin Gorda and the entire BVI community.

Richard Hokin

Managing Owner, Bitter End Yacht Club

The post BEYC Launches Irma Relief Fund to Support BEYC Employees & the Virgin Gorda Community appeared first on Bitter End Yacht Club.

Post Hurricane Irma Update #1

September 16, 2017 11:14 am

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To the Friends of Bitter End,

We are incredibly grateful for the overwhelming generosity of our Bitter End community in support of our colleagues and friends in Virgin Gorda who have lost so much in this storm. We are all heartbroken over what has transpired. Lauren and I arrived in Puerto Rico on the morning of September 8th, two days after Irma had torn through North Sound. We flew down on board a plane loaded with relief supplies for Virgin Gorda and we knew we were on the right track when one of Bitter End’s most loyal Puerto Rican families met us on the tarmac and began helping to unload the plane. It was just the beginning of the extraordinary generosity, energy and outpouring of affection for Bitter End and Virgin Gorda that we have seen over the past several days. They and their entire community are selflessly volunteering their boats, their homes, their time and all sorts of other resources to help the North Sound community as well as the rest of Virgin Gorda. Many others such as the aviation community are demonstrating similar dedication to Virgin Gorda.

We loaded up our Puerto Rican friends’ boats and immediately headed to Virgin Gorda, where we discharged supplies at a wreck-strewn Yacht Harbour before proceeding to North Sound and Bitter End. As you know, we had had no direct contact with our six colleagues that rode out Irma at Bitter End since communications went down around 10 AM on the day of the storm. Twenty-six hours elapsed before we learned via Necker that all at Bitter End were safe. It wasn’t until we arrived at Bitter End and received firsthand reports that we learned how incredibly harrowing and dangerous their experience had been. Now that we have spoken with more people from the community, our colleagues’ experience was no less frightening than many others’.

More important, it was clear that after surviving an unimaginable natural disaster, Virgin Gordians were facing an equally challenging and dangerous humanitarian disaster – no water, no power, no communications, limited supplies of critical pharmaceuticals, little in the way of medical personnel and facilities, food and fuel were in short supply and a critical absence of intact shelter. On Saturday morning, we were able to deliver supplies to the North Sound community and to evacuate Stacia, Joe and Scottie while Marcus, Chico and Mar chose to remain in Virgin Gorda. We also evacuated at least thirty others from North Sound and the Valley. Lauren and I will base in Puerto Rico for a while and travel back and forth to North Sound so we can help our Puerto Rican friends and North Sound neighbors deliver relief supplies and anything else that can help the people that are in need; and there are enormous needs ranging from medical, to security to a myriad of other resources. We also will be organizing Bitter End’s cleanup and planting the seeds for its recovery. It’s all truly daunting but worth every ounce of effort that goes into it.

A heartfelt thank you to our friends in the North Sound and all over the world for your support. We owe special thanks to our friends right here in Puerto Rico (also known as the Puerto Rican Navy Relief Efforts). This brigade of heroes continues to give tirelessly to the relief efforts. We ask all of you to please continue spreading awareness in your own communities. The best way to support the relief effort now is to make a donation, no matter how small, to one of the many funds set up to support those impacted by Hurricane Irma in the Caribbean. It is a long road ahead. We will need everyone’s help as we journey down the path.

With gratitude,
Richard Hokin

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