Deep Vision

• Boat type — large decked sloop from Carriacou, wooden hull
• Built by — Frank Allard, known as «Frankie», in Windward, in Carriacou — he is both the builder and the owner
• Launching — year unknown, before 2010
• Length — unknown; the boat races in the class of large decked sloops
• Owner — the carpenter himself; two sources name him Frankie Bethel, see the reservation on the name
• Rankings — second among the large decked sloops at the Carriacou Regatta Festival 2011
• State — severely damaged by Hurricane Beryl on July 1, 2024, still not repaired as of March 2026

The carpenter who sails his own boats

In April 2010, the crew of the British sailboat Mollymawk stopped in Carriacou and went up to Windward to see the boatyards on the beach. In front of his house, just above the sand, they met Frankie: the proud owner and builder of the large decked sloop Deep Vision, writes Jill Schinas. This Frankie is very likely the shipwright Frank Allard. The formula is important because it says everything about the village: here, the one who builds the boat is often the one who steers it.

The visitor's judgment is frank. Deep Vision isn't as pretty as the smaller sloops, she writes, at least not in her eyes—but she wins every race in her class. And the young man doesn't intend to be satisfied with that: he wants to sail her to Antigua, win there again, then sell her to build another, even faster one.

August 2010: brand new again, and for sale

A few months later, the September 2010 issue of Caribbean Compass recounts the week leading up to the Carriacou Regatta Festival. Frank Pearce, yachtsman and former vice-commodore of the Antigua Yacht Club, tours the shipyards of Windward: everywhere they are lengthening, deepening, and re-rigging to be ready in time. He notes in passing that Frank Bethel's Deep Vision has received a new transom, keel, mast, and sails, and is ready to compete.

Then came this observation, confirming what the boat had announced in April: a large "For Sale" sign was painted on the transom. Frank Pearce added, deadpan, that he wasn't sure it was very appropriate. That same year, in the same class, Glacier, Margeta O II, Summer Cloud, Genesis, Zemi, and Beauty were racing.

2011: Second behind Glacier

The boat therefore did not depart. At the 46th Carriacou Regatta Festival, from July 24th to August 2nd, 2011, Deep Vision took second place in the large decked sloops class, behind Glacier, skippered by Benson Patrice, and ahead of Margeta O II, skippered by Cyril Compton. This is the only known ranking for this boat.

This classification has a full name, and it was this that allowed the carpenter to be identified: Deep Vision, Frank Allard, Carriacou. Frank Allard is also listed on the official list of practitioners of traditional shipbuilding compiled by the Grenada National Trust. He now has his own page here: Frank Allard.

One caveat, however. Two other sources attribute the boat to a Bethel, not an Allard: the September 2010 issue of Caribbean Compass refers to it as "Frank Bethel's Deep Vision," and The Grenada Informer wrote in March 2026 that Frankie Bethel owned Deep Vision. Whether this is a case of confusion between two men everyone calls Frankie, or whether the boat changed hands after the "For Sale" sign in 2010, remains unresolved.

July 1, 2024: Beryl

Hurricane Beryl hit Carriacou on July 1st, 2024, severely damaging all the decked sloops on the island. Deep Vision was among them.

Nearly two years later, in March 2026, The Grenada Informer gave the floor to Frankie Bethel, described as a shipwright and former owner of a large decked sloop. He owned Deep Vision and several other boats, none of which had yet been restored to racing condition, and it would take considerable money. His message to the government was summed up in the article's headline: sloops must be supported, and no effort should be spared to help their owners refit them before the next Carriacou Regatta Festival.

What remains to be found

The year of construction, exact length, and rigging remain unknown, and no photographs have yet been compiled for this record. Two questions remain unanswered: who was at the helm in 2011, and what is the current condition of the hull, damaged by Beryl? Any information or photographs that could complete this record are welcome.

Sources

• Grenada National Trust, "Boat Building" page, "Proud of my Heritage" program funded by UNESCO — Frank Allard recognized practitioner of traditional shipbuilding: grenadanationaltrust.org
• Jill Schinas, «Carriacou Boat Building», logbook of the sailboat Mollymawk, April 2010 — the meeting with Frankie in Windward, builder and owner of the boat, and his intention to sell it in Antigua: yachtmollymawk.com
• Frank Pearce, «Carriacou Regatta Festival 10 — New Builds and Rebuilds in Decked Sloops Classes», Caribbean Compass, September 2010, pages 14 to 16 — the transom, keel, mast and new sails, the «For Sale» sign, and the fleet of the class that year: ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu
• Caribbean Compass, September 2011, page 14 — the ranking of the large decked sloops of the 46th Carriacou Regatta Festival, where Deep Vision is second: caribbeancompass.com
• Rawle Paterson, "Gov't Must Support Sloops — Bethel", The Grenada Informer, week of March 27, 2026, page 12 — Hurricane Beryl damage, unrepaired boats and appeal to the government: thegrenadainformer.com

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Contact — Deep Vision

No website, page, or public address is known for this boat.

If you know of an official and public page to contact this boat, or if you have any information that could enrich its history, write to us via the form below — this record will be completed.