Saturday, January 31. 2009
SCUBA Diving off of Buck Island
Feeling very lazy today! I did not drag myself out of bed until noon. Yes, you heard right, 12 PM. Then I made it to the couch and sat on the computer until I felt too guilty (something wrong with me when I feel guilty about taking half a day off isn't there???) and decided to go for a dive off the back end of Buck Island here. It was not a spectacular dive, although, I wish I would have had the wide angle lens on, as there really is some fabulous healthy Pillar Coral at the site, more then I have seen in awhile, so I will go back.
None the less, here are the pictures I took, and will all be deleted after they go up on the blog as there is nothing too great!
A Red Hind with an Isopod on him...
A Squirrel Fish...
I saw a few little lobsters,
And here is a close up of his eyes on the stalks, I love them!
A really nice Flame Helmet with not a mark on him anywhere.
Many Mackeral...
One little Nurse Shark
and probably a dozen squid.
You can see where it would be a very nice snorkel along here on flat calm days, better then on the Hodges Creek side of Buck I believe.
I was chilly when I returned and did not quite understand why my husband did not have hot chocolate waiting for me, so I ate chocolates instead! That is the same isn't it???
None the less, here are the pictures I took, and will all be deleted after they go up on the blog as there is nothing too great!
A Red Hind with an Isopod on him...
A Squirrel Fish...
I saw a few little lobsters,
And here is a close up of his eyes on the stalks, I love them!
A really nice Flame Helmet with not a mark on him anywhere.
Many Mackeral...
One little Nurse Shark
and probably a dozen squid.
You can see where it would be a very nice snorkel along here on flat calm days, better then on the Hodges Creek side of Buck I believe.
I was chilly when I returned and did not quite understand why my husband did not have hot chocolate waiting for me, so I ate chocolates instead! That is the same isn't it???
Friday, January 30. 2009
This is what a day "off" looks like on a charter yacht!
OK People! What is going on here!! It is our days "off" We have been "off" less then 24 hours and the boat looks like this. How does he do it so quickly???
He says he was changing the A/C as it was running warm, but I think he was really just up there so he could be close to the beer locker...
At the same time, he is quite indignant that apparently the rats in the storage locker we have on land ate his "poop hose" This means that he had to sacrifice another water hose to the poop gods. I am nicely working away on the computer when all of a sudden the holding tanks are opened up (yep, smells about what you would think!) and hoses are being recycled with pumps and muriatic acid all day to break down the poop deposits in the lines...The first one was the crew head. He says, "use any other one" Great, except for you had to face the plumbing obstacle course to get near them....
The saloon wings are covered with more "projects"
and all the liquor bottles that live on top of the poop tanks are taking up center stage on the couch! Way back when, in the days of yore, this boat used to have a centerboard. It pointed to wind really well, but the owners before us said "hold on, we are a CHARTER BOAT" liquor storage is much more important then being able to point to wind, so a liquor cabinet was made where the top bit of the centerboard was and the centerboard area was all glassed in. Then, we looked at that large cavenous hole under the liquor and thought "perfect place for a holding tank" (which the original owners did have as well, in the galley where our laundry bin is and decided THAT a laundry bin was way more important then holding tanks in the BVI at that time!
So, yes, we are officially in "maintenance mode" I don't likee this part, no sirree!!!
Someone noticed my Olympus underwater camera and wanted to know if I had any tips on keeping it water tight. Well, you may not want to listen to me, as this is my 4th one in maybe 3 years!! I think every single one has been flooded at the Bubbly Pool, so my first piece of advice is not to take the camera in the Bubbly Pool on Jost and you should be just fine! I love this camera, and take it snorkeling with me constantly, and it lives in my bag when I am off the boat. I snorkel with it daily and have no problem, always rinsing it well in fresh water when I come out of the water. The other thing I notice the camera has a tendency to do, and I think it is from opening and closing the shutter on off button when rinsing it, so i won't do it this time, is to get irritating water marks ONLY when you use a flash at night. I think that is the reason!
Some one else also asked what to do around Long Bay. Keep in mind that I do not know much about land! BUT, if it was me staying there, I would
1) rent a car and go on the back roads from Smugglers around Belmont to Jolly Roger at West End, taking pictures (4 wheel drive)
2) go to Smugglers early in the morning to take pictures. Pretty pretty beach...
3) Drive all the way up the north side by following my nose and taking pictures, you can get all the way up past the prison across from Guana and for the not so scared at heart, you can go right around Beef Island on things that are not much more then Goat Tracks and come out by the Elizabeth Bridge.
4) Go stop and take pics (seeing a theme here?) at the old rum distillery at Brewers Bay. I find it fascinating.
5) Visit the only operating rum factory in Cane Garden Bay
6) On your trip around the island go up to Sky View for the Views, go see the murals on the road that I do not remember its name past the old sugar mill ruins. Windy Hill perhaps?
7) Go eat at Sebastians (casual lunch) at Apple Bay and at Sugar Mill (evening)
Take pictures of Bombas Shack (if you are as old as me, it is too late to stay up to actually go to a full moon party!)
9) Take the Pussers Ferry over from Trellis Bay to see Michael Beans perform at Marina Cay any night MOnday through Thursday.
10) Go for a walk or a drive through the salt flats on Beef Island. See what Hans Creek is all about while there.
11) If you have the ability or the cash, rent a power boat on a FLAT day and zip all over the place, if not, go out on one of the day sailers to go snorkeling, with a group of 8 you should be able to rent your own yacht.
12) Get away from Long Bay Resort to eat. Seriously.
13) Go to the Museum at the old Governors Mansion in town, I personally can spend hours there.
14) Stay away from Cane Garden Bay on Cruise Ship days.
15) I was going to say go snorkeling at Brewers Bay, but I suppose, without a boat you can not get close to the points there to do any snorkeling!
16) Spend a day on Jost and take the ATV tour, and visit White Bay.
Most of my ideas need a vehicle, I just find that taking the taxis is way too much $$$$$$$$$$$$$$ on Tortola.
Fishing, I am afraid I do not know much about from land. You don't need a fishing permit to fish from land, and I believe Surf and Sail at Nanny Cay does renting fishing gear. The best place used to be to fish from the cruise ship pier until they put it behind gates, so I guess you have to do it from any dock that you can get a little ways out on. I know at Harbourview Marina (where we are) there is a fishing boat that goes out. Stop and say hi to us if we are in dock!
I will leave it up to others to extoll the virtues of the various entertainment venues at Cane Garden Bay, I don't believe I have been out there at night for about 9 years if not longer!!
That is it from my brain tonight. Thank you for all the people who say they love my blog, I do enjoy writing it, although sometimes I think people must get awfully bored of reading about us going around in circles week upon week.
This article caught my eye on line today, about the massive troubles, strikes and general disorder they are having in Guadeloupe and boats leaving. This is the first i have head anything about it. You can read the original article here.
Yachts leaves Guadaloupe as strike hits
The general strike in Guadeloupe running in tandem with the situation in Europe took a dramatic turn for the worse yesterday and I regret that it will be necessary to remove the entire Swan charter fleet from the island base in Pointe a Pitre.
Three of our captains are long term residents of the island and they strongly support this action - they feel it has become necessary to do this to preserve not only their own safety but ensure the continued integrity of our Caribbean operations.
Two yachts have already left but two captains are waiting to see how the situation develops as they have domestic responsibilities which would make leaving the island for any length of time difficult. But they will leave if they have to.
Racial tensions have been building up in Guadeloupe over the past week and the absence of food, water and power has created a politically charged and dangerous social situation.
A serious crisis has been evolving this week to the extent that the local population has little food and water left. Inevitably this will put pressure on a situation that could quickly evolve into civil unrest.
The deteriorating situation during this current week has not been well reported locally in the Caribbean or internationally. Following a crisis meeting at the Guadeloupe Prefecture today the authorities are now mobilising the police and armed forces to cope with a strike situation that is predicted to last as long as one month.
Our captains had been staying on their individual yachts as they had not been able to travel to their Guadeloupe homes safely - most forms of transport, including private cars, are now at a standstill due to the lack of fuel in the country. Armed gangs are blockading routes and white French nationals are suddenly being randomly targeted, causing many residents to begin to fear for their safety.
The captains are predicting a good chance of severe civil unrest next week - under these circumstances we were compelled to move the fleet 20 miles south to Les Saintes a) where it is safer and b) where most shops and businesses are still open - this is only an anchoring area with no marina facility. If things do not improve in Guadeloupe very quickly we will then temporarily relocate the fleet to Antigua.
He says he was changing the A/C as it was running warm, but I think he was really just up there so he could be close to the beer locker...
At the same time, he is quite indignant that apparently the rats in the storage locker we have on land ate his "poop hose" This means that he had to sacrifice another water hose to the poop gods. I am nicely working away on the computer when all of a sudden the holding tanks are opened up (yep, smells about what you would think!) and hoses are being recycled with pumps and muriatic acid all day to break down the poop deposits in the lines...The first one was the crew head. He says, "use any other one" Great, except for you had to face the plumbing obstacle course to get near them....
The saloon wings are covered with more "projects"
and all the liquor bottles that live on top of the poop tanks are taking up center stage on the couch! Way back when, in the days of yore, this boat used to have a centerboard. It pointed to wind really well, but the owners before us said "hold on, we are a CHARTER BOAT" liquor storage is much more important then being able to point to wind, so a liquor cabinet was made where the top bit of the centerboard was and the centerboard area was all glassed in. Then, we looked at that large cavenous hole under the liquor and thought "perfect place for a holding tank" (which the original owners did have as well, in the galley where our laundry bin is and decided THAT a laundry bin was way more important then holding tanks in the BVI at that time!
So, yes, we are officially in "maintenance mode" I don't likee this part, no sirree!!!
Someone noticed my Olympus underwater camera and wanted to know if I had any tips on keeping it water tight. Well, you may not want to listen to me, as this is my 4th one in maybe 3 years!! I think every single one has been flooded at the Bubbly Pool, so my first piece of advice is not to take the camera in the Bubbly Pool on Jost and you should be just fine! I love this camera, and take it snorkeling with me constantly, and it lives in my bag when I am off the boat. I snorkel with it daily and have no problem, always rinsing it well in fresh water when I come out of the water. The other thing I notice the camera has a tendency to do, and I think it is from opening and closing the shutter on off button when rinsing it, so i won't do it this time, is to get irritating water marks ONLY when you use a flash at night. I think that is the reason!
Some one else also asked what to do around Long Bay. Keep in mind that I do not know much about land! BUT, if it was me staying there, I would
1) rent a car and go on the back roads from Smugglers around Belmont to Jolly Roger at West End, taking pictures (4 wheel drive)
2) go to Smugglers early in the morning to take pictures. Pretty pretty beach...
3) Drive all the way up the north side by following my nose and taking pictures, you can get all the way up past the prison across from Guana and for the not so scared at heart, you can go right around Beef Island on things that are not much more then Goat Tracks and come out by the Elizabeth Bridge.
4) Go stop and take pics (seeing a theme here?) at the old rum distillery at Brewers Bay. I find it fascinating.
5) Visit the only operating rum factory in Cane Garden Bay
6) On your trip around the island go up to Sky View for the Views, go see the murals on the road that I do not remember its name past the old sugar mill ruins. Windy Hill perhaps?
7) Go eat at Sebastians (casual lunch) at Apple Bay and at Sugar Mill (evening)
Take pictures of Bombas Shack (if you are as old as me, it is too late to stay up to actually go to a full moon party!)9) Take the Pussers Ferry over from Trellis Bay to see Michael Beans perform at Marina Cay any night MOnday through Thursday.
10) Go for a walk or a drive through the salt flats on Beef Island. See what Hans Creek is all about while there.
11) If you have the ability or the cash, rent a power boat on a FLAT day and zip all over the place, if not, go out on one of the day sailers to go snorkeling, with a group of 8 you should be able to rent your own yacht.
12) Get away from Long Bay Resort to eat. Seriously.
13) Go to the Museum at the old Governors Mansion in town, I personally can spend hours there.
14) Stay away from Cane Garden Bay on Cruise Ship days.
15) I was going to say go snorkeling at Brewers Bay, but I suppose, without a boat you can not get close to the points there to do any snorkeling!
16) Spend a day on Jost and take the ATV tour, and visit White Bay.
Most of my ideas need a vehicle, I just find that taking the taxis is way too much $$$$$$$$$$$$$$ on Tortola.
Fishing, I am afraid I do not know much about from land. You don't need a fishing permit to fish from land, and I believe Surf and Sail at Nanny Cay does renting fishing gear. The best place used to be to fish from the cruise ship pier until they put it behind gates, so I guess you have to do it from any dock that you can get a little ways out on. I know at Harbourview Marina (where we are) there is a fishing boat that goes out. Stop and say hi to us if we are in dock!
I will leave it up to others to extoll the virtues of the various entertainment venues at Cane Garden Bay, I don't believe I have been out there at night for about 9 years if not longer!!
That is it from my brain tonight. Thank you for all the people who say they love my blog, I do enjoy writing it, although sometimes I think people must get awfully bored of reading about us going around in circles week upon week.
This article caught my eye on line today, about the massive troubles, strikes and general disorder they are having in Guadeloupe and boats leaving. This is the first i have head anything about it. You can read the original article here.
Yachts leaves Guadaloupe as strike hits
The general strike in Guadeloupe running in tandem with the situation in Europe took a dramatic turn for the worse yesterday and I regret that it will be necessary to remove the entire Swan charter fleet from the island base in Pointe a Pitre.
Three of our captains are long term residents of the island and they strongly support this action - they feel it has become necessary to do this to preserve not only their own safety but ensure the continued integrity of our Caribbean operations.
Two yachts have already left but two captains are waiting to see how the situation develops as they have domestic responsibilities which would make leaving the island for any length of time difficult. But they will leave if they have to.
Racial tensions have been building up in Guadeloupe over the past week and the absence of food, water and power has created a politically charged and dangerous social situation.
A serious crisis has been evolving this week to the extent that the local population has little food and water left. Inevitably this will put pressure on a situation that could quickly evolve into civil unrest.
The deteriorating situation during this current week has not been well reported locally in the Caribbean or internationally. Following a crisis meeting at the Guadeloupe Prefecture today the authorities are now mobilising the police and armed forces to cope with a strike situation that is predicted to last as long as one month.
Our captains had been staying on their individual yachts as they had not been able to travel to their Guadeloupe homes safely - most forms of transport, including private cars, are now at a standstill due to the lack of fuel in the country. Armed gangs are blockading routes and white French nationals are suddenly being randomly targeted, causing many residents to begin to fear for their safety.
The captains are predicting a good chance of severe civil unrest next week - under these circumstances we were compelled to move the fleet 20 miles south to Les Saintes a) where it is safer and b) where most shops and businesses are still open - this is only an anchoring area with no marina facility. If things do not improve in Guadeloupe very quickly we will then temporarily relocate the fleet to Antigua.
Thursday, January 29. 2009
The end of another charter week...
We said good bye to our Alabamans this morning and put them safely on the ferry. They were all sad to go, it was a few days that went way too quickly! I love reading the guests comments afterwards...
I don't want to leave!! Check the boat after everyone is gone, you may find me! PLEASE don't send me home! I have enjoyed you guys so much. The food, drinks, scenery and company has been excellent. Your hospitality is top notch and we all want to come back. Thanks and see you soon! RENEE ALABAMA
KEEP ME HERE! NANCY AND FRANK
Talk about exceeding expectations! This trip did just that. We never imagined such fun and such beauty. Thanks for showing us another part of God's creation, and in such royal style! You all 3 have an incredible gift for extending hospitality and making sure that a good time is had by all! You the best, and thanks so much for some wonderful memories! PS: The last day was over the top! JOEL AND PATTI, ALABAMA
Great Trip, we'll be back! FRACTIOUS FRANK
Steve and I will never be the same, you all gave us a stress free, fun and exciting five days- food, service, lots of laughter- no other vacation will ever come close. We wish each of you all the best and hope to see you again. CONNIE
Thanks for making our trip to the BVI the most wonderful trip ever. the memories and laughter will last a lifetime. If I could only have stayed a little longer...EDEN, TN
Today was a busy day! I have two new cameras!!! (I know you find that hard to believe!) yes, two more cameras of the kinds I already have, don't even ask. We did some shopping, retrieved our mail and at 7 PM we are just about to enter to tuck up on our dock for a very well deserved rest. Sorry, not much of interest today to blog about so off I go.
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