Da Caribbean News Ledda


Welcome one and all to the March letter of know it all.

First off, this month has been one of the busiest of all time, in fact this year is gearing up to be one of the biggest we've ever had! Last year Lionheart treated 12 groups to a wonderful time in our waters. This year already we have done 10 out of 20 confirmations with a few more waiting in the wings. It seems that most people have finally pushed the hardships of the world to one side and are getting on with their lives, and that means holidays as well.

I still feel like the luckiest captain around as I hear of horror stories from other groups having hardships with boats and crew. Lionheart is holding up amazingly well. She still looks better today than the first day I boarded her. This has a lot to do with the type of guests she has had on board, each aware of the constant battle and dedication it takes to keep this fine lady looking good. I still haven't had a bad crew and I keep my fingers crossed that this fortune will continue.

The sad thing about being away so often is not seeing my favourite girls Lucie and Sarah. Sometimes when I come back from a long charter it takes a little time for Lucie to bond with me again, which worries me to no end. This is one component of the job that I watch very carefully. I may have to share the charter load with someone else so I am able to spend more time at home. We'll see how things develop.

Shadow, our faithful pooch is developing into a great dog. He's still not a particularly big dog, but his intellectual level is growing in leaps and bounds. He had a week at doggie school which has done him, and us, a world of good. He is good with the basic commands and is just starting to realize that this house is not his, but ours. He is now slightly bigger than Lucie so he just charges around the house quite often knocking poor Lucie down. But then he gets his share when Lucie jumps onto his back from a great height. What goes around comes around. The goats are still visiting our yard in the early hours of the morning. It seems they know when Shadow is unable to get out of the house to chase them away.

The weather lately is really great. A little rain at night mostly and then gentle winds and clear skies. The water temperature has dropped to about 82 degrees while air temp is still sitting around 85 to 87 degrees, making it quite refreshing when swimming. The islands are beautifully green at the moment and our beloved vegetable garden is boiling over with fresh veggies for the dinner table. Sarah has done a wonderful job on her garden. I just hope the bigger fence that I built will stop the goats forever.

The swell has been up for most of the month so I've missed a lot of good days surfing while I've been chartering, but I've made up for it during some remarkable dives. Visibility for diving has been as good as 80 feet, a little on the cool side, but even if you're a wimp like me you'll only need a 1ml wetsuit just to keep the old bones warm. In the next few months I only have a couple of charters so that will be my opportunity to strap the leg rope on and head for the waves. I hope I will also have some time to make some more boards.

There have been some subtle changes to some of the businesses around town. The first and probably the most important for those people who intend coming back to these waters, is that the professional provisioners called Ample Hamper have just closed their doors permanently. We are now using Bobby's Marketplace instead. They were a little shady when we first started using them, but it seems they now have their act together and are producing the goods. Bobby's are also very close to Lionheart, so it's all worked out for the better.

Willy T has lost a few of it's identities but continues to thrive on its previous reputation, and I must say that the meals at Willy T's are outstanding. Pirates (previously known as Billy Bones) is starting to gain a little more character as more flags are put up and the services gets better and better. When Pirates took over from Billy Bones they pulled all the memorabilia down and painted the whole place white which made it very antiseptic, but now the Pirates gang are starting to put their own flavour to it which I think will work.

Jost Van Dyke has seen some changes in that they now have moorings in front of Ivan's at White Bay which makes it much safer to leave the big boat in White Bay while you take the dinghy around to Great Harbour for a meal. Foxy has started a new restaurant and bar on the eastern end of the island called Diamond Reef. It is facing Sandy Spit and is in quite a protected area from north or easterly winds that often come up, so in time to come I'm sure the old Fox is onto something good.

As I watch another spectacular sunset over our beloved Cane Garden Bay finishing another day in the life and times of this modern day pirate, I bid you all farewell.

Take care of one another.

Mobbsie