BBC
There are few clearer signs of the destructive power that Hurricane Beryl unleashed on Barbados in July than the scene at the temporary boatyard in the capital, Bridgetown.
Scores of mangled and cracked vessels sit on stacks, gaping holes in their hulls, their rudders snapped off and cabin windows broken.
Yet these were the lucky ones.
At least they can be repaired and put back out to sea. Many others sank, taking entire family incomes with them.
When Beryl lashed Barbados, the island’s fishing fleet was devastated in a matter of hours. About 75% of the active fleet was damaged, with 88 boats totally destroyed.
Charles Carter, who owns a blue-and-black fishing vessel called Joyce, was among those affected.
“It’s been real bad, I can tell you. I had to change both sides of the hull, up to the waterline,” he says, pointing at the now pristine boat in front of us.
It has taken months of restoration and thousands of dollars to get it back to this point, during which time Charles has barely been able to fish.
“That’s my living, my livelihood, fishing is all I do,” he says.
“The fishing industry is mash up,” echoes his friend, Captain Euride. “We’re just trying to get back the pieces.”
