March 18, 2007 — Saturday night offered a perfect combination of "good, good, good, good vibrations" and "fun, fun, fun" as Yacht Haven Grande welcomed visitors in the first of two celebrations marking the official opening of a project years in the making.
Developers Andrew Farkas and Elie Finegold deserve the highest of praise for actually doing what they said they were going to do — and with the greatest of style.
On the promenade along the harbor, billions of dollars worth of floating hardware (as Farkas put it — translation: luxury yachts) cast a golden hue of soft lights across the turquoise water. It was hard to remember what the area looked like just a few short years ago after being decimated by two hurricanes and years of active neglect.
But Saturday night under the stars was like a dream come true: people wandering, smiling, greeting each other, hugging and experiencing the love that Farkas pointed out money alone can't buy.
The air was full of hope and joy, along with the sounds of "America's Band," the Beach Boys, and fireworks that signaled the official end to possibly the finest party St. Thomas has ever seen.
This community owes a great deal of gratitude to the people behind Island Global Yachting, who have put their money and hearts on the line. After two entities bought and sold the property, offering lots of promises along the way while doing nothing but making a profit for themselves, we can't say enough about what the completion of phase one means to us.
Along with bringing mega-yachts and money to the property that greets nearly every ship entering Charlotte Amalie Harbor, Yacht Haven Grande will serve as a safe community gathering place and the entrance to downtown Charlotte Amalie.
We must remember this as the beginning of the dream, not the end. It has long been said that Yacht Haven Grande would provide entree to the rest of our beautiful historic district and Charlotte Amalie's downtown shops, restaurants and historic attractions. Along the way there were to be green spaces and further promenades, complete with benches, kiosks and greenery.
We know that the Yacht Haven Grande folks and the V.I. Port Authority have been in discussion about moving forward on the Waterfront apron project. Now that the work has neared completion on the initial project, we ask that memories be revived about the rest of the promises.
We look forward to many more celebrations as the sublime atmosphere that now graces Yacht Haven moves west along the Waterfront, connecting the cruise-ship dock to downtown and further west to Frenchtown, and vice-versa. We look forward to a time when we can gather anywhere in St. Thomas' downtown areas and feel as secure and downright proud as we did on Saturday night at our beautiful Yacht Haven Grande.
Editors note:We welcome and encourage readers to keep the dialogue going by responding to Source commentary. Letters should be e-mailed with name and place of residence to source@viaccess.net.
