The BVI Beacon

The BVI Beacon is a weekly newspaper that has been serving the community since its establishment in 1984 on Tortola, part of the British Virgin Islands. The inaugural issue, a 12-page publication, was released on June 7, 1984, by its founders Linnell M. Abbott and her niece, Michelle Abbott, from a modest home located at 67 Main Street, where the Dove Restaurant now stands. In 1991, the newspaper relocated to a charming West Indian-style house on Russell Hill Road, which has since undergone expansions to accommodate its growth.

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Strong winds for the win

1 week 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.
Businesses tapped for Road Town revamp

2 weeks ago | bvibeacon.com | Shaun Connolly

Government hopes businesses will fund half of a $10 million effort to spruce up Road Town over the next five years, but the needed financing is not yet in place, according to Premier Natalio "Sowande" Wheatley. Launching the Road Town Partnership during a Friday press conference at the Financial Services Commission, Mr. Wheatley said the initiative will aim to improve commercial and civic areas from the Prospect Reef roundabout to the Purcell roundabout.
Premier warns about food, energy costs

2 weeks ago | bvibeacon.com | Shaun Connolly

There is a "real threat" that food and electricity bills in the Virgin Islands will spike because of the tariff war unleashed by United States President Donald Trump, Premier Natalio "Sowande" Wheatley has warned. Mr. Wheatley gave his assessment after the White House slapped levies on nearly every country and territory across the world, including a ten percent import duty on goods from the Virgin Islands.
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.
Cancer registry gets boost from bank

2 weeks ago | bvibeacon.com | Shaun Connolly

The Virgin Islands' battle against cancer has been boosted to the tune of $67,000 thanks to grassroots action and corporate sponsorship. A cancer research and analysis project by the territory's Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Unit received $10,000 of the money to compile information that officials said will help advance a long-promised cancer registry in the Virgin Islands.
Walwyn fires back at Skelton

2 weeks ago | bvibeacon.com | Shaun Connolly

New Opposition Leader Myron Walwyn has hit back at Ronnie Skelton's claim that toppling him from the role amounted to "stabbing" him "in the front.""To imply that Hon. Skelton was betrayed is to venture into personal politics, a path that has historically proven to be unproductive and has not served us well," Mr. Walwyn told the Beacon yesterday. The member for the Sixth District added that he had been sworn in in full accordance with the territory's Constitution.
Shipper warns about Trump moves

3 weeks ago | bvibeacon.com | Shaun Connolly

The many Virgin Islands businesses that use Tropical Shipping could be hit hard by United States President Donald Trump's tariffs and other policies, the company has warned. In testimony before the US Trade Representative last week in Washington DC, Tropical CEO Tim Martin pleaded for a rethink, claiming that his company and the Caribbean in general would be badly impacted by Mr. Trump's aggressive trade tactics.
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.