Leadership in a storm

The extraordinary political chaos and financial meltdown yesterday got me thinking about two scenes from the film "Master and Commander".

The first is not in a storm as you might expect but in the comfort of the rear cabin as Captain Jack Aubrey entertains his senior offices to dinner. He poses a puzzle to his friend and ship's surgeon Dr Stephen Maturin.

Given two weevils that have crawled out a piece of bread he invites Stephen to choose one. After much consideration the doctor says that one is larger and healthier than the other and hence would be his choice as it would sustain him longer.

"Wrong!" proclaims Aubrey, "In this service you must choose the lesser of two 'eevils!"

Cue much merriment, followed by songs and heels thumping hard on deck. However a short while later in a fierce storm (above) the Captain is indeed to make a hard choice. Weckage of a mast about to threaten the whole ship to capsize and sink, but attached to it is a crewman.

Aubrey can either save the one crewman or the whole ship, and selects the lesser of the two evils.

Yesterday the political leaders were given a similar choice involving not ships but a staggering $700 billion. But by doing nothing share values fell world wide by a greater amount.

It brings to mind the whole question of what is leadership? What makes, for example, a good skipper?

A number of things come to mind. Competence and understanding of the business in hand are essential, but there are a range of other abilities - to delegate, to inspire trust, to not buckle under pressure, to be able to decide and prioritise, to motivate, to concentrate on getting the job done, to be focus of life, and many more.

Similar skills are needed in many other places - from running a small business to working out what to do with a trillion of dollars worth of toxic debt. I hope a bit more of these leadership skills will be visible when the congressional leaders roll into their offices tomorrow morning at 8am.

Caribbean Airlines

Small isn't necessarily a bad thing in the travel industry. In fact, for years I have seen a growing trend in my clients requesting smaller, more intimate hotels, namely boutique hotels. Whether or not Caribbean Airlines wants this title, I feel they do qualify as a boutique airline. The beauty of smaller companies is often more attention to detail, a lower staff to guest ratio, and overall more personalized service. Well, the Trinidad based Caribbean Airlines offers all of the above.

I don't usually take a stand on recommending one airline over another - honestly, at this point in time all the major players have disappointed me and my clients with last minute inconvenient schedule changes, fare hikes, and commission cuts. I am loyal to Air Jamaica - primarily from my own wonderful experiences of flying with them on over 50 occasions. But, the smaller Caribbean Airlines deserves attention too! Caribbean Airlines is available to book directly or through many wholesalers, including one of my favorites, Travel Impressions. Caribbean Airlines service the following islands: Antigua, Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, Caracas, Guyana, and Surinam from Fort. Laurderale, Toronto, Miami, London, or New York.
Let me know if I can arrange your next vacation with Caribbean Airlines!

Natural Navigation

I am a Natural Navigator!

On Friday was lucky enough to learn the principles and practice of natural navigation at the first public course of its kind, run by my old sailing chum Tristan Gooley.

There were six of us around tables at the headquarters of the Royal Geographical Society, the building where legendary explorers like Shackleton made their plans, pouring over maps in the great library.

It was fascinating, and the course was built about a framework of connecting the basic principles and theory to the employment of them in practice. It drew on all of the senses - not just sight, but hearing, touch, smell, and even taste!

So for example Tristan got me to walk towards a wall with my eyes closed and hands behind my back to the point I was not confident about hitting it any more. He then got me to walk again but this time saying "la la la" and successfully showed how I could confidently walk closer to the wall, relying bat-like on the sound reflections to give basic navigational information.

He also tried to re-create the smell of land that we experienced after crossing the Atlantic on the ARC - which for him was a mixture of grasses. Alas my nose must have been deadened by the rich aroma of six-sailors on a boat to remember it clearly.

And it was not surprisingly the sailing that most drew my attention. I was really enjoyed hearing about the early sailors - such as the extraordinary voyage of Pytheas the Greek who went out through the "pillars of Hercules" into the Atlantic and on not just to Britain, but maybe even to Iceland!

In those old days most journeys were within sight of land during the day, picking up reference points by sight.

But how did the Polynesians manage to cross the Pacific? One of the high spots of the course to me was discovering how they used the variation in oceanic swell to gain information about their location, taking into account changes in waves near land, the reflection of swell towards the direction it travels, and the diffraction of swell around an island.

The why? was also important. Its not just the safety aspect - though that's important because electronics such as GPS can fail (and did for a time for us on the ARC). And even a basic compass (such as in the picture above sitting on the certificate) can become disorientated.

But more importantly its about increasing your experience and awareness, relating your mental map of where you are to the greater world around you, to realise you are journeying across a globe that is spinning in space around our sun hanging in the deepest of dark space surrounded by millions of stars.

Strongly recommend.

My Beach Baby

My daughter has been raised around the beach... from 2 years living in Miami, weekend trips from Atlanta to Hilton Head, and most importantly bi-annual trips to the Caribbean. She feels at home on the sand and it shows. These are some of my favorite shots from a special Mommie-Daughter trip we took in 2006.





I just returned from an adults-only vacation in Nassau and really missed my children. While I feel blessed to have the opportunity to run away with my husband from time to time, showing my children the world is one of my favorite things. Enjoy!

Harry Potter Goes Sailing

Hermione was not amused. "You're not doing it right, Ron", she said.

Ron shrugged. "But this is how wizards and witchs sail" he said.

"But we are meant to be learning about muggle sailing" Hermione said, "and muggle boats float in the water, not two metres above it. And the sails are all wrong as is the replacement for the diesel engine."

Ron turned to Harry. "What to you think?" he asked.

Harry sighed. It was meant to be a pleasant day out to recover from the battle to defeat ultimate evil himself, Voldemort, but as usual his friends bickering put a damper on it. Would they never get to see the Chesapeake Bay's legendary fire crabs cake-walk?

"Well Ron", he said, "I can see what Hermione means about the sail. Replacing a Bermuda rig and custom North Sails by a Pirates of the Caribbean style square rigger with sails full of hole's isn't that authentic is it?"

"But it looks better! Much more spooky - and we are being propelled by magic not aerodynamics so what do the holes matter? Anyhow, you must admit the backup engine is a lot better than diesel".

Harry said nothing. In his heart of hearts he had to agree that a Bulgarian dragon attached to a tow rope was a lot cooler than a Volvo Penta engine.

At that moment the ship juddered to a halt.

"What the?" they said as one.

Harry waved his wand as he had seen Dumbledore do. He frowned "Seems like we've been stopped by powerful counter-magic spell".

Herminone waved her wand as Dumbledore actually did it. "We have encountered a level 2 African charm to prevent witches from approaching a certain....". She waved her wand again and out of its tip swarmed fire flies that darted from side to side until arranging them selves into the letters "S A R A H P A L I N".

There was silence for a moment, then Ron said "So there's nothing to stop wizards then".

Harry glared at him but it was too late as Hermione said "No there isn't Mr Ron Weasley and if you feel like that I turned down an invite from Ginny to go to a Weird Sisters concert and if I'm not wanted here then I'll see you later". With a flash she had disparated and was gone.

"Oh" said Ron.

"You've done it now" said Harry, as the boat started to move again.

"At least we'll get to see the fire crabs"

"Yup - but will Hermione forgive you?"

There was a silence, till Ron said wistfully "Maybe its time to practice those African counter charm curses!"

Sailing Expert Advises Republicans!

Howdy folks, its Buff Staysail here, Buff by name and Buff by nature!

Well ol' JP has his feet up with what those limies call a bit of a lurgy so its up to yours truly to take over and post on his behalf. Don't worry, JP, there's no need to hurry back - just you rest!

Well I've been out and about reporting on sailing and the US elections and boy has it been a whirl-wind of a ride! And that was before the financial markets tanked causing all sorts of casualties even in the normal placid world of sailing.

Yes, that's right, even Tillerman has been affected, temporarily retiring to the bar for a pint or two of the amber nectar.

And why not -after all that's my natural home. And it was with tinnie in hand that I come up with my greatest ideas, and this was no exception.

What, I pondered after a couple of swift ones, could the US elections learn from sailing? Bingo - it came to me!

In a flash I rang the Republican contact I got at the convention and asked for Sarah. Alas she was too busy listening to talk, but her aide said he'd pass my message on and would get right back to me. Of course it would be a shame to leak what surely will become Republican strategy to the liberal media, but JP's hit count is surely too low to be of concern.

So my magic idea is this - bring in the idea of the race "discard" into the presidential election. Lets say you've got a problem - call it "troopergate" - or you can't remember how many houses you've got. Bit embarrassing isn't it?

However in the new Buff tactics you just call it your discard and with one bound you're free to go on the attack again!

And why stop there? The current election process with electoral college has come for some criticism, maybe for being too simple, so why not introduce a discard there? Each candidate counts up the votes it wins from each state and then discards one or more with the lowest votes! Think of the tactical opportunities there!

Yup, amazing or what! Buff, says I, give up this sailing writing lark and get a job as a GOP lobbyist!

The Angry Sailor

This is Griff Rys Jones racing his classic boat for the BBC TV series "Three men in another boat". Things didn't go very well, so he did this whole angry sailor act shouting at the crew.

Only it wasn't an act. Griff admitted to flying into a rage, loosing control, not just on this race, but on others, as well on dry land.

And in another program yesterday his examined the subject of anger, how controlled - for example at injustice - it can be a motivator, but uncontrolled it can destroy, literally and emotionally.

I'm sure we've all heard of cases of those with short fuses and those that change from mild mannered Dr Jekyll to raging Mr Hyde when the 5 minute gun goes, though in general I've been very lucky in avoiding such types.

It really doesn't help anyone. When crises hit - like the Square Metre Rule foredeck mess up posted earlier - I just knuckled down and did what ever had to be done, even though was aware that later would feel not so good about it. For me the focus was on the task to hand.

But others like Griff loose it, the pressure of the race getting too much. What was interesting was how he kept put the blame on others saying "he made me angry" rather than accepting the true source of the anger.

There is also the martinet - the type that remains in controls but shouts a lot often with a stream of four letter words. Again very much doubt that is effective: some crew just put up with it but in other cases I've had to negotiate between crew and over driven skipper whose behaviour bordered on the bully.

I remember being woken in my bunk in the early hours of the morning mid Atlantic by a cry of "All hands on deck- all hands on deck, please!". Together with the rest of the crew we scrambled into clothes and safety harness and went out to fix the broken guy, and that last word made a lot of difference.

Whether Captain Bligh was a saint or a sinner even the historians can't decide. But its certainly true there are angry sailors out there and they aren't one of the great sailing inventions.

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Square Metre Rule in the Media

Last month's sailing regatta in Saltsjobaden, Sweden, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Square Metre Rule has been written up in Classic Boat.

This month's edition has a short report including photo of the boats lined up in the marina (on p10 if you want to find it quickly while browsing at the news agents).

Its a shame there it isn't given more space, but if you want a final fix from this year's race check out the photos on the sites here, here, and here.

Special bonus to who ever spots the photo with my ankle!

Michael Connors Antiques - True Caribbean Luxe

I have three of Mr. Connors's books and I lust over them quite often. His books, think indulgent picture books for adults, transport the reader to a time in the Caribbean when local craftsmanship included much more than carved masks and beaded necklaces. Try luxurious four-poster mahogany beds, planter's chairs, and marble topped console tables. Imagine an era where dinner was always served on fine English china, guests were seated around large polished mahogany tables adorned with 24" hurricane shades shielding flickering candles from the constant sea breeze that always found its way through the many open windows. Humidity so thick you could feel the weight of the air on your shoulders as you leaned back to take a long cooling drink of refreshment. That is the scene that plays out in my mind as I gently flip through Mr. Connors's books... More than any brochure that has crossed my desk, his books have the strongest "take me there now" effect. My favorite vacation spots are a few historic Caribbean villas, showcasing their own collections of rich antiques. They are seafront mansions lovingly cared for and graciously offered for rent.

If you have ever been to Paris, you will agree that the French have a 6th sense, a birthright of sorts, that makes them keenly aware of fine antiques. Sometimes, as I yearn for this sacred knowledge, I realize what is a French birthright, can be an acquired talent all my own. And this book is aiding my education:


I have yet to visit Cuba, but come hell or embargo, I will make it there in the next 5 years. And this book gets me so excited about my future trip:

Not only has Mr. Conners done a fabulous job of organizing pictures that speak into 3 lovely books, but being a connoisseur of West Indian Art & Antiques, he offers his expertise to the public through his NYC showroom and website. As expected, he live what he sells. This article in Traditional Home Magazine features his personal space, a marriage of Art Deco and West Indian delights that are certainly inspirational. Enjoy!

The Grasshopper and John Harrison

"What's with the grasshopper?"

I could understand the question. Cambridge's Corpus Christi college spends £1m (about $2m) on a new clock to show on the world famous Kings Parade, that took 8 engineers five years work and contains 24 carat gold, even getting Steven Hawking to open it, and at the top is a huge ugly bug of a grasshopper.

The crowds admiring - no, inspecting- it on Saturday were not at all sure. I muttered something about it was eating up time, but that didn't cover it really. It is actually rather amazing in a gothic sort of way, surprising large and you tell the time using blue lights in the slits in the face.

But apparently its a homage to one of Britain's great engineers, who solved one of the great problems of navigational safety, and should have been awarded a great prize by Parliament.

For it was John Harrison who solved the problem of determining longitude at sea by creating clocks of sufficient accuracy.

And one of the keys to his clocks was the grasshopper escapement that releases a clock's gears at each swing of its pendulum.

And it was this grasshopper that inspired John Taylor to design the Time Eater clock.

I rather liked it!

Punting Pic

My kayaking friend R. was asking what is this "punting" that I keep talking about and that, together with another glorious weekend, was excuse enough for another trip to Cambridge yesterday.

Cue much nostalgic walking down the atmospheric alleyways between colleges remembering student days, which now seems too long ago.

You can never go back - but you can still go for a punt, and the backs were as wonderful as ever.

So at the request of Tillerman here's me pole in hand driving the boat forward - and note how its one of the authentic wood ones!

Special bonus prize to the first to name the bridge behind me.

Random Sailor to Circumnavigate by Chance

Ok, this is a weird one. Rob Clark (above) wants to sail single handed around the world. Yawn you go, join the queue.

But he wants his route to be decided by a combination of chance, at the throw of a dice, and by the collective will of the sailing internet by voting on his web site.

To be honest to me it makes Big Brother seem sane, but maybe I've missed something.

More here.

Dunkirk Rescue Medals Rescued

In these troubled times when around a trillion dollars has been bet and lost in the financial markets and the tab passed to us the taxpayer, a heart warming story to cheer you up.

Last week as part of the Thames Festival as well as the Great River Race there as also a celebration of the little ships that saved the British Army from disaster at Dunkirk in 1940.

As Charles Brown, one of the veterans of those dark days, got aboard one of the little ships at Kingston he alas lost two rows of medals, including those from Dunkirk and Normandy landings and also his OBE.

On hearing of Mr Brown's distress the local RNLI at Teddington sent scuba divers to undertake a finger tip search in the muddy and murky waters of the Thames.

Happily this story, like that of Dunkirk itself, had a happy ending, with Mr Brown re-united with the medals rescued from another potentially watery end!

Caribbean Journey Gets a Wordle!

One of my clients created a Wordle for my travel company and I love it! I think it is so neat that I might have a version of it made into business cards. Check mine out by clicking the picture image below and visit Wordle to make one for your company or blog:

Busy-as-a-Bee and Needing a Break...

I am the one needing the break after a hectic few weeks of hurricane induced client drama... and yet my husband is the one spending this weekend in lovely Jamaica. (Yes, he does deserve it.) And so I am left with the children and the busy-business... dreaming of my next escape...

I love this picture of Lily. The car was loaded, we were due to depart momentarily for the 2 hour ride from the villa to the airport and she escaped the madness, kicked off her sandals, and jumped on the swing for a few more minutes of freedom...

London Pirate Festival

Lock up your boats and your daughters too, it be Speak like a Pirate day today, the 19th of September! Aye, it be, so avast there!

Even the lowest of low landlubber can join old deck hands and speak like those tars with the freedom of the seas.

After last week's Thames Festival we celebrate in ol' London Town the wild debauchery of the "London Pirate Festival" - have a grog goggled eye full of Mad Cap'n Tom and Sailor Girl who have taken over The Golden Hinde!

There are pirate skirmishes, rum tasting, burlesque, comedy, and much much more!

By the powers, tip me the black spot, due to prior commitments (again) will be unable to swash any buckles.

But watch out, ye water folk of Cambridge, as Cap'n JP is heading your way! Again!

A-ha!




(Surely that's enough pirate talk for not just one day but one entire year)

Make a Difference - Caribbean Volunteer Expeditions

Caribbean Volunteer Expeditions is an organization built around giving back with a tagline of: "Preservation in Paradise". Having conducted their first do-gooder trip in 1990, they continue to plan 4-5 trips a year independently and another 3-4 in conjunction with the international Elderhostel program.

Who participates in these trips?

CVE accomplishes it’s mission by recruiting volunteers from the US and Canada. These people are often architects, architectural historians, people in the preservation field, or people generally interested in preservation. The CVE volunteer is a person who enjoys the Caribbean, but also wants to contribute and be involved in an island’s culture. Our volunteers meet the preservationists, scholars, and historians involved with Caribbean preservation.

2008 Project, Falmouth, Jamaica:

2008 Project, Hamilton, Nevis:

Here is a sampling of the trips planned for 2008-2009. Visit their website for full details and to see how you can help!

SAN SALVADOR, BAHAMAS: Mapping at plantation site Dec 13- 20, 2009
San Salvador Island, Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is one of the eastern most islands of this archipelago off the southeast coast of Florida, and was the first landfall of Columbus in 1492. The island is pristine, ringed with beautiful beaches. We will be working with archeologist, John Winter, who has had over 25 years experience working in archeology on San Salvador. The island was first inhabited by Indians who migrated from South America, and later by Loyalists, fleeing the US after the revolutionary war. Archeological finds have included Indian, Spanish, and other European colonists artifacts. Accommodations are double occupancy, motel-type rooms at the Gerace Research Center. Contact: ahershcve@aol.com or srice@stotac.com

JEWISH CEMETERY INVENTORY, Orange St. Elliston Rd. Hunt's Bay, Jamaica Mar 22-28 2009Caribbean Volunteer Expeditions will continue with its historic Jewish cemetery inventory again this year in the Kingston area surveying two smaller cemeteries, and well as checking inventory work, done last year at Hunt's Bay. Jews escaping from prosecution in Europe settled in many Caribbean islands, and were instrumental in sugar plantation technology. Volunteers will be conducting an inventory, photographing, and mapping of the site. Contact: ahershaia@aol.com

Alton Brown is Feasting on Waves

Alton Brown, creator and star of multiple shows on the Food Network Channel, is charting a new course, Feasting on Waves. The shows follows Alton's culinary adventure through the Caribbean islands.
The official word:

Alton Brown goes in search of America's culinary roots and Caribbean flavors in Feasting on Waves. He starts his journey on St. Kitts (aka St. Christopher), named by and for Christopher Columbus on his second journey to the new world. Alton, like Christopher, is traveling North and West through the Leeward Islands and on to the British Virgin Islands. Alton maintains the spirit of Feasting on Asphalt and seeks out the most authentic and traditional foods of the regions and meets the people who created them. Restaurants are the most obvious targets but Feasting is about the unexpected, so Alton also ventures to find roadside stands, street vendors, farmer's markets, farms, spice houses and homes of local cooks who make specialties of the region.

Enjoy his show and contact our Caribbean Travel Specialists to plan your own Caribbean culinary adventure!

Traditional Punting

Was in Cambridge last weekend for the annual visit to friends and take them, their children and their dog, whimpering with fear, on a punting trip.

We were offered the choice of a wood or aluminium pole and chose the former, being the more traditional if heavier and more likely to cause splinters.

As we headed up the backs by St. Johns and Kings Colleges we were over taken by a number of kayaks, which given my recent paddles on the Thames brought mixed emotions.

On the one hand it would be a great place to explore by canoe or kayak, able to navigate up the smallest of tributaries, ported over weirs, and a lot less likely to cause river traffic jams due to tourists inability to propel their punt in a straight line.

On the other hand, a kayak is hardly the most traditional of craft for the Camb. And you can paddle on many a river but the Camb is one of those just right for punting, being slow moving, not too deep, and mostly having a gravel bottom.

They say when in Rome do as the Romans do, so when in Cambridge I'll continue to do the right thing and stand in my bare feet on the raised stern of a punt to propel it with a wooden pole, gliding down passed the timeless colleges.

Product Review - What's New on My Bar?

It pays to have friends with equaled passion for Caribbean travel! A dear pal recently dropped off a bottle of Jamaica's latest libation craze, not yet available in the US. Can you spot it?
In case you missed it, here it is debuting solo: Blackwell Fine Jamaican Rum
The name Blackwell doesn't ring a bell? Try a quick Google search for "Chris Blackwell" and enjoy reading about one of the Caribbean's most fascinating sons. To summarize, think Bob Marley & Island Outpost Hotels. Even the label is quite lovely with a pressed wax seal and antiqued Jamaican map print:Well... it was so darn tasty on the rocks, but a wee bit strong for this gal. So I broke my own rule of Mojitos are ONLY concocted with white rum (Bacardi Limon to be exact) and gathered the limes, the mint, and the sugar cane syrup. Delish! (Recipe below)
And you must love a rum with its own Facebook Page:

Blackwell Fine Jamaican Rum Mojitos:

• 1 oz Blackwell Rum
• 1-2 oz Club Soda
• 2 Fresh Limes
• 4-5 Mint Leaves
• 1 oz Sugar Cane or Simple Syrup (1/2 Tablespoon plain sugar will suffice.)

Quarter limes and muddle with mint leaves and sugar syrup in your cocktail shaker. Add rum and ice cubes and shake it baby! Pour into glass and add a splash of club soda and more ice. Stir and enjoy!

US Candidates Sailing Top Five

Our roving reporter, Buff Staysail, recently had an exclusive opportunity to interview both candidates to be VP, and ask them about their views on sailing. Alas ol' Buff was to distracted by a certain lady to remember anything about what they said regarding policy and the two party's positions on the US's Olympic sailing strategy.

As BS has gone awol, saying something about shopping, we sent an email to both Biden and Palin asking them for their top five sailing inventions.

And they replied! So in alphabetic order its Biden first then Palin.

Our top five sailing inventions are:

5) Reefing, that allows a single sail to change its area, to keep the ship safe during the stormy periods such as we see now

4) Watch systems, that allows the crew to change over, allowing a fresh crew to take over, full of renewed energy needed to keep the ship going forward

3) Cabin, that allows a crew to go below, get a warm drink and change of clothing, protected from the harsh elements

2) Rudder, that allows a ship to change its course, to get clear of the rocks and out of the storm, and into the calm and safe waters under a strong Democratic leadership

1) The Flag, US of course, the one thing we'd never change!

Well g'day to you! Our five are:

5) Guns: you never know what dangers you'll come across when you leave the safety of good ol' American waters - pirates - or even worse - Muslims! Even on a Laser there's room for a handgun, and there's no doubt that they would reduce the need for a protest room! Remember - an armed race is a polite race!

4) Mums: there's a lot of talk about soccer mums or hockey mums, but lets not forget the sailing mums! Bringing the boys and girls their apple pie down by the slipway!

3) Water boarding Well the liberal media won't let me say that, so on I'll go with the Republican candidates previous suggestion of Bombs! With the war on terror and the French out there you can't go wrong with a bit of bombing - so look out Geneva Yacht Club! Good way of catching fish too!

2) Knives: when you've got the fish how do you gut them? With a knife of course!

1) Our flag - we are proud of our country where you are free to sail with guns - surely sign that we're on a mission from God!

Great River Race - Video

This is what the Great River Race posted earlier on looked like

Nearly best sailing invention - ever!

Tillerman's planning on giving not just one but the top five best sailing inventions, which naturally got me wondering what mine would be. Of course the best ever is the triangular sail, so that leaves just four to find.

To make it interesting I decided to not post any that I'd read elsewhere. So no bowlines and no breathable oilies - even though both are brilliant.

The running up four, from 5 down to 2, are:

5) Winches - they have gears and can self-tail, and sit all shiny and compact on every yacht. We couldn't wind in a fully loaded sail without them.

4) Depth sounder - when we crossed the Atlantic we had an electrical failure that wiped out our instruments. Mostly we could do with out them, having the windex and compass. But nearer the coast sailing without an idea of how much water there is under the keel would have been almost impossible.

3) Tell tails - great and so simple. Couple of bits of string attached either side of the sail and you can learn so much from them about how to trim it - brilliant!

2) Compass - fixed into the mind of the sailor is basic orientation, wondering where is north? where is the wind coming from? what course to sail. How can the compass not be on the list?

The Great River Race

At the last moment remembered the Thames Festival was on and a quick look on the web found out that one event was The Great Race: a maritime rowing marathon down the river from Richmond to Greenwich, and it started at just after 2pm this afternoon.

The idea came from the old tradition of boats that would take passengers up and down the river - the black cabs of their day. And so entries are restricted to traditional-style, coxed craft powered by a minimum of four oars or paddles. And, in keeping with the historic responsibility to apprentice and licence Watermen to carry passengers on the tidal Thames, each boat has to carry a passenger.

Cool! Well, thinks I, haven't seen any boats going by, so maybe they haven't got here yet: time for a cup of tea.

And there was. First there were the race officials in their RIBs, then the first one or two, then there was a flood of rowers, all heading downstream. Just look at the picture above!

This is the greatest of all such river races, with nearly 300 boats entered, thousands of competitors.

And you can following it all on an online Google maps mash-up here.


Pretty much every type of craft was represented from traditional rowing boats to dragon boats, such as this, the Sisterhood boat I posted earlier.

Sometimes the river was really quite congested, as the boats raced against each other (under handicap):

Some were particularly elegant and historic:

There was even this one gondolier!

And these ocean rowers seems pretty relaxed! I wonder if they knew odd-at-sea Sally?

Congratulations to all participants! Must have been great fun - maybe should add rowing to my list of water sports?

Celebrating the Thames

This weekend it's the Thames Festival!

There are events up and down the length of the river all weekend, from music and spectacle, to river races, Thames barges, kayaking, and fireworks.

I almost forgot all about it, even though put a note in my calender. Alas too busy to do anything but spectate the Great River Race, but if you are in London its worth poping down to the river bank in the centre of town to see what's going on.

Hurricane Ike Press Release from Turks & Caicos

For Immediate Release

For more information, contact:
Caesar Campbell Mike Sottak
+1 649 231 6607 +1 649 941 4218
caesar@turksandcaicoshta.com mike@wiredislandtci.com


Turks & Caicos Hotel and Tourism Industry Open for Business

PROVIDENCIALES, Turks & Caicos Islands – September 10, 2008 – The Turks & Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association (TCHTA) reports that it is largely ‘business as usual’ for the majority of its member properties and services catering to tourism in the island chain. Most properties in Providenciales, the main tourism center, suffered only minimal damage during the recent Hurricanes Hanna and Ike that passed by the islands. Greater damage was experienced in the outlying islands of Grand Turk, South Caicos and Salt Cay.

Power has been restored throughout most of Providenciales, and airline service by major carriers has resumed on regularly scheduled levels to Providenciales International Airport. Structural damage on Providenciales was minimal and no major beach erosion or environmental issues have been reported.

“We were extremely fortunate to have avoided a major hit to our tourism product, and are now prepared to resume business as usual in most places,” said Caesar Campbell, CEO of the TCHTA. “While September and October are typically slower months, and some properties are routinely closed for renovations during this time, we encourage travelers to consider the Turks & Caicos this fall and winter. As our country depends largely on tourism, it is important that we keep this economic engine running strongly as we work to help the less fortunate islands in the Turks & Caicos recover.”

Tourism operators such as scuba shops, fishing charters and others are also restoring their services back up to normal Fall season levels, and visitors can expect minimal if any, interruption from most service providers.

Smaller properties in the outer islands are still assessing damage and the TCHTA will maintain an updated status of all properties on its web site, www.turksandcaicoshta.com/fall08. A decision on cruise ship schedules will be made soon, after a more complete assessment of damages to Carnival Cruise Ship Center in Grand Turk has been made, although preliminary reports indicate that structure weathered the storms well.

Travelers are encouraged to contact their airlines, resorts and hotel directly to confirm reservations, and to monitor the TCHTA web site for more information.

Persons interested in making donations to the hurricane relief efforts in Turks and Caicos can contact 1-800-477 IKE4 (4534).

About the TCHTAThrough involvement and cooperation with its tourism partners, the Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association (TCHTA) is dedicated to the achievement of sustainable growth in tourism for the benefit of its members and the wider community, while protecting and enhancing the unique character and environment of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI). The TCHTA consists of more than 90 businesses and organizations, including the major resorts and property developments in TCI, as well as other businesses supporting the tourism and development industries. Additional information, including membership applications, can be found at www.tchta.com.

Best Sailing Invention - Ever!

Another month, another Tillerman group writing challenge. This times it's the "Best sailing invention - ever!"

First impression is doh! Its the sail stupid - after all we couldn't do anything without it. And the great thing about it - compared to say kayaking - is how having hoisted it you can just sit back, enjoy the view, open a beer, or gaze into the distance trying to work out what on earth to blog about on your return to dry land.

Of course you with good memories will recollect that Caveman's got invention! competition when the sail, mast, and rigging went head to head as water sport inventions of the year and all lost - to the rudder (though there were those that wondered whether fowl play was involved given the judge was later seen with three chickens and goat). And it isn't sailing without a sail of some form.

So if that's out, what in?

Take GPS - absolutely brilliant and makes offshore navigation a doddle. But its a general navigation tool, not just sailing. Ditto with radio communication's ability to keep you in touch where ever you are in the world (thanks Iridium).

Is it the lifeboat (Coastguard) service that's there to help you when things go wrong. Luckily I've never had to use them but there's no doubt they are a genuine life saver.

Hmmm..

Actually I'm going to go back to my original answer - its the sail. But not just any sail. I think sailing's big moment was the transition from square rigged pushing sails to triangular pulling sails.

The pushing, square rigger sail is pretty intuitive: if you stand up against a strong wind it will push you along.

But the aerofoil shape of the triangular sail, how a piece of fabric can pull something as big as a boat - even now I find that amazing.

And it opens up the seas. The old ships were driven by the wind, from Vikings to tea clippers, windjammers following the trade routes. You just had to see those old sailing pictures of ships on a lea shore to know the terror that came from being unable to claw to windward.

It must have been a real eye opening, the first time someone hoisted the sail the wrong way up and say "hey guys, you'll never guess how high I can point now".

According to Wikipedia the triangular sail was first invented by the Arabs around 2000 BC, though only became common in the 17th Century.

So its my answer - the best sailing invention ever is the triangular sail.

Shopping in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic is a vacation destination unlike any other. Where the more traditional tourism hubs like Cabo or Cancun were somewhat gentrified prior to their current and more glamorized state, Punta Cana was scarcely a third-world city before it was seemingly conquered and converted into a mass of hotels and attractions and all-inclusive beachfront amenities.

Likewise, vacationing in Punta Cana is confined to the resort; they are sprawling and lapping over into one another, and the chance of you doing anything absent of a Punta Cana resort affiliation is fairly slim.

To combat any cabin fever that could transpire as a result of keeping cooped up in your hotel, when an opportunity to escape the shackles of an otherwise relaxing vacation emerges, you take it, and you embrace it.

Money—not that you haven't already extinguished enough of it by the time you actually make it to the Dominican, but we spend it, regardless, even while on vacation, and there are plenty of shopping centers in Punta Cana that will happily accept your money. While much of what you find there can typically pick up elsewhere, some are unique to the country and its culture.

Artesany Center - Offers everything from hammocks, crafted before you, to Guayacan wood pieces, to live shows. The Artesany Center inhabits a natural Dominican atmosphere and the crafts sold there are typically authentic and native to the country.

Plaza Bavero - Largest shopping center in Punta Cana. A diverse store selection populates the premises, ranging from drug stores to campy souvenir shops.

Plaza Punta Cana - A smaller bank of stores, situated across from the Occidental Flamenco.

El Cortesito Flee Market - Right on the beach and offering traditional Dominican textiles and food. Offers an eclectic sampling of the country's culture and its various exports.

If not for some novelty memorabilia, or the occasional deal, getting out from your Punta Cana resort and shopping can be your vacation from your vacation.

CookBook Reivew - Morgan Freeman & Friends Caribbean Cooking for a Cause

An important fact about me, if I wasn't in travel, I would be in food!

This is an excellent cookbook! It is a collaboration by celebrities with a Caribbean connection who came together to support the cause of the Grenada Relief Fund after Hurricane Ivan devastated the island in 2004. Originally, $5.00 from the $35.00 cover price were donated to the fund along with all of the author's proceeds. However, I have not been able to find any current information on the Grenada Relief Fund, and since most repairs from Hurricane Ivan have already been completed, it is likely now a defunct campaign and hence the reason why online booksellers are able to sell the book for as low as $23. Regardless, it is an excellent cookbook. The recipes I will touch on in a second, but the personal stories of why such celebrities as Kenny Chesney, Michael Douglas, Tom Hanks, Orlando Bloom, and Terrance Howard are tied to the Caribbean is a source of excitement for a Caribbeanophile like myself. It has a varied collection of Caribbean staples such as Miss Pam's Jamaican Jerk Chicken and Lobster Curry a la Chez Bamboo on Virgin Gorda to pleasure palates like Coconut French Toast and Pineapple Tarte Tartin from The Restaurant at the Cove in Eluethera. Not to be overlooked are the Chocolate Port Wine Sorbet from the Ocean & Vine on St. Barths (sidenote - many of my yachting clients add St. Barths to their itinerary simply to dine... oh la la) and the Classic Conch Civeche from the Caymans... enjoy!