Rushton Skinner

Tortola, Virgin Island

Journalist and Web Editor at The BVI Beacon

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Articles

Strong winds for the win

2 weeks ago | bvibeacon.com | Rushton Skinner

Just after morning broke on the first day of Spring Regatta racing on Friday, Dr. Robin Tattersall sat aboard a Bavaria 37 sailboat named Jitterbug in Nanny Cay's inner marina. Following his class win at the 'Round Tortola Race earlier in the week, the 94-year-old surgeon and former Olympian told the Beacon he couldn't recall the last time the conditions were as good for the annual event.
Still sailing at 94

2 weeks ago | bvibeacon.com | Rushton Skinner

Sixty years ago, Dr. Robin Tattersall arrived in Tortola aboard a 28-foot sloop. "I came in my own little boat, and I thought, 'Well, this is somewhere I'd like to stay,'" the 94-year-old recounted for a small group of media early on Friday morning at the BVI Spring Regatta. "So two years became four, and then I stayed forever. I never went back to England. And don't regret it either."According to the surgeon, he used his yacht for transportation across the territory.
Havers scrap to be shipped away soon

2 weeks ago | bvibeacon.com | Rushton Skinner

Following an outcry from residents, the derelict vehicles piled next to the ocean in Havers will be cubed and exported out of the territory by the end of next month, according to government Waste Management Officer Ahdan Doward. "Phase one of the project is to process the vehicles into cubes," Mr. Doward wrote last Thursday in an email to the Beacon. "Phase two will include the loading of the cubed cars onto a barge.
After slow start, waves deliver for surfers

2 weeks ago | bvibeacon.com | Rushton Skinner

The hot sands of Josiahs Bay hosted hundreds of beachgoers Saturday for the first Josiahs Bay Surf Classic of 2025, which saw surfers young and old face off on the waves. The day began with waves so small that organisers rearranged the contests' heats to give younger surfers more time in the water. "A lot of these kids have been coming down quite a bit, so they could handle themselves on the bigger waves: They maybe would've even preferred it," organiser Steve Howes told the Beacon.
Spring winds grace regatta

3 weeks ago | bvibeacon.com | Rushton Skinner

Atop the decks of soaked sailboats, crews from here and abroad fought punching wind gusts and brief squalls as they raced around Tortola on Tuesday during the first day of the six-day BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival. "We've got 20-plus knots of wind, so that makes it far more exciting," Regatta Director Cayley Smit told the Beacon.
Smoking, vaping crackdown coming

3 weeks ago | bvibeacon.com | Rushton Skinner

Vaping devices could soon be categorised as tobacco products in the Virgin Islands, and businesses could be required to police customers who try to partake on their premises. Such measures are proposed in the original version of an amendment the House of Assembly passed on Monday, though the final version of the law won't be made public until it receives assent from the governor.
Science fair winners tour desal plant

4 weeks ago | bvibeacon.com | Rushton Skinner

Inside the desalination plant in Paraquita Bay, three students cooled off under the air conditioning as they sipped some of the freshest water in the territory. Primary schoolers Daria Donovan and Brielle Williams and high schooler Zara Pascoe had been recognised the previous week for submitting outstanding projects involving water to the National Science Fair.
Water outages plague residents

1 month ago | bvibeacon.com | Rushton Skinner

Across the territory in recent weeks, many residents and businesses have gone without public water for days at a time as complaints have reached a fever pitch. The government has been tight-lipped about the problem, but yesterday Communications and Works Minister Kye Rymer blamed the "deplorable" state of the territory's infrastructure. "It's no secret that we have challenges with distribution," Mr. Rymer told the Beacon.
Despite criticism, Kartel show draws a crowd

1 month ago | bvibeacon.com | Rushton Skinner

Beneath a bright moon, an ocean of cell phone cameras pointed upwards as Jamaican dancehall artist Vybez Kartel took the stage just minutes after midnight. The crowd erupted, and photographers climbed atop speaker stacks for better vantage points. After his first song, the artist addressed the women in the audience. "Tortola ladies!" he called out, drawing high-pitched screams. "I just need one request from you.
Crumbling downs

1 month ago | bvibeacon.com | Rushton Skinner

More than two years after the Ellis Thomas Downs closed amid a property dispute, no reopening date is in sight. "We have not yet been able to secure the existing facility to continue horse racing or any other facility," Premier Natalio "Sowande" Wheatley said in response to questions from opposition member Mitch Turnbull last month in the House of Assembly. "So that is an ongoing effort to be made."Mr. Turnbull pressed further.