As many of you already know, last December we completed one of our most important and proudest projects since we entered the padel court business: The 6 Fiberglass Padel Courts at Club Med Les Boucaniers in Martinique, a dream location just steps from the Caribbean sea and surrounded by palm trees and tropical vegetation. A heavenly place, but which, as sometimes happens, is the victim of natural events to which we Europeans are not the least bit accustomed.
A few days ago, exactly between July 1st and 2nd, Hurricane Beryl hit these very islands, throwing thousands of people into destruction and becoming, as the hours passed, one of the most violent ever recorded with wind gusts that touched 260 km/h (category 5).
The images that are circulating in the media these days speak volumes and, as some of the residents interviewed explain, tell of an event they are partly used to but not with this magnitude and not with this force.To date, the worst seems to be over, and while Beryl is approaching the coast of Mexico, on the French Antilles it is time to estimate the damage: the greatest damage was recorded in Grenada, the Grenadines, Saint Vincent and Carriacou, but the southern part of Martinique, in the area of Sainte Anne, where Club Med Les Boucaniers is located, was also put to the hardest test.
For our part we could not, however, fail to inquire about the condition of our Fiberglass Padel Courts and, while we are aware that we do not intend to even remotely put ourselves on the same footing as those who have had their homes or businesses destroyed in recent days, it has been our job to stay abreast of the evolving situation also to provide the proper assistance for our courts to those who were on the ground.
Fortunately, none of our 6 brand new Fiberglass courts were damaged and they will continue to entertain thousands of fans each year.
Despite its light weight, the Fiberglass structure is incredibly strong and stable with a wind resistance certified by the Official Eurocodes of 130 km/h. In Martinique, winds registered more o less this speed (while it was higher on other nearby islands).
Another decisive factor was ComfortGlass, the special acrylic compound from which the "glass" of our courts is made. It, is in fact totally indestructible and this ensures that during very windy days, the strong vibrations that generate friction between it and the structure or impact with objects in flight do not cause it to break.
Finally, as we have already explained on the different contents on our social media, ComfortGlass can be removed very quickly thanks to its special installation system. This allows, in the event of a hurricane warning, all 18 panes to be removed in less than 2 hours, thus avoiding the sail effect that could cause the entire padel court to collapse.
In the specific case of Hurricane Beryl, this was not necessary, as the forecast in the southern part of Martinique was not expected to exceed 100 km/h.
We renew, of course our sympathy to all the people involved in this environmental disaster confident that thanks to the co-operation and the spirit they have shown in these first days, they will be able to get back to normal as soon as possible and also to enjoy a fantastic a game of padel on our super Fiberglass Padel Courts.
