bvi captains log blog

Friday, July 4. 2008

Forget going big for the last day, they went big all week!

I found this cute picture from last night, the girls dancing on the table

Our last full day today! It began with a cruise to White Bay for some beach action, there was a very patriotic American boat round there, listening to a Bruce Springstein rendition of the national anthem and the crew catawalling along to it! Happy 4th of July!

Mr B is getting some serious tan lines, felt I needed to point that out! It is also Mr B's Birthday tomorrow, 21 at last!

They explored the beach and swam, it was then time to cruise on to Norman Island, with an epic game of catch phrase to keep the kids busy! We dived on seahorse reef, no seahorse, but at the bottom of the mooring line we found.....

How cute! we also saw a file fish

and a big old sting ray who was hiding

My divers did a fabulous job, I will certainly miss them all! While we dived, their was snorkeling and then another snorkel over at the Caves, they were a brave group, they went right to the end of the third cave in search of treasure, none to be found though! The afternoon was completed by a final banana boat ride for the kids, while the adults watched the great sunset. The banana boat ride was apparently a little rough, Sean lost his pants! I say no more!!

Posted by lisa at 19:39 | Comment (1) | Trackbacks (0)

Update on BVI Boat Harbor Charges

Well it it has been an interesting few days around the BVI with meetings going on left and right over the proposed Harbor Charges. The BVICCHA, the Charter Yacht Society, even the tourist board I hear are all working hard to have these fees rescinded until a full impact study can be done. Even the private sector down here is sitting up and taking notice. There has been some comment that even if they are rescinded, the negative publicity will affect us. Perhaps, but I thoroughly believe that it is the negative publicity from one corner of the sector to another, private, crewed, charters, recreational, etc that is forcing the government to take a look at these things. The internet is a big world.
I have had many people ask me why we stayed. I guess the simple answer is that we love it here, and no matter where you go, even if the grass looks greener today, tomorrow they may impose their own onerous hoops. There have been many times that we thought about sticking the boat in the middle of Road Harbor with a sign on it that said "FOR SALE" due to government (insert whatever the new thing was we had to do/jump through or pay!)
Most of the Caribbean Countries have tried this one on for size lately, with quick backtracking. Everywhere from St Martin to Bahamas. When we were in St Martin a couple months ago, we were shocked at how full the marinas were on the french side and how empty on the dutch. That is because Dutch St Martin has heavy fees for even being anchored on that side now when you check in, so many more boats are going to the french side. Although then, technically, even when you take your tender across to the Dutch side you are breaking the law!
There are people weighing in on these Harbor Charges from the Caribbean 1500 Rally, Private cruisers, charter boats, marinas, restaurants EVERYWHERE! All the message boards are abuzz and every boat owner here who knows anyone in government is making phone calls left and right.
Even those of us who have lived here for a long time cannot figure out the ambiguity and meaning of many of the items.
So, I do expect there to be many changes in all of this before the 15th of the month. I keep on thinking about the saying "blood from a stone" and that is about what I feel like lately.

Anyways, more this weekend, off to a great aunts 50th wedding anniversary tonight!

Posted by BVI Captains Log Blog in British Virgin Islands at 19:33 | Comments (2) | Trackbacks (0)

(Page 1 of 1, totaling 2 entries)

Sail-Dive-BVI-helping you get off the beaten path in the British Virgin Islands!

Click on the logo to go to our online cruising guide, with dive sites, dive wrecks, beachcombing, shell collecting, maps, charts, sailing, snorkeling, anchoring on the British Virgin Islands