bvi captains log blog

Well here I sit at Immigration again. The promised work permit renewal is not ready, and the person who deals with it is "at lunch" I seem to get more than my proportional share of "people at lunch" when I go to the government departments! This is what, trip, 32 into these departments for a simple renewal?

Then I get to go back to the bank for the promised release of the hold on my CD. Maybe. They said it would not take more then 48 hours, but they also said they would phone so.....I will go into these places and sit while I still have the time.

Look at these nice sheep walking down the road! They are so cute.


Apparently I almost have a SIRUIS satellite Radio installed on the boat now! We shall see how that works. I look around the boat and i cannot see too much more that we could possibly do this maintenance period. One of the brokers today was telling me that bareboat cancellations were up this season, I did not realize that they treated reservations more like Hotel rooms where there was not too much penalty for cancelling. He also said that with some of the prices coming down on the larger boats, he is seeing people book charters and bring their private jets down. Seems like a good plan to me! I see some good bookings in the larger boats this winter, although it seems a bit slow on the very large and very small boats.
We are supposed to have some weather over the next few days, all hopefully gone by the time we pick up charter on Sunday.

My parents were in San Francisco and sent me this picture of a "neat boat" they did not know much about it, of course, we immediately recognized it as the Maltese Falcon, largest and most expensive sailing yacht in the world. Good nice close picture as well!


I am now finishing this off in the evening. My husband went back to see the gentleman who was dealing with it after his lunch, and they said he was still at lunch to come back, so he went away twice to finally get back and they said he had to go to a meeting directly after lunch, so no seeing him today. I guess we will work on 33 trips into the department. I did overhear the girl at the desk saying the Immigration Minister was off island last week and although back this week, she has not had "time" to sign any. Perhaps it would be a good idea to have someone else sign them as well. Probably a silly idea!

Sent Bazza to the bank as I sat in Immigration for hours, and then he got to sit there for hours, and when it was finally his turn to find out about releasing the hold on this CD (the promised, just waiting for an email it will be done within 48 hours) she first of all told him that he could not collapse it that I had to. He informed them that it was joint so he could definitely collapse it. Then they asked whether I was the principal or he was on it (good thing they are watching out for my money their Lisa (you know who it was) and Bazza said it was joint, which means 50/50 in his books. Then after phone calls back and forth, we apparently had to wait for a fax authorizing the release, which 2 hours of sitting in the bank was supposed to be there any minute...but wait!! The PERSON WHO HAS TO SIGN THE FAX IS "out" so nope, no closing down that CD today either! (next time will be trip 6....) and so it goes on Tortola.

We were told by a reliable source this afternoon that the lawsuit in between Oil Nut Bay former owners and Victor International (owners of Biras Creek) was settled and Victor International does own it now. Have not been up there to see yet if development has started back up, but I do understand that the same company is putting in a deep water mega yacht marina in between Biras Creek and Gun Creek. First time I have heard of that.

We stopped by customs wharf this afternoon at the light store, and while Bazza went in, I stayed in my icy cold air conditioning. Funny the things you never notice when you pass them by all the time, but this old roller was parked (and has been for a long time) right on the side of the road and look at the clever way we are incorporating these old broken down bits of equipment into garbage bins? I wonder what the pick up schedule is.


Bazza said he spied a little A/C and Refridgeration place there that he had never seen before and it is one business he can never understand how they do not make a billion dollars and stay on business on island. We always thought that if we were going to open a business on land that may be it, so in he goes to check it out and recognizes the women. She used to work at Romansco...until they went out of business, and then at A&B Air conditioning...until they went away.... so she said the same thing that she figured she might as well do it herself. Only been open for a few weeks, but it is something we need.

That is it for the day, went to Pussers in Roadtown for dinner (ah, the glory of a vehicle!) and there was a cackling gaggle of geese (female) from the cruise ship sitting at the bar, cackling very loudly! The echoes in that place are always bad...Gulped our burger down and made our daily swing by Riteway to see what we could maybe find in date in the dairy department! After looking carefully we came out with a few well hoarded in date provisions, so things are looking up there. At least I can look now, as opposed to having to settle for whatever they sent me when I did not have a vehicle...