bvi captains log blog

I have been on this yacht for 12 years now and NEVER, not once, been up the mast. Nor have I had a desire too, not particularly liking heights.
This morning I was minding my own business, chopping up things for ceviche in the galley when my husband came into the galley and mentioned that he thought I should go up to the top of the mast and take some pictures. It must have been the energy drink I had in my hand, but I thought "yes, I should" the colors of the water, sky and reefs were outstanding today. It was a very small moment of bravery followed by wondering what in the hell I had agreed to.
He promised me that i did not actually have to climb the mast, that they would winch me up....
GULP... I first asked him if he had the queen sized version of the harness and what it was rated for!

He desperately tried not to giggle as he was refitting me...(smart man)

I took extra lenses with me, as I wanted to get some wide angles of the boat as well as the sea...

My heart was beating quickly and I shrieked quite a bit going up!

By the time I reached the top there was not a chance I was changing lenses, so I blindly swept around taking a few pictures...

They yelled up that I could let go of the mast and lean back, but their was not one single chance in hell that i was doing that!













Then I wanted down quickly, and that will be the last time for the next 12 years I do that! Yes, it was nice.
I did start a trend though, and EVERYONE on the boat took a trip up the mast! That is right people, the 84 year olds made less noise then I did going up this darn thing!!







This is such a beautiful corner of Anegada, a trip was made to Conch Mountain. The mountain was mentioned hundreds of years ago in records and our guests always love going to see it. Today was no exception.



Bazza mentioned something about him staying up wind of the performance!




Some snorkeled, and Sting Rays and Nurse Sharks were seen today...

After lunch we took a long leisurely spinnaker run down to Raffling Point on the other side of Anegada, catching a random barracuda and yellow tail snapper, but nothing edible.
All are now walking on the beach and I am heating the oil for conch fritters! The charter yacht ZIngara had the incredible good fortune of taking pictures of an ORCA, about an hour and a half from St Croix! I never even knew we had any down here!

Bazza must be going back to his Australian roots here! I have to remind him that it is MY hat not his!

Brent laptop had a problem. Brent was quite concerned when Bazza said he would look at it and it was in a billion pieces in his workshop. Apparently they all went back where they belonged and are working again any how...

First up today was a trip to the Baths. I am sure Irma is just snorkeling, but she looks like a seal who has lost her way to me...

Brent herded cats around the Baths I understand this morning, they were going every which way and when he came back he said I had to give them less options. For example, "You have two choices here guys, you can either take the dinghy to shore, OR you can go to shore by dinghy" He thinks that might help solve his problem! We will see...

Anyways they had a nice walk through the rocks, some just went backwards and double back as well...





After all that exercise it was time for some napping on board...



I saw Bazza come out the south side of the Baths and thought maybe he was
1) going trolling
2) getting out so he could get the spinnaker up
3) going to st martin
after this happening for awhile I finally had to give in and ask, and the answer was, hitting the south drop off so we could troll along it....I understand that we caught half a dozen fish, sushi grade tuna and sushimi grade tuna, mackerel (that somehow was let loose while someone went to find a knife...so much for dinner)...a rainbow runner and a couple barracudas...

This gave Brent a promotion from sous chef to chef as it is quite a bit of work to get the sushimi ready. I happily went down to sous chef and gathered up plates and drinks and took them upstairs for him!

IT all went at cocktail hour anyways...

We had a flat enough day that by the time we made it to the Rocus on the Anegada Reef we stopped for a snorkel, and a dive...
A school of some type of Jacks right under the boat. They were not the usual ones we see...

The winches on the 380 foot long wreck...

Fish...

Snorkelers...

More snorkelers...







Found our diver....

I quite like this picture...



A few groupers hanging around...











and an anemone right out in the open...

Some hummed the theme song of Titanic I am sure!

Some gathered to watch the hunters...

Some just assumed the afternoon position...



Some waited around for cocktail hour...

We are anchored right up by conch mountain, and of course, the scenery and sunset is spectacular. There is a nice breeze, the humidity is low and there is not a boat in sight. We cannot complain about that too much!

Barbecued ribs for dinner tonight...

I think the main entertainment is going to be watching the stars tonight. They will be gorgeous out here, tomorrow is a trip to see conch mountain, a snorkel and then probably to the beaches of Anegada...

Well this group mostly made it all the way over from Seattle Washington over a couple days and here they are arriving at our dock in the British Virgin Islands!

The first sit down...



Andy and his wife Irma were on Promenade probably 15 years ago and have now brought their children instead of their rowdy friends from the last time! 15 years ago was before we owned the boat.....

We had our "boat talk" while sailing up the channel to the Baths over cocktail hour...

Of course we had a laughing gull permanently on our engine, and we tried to feed him a cracker which he could not get to, the winds apparently were not right!

Brent did his towel demonstrations... and we anchored at the Baths right on sunset, so that gives us a perfect spot to explore the Baths in the morning.

8 guests this week! A piece of cake!!!

SwimVacation
Summer Newsletter 2009


Hi fellow swimmers.

What will you discover on your SwimVacation? A secluded island cay? A better crawl stroke? A baby sea turtle? Our clients have discovered all of these things and more while swimming and playing in the crystal clear waters of the British Virgin Islands.

Our all-inclusive 7-day open water swimming adventures aboard a 65 foot trimaran sailing yacht are the perfect way to get in touch with your adventurous side. Experience swimming as it should be; warm, safe water, beautiful scenery, and a big soft towel waiting for you back on the yacht.

SwimVacation hosts swimmers with a very wide array of abilities. Our motto (one of them) is "your distance at your pace". Join us on an upcoming trip; we can't wait to swim with you.


NEXT TRIP: NOVEMBER 8-14, 2009

Early November is a great time to visit paradise; uncrowded airports, sunny days, and warm breezy nights are typical. Our trips are limited to about 9 guests, and they fill up fast! Don't miss out - make your reservation today and get ready for an amazing aquatic adventure.

Guest rooms are available for singles, couples, and friends.
THE YACHT PROMENADE


One of the things that makes SwimVacation so special is the fact that we live right on the water for the whole week. This gives us the flexibility to find the best swimming conditions every day. The vessel that makes it all possible is the Promenade, as 65 foot long, 35 foot wide trimaran sailing yacht. The three hulls allow for a very smooth, stable sailing experience. The roomy cockpit has a permanent shade awning where we take our meals and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the islands. The staterooms are spacious and well-appointed, and fully air conditioned when needed. There is plenty of deck space for stretching out, and the trampoline is a favorite spot for napping or watching the blue waters beneath go by.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS ARE SAYING

"My experience with SwimVacation onboard the Promenade in December 2008 was FANTASTIC! It was the perfect break from the months of swimming with that black line on the pool bottom staring me in the face...The food was great, the sailing was thrilling, and the staff and other swimmers were the BEST...Now that I'm home and back in the pool, I know I'm swimming more efficiently as a result of the underwater video taping and stroke analysis session...One of my workout buddies asked me the other day if I would go on that BVI swim trip again. Without hesitation I answered, 'Yes I would!'" Linda C. Georgetown, TX

Feel free to contact us with any questions at (207) 975-5489 or SwimVacation@me.com, visit our web site at Swim Vacation
Let's go swimming!

Sincerely,
Hopper McDonough

The BVI Tourism Board and the BVI SCUBA Operators were hosting various SCUBA writers and photographers from around the world here this past week. Some were freelance, some were not. They spent the entire week in the BVI diving our sites, staying in our hotels and getting a feel for our beautiful island. Although they attempted to get around and dive with everyone, we were on charter this past week.

Abi O'Neal, who is Director of Watersports Marketing at the Tourism Board (I am sure I am paraphrasing your title Abi! Sorry!!) did a great job of hustling all her little "chickens" around as she called them. I was especially pleased that she took the extra time to ensure that those who could not visit with these journalists during the week, had a venue last night where we could come and show off our wares. This was held at "Ginnys" in the new Moorings Expansion. A lovely spot it is too. There were actual honest to god FLUSH toilets (modern ones) with NO waste basket beside them to throw your toilet paper into!! That was pretty impressiveI thought..No sign on the door either telling you not to put paper in the toilet...
Anyways, I digress, you can tell that i have lived on an island for too long!
One of the main purposes of this event was to start promoting WRECK WEEK 2010 which will be held June 12th through 19th, 2010! Now that is exciting!

I made the Director of Tourism, and Abi stand still for a billionth picture of the week!

When I arrived everyone was busy setting up their little tables, although most have had an opportunity to visit already this week........

My little spot for Promenade looks pretty bare, but considering I managed to do all my appetizer and dinner prep work at lighting speed on Friday so I could make if from Salt Island INTO Roadtown at 5:00 on a Friday afternoon for this, I did ok. My guests will be glad to know that I did manage to put on a Promenade Tshirt!

Jim Scheiner of Rainbow Visions was showing some of his beautiful photography that he mounts on canvas...

Mike Rowe of Sail Caribbean Divers is looking very professional here at his space...

Muffy from Blue Water Divers...

Colin from Jost Van Dyke SCUBA, talking to the "tall fellow", John Bantin the Technical Editor for DIVER magazine out of the UK...

The beautiful buffet set up in Ginnys.

Did you know that Ginny's has an ice cream bar in it? Well, neither did I! Although it appears that Abi knew exactly where it was!! She deserves it after a week of taking divers around the BVI!

Jim Scheiner is doing some beautiful panoramic photography which he displayed. Here is one he did of the saloon on Cuan Law, calling it the "SpaceSHIP Cuan Law!" Very nice...

I could not convince Mark from Peter Island Divers to stand at his table, so I just took a picture of the table!

I seem to have misplaced this nice young gentlemans card. He is based out of Puerto Rico and works with the BVI Tourist Board as well as writing travel articles for Puerto Rico's largest newspaper. He covers the BVI extensively as we all know that the Puerto Ricans LOVE the BVI!! We also found a shared love of COSTCO in Puerto Rico. Sigh...

Here are all the writers and photographers coming in, I believe they were stolen from Charley"s Bar!


I felt a lot of enthusiasm from everyone, and even with just that short time, I was glad I had made it over. I am sure all who dove with them this week have many photo's and stories, which hopefully we will hear about!

Our group included an Editor who wrote for a group of Magazines in Germany, A photo editor from Argentina, A photo Coordinator for a travel group in Mexico, Contributing Editors to Dive Training magazine, and a Canadian that I would not let get away until we talked and bonded over "ehs" Rob is an Executive Producer for Dive Zero in Kelowna BC and not having lived in Canada for awhile, I promised him that I would go on the website and see what it was all about! I believe they do many web TV channels on SCUBA and travel, but our internet is never fast enough on the boat to do too much of those things. COnsidering it has been off for the past 18 hours.....

It was also nice to run into Mauricio Handler, (great photographer and friend) who is coming over for dinner in a couple weeks (you hear that people! I have a few days OFF and I am voluntarily going to be COOKING DINNER for friends!!!! GO figure!)

I quickly scurried back to East End to drop off the car, the dinghy picked me up, took me out to Beef Bluff and I managed to get dinner on the table right on time and then make discs of pictures for the guests to take home!

CCT Internet has been down since Last night, I am huddling in the car stealing someone's connection to upload this!

What can I say? When Brent dresses up to go to Willy T's he really gets dressed up! Look pretty dapper there (Is that the word I am looking for? Perhaps not...)

Most went over to Willy T's for a drink, although there were not many hanging around. Not that our group needs any help to party!

We have these two birds that are obviously land birds that we think are or have made a nest up "somewhere" on our masts! They have been with us for about 5 days now. All the time. They make nice chirping noises! I don't know what kind they are, have to get a better picture!



We made our way up to Roadtown for a stop to get some diesel and then over to Salt Island to dive the Rhone. There were quite a few boats and it was a bit swelly with the wind from the southeast. We decided then to make our way over to Beef Bluff for the afternoon. Meredith and ALicia took the tourist picture...

We managed to get the gang together (under protest) to take a few pictures that Joann wanted of the group...





Everyone just lazed around and enjoyed their last afternoon on the boat. I had to go to town for a Tourist Board and BVISO (BVI SCUBA Organization) event, which of course I took pictures of and will put up next entry!



You all have been wonderful hosts. We love Promenade and its toys. I want to especially thank the boys for putting up with my "kids" Brent was a "hoot" during evening to morning drinking games. Simeon and I spent a lot of AM's together, since we were first up. Diving was great. Kerry your cooking was wonderful , now I have to lose an extra 15 lbs. Finally Baz, better luck fishing next charter! MICHAEL, ORLANDO

I'd like to thank you for the most relaxing , fun and adventurous vacation of my life. In one week, I saw the Caribbean for the first time, and ate more delicious food in a seven day period then ever before. I really appreciate brent's and Simeon's wake boarding teaching techniques. Brent was encouraging enough to stick with me until i got up and SImeon's blunt question (What the F*** was that? as opposed to Brent's encouraging manner!. Editorial note) had me up the next time. The trip was perfect and every member of the crew was great. DO Less. HUNTER

Thank you for a wonderful time. The food was great. The service was great. It was so much fun to be on the boat for the last week. Thanks for Everything, Jo ANN, ORLANDO,

What a wonderful adventure. Everything was amazing. This was such a relaxing time. I just wish it did not fly by so quickly. Thank you for everything, all of you do to make this vacation so perfect. Happy Sailing. KATIE

Thank you for such a great time! I loved the private locations we were able to see. The food, entertainment, drinking games, etc. will be in my memories forever. ALICIA, KISSIMMEE

Thank you for the experience, fishing, diving, snorkeling and the best dinghy safari ever! SAMMY, KISSIMMEE

Thank you all so much for such a wonderful vacation. I had such an amazing time. While I am going to try to forget some of Brent's drinking games, this was without a doubt one of our families most unforgettable vacations. Thanks again. MEREDITH

From the moment I kissed Brent's cheek, I knew that this trip would be special. Kerry, your breakfast burrito's were magical. Simeon, thanks for the scowls and early nights. I think I'll miss you the most. Have a safe trip wherever you may travel. Bazza, thanks for keeping Sammy busy fishing, Brent, I owe you a pirate challenge stop. BRYAN, BOSTON

On another note, the 3rd of July is Fishermans Day here, for those who are around and interested