When Hurricane Joaquin brushed passed Bermuda it left the Pier 6 tent as well as any hopes of having it ready for the beginning of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series in tatters.

But thanks to a superhuman effort from a team of committed Bermudians the structure was restored in the nick of time and played a full and successful role in the sailing extravaganza.

The owner and operator of the venue, Suzie Pewter, has hailed the work of the crew who laboured around the clock to ensure Pier 6 was able to host the opening reception for the sponsors, teams and VIPs on Thursday night.

“One of the 26ft trusses holding the tent up was completed broken by Joaquin, so we knew we were right up against it as soon as we saw the damage and how much time we had,” said Ms Pewter.

“If we had wanted to get a replacement the part would not have arrived until Wednesday so that was not an option.

“The only way of getting it done was to recruit a team of Bermudian experts and come up with a strategy.”

Ms Pewter enlisted the help of Paul Franco from Island Home Development, former Olympic sailor and welder, Stevie Dickinson, and Roger Pimentel from Pimentel Cranes.

The quartet assessed the damage and formulated an optimistic plan to get the tent ready for the World Series functions.

“The work that everyone put in was just amazing,” said Ms Pewter.

“I could not have done it without them. And if these guys had not stepped up we simply would not have been able to hold any of the events we did over the World Series weekend. Without their support and ingenuity we would have been lost.”

The work crews worked around the clock between October 8 and 10 to take down the tent, reweld the truss and then erect the tent again — a mammoth mission they were able to accomplish in time for the interior to be fully decked out in time for the first reception party last Thursday night.

Mr Franco told The Royal Gazette: “It was a pretty stressful time. At one stage I thought there was no way we were going to get it done in time — there was just so much to be done.

“But thanks to everyone working together and thanks to Suzie, her team, Stevie and Roger we somehow achieved the impossible.”