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Mikhail Shamkin Named General Manager of Bitter End Yacht Club
Located on the North Sound, Virgin Gorda,
in the British Virgin Islands
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Hospitality Industry Veteran Mikhail Shamkin Named General Manager at British Virgin Islands Resort, Bitter End Yacht Club 
CHICAGO - Sept. 6, 2006 -- Mikhail Shamkin has been named General Manager of Bitter End Yacht Club, the world's premier sailing and watersports destination located on the North Sound, Virgin Gorda, in the British Virgin Islands. He will also oversee the resort's sales and marketing efforts. A 30-year hospitality industry veteran, Shamkin brings extensive resort and marina management, planning and development expertise, along with a wealth of accounting, sales and marketing, and food and beverage experience to his new role. 

"I am pleased to welcome resort industry veteran Mikhail Shamkin to the Bitter End family. We look forward to having his steady hand at the helm," said Dana Hokin, Owner and Managing Director. "We selected Shamkin because he is someone who will not only oversee our multi-million dollar renovation, but also continue to grow and enhance the unique vacation experience boaters and travelers have come to expect from us for more than 30 years." 

As General Manager of Bitter End Yacht Club, Shamkin will oversee all aspects of the resort, from financial management to employee administration to on-going development of the guest experience. Shamkin will live on the property and be available to guests and employees 24 hours a day. 

"Bitter End is already high on the discriminating traveler's itinerary when they visit by boat and it's also a dream destination for a shoreside vacation. I look forward to working with the dedicated Bitter End staff as we focus on continuing to grow the legendary qualities of our premier resort and to welcome new visitors to our corner of paradise," said Mikhail Shamkin, Bitter End Yacht Club General Manager. "And if we can create a few legends of our own in the process, well, I can live with that, too. 

"For me, being at the Bitter End Yacht Club is like a homecoming," Shamkin noted. "It takes me back in time to 1976, when I first sailed into North Sound from Antigua. My thought then - as it is now - is that this would be a wonderful place to live." 
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Bitter End generates its own electricity, collects and distills
its own water, utilizes solar power and uses treated grey
waste shower water to irrigate the hillside gardens.
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Shamkin began his career in Antigua West Indies as the manager of Hawksbill Beach Resort. Since then, he has managed a variety of high end resorts, including the Ritz-Carlton in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. His time in the industry has taken him to such well-known Caribbean destinations as Barbados, Antigua, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, St. Thomas, Puerto Rico and the British Virgin Islands. Most recently, Shamkin served as the General Manager at the Vanderbilt Hall Hotel in Newport, Rhode Island. 

In addition to his experience in the hospitality industry, Shamkin enjoys sailboat racing. He has competed in a number of races throughout the Caribbean and Florida including Lost Horizon II, Mag 7, Mistress Quickly, Supercilious, Running Tide, War Baby and the Duchess of Devonshire, and others. 

He was on the winning crew during an Antigua Race Week and three International Rolex Regattas as well as several British Virgin Islands regattas. Shamkin has earned both a 25 ton USCG license and 50 ton Merchant Officer Certificate. 

He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University in Greenvale, Long Island. Shamkin also served in the U.S. Air Force and was a licensed U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Marine Officer. 

About Bitter End Yacht Club 

Stretching along a mile of unspoiled beach and expansive marina waterfront on the North Sound of Virgin Gorda, in the British Virgin Islands, Bitter End Yacht Club is the ultimate Caribbean destination for the watersport enthusiast. The North Sound - one of the largest, most protected noncommercial harbors in the Caribbean - is a must-visit destination for sailors, experts and novices alike. Bitter End's calm, clear waters and steady year-long trade winds distinguish it from other resorts in the BVI and worldwide. Originally made up of a shorefront pub and five rustic cottages, Bitter End was purchased by Chicago's Hokin family in 1973 and retains the spirit of a family retreat. 

The resort includes more than 85 beachfront guest rooms, the world's largest complimentary fleet of more than 100 watercraft, 70 moorings and 20 slips. In addition, Bitter End amenities include an on-site sailing school, regularly scheduled snorkeling excursions, kiteboarding, Spa at Bitter End, two restaurants, on-site bakery, dive shop, the Emporium (provisioning), Bitter End Outfitters (vacation gear), shops, freshwater pool and several private beaches. 

Bitter End Yacht Club is consistently recognized by leading travel publications as one of the top Caribbean vacation destinations. Recent accolades include Travel & Leisure's 2004 "Top 500 Great Hotels in the World" and "100 Top Hotels for Service," Outside magazine's 2004 "Caribbean A-list," Outside Traveler's 2005 "Top Twelve Pure and Unspoiled Resorts in the Caribbean," Departures' 2004 Reader Survey "Top Atlantic/Caribbean Resorts." Bitter End is also featured in the 2006 "100 Best Romantic Resorts of the World" book (5th edition). For more information or to make reservations, call toll-free at 800-872-2392, direct at 312-506-6205, or e-mail at [email protected]. Cruise the Web site at www.beyc.com.

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Contact:

Elizabeth G. Berglund
312-482-8900 ext. 112
[email protected]
www.beyc.com

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Also See: British Virgin Islands Tourist Board to Institute Comprehensive Hotel Industry Standards Including a Hotel Categorization System / September 2004
Laurance S. Rockefeller, Conservationist and Tourism Visionary, Honored With British Virgin Islands' Citizenship; Built Little Dix Bay Resort on Virgin Gorda in 1964 / September 2003

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