At a brief ceremony held at the HLSCC Centre For Applied Maritime Studies on Tuesday, July 2nd, the first of a new fleet of rowing boats for the KATS Basic Sea Skills programme was launched and blessed by Dr. The Honourable Karl Dawson. The boat’s construction, and donation, was a joint effort between Nanny Cay Resort and Marina and Tony’s Marine Finishing.
“We’re very proud to have worked on this project with Tony,” said Miles Sutherland Pilch, general manager of Nanny Cay. “Swimming and basic sea skills, not only save your life, but opens up so much opportunity for fun and careers on the water here in the BVI and worldwide."
Nanny Cay has been a supporter of KATS since 2005 when it first officially supported the KATS Swim programme providing use of the pool and financial support. KATS SWIM still uses the pool at Nanny Cay today. Approximately, 160 children graduate from the the swimming programme every year.
Nanny Cay also hosted the Premier’s Cup (originally the Chief Minister’s Cup) which held 16 events until 2014. Organised by KATS and Rotary, Rotaract and Interact Clubs of the BVI, over 100 young sailors from several Caribbean countries would converge annually on Nanny Cay for the regatta.
Nanny Cay & Maritime Training
Nanny Cay is a sponsor of the HLSCC Marine Professional Training, Level 1 programme. This 4 ½ month programme includes ten weeks of workshops and eight weeks of apprenticeships. Candidates receive training in six Certificate Modules: the Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (STCW) Basic Safety Training course (this course is the legal minimum requirement for anyone looking for commercial work aboard vessels: from small commercial vessels like workboats and yachts, to vessels over 24 metres including superyachts, ferries, barges and cruise ships); Royal Yachting Association's Essential Navigation & Seamanship; American Sailing Association's Basic Keelboat certification; American Boat & Yacht Council’s Fundamentals of Marine Service Technology (engines, boat systems, marine electrical, woodwork and composites); BVI Tourist Board's customer service training, and BVI Lifeguard's basic swimming and water safety training.
Nanny Cay’s support extends to use of the swimming pool for STCW training and MPT swim training, sponsorship of the HLSCC apprenticeship program, and sponsorship of students and the initial subscription to the ABYC's fundamentals of Marine Service Technology Curriculum, which is the core of the MPT programme.
Nanny Cay has also donated items for the new STCW firefighting training facility and partnered with MarineMax Vacation's Marine courses, Tech Workshop Series, both at the HLSCC. Miles is on the marine advisory committee for the HLSCC.
About KATS
KATS, which includes Swim, Basic Sea Skills, and Scuba programmes, developed in the US Virgin Islands in the late 1980s. In 1990, through the efforts of Tom and Barbara Gerker and Rotary, KATS was introduced in the BVI. To date, the Swim and Basic Sea Skills programmes have graduated more than a thousand youngsters. It is open to children from the age of 5.
