James and Pepsi Crockett, the husband and wife team behind Saint Lucia’s award-winning sailing charter company Jus’ Sail, have witnessed some very special moments over the years: the young groom-to-be who popped the question aboard Jus’ Sail’s traditional sloop, Good Expectation; the cancer survivor who celebrated his recovery against the backdrop of a Caribbean sunset; the wedding at sea that Pepsi, a licensed marriage officer, officiated.
“We are very privileged that people choose to do these special things for themselves on our boat,” says James. “We do not take it for granted.”
But Jus’ Sail is about more than making memories. In the busy season, between Christmas and Easter, the boat gives visitors a chance to see the beautiful Saint Lucian coastline by water while, in the low months of summer, it is transformed into a training ground for young islanders who want to learn how to sail, develop their personal skills, become more employable and reconnect with Saint Lucia’s long and proud seafaring culture.
Tourism and community
Jus’ Sail was created in 2012 to offer tourists a more authentic way to enjoy Saint Lucia’s natural environment. The company’s lovingly-restored Carriacou sloop, Good Expectation, caters to small groups of six and offers sunset cruises, full-day or half-day charters, two-hour ‘taster’ sessions and customised trips for special events.
As Saint Lucia’s tourism sector has boomed, so has Jus’ Sail – enjoying plentiful repeat business and recommendations from satisfied guests. The company is a regular recipient of TripAdvisor’s Certificate of Excellence and was named Caribbean Charter Company of the Year by the 2016 Luxury Travel Guide.
Aside from its tourism credentials, the business is also drawing praise for its community impact, becoming a finalist in the World Travel and Tourism Council’s Tourism for Tomorrow Awards, as well as the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association Awards. Most recently, the company scooped the Community Benefit Award at the Caribbean Tourism Organisation’s Sustainable Tourism honours.
The accolades may be pouring in now, but Jus’ Sail’s youth work is something that was built into the company ethos at its inception. “From our first year we wanted to do the youth training. We wanted to sow that philosophy in right from the start and we have been doing it ever since,” says James.
Each summer Jus’ Sail takes ten young people, aged between 18 and 25, and trains them in a raft of skills, including sailing technique, swim qualifications, first aid, customer service, team-building, leadership and communication. Jus’ Sail is an accredited sailing school with International Yacht Training Worldwide meaning that, by the end of the course, students leave with an International Crew Certification that they can use to kickstart their careers in the maritime industry.
Student success
Most of Jus’ Sail’s students come to the boat with no prior experience, no qualifications and, in some cases, no hope. “If we have a student who has lost hope or feels like they have no potential, our job is to lift them out of that and make sure that once they leave us, they have a lot of tools in their arsenal,” says Pepsi.
James adds that places for the course are popular but the successful applicants are ones that show the necessary commitment and dedication, saying: “We try and recruit youth who have the strong desire to take their lives forward. Although sailing is the focus, the purpose is to help participants realise they have options, to help those who feel helpless but have a desire to get back on track.
“Most of our students have really struggled to get a foothold in the workplace. They have had no guidance – they don’t know how to meet an employer, behave in an interview or put together a CV. When they walk away from us they have certifications and an experience they can share with a potential employer.”
And sometimes that employer turns out to be the business itself. Jus’ Sail is currently a permanent staff of three: the Crocketts and their first mate O’Brian Forde, who came through the training programme in 2013 and so impressed James and Pepsi that he became a full-time member of the team.
Another Jus’ Sail success story, 21-year-old Krishna Joseph, is currently making history as part of the first youth team to take part in the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC), the annual transatlantic sailing event. The 12-member ARC Youth Team will set out from Gran Canaria at the end of this month and spend around two weeks navigating the 2,700 nautical miles to their Caribbean finish line. Joseph says being a part of ARC has brought her “a whole different other level of joy” and acknowledges that it was made possible through her work with Jus’ Sail, which gave her more than just a thorough grounding in the technicalities of sailing. “It’s a lot of hard work [but] it’s worth it,” she says of the Jus’ Sail programme. “The experience I’ve had with Jus’ Sail has not only made me into a better person but also it has put me on the right path, heading towards my future goals.”
26-year-old Christopher Florentville, another graduate of the Jus’ Sail 2019 class, began working for cruise giant Carnival after completing his course and says: “Jus’ Sail gave me the steps to success in the world of work. The programme gave me confidence in who I am.”
At the upper edge of the age limit when he applied, Florentville initially worried that he wouldn’t be accepted but says his “determination to make a change in life” motivated him to take the leap. “I now have the chance to put in the training I was given. [I have] much love and thanks for the Crocketts for the courage and patience they put into this successful programme.”
Conscious consumers
Jus’ Sail’s two-month training programme costs around EC$40,000 but the entire course, from uniforms to lunches, is free for students. It was important for James and Pepsi to be able to offer an inclusive course for all young Saint Lucians, regardless of income, so the initiative is wholly funded through merchandise sales and donations.
And tourists are only too happy to contribute as ethical tourism moves beyond a buzzword and into practical, grassroots, application. “We have people who book with us specifically because of what we do with the youth programme. People want to make a contribution and help support our activities,” says James. “There is a groundswell of change towards becoming a more conscious consumer. When people go on vacation they want to do so in a manner that has a positive impact.”
Unsurprisingly, Jus’ Sail’s success has caught the attention of tourism and maritime stakeholders around the region. The Crocketts are in high demand from destinations looking to replicate their model, including Turks and Caicos and the Grenadines. While they are very open to collaboration, especially to secure funding – which is always a challenge – Pepsi says it is crucial that any growth is in line with their focus as a boutique business. “We would love more support but the right kind of support. We don’t pack in big numbers; we work with small groups and really build a foundation so the students have a much more solid grounding.”
While it can be a grind to keep their outreach efforts afloat, Pepsi says the pay-off is always worth it. “We have had many proud moments and we have had moments where it has been very hard – from a student who is struggling and cannot see their potential in front of them, to wanting the assistance and funding. It has been a struggle but there have been joyous moments as well.”
“We are not motivated by the bottom line,” adds James. “We want to share our philosophy of ensuring tourism is used to improve the livelihoods of people in local communities, making a better place to live and a better place to visit, in that order.”
