PORT ANTONIO, Portland:
THE LEANDER, a 250 seat mega yacht, made its call at the marina in Port Antonio, on Tuesday after stops in Negril and Montego Bay.
The vessel arrived at the resort town late last night on Monday after cutting short visits to Montego Bay and Negril, as a result of too much publicity, this according to a source from the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) local branch who asked not to be named.
According to the JTB source, the 55 passengers aboard the vessel had requested exclusive privacy, and complained that the two ports already visited were either too noisy or busy and, therefore, opted for Port Antonio in an attempt to enjoy peace and relaxation.
President of the Portland Chamber of Commerce, Delaval Allen, told The Gleaner that the indications were that if the passengers find favour with the resort town, they will be expected to overstay until Thursday.
"This is an official visit to some extent," said Mr. Allen. "We were informed about the coming of this vessel, as Port Antonio was the perfect choice and opportunity for them to be comfortable and relaxed," he said.
The vessel originally came out from Grand Cayman and also boast a 32-member crew.
Since the official opening of phase one of the $500 million state-of-the-art mega yacht marina, in September 2002, it is the first vessel of large size that has visited the marina that was built to facilitate mega yacht, and leisure boat and also to provide yacht repairs.
