Six degrees of sailing, again

This week had another of those business meetings that seem to be doing a lot of recently. Afterwards went for lunch and the conversation just happened to turn to sailing (again).

Turned out my client had a rather good six degrees of sailing story. He had once worked for the New Zealand office of a multi-national company during the time that it was one of the sponsors of the American's Cup, and had made very good use of that opportunity, having sailed as the 17th man along with the likes of Russell Coutts and Brad Butterworth.

Now that must have been fun!

Might be worth mentionin here - in a suitably, quiet, modest and British way - my best claim to 6 degrees fame, namely how sailed once with Emma Richards.

Available Christmas & New Year's Villas!

The following villas are still available for the 2009-2010 Holiday Season - either Christmas Week or New Years Week or Both! Please inquire if interested!

{Jamaica}

Belle Abri ~ 7 Bedrooms ~ $22,500/week

Bougainvillea ~ 5 Bedrooms ~ $25,000/week

Calypso Shores  ~ 4 Bedrooms ~ $10,500/week
Endless Summer ~ 7 Bedrooms ~ $12,000/week
La Casita ~ 2 Bedrooms ~ $4900/week

Nutmeg ~ 5 Bedrooms ~ $10,714/week

Pimento Hill ~ 6 Bedrooms ~ $17,900/week

Spyglass ~ 8 Bedrooms ~ $13,500/week

Summertime ~ 6 Bedrooms ~ $9000/week

{St. John, USVI}

Coral Oasis ~ 3 Bedrooms ~ $8000/week

Inn Love ~ 5 Bedrooms ~ $7000/week

Unicorn ~ 3 Bedrooms ~ $6500/week

Saphhire Breeze ~ 3 Bedrooms ~ $6500/week

Waterfall ~ 3 Bedrooms ~ $8000/week

Top Photo is Bougainvillea in Jamaica & Bottom Photo is Unicorn in St. John

{Creepy} Dive a Plane Wreck in Curacao

You can do this and more on the fun and exciting island of Curacao!

TripCrave.com - Discounts on Caribbean Vacations!

I am so excited to tell you about a new website - TripCrave.com. TripCrave has GREAT discounts on Caribbean Vacations to all your favorite islands and hotels! I am a partner in this new site. My job to make sure the modern technology of online (24/7) booking access is partnered with the same old-school customer service values my travel agency has been known for. TripCrave was 3 years in the making and finally launched last week. Please keep this new little site in mind when planning your travel!

World Rivers Day 2009

It's World Rivers Day 2009, and so far found the following blog posts for the group writing competition:

• A celebration of the river Sakonnet over on Proper Course which turns out to be a good place to sail Lasers
• Mean while on O Dock its the turn of the river American, together with the gold rush and blue jeans
• As a special guest, Bonnie on Frogma is celebrating National Estuary Day by opening up her blog to the ferret Paprika, who I'm hoping to hearing more from
• On My 2 Fish there's a nice post about drifting down the Platte River on an inflatable with three young children
• On DoryMan there's a description of what sounds like in parts at least a wonderfully unspoilt river, the Yaquina that winds its way to the Pacific in Oregan
• Finally there's my post about the little Nailbourne.

Two more!

• Pat's written about a river with a historic, evocative name, the Rio Grande, with stories about searching for rum, romance with a lass from upriver, and sailing or rafting on its waters
• Greg and Chris have been up the Wenatchee for the Oktoberfest (er, heh guys, don't want to be anal or anything but isn't still September?) which sounds like a lot of fun

Thanks everyone who blogged: the rivers of the world deserve to be recognised and I've really enjoyed reading every post.

Any more out there?

World Rivers Day: The Nailbourne

The Nailbourne is a very little river but it played a very big part of my childhood.

I was lucky enough to grow up in one of the small villages of Kent that have been at the foot of the chalk hills for over a thousand years, and through which flows the small river called the Nailbourne.

Or for some of the time, because the Nailbourne would sometimes dry up, leaving initially some puddles full of struggling minnows until they too went and the river bed would become thick with tall grasses.

There were a number of legends about what this meant, but the generally accepted one that it was a sign of national disaster, and those with left wing views noted it stopped running when Mrs Thatcher was elected.

It was very exciting when it started again, with village gossip about how it had got as far as the next village. And then you'd wake up the next day to have a full flow of a foot deep water rushing by.

Of course we kids treated it as our playground, paddling, swimming, and making dams. It wasn't really navigatable for adults but we made a number of rafts. An old tin bath proved to be very unstable, almost always resulting in a dunking, but a lorry tyre inner-tube with plank roped on top proved very reliable, and the basis of many a "Swallows and Amazons" style expedition.

As the Nailbourne flowed through the Kentish villages it was crossed by pedestrian bridges but cars just had to ford it (see pictures). This of course was great fun on a bike, though it occasionally got very slippery leading to a number of accidents.

One glorious summer day a police car tried to go through the river when particularly high and got stuck, and had to be pushed out so it could dry out. We thought that very amusing!

We were little water rats and there were indeed real water rats in the river. I remember one swim between my legs, though a friend freaked at that point and jumped out of the water.

I'm sure its no co-incidence that now I kayak and sail, and live again in sight of a river, and though the Thames is indeed a mighty river, the little Nailbourne is as special to me.

ps ....and if anyone asks about the date of this post - its using Australian time!

Eco debt day and Team Origin

Sometimes when reading the news about the environment I get this knot in my stomach, the sort you get before an exam or key presentation.

And its not that excitement when you're confident and feel sure of acing it, but rather when fearing its all going to go horribly, horribly wrong.

Today was one of those days, as it is "Eco debt day", when we have used all the Earth's resources our planet can give us in one year and from now on we're in destruction mode, reducing what is left to hand on to our children, nephews, nieces, and one day grand-nephews and neices.

In December there will be the big Copenhagen climate change conference, and a quick look at their web site here didn't help my mood with the banner "Climate change surpases worst-case scenario". Less high on the agenda but equally important is the ongoing habitat loss.

But there are many things we can do, as the destruction can be stopped, and we should encourage all those that do their bit.

So its good to see that the UK team working towards the next America's Cup, Team Origin, has joined up with the Carbon Trust to highlight what can be done to reduce CO2 emissions.

Now if only they could find a way to reduce the role of lawyers in the cup.

But I guess we should only try to tackle the solvable problems!

Air Jamaica Revises Baggage Policy

See larger print by clicking the flyer or here.

Coming Soon... Sandals Emerald Bay

Mark your calenders for January 2010! That's when the brand new Sandals Emerald Bay will welcome its first guests. I first told you about this hot new hotel in July, and the grand opening has finally been announced: January 22, 2010. See you there!

True Rum

All you ever wanted to know about Caribbean Rum, right here.

Six degrees of sailing

I was at a meeting this afternoon, and after we had finished the discussion about business plans, NDAs, and other MBA worthy topics, I finally got round to asking this business development manager the key question - "so what was the World Laser Masters like?"

It is, as many have said before, a very small world. In the world of showbiz there is a game that everyone who is anyone is no more than six steps away from Kevin Bacon. However even he is not the most connected point, which is currently Dennis Hopper.

And so with sailing there is no doubt a 6 degrees game you could play with everyone from Russell Coutts to Ben Ainslie, or indeed sailing bloggers.

So who would be Kevin Bacon and who Dennis Hopper? Would (say - and feel to disagree) O Docker be Bacon and Tillerman be Hopper?

But then who would be Bonnie, Adam, Greg and Chris, Pat and Carol Anne and all the others? And OMG who would I be?

And, in case you were wondering, this particular Bus Dev Manager sailed in Australia in 2008 and Nova Scotia this year, is currently preparing for Hayling Island, and, yes, he did remember someone called Tillerman.

It is a small world indeed.

Yachting World and the rug salesman

I've mentioned earlier how found the article in this month's Yachting World about sailing apps for the iPhone interesting - well it wasn't the only one.

Having previously met the ex-Star sailing rug salesman it was interesting to read more about the class. And as was about to order the selected rug from the ex-Star sailing rug salesman it was helpful to be able to say something sensible about the class - such as the ability to tune the mast rake.

Or maybe not, because he immediately went into details of checkstays which woosh! went over my head.

But one bit did make sense: the three stages of Star sailing learning curve:

1) Sail as normal, ignoring all the additional tweaky bits. Go pretty well most of the time

2) Start playing with all the other controls around, forget to look around at the fleet, mess up positioning, get tuning all wrong, and end up slipping down the ladder.

3) Finally work out when to tune what when and have time to look around - hurrah!

Getting to step 3 seems a lot of work - particularly as it seems physically a very demanding boat.

Anyone who sails at that level that must be a pretty good sailor and deserved this little sale.

(groan, that was pretty bad wasn't it? To make up for it here's an interesting article in The Independent about Olympic Gold medal Star sailors Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson who have been doing rather well in Weymouth & Portland the last week)

this travel blog speaks to my heart

Mix food & travel & a serious helping of the local scene and you have the perfect platform for my favorite blog. And this is just what Misty over @ Big Sweet Tooth offers her readers. So jump on over here, pour a glass, and enjoy seeing a few favorite places through her eyes.

Planning a Caribbean Wedding

Are you or anyone you know planning a Destination Wedding in the Caribbean? If so, please visit my other blog, dedication to Caribbean Weddings and join my brand new facebook page too!

**Photo courtesy of Vallentyne Photography - want more? Go here now!

High Water on Putney Embankment

Yesterday went for an afternoon run jog along the Thames path, but when I got to Putney Embankment (above) found that my way was barred by about a foot of water.

Alas having come out in running shoes not wellie boots had the choice of getting very wet feet or a diversion up to the higher ground of Lower Richmond Road.

It clearly was the wrong form of exercise to be taking at high water during springs: these kayakers had no trouble at all!

One Week to World Rivers Day

It's one week to go until World Rivers Day, and a reminder that its the topic for a group writing project.

World Rivers Day is a global celebration of the world's waterways held on the last Sunday of September, which this year will be the 27th.

The group writing project is to post about a river of your choice - and it can any bit of it from its source high in the mountains to the swollen estuary where it meets the sea.

It can be any river, from the little Piddle to the mighty Mississippi, the choice is yours. Just say why you've selected it, what it means to you, and why it should be celebrated.

And rumour has it that O'Docker has something already drafted to post for his all new blog - and the expectations are high about that!

I write a lot about the Thames so have already decided it;s not going to be my choice, so I'll mention a rather sad story about it now rather than next week.

A humpback whale was recently spotted in the Thames, but alas the excitement was short lived as sadly it died last weekend near the Dartford Bridge.

Maybe a reminder that we are messing up our planet big time and its time to take care of it a lot better.

More on the humpback whale story here.

Pop Quiz

Bit zonked this evening so just a simple pop quiz (and I mean really simple as in shouldn't need Google for this one) though no sailing or kayaking involved.

I spent yesterday evening with some rather loud girls, Beyonce's hubbie, Gwyneth Paltrow's hubbie, and about 70,000 other Londoners, but where?

Update: a review in the FT of all places

iPhone Apps in Yachting World

This month's Yachting World has an interesting article about sailing applications for the iPhone.

It lists a couple of the most useful ones, some of which don't have yet, like tide information and wind meter apps. Other's have already installed and tried out, like the Immray Rules and Signals which blogged earlier.

Unsurprisingly the Navionics Charts get a starring role - and their summary is something can quite agree with "the usefulness of the waypoints is compromised by the lack of VMG, COG, and SOG".

So listen up Navionics and add some of these features!

Lighthouse Bay, Barbuda

Welcome to Lighthouse Bay Resort, Barbuda!

Lighthouse Bay is a new property with great introductory rates...

Pristine Beaches...
Delicious Cuisine...
Comfortable Accommodations...

Beautiful rooms...
What more could you ask for?

Boris Recovers Lost Thames!

Its a victory for common sense and old Father Thames!

Earlier this week Transport for London unveiled their latest tube map (above). Apparently feedback had come in that it was too complicated so they removed the zones and the route of the river Thames.

Cue huge storm and outcry - how can you have London without the Thames?

Into battle went the Mayor of London, the flamboyant and now furious Boris Johnson, and soon with overwelming public support behind him TfL caved in.

Hurrah!

Paddling problem update

So went paddling, looking out for Greg (or Chris)'s logs, but it wasn't that bad. Ok the slipway was more slimy than usual but there wasn't a smell or anything.

The email that went round before hand had a comment at the end about watching out for the bad water quality, which one of the newbies didn't understand. So I did my bit for paddler education and explained all about the bubbler and CSO, which I'm sure he appreciated ;)

Apparently though it was really bad on the rainy day itself: there were some hardy folk out there and in particular above Hammersmith Bridge everything you could think of was seen floating by.

However if there is a gap in posts you will know that the worst has happened!

Have You Visited Fodor's Lately?

The Internet is overflowing with review sites... sites hosting forums for travellers to post their own personal account of their vacations. TripAdvisor, IgoUgo, and VirtualTourist, to name a few. While these sites serve a purpose as we all strive to become authors in our own right and need to feel validated when we have a negative or surprising experience, there is something wonderful about a well written, thoroughly researched travel review. Enter Fodors.com.

Many of the authors at Fodors are well-traveled and their point of references for noting details about a certain destination are many and varied. I have never understood why travellers would prefer to only read the reviews of "real" travellers and ignore the professional review. There simply is no comparison to a review of a Caribbean hotel by someone who has visited over 100 others. They know what to look for, what questions to ask of the staff, and what details you and I might just overlook in our research. So next time you are researching an island getaway, add Fodors to your list!

A Paddling Problem

Yesterday it rained and rained and rained. Not just the odd shower, or a little drizzle, but an all day downpour.

And that's not good news for London's elderly water management system that can cope with sewage or rain but not both.

There was rather an unpleasant to watch episode of the documentary series Panorama about it last week. It looked not just in London but across the UK, particularly how it effects the water on popular beaches. There is even a phrase for it - Combined Sewer Overflow or CSO. And in some beaches the wet summer the CSO was so bad that there was a 1 in 7 chance of getting a stomach upset by swimming after heavy rain.

In London there is a special boat called the Bubbler that goes out after a CSO and pumps oxygen into the Thames to counter the way the bugs eating sewage suck all the air out of the water, killing wildlife like fish.

So after yesterdays washout I've been wondering if it would be out on the river again, and yes it has. And what's more its just gone by at past 10 pm (see above) when no doubt the crew is on double pay overtime, so it must be a really bad CSO.

Which brings me to my problem: Thursday is evening paddling day so tomorrow am planning to be out on the water, water that is currently in the midst of a major sewage overflow problem.

Hmmm.......

Mermaid of the day

This elegant dolphin and mermaid can be found between Tower Bridge and St Katharine's dock, where there were the classic boats during the Thames Festival. There was probably some plaque with information about the artist and symbolism, but was distracted by, er, the dolphin.

So yesterday's blog entry took a leaf out of tugster's book by posting a working boat of the Thames, today its a mermaid picture.

That makes this blog a bit like Never Sea Land which is a bit like The Horse's Mouth used to be.

Normal service will be resumed shortly.

Update: its called "Girl with dolphin" and its by David Wynne.

Jamaica & A Villa by the Sea....

A true villa vacation is one that comes with a staff included. A staff that considers this villa their own. They lovingly care for the property with tender touches...
You arrive to warm, smiling faces and huge bear hugs... followed by cool drinks and a light snack served poolside while you take in the view. Oh how this reception will wash away the weariness of travel and any effects from changing climates.

The butler quickly unpacks your suitcase and whips up another fruity concoction... at the bar... on the verandah... overlooking the sea. Just sit.

Dinner the first night is always a traditional Jamaican roast chicken dinner with all the typical tropical sides... rice & peas (they're really beans), fried sweet plantain, and a veggie. Dessert is indulgent... chocolate rum cake, pineapple upside down cake or maybe rum raisin ice cream. The wine will flow alongside the conversation and soon sleep will whisper in your ears and you will retire... right here:Your first breakfast could be banana pancakes. Fluffy savory batter surrounding freshly picked pieces of banana... hot from the griddle and dripping with butter. The fruit plate is equally enticing... long strips of papaya holding tiny wedges of lime for squeezing, cubes of rich mango waiting to melt in your mouth, fresh oranges - huge - easily the size of your palm.

Sip coffee - Blue Mountain - thick and woodsy and only perfect with a dash of cream and a heaping spoonful of sugar... then gaze. Let your eyes land on the housekeeper as she places hot fluffy towels on the chaises by the pool... all rolled up and waiting.

Look past and see the sea. No words. It just is - perfect - and alive - all its own.

Back at the table and more conversation with travel companions who slept as soundly as you in a room like this:

What to do first?

A swim. Then it is lunch by the sea... and more swimming.

The staff spends their day chasing dust bunnies out of the house, pressing your laundry, and stirring the pots with tonight's dinner. All while humming a little diddy.

From the pool, if your lucky, you can hear this humming.

Dinner the second night is full of laughter enjoyed while sharing Pumpkin Soup, Fettuccine with Ginger Grilled Lobster in Olive Oil and Fresh Tomatoes, and Rum Apple Crepes.

Then its off to bed again. Repeat this scenario 5-6 times and it was time to fly home. This trip could be all yours. Just let me know when you want to go!

Pictures of Bougainvillea Villa Copyrighted by Nigel Lord .

Thames Festival 2009 - Steam Tug

As posted yesterday the Thames Festival 2009 River Pageant was a bit disappointing. It might be because I missed some of the boats or because living by the river you get to see a lot of boats, including most of those in the pageant.

But the steam tug above was kinda cool - the last coal fired steam tug in the UK. It's called Portwey and you can find more about of it here.

Golly, is this blog turning into tugster?

Whatever might this blog become tomorrow...

Thames Festival 2009

Yesterday went along to sample a little of the Thames Festival.

First there was the Feast on the Bridge (below): Southwark Bridge was closed to traffic, with buses and black cabs replaced by communal dining tables and food stalls. You could get a burger or tandori chicken, though my fiver went on a hog roast sandwich (which went the wrong way, causing all sorts of embarrassing coughing and spluttering).

Towards Tower Bridge (below) there were moored Thames Barges and along the river bank a line of stalls from the RNLI, the PLA, Thames 21, Wandle Trust, Thames Water, and many others. Had a useful chat to someone from the PLA about mooring rights and the Wandle Trust about the horrors of developers and then crossed Tower Bridge to get to St Katharines Dock.

Here were an array of lovely classic wooden boats (top). My favourite was the beauty below called Katrine (bel0w), which is a Whitstable Smack from 1910. Sailed as a gentleman's yacht rather than working boat she was once dismasted by the Cutty Sark!

Then there was a river pageant which was a bit disappointing, a final walk by the Tower of London, which is pretty impressive if you forget the crowds of tourists swarming all over it, before heading home.

100 Years of the Port of London Authority

The Port of London Authority (PLA), responsible for the Thames between Teddington Lock to way out in estuary, is 100 years old this year.

It's been a eventful century - from the bustling docks of the British Empire, to the devastation of the Blitz, to the collapse of shipping thirty odd years ago. Now the PLA's remit covers everything from leisure craft to environmental duties.

Their web site, here, is a storehouse of information about the goings on on the Thames, including:

• History of the PLA
• Ship arrivals and departures (and a reasuringly number of them too)
• Predicted tide tables and live tide heights
• Downloadable PDF of Guide for recreational users
• Notices for Mariners

And this weekend this centenary is a central part of the Thames Festival, with fireworks, feast on the bridge, river pageant, and classic yachts rally.

If you're in London its definitely worth checking out.

Twilight - New Moon Cast Poster HD Wallpapers

The TWILIGHT SAGA - NEW MOON, starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner, Widescreen High Quality Wallpapers | Backgrounds.