A gleaming white and classy ferryboat has joined the shuttle service between Dutch St Maarten and Anguilla, as the 2014/2015 tourism season gathers momentum.
The proud young owners are Captain Lyle Connor and his wife, Mrs Cara Connor, an Attorney-at-Law. Together, with their crew, they were showered with commendation at the launch ceremony. The event, at the third passenger pier at the Blowing Point Ferry Terminal on Friday, December 12, was witnessed by a large and appreciative crowd from the Blowing Point community and other parts of the island.
Pastor Ambrose Richardson of the Christian Fellowship Church, and Assistant Pastor, Iton Connor, officiated at the blessing ceremony. The ferry, called GB Dream, is the sister boat of the well-known GB Express. Combined, the boats now constitute GB Ferries.
“The sea is my life. I have always been on the sea and I have worked for most of the major boat companies in my younger days,” Lyle Connor, the 39-year-old captain/owner,” told The Anguillian. “About five years ago, I ventured off and started with GB Express. She is 34 feet long by about 10-and-a-half feet wide, and now we have GB Dreams. She is 49-feet long by 13-and-a-half feet wide, and carrying a maximum of fifty passengers. She is fully air-conditioned, very spacious and comfortable. GB stands for God’s Blessing. I have been blessed and it is just pleasing that I should give thanks.”
Lyle explained that his new ferry will mainly be used to operate the Juliana Airport to Blowing Point shuttle service and will also be available for charters and excursions. He said the ferry was built by B&B’s Boatyard, owned by Andy Bradley, in Virgin Gorda, BVI. “It is about a year and change in coming, but it is finally here, so give thanks,” he reflected. As for the price, he prefers to keep that private, only saying that it was very costly. “I am now punching so that I can pay for it, but it is a wonderful boat and I am sure our passengers will enjoy it,” he stated.
Adding to what her husband had to say, Cara said: “What we did, over the two-month slow period, was to do a little re-engineering of the overall business. In any organisation, there is supposed to be continuous growth so we looked at what we were doing and other things we could do to enhance our service. With the additional boat, we rebranded the service as GB Ferries and we brought in Mr Ivan Connor of Summit Consulting, to assist us in rebranding the logo and everything else to bring us to where we are now.”
Mr Ivan Connor said he had used the ideas of both Lyle and Cara “to frame the mould for what was now seen today. Captain Connor has always been about service,” he continued. “The one thing he [Lyle] mentioned at all our meetings was that he got into this to provide a service and not just to take somebody from St Maarten to Anguilla. His commitment to service coined for us our top three commitments which are service, service, service.
“He [Lyle] also spoke very passionately about passenger experience, and that formed for us our top three priorities: passenger safety, passenger comfort and passenger time. With that understanding, and knowing that we are in the business of service, we coined our business as providing ‘express travel to dream destinations’. We understood that we were the fingertips of the tourism arm, and we had to put ourselves in a position where we not just represented Anguilla to the best of our ability, but all the villas, hotels and other properties we serve. It is more than just a rebranding of a logo, fresh uniforms and a new boat – but a change of the entire culture of our organisation, and I think we have accomplished that. We have a wonderful staff and it is a calypso of flavour, and a callaloo of experience and expectations.”
Mr Delroy Lake, President of the Anguilla Hotel and Tourism Association, commented: “The provision of the new ferry is a job well done. I am also very impressed to see the personnel immaculately dressed. It is the way that all our people at the ports should dress and I would like all of them to take example from that. As our major port of entry, it is at least what our visitors, and even our locals, should see when they come to the port. This will show that those who are transporting them are professional, thus giving them a good feeling.”
Mrs Candis Niles, Director of Tourism, had the last word when approached by The Anguillian. “I think this is a wonderful moment for the tourist industry,” she observed. “It is always great to see progress, but when it comes from one of our very own young people, it is even more special. I have known Lyle in the business when it was just GB Express. From its inception, he has always paid attention to the highest standard of quality. I have no doubt that this is going to be the same as he continues to pursue his dream. On behalf of the entire Anguilla tourism industry, we say congratulations to Lyle and Cara and, of course, the rest of the team on this wonderful occasion.”
