1 month ago
21
Less than one year after a “very disheartening” experience, Antony Warren, CEO of Poko Loko, North America’s first and only floating bar, is ready to dock permanently in Jamaican waters again.
Warren, who suffered millions of dollars in losses, as a result of the damage done to the vessel when Hurricane Beryl unleashed her wrath on July 3, last year, is proving his resilience and will officially reopen to the public on May 26.
The back story is that a mere two weeks after its June 16, 2024 opening, Poko Loko, which was on the waters about 200 yards from Mahogany Beach in Ocho Rios, was ripped from its moorings by Beryl’s fierce category-four winds and raging sea. The barge was smashed in two and unceremoniously dumped near Little Dunn’s River, several miles away. There it became the target of looters, and several videos at the time showed bragging men emerging from the waters with buckets of expensive liquor, as well as building material from the floating bar.
Warren told The Gleaner at the time that he had “never seen so much looting in [his] life”.
“The worst part was the looting which caused US$1.2 million in losses,” Warren told The Gleaner on the weekend. “However, my business partners decided to be resilient and return to Jamaica due to its boom in tourism.”
He added, “My decision to come to Jamaica was as a result of various trips to the island where I adopted three schools and the vibrant energy of the tourism sector here.”
Poko Loko, a welcome attraction for the Ocho Rios tourist hub, is described as “a fun boat” which will take guests from Jamaican hotels, resorts and cruise ships to have an enjoyable time floating on the sea. The vessel is actually a fortified and refurbished barge that is built to hold 50 containers, and Warren is confident that it can withstand hurricane force energy.
“This thing can hold a couple of 12-wheeler trucks ... so it’s built for that. Unless the hurricane is a category three or above, this barge will be untouched. If you have a ship that runs by here, you would not even feel it, that’s the way it’s designed. In case of an emergency we have a contract will a couple of different tow agencies that will take us elsewhere. But it is the safest thing on the waters right now,” he emphasised.
He enthusiastically outlined the attraction available to guests on Poko Loko.
“We have a fun team ... and our staff is all Jamaican. We have snorkelling, other water sports, television, of course drinking, and regular swimming. A full time DJ will be on the boat 24 hours per day ... there is 24-hour security and we have a catamaran that will be bringing people over and there are lots of fun things to do. It will be solar powered and there will be a laser light show onboard,” the CEO said.
The floating bar can accommodate up to 250 guests and there will be different price structures based where guests are coming from. There will be four tours per day.
“If you are coming from a cruise, there will be transportation to and from Mahogany Beach as well as a ferry over to the boat ... same thing for hotels. But if you are an individual guest attending a party here in Jamaica, you can just get a ride to Mahogany Beach and catch a catamaran over to the barge,” Warren explained.
He is planning a private fun day for hotel representatives and government officials on May 24 and 25.
At the official opening ceremony last year, Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett told the gathering that Poko Loko “has the potential to attract locals and visitors who are looking for more diverse and adventurous experiences”.
“For us, this is what tourism is about. It’s about people wanting new experiences. We are excited about enabling more of these kinds of activities to happen, because it drives more visitors to Jamaica,” Minister Bartlett had said.
English (US) ·