Dear Pel Reunion and Laity,
We are closely tracking Hurricane Earl and considering all options for your group. Safety is the number one factor, and we are evaluating wind speeds and seas to determine what is safely possible for your groups.
Here is our current update:
- The Saturday Thomas Laighton boat is cancelled.
- The Friday Thomas Laighton 9:25 a.m. boat is still a go.
- The Friday Thomas Laighton 1:55 p.m. is still a possibility, though may be cancelled.
- Anyone who comes early on Friday who was planning to come on Friday does not need to pay extra.
- Anyone who comes early on Friday who was planning on coming on Saturday would need to pay the 3 night rate; for a double room, this rate increase is $65 (which represents a significant reduction from our standard per night rates).
- Sunday boats may or may not run.
- Boats for Monday are expected to be back to normal.
- If we expect sustained high winds on Friday night and Saturday, we will likely cancel your conference and evacuate the island.
We know uncertainties are a stressful factor in planning for the next few days. We will continue to make updates on our website at www.starisland.org, and we will send another update such as this one tomorrow afternoon. Though cancellation is a possibility, we will wait to cancel your conference until we’re absolutely certain this is necessary—this may be Friday morning. We wait until this time so as to give those individuals who can work within a smaller window the opportunity to make it to the island.
If we are able to host you this weekend, please note that people with health concerns should NOT come out to the island this weekend, as there would be a chance that an emergency medical evacuation would not be possible. Also, we will likely ask you to remain in the main hotel/Gosport buildings during periods of high wind, meaning activities may be limited. We do expect there can be fun and interesting ways to pass the time on island, but we want the expectations to be clear up front.
Please send any questions and concerns to your conference leadership and they will route those questions to me. I am working closely with our Marine Services Manager, our Fire and Safety Manager, our Logistics Manager, and Joe Watts, our primary Island Manager to ensure any decisions are thoroughly thought through and in everyone’s best interest.
Thank you for your patience and cooperation through this ‘stirring’ time!
Shannon Roecklein
Shannon Roecklein
Assistant Conference Center Director
Star Island Corporation
30 Middle Street
Portsmouth, NH 03801
Island: 603-601-0488
Office: 603-430-6272