bvi captains log blog

Well it is a Friday night in Tortola. I have made my daily trip into town to go to the bank and various government offices. At one office waiting for forms instead of telling me to come back next week they are just picking the next day on the calendar I believe and telling me to come then so I just get to go in every day! Today was "still pending, come back Monday" yesterday was..well you get the idea! Still very dusty on island as well. I came the long way home from town today via Brewers, Josiahs etc as I wanted to see what the swell was like. We are supposed to have quite a large one, and yep, here is Brewers Bay

When I drove by there not much beach at all at the moment!

Then I went to look at Josiah's and it looked about the same, and no surfers out...

The swells did not look like they had great shape for surfing either.

Then I got back to the boat to find out my food (partial) order came while I was out and the driver dropped some eggs and mushrooms in the water and then just about kicked a case of beer we had sitting on the dock in as well! My interior cleaner complained all day that she was "seasick" (yes, we are tied up to dock...I told her that maybe she needed to get a cashiers job at One Mart then tongue in cheek)
Today was a bad produce day, what did come had to be mostly stripped down. I took this picture, as I had ordered no more then a dozen or so heads of romaine and lettuce and this is how much I had to take off and throw away to get down to decent bits!

Thought that was a bit excessive. I suppose with it being Thanksgiving week everyone and their dog is going out on the water this week! Anyways it all boiled down to such a little amount to fit in my fridge! I find these vegetable saver bags, although being very expensive and not found on island, really do help my produce make it through the week. I just have to make sure I take anything that is starting to rot off right away at the beginning. This procedure of putting them all in the bags usually lasts for a few charters every season until we get too busy and then I can't be bothered and just shop more often during the week!

Went back into Riteway tonight and waited in line for the cashier to finish fighting with some kind of supervisor as she was hungry and the doctor said she had to eat! Another one yelling at her to "serve the customer first"...and so ends another week on island and time to go back on the water tomorrow!

Beach Safety Flags - Friday 21st November 2008

Due to NW Swell, tracking N to NE over the next week or so!

Red Flags are flying at Long Bay (Tortola), Cane Garden Bay, Brewers Bay, Josiah's Bay, Lambert Beach, Little Bay & The Baths NPT.

Yellow Flag is flying at Smuggler's Cove.

There are No Lifeguards on Duty

Just received this email...Remember they are, can be, VERY poisonous so we don't recommend non professionals trying to kill them but perhaps calling C and F would be

"Annie has just called me with a lionfish reportedly being sighted in the Bight at Norman by Chris off White Squall. There are confirmed sightings in St. Croix and Puerto Rico so this may be the real thing! The Reef Environmental Educational Association recommends that the animal be killed and the remains saved. Remember that the dorsal spines are poisonous and since we don't know the species we don't know how dangerous. Be very careful handling these animals but they need to be removed from our waters at every opportunity. Please call either myself at 494-2935 or Clive Petrovich at 495-3012. Sail Caribbean is investigating this sighting this afternoon.

Thanks and be careful out there. REEF says to use a pole spear and avoid touching it even when believed dead."


Lionfish are identified by:
Distinctive red or maroon and white stripes;
Fleshy tentacles above the eyes and mouth,
Fan–like pectoral fins, and
Long separated dorsal spines.
Stings from lionfish can be serious, and should not be taken lightly. Any broken spines should be removed, if possible, and the affected area soaked in non–scalding hot water (100–110° F or 38–43° C) for 15–20 minutes. Lionfish venom contains proteins that are denatured (a structural alteration which disrupts a molecule’s biological activity) by heat, thus, preventing them from spreading in the bloodstream.

If hot water is not available, aspirin, or aspirin with codeine can be taken. (Do not use hot water and aspirin together.) Because possible adverse reactions or secondary infections can occur from lionfish stings, a medical professional should be seen as soon as possible.

If you would like to read more about Lionfish click here http://www.ccfhr.noaa.gov/stressors/invasivespecies/lionfish/welcome.html