Frank Allard, also known as "Frankie" in some sources, is a shipwright in Windward, Carriacou. He was 43 years old in 2019, according to information provided to the association. His name appears twice: in Grenada's official Living Heritage Register, and in the results of a regatta, where he was at the helm of the boat he built himself.
Under the trees of Windward
Windward is not a sheltered anchorage in a cove: as the name suggests, the village sits on the east coast of Carriacou, the side that faces the wind and swell head-on. It is there, in the shade of the trees, that the island's shipwrights still hew their frames and cut their planks using the tools and methods of their ancestors, as Jill Schinas wrote in 2010. These ancestors are partly Scottish: in the nineteenth century, a landowner brought in a team of shipwrights from Scotland to build the coastal vessels the island needed, and today's shipwrights consider themselves their descendants.
Deep Vision, the boat he built and sails
In April 2010, the crew of the British sailboat Mollymawk 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. The saying says it all about the village—here, the one who builds the boat is also the one who sails it.
The visitor's judgment was frank: Deep Vision wasn't as pretty as the smaller sloops, she wrote, at least not in her eyes, but she won every race in her class. And the young man wasn't content with that. He wanted to sail her to Antigua, win there again, then sell her to build another, even faster one.
The following summer, a large "For Sale" sign was painted on the transom. However, the boat never left: at the 46th Carriacou Regatta Festival in 2011, it took second place in the large decked sloop class, behind Glacier and ahead of Margeta O II. The Caribbean Compass recorded this result in the name of Frank Allard, of Carriacou. The boat's full history is on its information sheet. Deep Vision.
2021: Registered in the Living Heritage Register
Between November 2021 and February 2023, the Grenada National Trust conducted a program entitled «Proud of my Heritage,» funded by UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund. Forty-three practitioners were interviewed in twenty-four communities and seven parishes to document twelve elements of Grenada’s living heritage. Wooden boat building is one such element, documented in early 2021 in Carriacou and Petite Martinique, with the intention of proposing it for inclusion on UNESCO’s Representative List.
At the bottom of the page dedicated to shipbuilding, the Trust thanks ten practitioners by name. Frank Allard is among them. The others are Alwin Enoe, Baldwin DeRoche, Benson Patrice, Donald Rock, Joan Patrice, Leo Joseph, Paul Bethel, Terrence and Rhonda McLawren, and Verrol Compton. Three of them already have their own page here: Alwyn Enoe, Baldwin DeRoche, and the Patrice's family, where we find Benson and Joan.
A question of name
One point remains unresolved, and it's fair to say so. The name of the builder and owner of Deep Vision is not spelled consistently. The 2011 Caribbean Compass and the Grenada National Trust registry both point to Frank Allard. However, the September 2010 Caribbean Compass refers to "Frank Bethel's Deep Vision," and The Grenada Informer reported in March 2026 that Frankie Bethel, a shipwright, owned Deep Vision and several other boats, all damaged by Hurricane Beryl.
Two interpretations remain possible: a mix-up of surnames between two men everyone calls Frankie, or a boat that changed hands—which the "For Sale" sign from 2010 would make entirely plausible. No source allows us to choose between them at the moment.
What remains to be found
No photographs of Frank Allard are included here. His exact date of birth, the name of the shipwright from whom he learned, other boats he may have built, and his current occupation are unknown. Any information or photographs that could complete this page would be greatly appreciated.
Sources
- Grenada National Trust, "Boat Building" page, "Proud of my Heritage" program funded by the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund — the official list of recognized practitioners, which includes Frank Allard, and the program framework: grenadanationaltrust.org
- Jill Schinas, «Carriacou Boat Building», logbook of the sailboat Mollymawk, April 2010 — the meeting with Frankie, builder and owner of Deep Vision, and the description of the village of Windward: yachtmollymawk.com
- Caribbean Compass, September 2011, page 14 — the ranking of the large decked sloops of the 46th Carriacou Regatta Festival, where Deep Vision is second in the name of Frank Allard: caribbeancompass.com
- Frank Pearce, «Carriacou Regatta Festival 10 — New Builds and Rebuilds in Decked Sloops Classes», Caribbean Compass, September 2010, pages 14 to 16 — the refit of the boat and the attribution to «Frank Bethel», which creates a contradiction: ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu
- Rawle Paterson, "Gov't Must Support Sloops — Bethel", The Grenada Informer, week of March 27, 2026, page 12 — the other attribution of the boat, to Frankie Bethel: thegrenadainformer.com
- Information provided to the association — Frank Allard's age, 43 years old in 2019.
Contact — Frank Allard
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