Friday, October 31, 2008

G'day!

In honour of the southern hemisphere where I find myself now the picture above has been inverted - or made the right way up, take your pick.

More later as have alas to work

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Christmas in the Caribbean - Space Still Available!

The Caribbean is magical during the Holidays! And best of all, it is WARM! If you are thinking of spending your holidays in the tropics and have not booked your trip, rest assured there are many great places with space still available! Below is a list.

(This is the cover for an album of Christmas Songs compiled by a priest in Jamaica. You can read all about him and his wonderful works here.)

Please contact me for a rate quote!
Almond Resorts in Barbados
Almond Resorts in St. Lucia
Elite Island Resorts
Fairmont Southampton/Fairmont Hamilton Princess
Gran Melia Golf Resort Puerto Rico
Holiday Inn Montego Bay
Long Bay Beach Resort & Villas
Marriott Frenchman’s Reef & Morningstar Beach Resort
Occidental Grand Aruba
Palm Island
Paradisus Palma Real
Paradisus Punta Cana
Rio Mar Beach Resort & Spa
St. James’s Club & Villas
St. Kitts Marriott Resort & The Royal Beach Casino
Sunset Beach
Sunset Jamaica Grande
The Westin St. John Resort & Villas
Verandah Resort & Spa
Village Inn & Spa

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

How clean is the Thames?

Earlier this year had the dubious pleasure of rolling a kayak in the Thames, and getting much river water up my nose, in order to show I knew enough rescue technique to get a BCU two star qualification. Two of the group refused, having heard bad things about the water.

However nothing bad seemed to come of it (that I've noticed anyhow) so wondered if the Thames has been maligned and left it at that.

On a separate tack had also been wondering what the tourist boat commentary is as they go up river to Kew. They go past and all one can hear is "On you left waw waw waw", so intrigued I decided to pay the ten quick or whatever it was to get a bit of education.

However I seem to be very unlucky. Having got on Westminster, we headed up past Parliament, on to Vauxhall without a single "waw" let alone more useful instruction. On asking it turns out to be a voluntary task the crew can do or not do as they wish, and in this case they "couldn't be arsed" in the colourful phrase of the chap who served coffee. In their defence a particularly noisy bunch of school kids meant very little of what would have been sent would have been heard.

Was therefore forced to pay another 10 quid on another weekend and pretty much the first thing on getting onboard I did was to ask and yup due to public pressure we got a most excellent commentary - well at least for the first half of the trip.

So to date still don't know what the "to the left waw waw waw" is for the river around Putney and no doubt will have to wait till next year.

But one gem they said was about the river and how clean it is. "Just get a bucketful of water" we were told "leave it overnight and all the mud will drop out leaving sparkling clear water"

This I had to try. Buckets being a bit heavy this scientist went down to the slipway by The Boathouse jam jar in hand to get his sample and took a picture the day before and the day after (above).

And Yes! it is clear that most of the murk is indeed due to mud that will settle given time without the constant swirling of the Thames.

Alas that's not enough to recommend partaking in this particular brew. Because anyone who was been on the river for more than a little time will have spotted the odd condom floating by, or wondered where the sewage waste goes from all the house boats dotted along its banks.

But it doesn't seem to harm the very plentiful fishes or the river birds that feed on them (as posted earlier). And I've twice now heard stories about rowers drinking the stuff in the days before water bottles.

So if pushed to drink Thames water (and I would have to be pushed) my choice would be to let it settle overnight, skim off the clear upper bit, and then boil it like there was no tomorrow.

The pirate gets the girls

Interesting story about the reality of the life of the modern day Somalian pirate here on the BBC web site.

The motivations are the same for many a man anywhere "They wed the most beautiful girls; they are building big houses; they have new cars; new guns".

Though to be honest that about new guns isn't that common here in blighty land.

Monday, October 27, 2008

The Queen's Staircase

The Queen's Staircase is a Bahamian National Treasure. We stopped to check it out on our moped tour of the island. There are 65 stairs and the site is named in honor of Queen Victoria's 65 year reign. The stairs are carved in limestone and it is said this was done by slaves with hand axes - not an easy task.



Taken from Destination 360: Originally, the Queens Staircase was built to provide British troops a protected route to Fort Fincastle, and the slaves used were local peoples from the island. Fort Fincastle was built on the highest point of the island as a lookout by the British captain Lord Dunmore in 1793. The Queens Staircase and Fort Fincastle were inspired by a desire to watch for encroaching marauders and pirates, however, none ever attacked and the fort is now a lighthouse that tourists can view.

It was nice and cool...

Mr. Adventure-Seeking-Sangster could not resist:

The lighthouse at Ft. Fincastle:

Nature surprises us whenever and where ever she can:

Kids at play:

There is a colorful market adjacent to the fort:

Ahhh! The cruise ships are coming... the cruise ships are coming...

Time to go down... down was much easier:

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Random Jamaica Shots

I have spent this weekend going through thousands of pictures on my PC and laptop... most my own, but also some from friends and clients. I came across a few I absolutely love from Jamaica...

This is Faith's Pen, a gastronomic refueling station on Mt. Diablo which can be found on the drive from
Ocho Rios to Kingston. The steel drums house the grills that cook the famous jerk chicken to perfection. You can find almost every kind of Jamaican speciality here... we enjoyed our chicken with fried breadfruit and fresh avocados. (Pears, as they are known on the island)


There are so many wonderfully mysterious gates on the island. This one, flanked by a tall stone wall, led us to believe there must be a fabulous house within its enclosure. There isn't one. Only the sea:
This is Lily, dancing her way across one of the many lawns we visit when we are in Jamaica. The lawn invites us for cartwheels, picnics, and stargazing. It sparkles with early morning dew and yet remains a cool respite even when the sun blazes above:

How to fish in the Thames on a wet Sunday

Step 1: Get your mates in a line across the river with a falling tide so the fish come down river to you:

Step 2: If you see something move in the water below you, duck down and grab it:

Step 3: Make sure you don't do this if its a bit of man made rubbish (such as this discarded plastic chair):

Step 4: Repeat from Step 1.

VOR Game

I was really looking forward to the VOR game. In case you haven't seen it, the on-line simulator allows you to match your offshore racing skills against the wider sailing community from the comfort of your arm chair. You can choose course and sails, and plan your tactics to beat the real boats to Cape Town.

Alas last few weeks have been firstly sick and then having to catch up at work and then have a forthcoming return business trip to Australia for a rather scary 6 day single-handed presentation (for which really must stop blogging and start preparing).

So the good ship Dampier (my ship's registered name) never got its instructions and is now heading straight into the St Helena high and certain doom of coming in last if at all.

But have enjoyed hearing about those that having been doing it right - such as over on EVK SuperBlog, who's dedication has led to interrupted sleep and meetings.

Good luck to all of those competing - especially those doing it solo.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Corporate IT sinks Volvo Viewer

Previously I posted how the wonderful Virtual Spectator software (above) used in the Volvo Ocean Race 2004-5 isn't being made available for the current race, and what a shame that was as it was simply brilliant.

Well I emailed VOR HQ and got the following response:

"We require a browser-based flash raceviewer for this race, because one of the most constant complaints we received in the previous race was that race fans were unable to download and install the Virtual Spectator programme at work.

Virtual Spectator have supplied us with their latest 3D product, which unfortunately has been experiencing technical issues and it is taking time for the VS technicians to work out the problems and make fixes and improvements.

In the meantime, TracTrac have provided us with their 2D viewer as a back-up raceviewer while we find a solution to the raceviewer difficulties, and you may have noticed that new features are being introduced on this 2D raceviewer as the race progresses. "

Now there's no problem downloading and running VS on my work PC as I've given myself Admin rights, and anyhow we're a small company. But we've heard of cases where users of our software not only can't install it themselves but get an internal charge from their IT department to do something they'd rather do themselves.

Its a shame that such a good piece of s/w should be hobbled because of over controlling corporate jobs-worths.

Of course not getting access to a race viewer (which BTW surely is two words not one) or having an inferior one means higher productivity at work and less time spent following the action, but you wouldn't have thought that was something VOR would like to see.

And even if the Volvo site had an improve web based viewer, surely that wouldn't stop the old software still being available?


Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Do you dream of sailing?

Last night I dreamt of sailing. For all those amateur dream psychologists out there, this is what happened.

Together with my brother-in-law and a few friends we had chartered a yacht and were having a fun afternoon sailing around the Solent or somewhere similar. Then we found there was a spinnaker on board and so decided to give it a go. I showed them how to rig it, found the guys and sheets, and was all ready to give the go for a hoist.

But the water was so busy, not just with boats but even swimmers, we were always dodging around them and never got a nice clean run downwind in which to hoist. At which point, frustrated, I woke up.

So what's that all about? The daily sardine packing in London's commuter system finally getting to me?

So how about you? Any sailing dreams that have got you wondering?

For the Love of Palm Trees

They are the quintessential sign that you have arrived... in the tropics. I haven't met a person who does not love them, in all their varied forms. From short and stubby to tall and proud, palm trees are as diverse as they are grand. Here is an except from A Passion for Palms, originally printed in Caribbean Homes & Lifestyle Magazine in the Autumn 2007 issue. Words and pictures by Janie Conley:The image of the palm tree has long been a recognisable emblem associated with the Caribbean region. Whether to illustrate palm fringed beaches or as a symbol of pride incorporated into designs for coats of arms by several nations: the Palm Tree is an important icon firmly attached to the Caribbean. Our most celebrated palm is the Coconut - a member of the arecaeae palm family and ubiquitous within our region. Our love for the palm is one of a passionate nature and in visiting Andrew Goodenough’s garden at Rotten Hill in Antigua I have been able to witness this passion in its most creative form. Andrew is more acclaimed for his architectural designs rather than for his ‘green fingers’, but he is nevertheless an enthusiastic amateur gardener. He was first introduced to the subtle pleasures of gardening at an early age in the rather cooler climes of rural England. A member of the Royal Institute of British Architects, Andrew has been practising and living in Antigua for over 25 years, having set sail from England for the Caribbean in 1979. The gardens of Andrew’s hilltop home pay tribute to his sailing past... read more here.

Let me know if I can help send you on search for the perfect palm tree vacation!

Monday, October 20, 2008

The Putney Sculpture Trail

Welcome to the latest Putney attraction, a Sculpture Trail where nine works by local artist Alan Thornhill are on display to anyone walking along the Thames path. Just the thing for a crisp autumnal weekend, so print off the program from here, wrap up warm, and head off for a cultural walk by the river.

The one above is called Fall but I think that's about dynamics rather than the time of year.

Next heading up river is Pygmalion:

After which it's Nexus:

Motherfigure:

Just outside The Boathouse there's the Punch and Judy:

On Putney High Street you get to Turning Point:

The other side of Putney Bridge is Load:

Rather appropriately by the Duke's Head there is Horizontal Ambiguity:

And finally Exodus:

That was fun - now its time for a cup of tea!

Halloween & Pirates

Its that time of year. Halloween. Our Atlanta neighborhood goes all out and most homes share in the spirit and decorate on some level... from standard pumpkins ready for carving to blow-up spiders and twinkling orange lights. Atlanta also practices another tradition that was new to me when I moved here, it is called "Ghosting". Your doorbell will ring around 8 or 9 at night in early October. You rush to see who could possibly be arriving unannounced at this hour, because let's face it, people just don't "drop in" these days. No one is there, so you glance down and see a little bundle of joy in the festive form of a trick-or-treat bag or nylon pumpkin overflowing with Halloween goodies. A note accompanies the treats announcing the "ghosting" and instructing you to hang the little ghost picture on your door to let the rest of the 'hood know you have already been hit and then asking you to "ghost" another house. This is a really neat tradition that my daughter loves. (This display is not my own - but I sure wish it was!)Halloween is a special time in our house and never comes and goes without one or two discussions on the infamous pirates of the Caribbean. No, not Johnny Depp, but the REAL pirates that inhabited many of the islands and most notably, my husband's native Jamaica. One of our favorite stories to retell is that of Sir Henry Morgan. Having lived a pirates life, Morgan was acting-governor of Jamaica and enjoyed the heyday that made Port Royal famous. Port Royal is located on a spit of land in the middle of Kingston Harbour and it is here that you can find the hotel and marina that bears Sir Henry's name . We stopped by the Morgan's Harbour Hotel for lunch a few months ago... here are my best shots...

Sunbathing area for guests:
Boats in the marina:
Certainly not the most entertaining photos, but if you look closely you might see the duppies that call this part of the island home.

If you want to learn more about Sir Henry Morgan and the time in which Port Royal was at is prime - as the wealthiest city in the Western Hemisphere - watch Captain Blood. In it, Errol Flynn portrays Dr. Blood, a character we all assume is tightly based on Sir Henry.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Why change the Volvo's Virtual Spectator?

Why did the Volvo - or Virtual Spectator - change the race viewer? The figure above is what they are proposing we use to follow the fleet.

The last race had this superb 3D viewer than enabled overlays such as isobars and wind speeds. It worked really well and greatly enhanced the experience of following the fleet.

The software would have only needed a minor update for the latest race - such making it run a bit better under Microsoft Vista (my old copy is a big clunky on my new laptop).

But instead they've gone for a new web based architecture that is a backwards step with inferior graphics and controls.

This is what it used to look like:


Isn't that much better?

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Comfort reading and British Martime History

When hit by lurgies like the recent 'flu I tend to retreat to bed with a bit of comfort reading, which for the last few weeks meant Arthur Ransome. Of course they've all been read many times but two less familiar and hence selected were Secret Water and Great Northern?

What struck me was how in the nautical adventures of the children Ransome tapped into different aspects of British maritime history. Of course some are obvious - such as the influence of pirates and the book Treasure Island in particular.

However Great Northern? has parallels with the great scientific voyages of Captain Cook and Darwin on the Beagle, which are hopefully as meaningful for today's kids as they ever were.

It was harder to connect to the themes in Secret Water's - mapping and the culture shock of western explorers encounters with savage tribes. In the book the Swallows spend most of the week mapping the Hamford Water using the same survey methods used for such engineering triumphs as the Great Trigometric Survey of India.

Its hard to image a modern teenager bothering, saying instead something like "you, like, just use iPhone maps". There would probably be a similar blase attitude to the remote tribes who even in the deepest Amazon seem to have agents nowadays to manage the stream of TV documentary makers.

And the scene where they pledge to be tribe brothers by exchanging blood, sorry that's just a total yuck no go - not just unhygienic but pretty dangerous.

But one sub plot remains as plausible today as it ever was. Any time two dinghies are heading in the same direction its a race, and there are rules like port must give way to starboard.

And racing boats can lead to great things - as we were reminded of this week when the Olympic gold medallists including sailors paraded through London.

GPS and satellites can map the world at a touch of a button, but trimming and race tactics - that's still hard!

Thursday, October 16, 2008

More Leaves in Putney

Sailing Bucket List

Tillerman rather cheekily accused the sailing blog community of apathy in the lack of response to his latest group writing project, namely the bucket list of sailing things to do before heading down to Davy Jones's locker.

In this case it was the difficult combination of trying to run a small business while fighting a lingering 'flu virus which has delayed this post.

So in no particular order here are some items on my sailing to do list:

1. Join local dinghy sailing club. No excuses here, have missed it for two summers and there are three sailing clubs close by. Actually that's sort of an excuse - how on earth to choose?

2. Finish the trans-Atlantic by sailing from England to the Canary Islands. For the ARC we started at Grand Canaria so actually it was a mini-transat, and any how the cross Biscay voyage would be "interesting".

3. Do the Antigua Sailing week - big boat sailing in the Caribbean with lots of parties in the sun - how can that not be a good idea?

4. Sail high latitudes. This one goes back to adverts from Challenge Business for sailing one of their 72 foot steel boats up by Spitsbergen or Svalbard, which ok would probably be very cold, but also fascinating.

5. Sail some more big boats. I've sailed a Volvo 60 and would like to see what its like on either a Volvo 70 or Open 60.

6. Sail the Scottish islands. Its just beautiful up there and pretty unspoilt and not crowded like the Solent.

7. Follow in my alleged ancestor's William Dampier's footsteps in some of his round the world voyages. Couldn't do the whole thing as he spent something like 12 years travelling but it would be fascinating to experience first hand the places he sailed to. I imagine them as exotic Pacific islands like the picture above.

No doubt what I actually do will be very different!

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Autumn in Putney

It may have been financial melt-down over the last few days but it was lovely weather for it, with beautiful autumnal colours of the trees in the parks.

Putney Embankment was all go too .....

Sunday, October 12, 2008

A bad week

No posting last week due to being sicker than the financial markets, and without a Government support package worth £ 500,000,000,000 (I think that's the right number of zeros).

Normal service will resume shortly, hopefully. Ditto to the markets.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

A Rotten Person Travels the Caribbean

Gary Buslik claims to be a rotten person. But I don't think so. After reading his self-titled book, "A Rotten Person Travels the Caribbean". I think he is just human and humorous. The book details his chance encounters with Idi Amin and Princess Diana and his persuasive quest to encounter the ghost of Ernest Hemingway to his severe Cuban Cigar induced panic attack all to the backdrop of the glorious Caribbean. Mr. Buslik has seen it all. (If I really believed that, I would have to stop trying to convince him to take another trip and that, of course, is my job.) From gruesome cock-fights in Grenada to pre and post volcanic eruption on Monsterrat and many of the touristy places in between. When Mr. Buslik isn't island-hopping through the tropics he can be found teaching literature and creative writing at the University of Illinois at Chicago.His favorite souvenirs? Letter from aforementioned Princess... and well, I had to ask what else:

Laura: Aside from Cuban Cigars, what are your favorite items to bring back to Chicago from the islands?

Gary: Local newspapers. On some smaller islands, these can be a hoot. In one, there is an advice column written by an "island man," Love Vibes, and here is one of his actual letters and answers:

Dear Love Vibes:

I have got a serious problem. I love my boyfriend with all my might, but he has one "shortcoming" that I have tried to ignore but now find it's really starting to bug me. As much as I've tried, I find that I'm not being satisfied totally in bed.
Mind you, I love him with all my heart, and he is sweet and handsome. He treat me with respect and generosity and would never bite me with another woman, but I'm beginning to think I might need something more. What should I do? Should length really matter?

-- SaraFina of High Ground

Dear SaraFina:

Dump him. Here is why. Take our cruise-ship port. When the massive boats that look like God is on board come to island, they can tie right up to jetty? No. Why so? Because they too big. Jetty can't handle them, so they have to park way offshore and God have to take dinghy to town, which is undignified. And the farther these gigantic vessels are from dock, the smaller they appear to the human eyeball. So tell me, what good all those restaurants and jewelry stores and luxury suites and such on board if you look tiny to poor island people, the very souls you trying to impress? So here they are on jetty, thinking, Who is this coming to our quay in that miserable little skiff, God's cleaning lady?


Now, continuing with my splendid nautical analogy, imagine taking a Caribbean cruise in a rowboat. What you think? You ain't eating in restaurant with steak and wine and sorbet. No, gal, you going to be eating raw jellyfish and flossing with tentacle. The luxury swimming pool is over the side, and the only Lido deck you going to jog around is in you brain when it start to hallucinate.


You see what I am getting at? Moderation. Luckily, here comes a nice ship around the bend, just the right size, name of SS Love Vibes, sleek and handsome in the sunlight or under a full moon, it don't matter, just the right girth to slip into any dock nice and snug, and which will give you smooth ride and never make you puke. Plenty of onboard recreation, don't worry. Full speed ahead!

-- Yours in Spirit and Flesh, "Love Vibes"


It's also interesting to see, from our years of taking home local newspapers and comparing the old ones with the new, how small-island culture has changed over the last couple of decades. In the 1980s, the most serious crimes reported on police blotters were things like, "Mrs. Sanders' goat wandered into Mr. Gerard's yard and was found eating his dasheen." Now, even on out-of-the-way islands, we frequently see reports like this:

Miss Lilly Weatherbottom, cashier of Happy Shop Grocery Store at Cane SettlementVillage, reported being hit over the head with a cinder block and being robbed of EC $3.15 and a bag of salted pumpkin nuts. When asked by police if she got any kind of description of her assailant, she replied, "Yes, man. It was my cousin Ronal Henderson, who live up the road. When I get me hand on him, I will thump the devil out him. Then you will have a damn report."

Laura: You've had many strange encounters with animals of the islands—cock fighters, stray dogs…what's up with the animal magnetism?

Gary: This is a terrific question, because it lets me promote one of my favorite causes, saving island stray dogs. We've all seen these friendly, hardy, "beach dogs" wandering around town or on the sand. Did you know these strays actually are an officially recognized sub-breed? They are called potcakes (supposedly from their habit of eating crud from the bottoms of dishware) and they all have similar features because of their many years of in-breeding. Their presence at beachside bars and restaurants are as much a part of island culture as cocktail umbrellas and coconuts. The problem is, West Indians (perhaps understandably) don't embrace their dogs and cats in the same member-of-the-family way we do in North America and Europe, so they more or less leave it up to animal-loving expats to round up these sweet strays, neuter them, and try to find them good homes. On a couple of islands now, these loving and dedicated volunteers can actually send your new pet back home with you. Check out a few of these terrific Internet sites:

http://www.potcakeplace.com/
http://www.potcake.org/
http://www.potcakefoundation.com/

Or just google "Potcakes," and you'll learn tons about these happy, love-deserving pups.

Ditto with stray cats. Most of the smaller islands don't have animal-control officers and shelters we take for granted up north, so it's up to caring volunteers to round up feral or abandoned felines, neuter them and either release them or find them good homes. Check out:

http://www.pawswatch.org/
http://www.caribbeananimaltourismsupport.org/
http://www.pegasusfoundation.org/

As far as I'm concerned, helping these little guys is more important than helping ourselves to more tan lines, carved coconut heads, and piƱa coladas.

Laura: Who would you like to take to the Caribbean with you?

Gary: My cat, Babs. Because I miss her so much when I'm gone, I don't travel nearly as much as I used to. I would love to take her overseas with me, but she would never be able to pass a visa background check. She has a criminal record a mile long, mostly for soliciting prostitution. When I found her, she had set up shop in my garage with a sign that said something I can't repeat here but, as a hint to your readers, involved the color black and a slang word for both cat and a female sex organ. I've since taken her into the house proper, surgically removed her obsession for intercourse—a rehabilitation requiring not only an expensive operation but years of intensive psychotherapy—and have taught her how to type, in order to start paying me back.

Laura: Where will you be going next?

Gary: To the bathroom. I drink a lot of tea when I'm writing. I recommend Tazo brand Earl Grey. This is a no-charge public service announcement for your readers, so they can't complain about wasting their lives on the Internet.

Laura: Any future books or article in the works?

Gary: I'm considering a Rotten Person sequel: A Rotten Person Does Vegas. I just came back from there and am now sitting in abject terror, trying to figure out a way to cover the check I wrote to the casino. Speaking of which—another public service announcement—I was forced at gunpoint to see Phantom of the Opera, whose audience exit featured every guy slapping the back of his wife's head. Also, at dinner one night, who should sit at the table next to us but O.J. Simpson, holding court, whooping it up, apparently believing that no one in his right mind would ever deprive the world of his magnificent presence. This was three days before a jury decided he should spend the rest of his life pooping into stainless steel. Maybe your readers would return my no-charge tea recommendation by writing to tell me what they think of the Rotten Person sequel idea. They can reach me at arottenperson@earthlink.net.

My advice? Buy this book before your next Caribbean adventure! Enjoy!