Meet one of the faces behind the Superstar, NWO, Viking and The Main Event. Levette Proctor, of South Hill, is one of Anguilla’s young shipwrights who, in his own way, is keeping our national sport alive. You better remember this fact because Levette is not the type of guy to remind you about his famous associations.
Since 1991, Levette has been employed at Rebel Marine, North Hill, where he now specialises in fibreglass boat construction. His involvement with boat building, however, dates further back than 1991 - as far back as the days when he would build model boats to race in the ponds at Sandy Ground and at Rendezvous.

Besides the fact that, when he was growing up everybody in South Hill seemed to be building a boat Levette singled out two men whom he feels had the strongest impact on the direction of his career. Levette credits his grandfather, Hubert Proctor, a builder of schooners, for inspiring him in the field in the first place. David Hodge, a well-known shipwright and also of South Hill, is also one of the persons to whom he feels indebted. Levette recalled that from as early as 1985 he would spend time in David’s yard honing this skill that is now his livelihood.
According to Levette, the design for a fast race boat should incorporate the use of lightweight materials in the rigging. Additionally, it should involve a consideration of the width of the boat (more width, more speed); length of the timbers and sharp design at the front (the sharper, the better to cut through the water). He added that an examination of the winning boats would reveal that they have big bilges and a smaller curved topside.
What makes for a beautiful boat is a different matter: “The hull must be properly sanded; all holes [must be] filled then primed, spot glazed and a proper paint job [must be done].” He also feels that the more colours on the boat, the prettier the boat.
He feels that the tradition is going to live on for a long time, as there are a number of young persons who are interested in the sport. He said that they would visit Rebel Marine and ask questions about the construction; as well as they would visit him at home to ask for help with the construction of their model boats. He regrets, though, that the sport is becoming increasingly expensive: “If the sponsors do not continue sponsoring, the sport will fail because the boats cost a fortune.”

Levette Proctor

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