Exciting News! - Kekoa 3.0 April, 2019
April 16, 2019 Newsflash! Kekoa passed her Coast Guard Inspections and we are ready to take you sailing!! Let the Winds Begin!
Kekoa vs Irma - On December 12th Kekoa re-entered the Caribbean after 15 long months of restoration. We are incredibly grateful to the members of our recovery team, our family, friends and supporters for the overwhelming love and support we have received during this challenging time. After several weeks at Nanny Cay Boat Yard she has been freshly painted, and a new mast has been installed. We are pleased to say she is looking more beautiful than ever. Currently Kekoa is back on her mooring in Cruz Bay where we are working to put the finishing touches on her restoration.
We are excited to say she is about ready to take her place in the wind!! We look forward to seeing you aboard Kekoa in the very near future. We are expecting to be back in operation in late April. So please keep in touch on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates. Email us at sailkekoa@gmail.com or give us a call! 340-244-7245
“Commitment isn’t about being perfect, always following through, or never going astray. Commitment means that when you (inevitably) stumble or get off track, you pick yourself up, find your bearings, and carry on in the direction you want to go.”
Russ Harris
- Jamison and Ryan Witbeck
News Flash - February 2018 - We are honored to announce an article - titled Boat Launch 3.0 has just been just published in the February 2018 Caribbean Compass. The writer Andrea Milam, also a victim of Hurricanes Irma- - Maria writes from her heart after she interviewed Jamison and Ryan. We hope you will take the time to read her amazing recap of what it was like to experience 2 Category 5 hurricanes, and the survival of Kekoa and her builders.
"Winds thundered across the landscape, whipping up the sea and tossing boats, cars, and large sections of people’s homes through the air with the ease of a toddler throwing his toys mid-tantrum. Kekoa, a 50-foot wooden catamaran, was tied down in St. John’s Hurricane Hole alongside more than 100 other Virgin Islands vessels in preparation for a direct hit by powerful Hurricane Irma. Slowly, one by one, Kekoa broke free of the 15 three-quarter-inch lines with 75 feet of three-eighths-inch chain per line anchoring her to the ocean floor, and then edged herself toward the shore line. The sleek gray vessel had been here before, alone at sea in a terrible storm. She knew how to take care of herself. Kekoa crawled up on the shoreline, narrowly missing several large boulders and a pileup of wrecked boats that would have torn her body apart, and came to rest where she awaited discovery by her builders, brothers Ryan and Jamison Witbeck."
Click here to read the full article https://goo.gl/NEx8z6 We are so grateful for Andrea's ability to tell our story.
For more of our hurricane Irma tales check out Steve Simonsen’s latest video - https://vimeo.com/288571835?ref=fb-share&1
How you can help:
Merchandise is still available for sale. We are so appreciative of the overwhelming response to the Kekoa merchandise sales in over the past year!! New merchandise will be introduced in the coming months! stay tuned!
Make plans to come to St John this winter! It is open for business and we will be too!! Kekoa 3.0 don’t miss this experience. We are accepting reservations!
