—Continued from previous pag page GAME FISHING CONSERVATION PIONEER, SID JOHN: SON Steven Valdez reports: The Trinidad & Tobago Game Fishing Association (ITTGFA) Caribbean region. ‘ask force that produced a document presented to Fisheries in Sea Lots, Port of Spain, and send them to Year award from the IGFA. The Billfish Foundation named him 1991 Individual o was also instrumental in having the Institute of Marine passing Sid held a cabinet-appointed post on the Na Foreign Fishing and was a member of the Trade and eam of the Trinidad & Tobago Prime Minister’s Vision Sailor Still Missing Kenneth Maurice Jackson, 45, was last heard from on March 28rd, 2009. He report- ost founding member and former Secretary, Sid Johnson, on November 6th. Sid, a part of the TTGFA management committee from inception in October 1986 to 2007, was involved in many ways for the betterment of the sport in the Southern Sid advocated conservation efforts in the region and was concerned about the jong-liners and industrial trawlers operating in Caribbean waters. He lobbied against hese practices in the Gulf of Paria in Trinidad and was included as a member of the he Trinidad & Tobago Cabinet ‘© assist in dealing with these matters. Sid’s passion for conservation led him to take photographs of Taiwanese large-scale pelagic driftnet boats seen at National the International Game Fishing Association (IGFA). These photos were later published on the cover of the New York Times; the accompanying article was the first conservation story to be featured on hat newspaper's front page. As a direct result, the United Nations banned large- scale pelagic drift net fishing and Sid received an individual Conservationist of the the Year. Sid will always be remembered as the Southern Caribbean pioneer of billfish tag-and-release fishing. He Affairs and Fisheries Division in tinidad & Tobago take samples of fish caught in local tournaments. At the time of his tional Monitoring Committee on Industry Fish and Fish Processing 2020 committee. edly set sail from Charleston, South Carolina heading or Nassau in the Bahamas. His family has heard nothing of him since. Ken’s boat is a 40-foot wooden ketch, thought to be called Lily Ooh La La. The name was not painted on the boat when he left Charleston, and it could be sailing under either a British or US flag. The boat has wooden spars, a white hull with dark green sheer stripe, and pos- sibly a New Jersey registration number on the bow. It has no winches or windlass, no EPIRB and no autopilot, just a PVC self-steer- ing mechanism. The boat did carry a GPS system (full size and hand-held back-up), a radar reflector, VHF radio, life jackets and fire extinguishers. British-born Ken is six feet tall, medium build, with curly bleached brown hair and hazel-orown eyes. Since Ken’s disappearance, boat watches have been con- ducted by the Boatwatch Net (www.boatwatchnet.org), Bahamas Air Sea Rescue Association (www.basra.org), Bahamas Immigration, and the US Coast Guard. Anyone with any information is asked to contact daisyi@cwgsy.net or gardensof- style.commercial@hotmail.co.uk. Cruisers’ Site-ings e Frank Virgintino reports: The free Cruising Guide to the Dominican Republic is now available at its new website, www.dominicanrepubliccruisingguide.com. The site is interactive and users can leave comments, interact with Facebook and link to other popular cruisers’ websites and to the Dominican Republic Marina Guerra (Coast Guard). The guide can be read on-line, or it can be downloaded as a PDF file at no charge. The costs of the guide and the site were underwritten by Rafael Baez, owner of Marina ZarPar (see page 26), located on the south coast of the Dominican Republic in Boca Chica. The Cruising Guide addresses ports and harbors for the entire Dominican Republic, gives an overview of Dominican culture, and tells what to expect while cruising through this fabulous country, located on the second largest island in the Caribbean. The guide also covers clearance procedures, which in recent years have been simplified. Although entrance to most harbors has become straightfor- ward, some, such as Luperon and Samana on the north and east coasts, are still plagued by port officials who have a history of asking for unauthorized pay- ments. Suggestions on how to handle these requests are also covered in the Guide. Most cruisers who have passed through the DR have found it to be extremely unspoiled and uncrowded. The costs for food and labor are relatively low, and thanks to a vigilant coast guard most cruisers have found cruising here very safe. —Continued on next page ~ Water sports ~ Rainforest tot Floral arrang: Spare part ot Guests, Captains, and Crew - Enjoy High-end Amenities Five Star Luxury Resort and Spa - Discovery at Marigot Bay Seven local restaurants and bars urs, sky fides, bike tours, and more Shop high-end retail at The Marina Village First-Class Faclllties, Services, and Staff Yacht capacity: 250 feet LOA; 44 feet beam; 16 feet draft WIFI and high speed Internet connection Single and three phase electricity (50 and 60 Hz) High-speed fueling ements Uquoer and food provisioning Business Center: FedEx, car rental, travel agency rdering and delivery Chandlery Shop Airport transfers Charter Yacht Pick-up and Drop-off International airport with direct flights from the US and UK Heliport nearby Private Jet landing at nearby George FL Charles Alrport (Vigle) Contact Us for Details: Christmas in Marigot Bay Spend Christmas In Marigot Bay and celebrate a St. Lucian-style Christmas with black cake, oy nv spice rum and more ... Scove Hear What Our Customers Say About Us: “Best Marina we have been to in the Caribbean ..."— Black Pearl “Excellent and friendly staff! Thanks you.” — Yacht Felina “Marigot Bay Is a great place to hang out ... ” — Stampede Sane IWIN on ok Menigok Jom, www.marigotbay.com » marina@marigotay.com « (758) 451-4275 » VHF Channel 12