Da Caribbean News Ledda
Er we rrr again me hartys standin on da foredeck, lookin out
beyond da yardarms wunderin what da rest of ya rr doin.
At de moment we begettin lots of wind an rain, just like we had last year
at this time. The roads are full of pot holes and the ocean is brown from
all the washoff. But the good thing about this time of year is that our islands
are green and our cisterns are full.
As I type this letter, huge waves are breaking into Cane Garden Bay. The whole
of the bay is almost joined by white water from breaking waves. I wish I was
out there with the other die hard surfers, but this little red indian has
the flu bad, so I'm hoping in a few days the swell will stay around so I can
get my share of waves, after I'm feeling better. I have a new board which
is taking my surfing to a new level, so I can't wait to get back in the water.
Lucie and Sarah are still coming to terms with the backlash of returning from
England, For the first week they were shaking off the time difference problems
and now we just need to get rid of colds that you tend to get every time you
travel. A few more days and I bet we'll have it licked.
Sarah has started a new crop in the garden and as you can imagine with the
rain, everything is growing like crazy. She has planted arugula, watermelon,
corn, bok choy, passion fruit, sun flower and a multitude of various herbs
and flowers. It's great when we can use herbs and veggies from our own garden
in our meals. Sarah still cooks all of Lucie's meals, so I think she is the
real benefactor of the locally grown crops. It will probably be the butt of
all jokes when she is 6ft tall at ten years old.
The 2004 BVI boat show has just finished for another year. There didn't seem
to be half as many brokers as the previous years, but then the weather was
lousy and may have kept a few away. Now that the show is behind us we can
now welcome the new charter season. Usually at this time, bookings start to
flood in for the next few months. Lionheart however already has a full calendar
for next year except for a couple of quiet months. Most brokers were very
supportive of the captain only concept and are eager to book at any opportunity.
This year we have slightly raised the prices and have included a few lay days
between each charter so I can spend more time with the family. Last year I
did 11 weeks charter back to back with only a hand full of days in between.
This old fella can't keep doing that for too long. So this year we want to
spread it out a little more.
During the tail end of the hurricane season Lionheart was out chartering in
pristine conditions. Gentle breezes, warm and clear, clear waters and hardly
another boat in sight to bother us. A truly perfect time of the year. We manage
to get in some incredible diving and during the very last charter managed
to explore the southern side of Ginger and Cooper during absolutely flat conditions
with zero wind. I can't believe how much of these islands I still don't know
about. It seems that every now and then when the opportunity arises, another
door to this paradise opens up. I can't wait for the next adventure.
Quito's, for those of you who don't know is one of the local musicians and
restaurant owner here at Cane Garden Bay, has almost completed his renovations
to his restaurant and bar. It is much larger than the previous building, obviously
concentrating on the entertainment side of his clientele. The building is
still sitting on the waters edge looking out over one of the most spectacular
views, anywhere in the world. With the large swells we have had, the waves
wash right up under his building giving a new meaning to a restaurant on the
water.
During the last few weeks we have had the return off cruise ships, sometimes
2 and 3 of them at time. They certainly are a strange breed of people. Some
of these boats have as many as 5,000 people on them, so when they decide to
do something or go somewhere, they come in droves. The beach here at Cane
Garden is often jam packed with people and unfortunately, the only people
making money out of this inconvenience are the taxi drivers and off course
the local guy who owns the cruise ship dock, who laughing all the way to the
bank. The rich get richer syndrome.
Well this man is not going to get rich sitting here typing with one finger
so best I send this and get on with some real work.
I hope these few words find you all well in you corner of the world.
Take care of one another.
Mobbsie