Off boating with an iPad

It's a bit like the beauty and the beast. The newest & coolest kit with this slow and beamy boat (using the widest definition of the word as per Carole Anne) together in the home of "Wind in the Willows".

Indeed the gentleman practicing fly fishing (he was keen to emphasis the practice bit as it is the closed season) told us we had gone past Toad Hall. Alas the youngest of my crew were learning to drive as we pottered by but we will have another look on the way back.

Tomorrow we are promised sun not the rain we had today.

But if you are reading this the iPad is doing what it should.

ps: we are having a lot of fun!

A List of Private Island Resorts

While Private Island Vacations have fallen out of reach for many people in the past few years, they are still worth considering because most, if not all, are offering a fantastic summer/fall promotions. Here are a few of my private island resorts:

Scrub Island, British Virgin Islands:

Palm Island, Grenadines:

Kamalame Cay, Bahamas:

Little Whale Cay, Bahamas:

Necker Island, British Virgin Islands:

Fowl Cay by Royal Plantation, Bahamas:

To book any one of these fantastic private island vacations, contact us at Caribbean Journey: info @ caribbeanjourney.com or call 866-236-1924. 

Thank you! 

Test post

Alas one drawback of the iPad is the browser Safari. It was known that it can't do flash but what is worse is it's inability to manage complex web sites like Google Docs and (this is really bad) Blogger.

As always the answer is "there's an app for that" so this post is checking out the BlogPress app.

Bit limited but I guess that's what life is like at the bleeding edge

Bonus marks for those that can guess what central London building this wind vane was on.

Navionics and the iPad

Oh my golly goshes....

Today showed shocking lack of self control. There was a PC World between my train station and home - ok, not exactly, but only a little way off - and found myself walking in and.....oh wow, what a co-incidence.... its the UK iPad launch date. And what's this email just received this afternoon? Navionics charts available for iPad?

Yup, I now am what can only be described as playing with my new toy.

Full review to come, but it looks gorgeous.

The Captain and his hat

I do not like this style of hat.

It comes over as either somewhat old fashioned and paradoxically un-nautical, more at home at a fancy dress party, and with a whiff of camp about it as well.

Real sailors know that such hats would be blown away come the first gust and instead have eyes sunken into the skull to escape the salty spray (in theory anyway).

Now I have a boating trip coming up shortly (more anon) and was going to go hatless, until my brother-in-law made a very good point. When, he said, I let my nephews and nieces have a turn at the wheel what could be better - to make it official and show the importance of concentrating on our course - than lending them the skipper hat's.

Hmmmm..... this might require further consideration.....

Boats not on that list.... and why

Yesterday I posted 10 varied types of craft that I've spotted out on the Thames recently and taken a snap. But there were others out, that were missed out.... what were they and why no photo?

So here are 10 more craft out there and why they were missed out.

1. Kayaks and Canoes

No Bonnie, not forgotten, and yes they were out there, so why no snaps? Well two reasons really. Firstly kayakers are always looking around at the world around and might well spot yours truly snapping way and I'd get all self conscious and wish could explain about the competitive world of blogging ("You don't understand how tough it is! Two fellow bloggers .... this week alone!").

Sailors aren't thinking about folk ashore, but instead are wondering if their sails are set right, if a burst of wind is about to blow them over, if they're about to be run over by a bigger boat. Ditto motor boat drivers who worry too much about whether they look cool and are they going faster than the next boat.

Also of course I almost certainly knew the kayakers out there and that brings all sorts of issues starting with "surely this is fine weather enough even for you JP".

2. RNLI Lifeboat

Its out there all the time and doesn't go as fast as the Police boat (I've seen them race - they might have claimed it was for an emergency but we all know it was to prove who had the meanest boat on the river). Anyhow been a bit grim week for safety of life and the Thames.

3. River taxis

Not exactly exciting and too big for my requirements. An everyday boat.

4. Party boats

Why do people think this is a good idea? You're stuck on-board with no option to leave surrounded by people trying to drink the bar dry. Four words to remember: "The Office Booze Cruise"

5. Support boats

These are usually just tin cans with outboards, containing someone with a megaphone yelling out to rowers to "pull harder, row faster" etc

6. Rubbish boats

Big yellow things, very slow and heavy, no engines and very, very smelly. Not good for entertaining dates. Honk very loudly at other boats foolish enough to get in their way (rowers and their support boats, you know what I mean)

7. Inflatables

Look like they've taken the wrong turning and probably are about to drift out to sea. Ok, not that bad, but usually overloaded and underpowered for the Thames.

8. Narrow boats

Do not seem happy on the Thames. Scuttle as quickly as they can to a canal where there are real ale pubs and morris dancers.

9. Surf boards

Not sure that counts as a boat and anyhow just looks like two surfer dudes showing off. Now if it had been Scarlett Johansson lying on the board doing those overarm strokes, that might have been worth photographing.

Hmmm.... seem to have missed something.... what can it be.....oh yes, of course:

10. Power boats

It seems the dark side isn't the power it thought it was as alas these are instantly forgettable. None of them look anything like a Riva classic, they're just plastic blobs, not worth taking a snap of. But there were rather a lot of them out there, buzzing like annoyed bees.

So there you go, twenty different types of boat on or around the Thames over the last week.

And even better the list didn't include the dreaded Bubbler!

Which boat..... and why?

A selection of pics of some of the boats out on the Thames over the last week. Which would you choose and why?

Pick 1 (above) is the Laser, while choice 2 (below) is an old fashioned rowing gig Thames Waterman Cutter (thanks Chris):

Next up choice 3 on dry land a lifeboat:

CHOICE NUMBER FOUR WHICH WAS VERY LOUD IS THIS HOVERCRAFT:

More peaceful this Enterprise is number 5:

A bit more up to date this RS Vision choice 6:

A bit more exciting, the old bill's choice, its number 7:

And lets not forget at number 8 its the fire and rescue team:

At 9 it's the rowing boat that posted earlier, captured in the sunset:

And last but not least at number 10 there's this, the Clarkson special:

Also....... what isn't on this list?

What's so great about Tobago?

Ask this question to most people in the US and you'll get a blank stare. For this reason, I've had success selling this island to many clients who seek the last of the exotics. They haven't heard of the island so the thought process is, it must be a gem. 

You've surely heard of Trinidad, home to the second most fabulous Carnival outside of Rio, correct? Well Tobago is just a hop, skip, and a jump to the Northeast.

Most of the hotels on the island are small and intimate, cozy and private, like the Half Moon Blue. At only 10 rooms, the epitome of a cozy Caribbean cottage:

 

Two of my favorite larger hotels, are Coco Reef Resort & Spa:

And Blue Haven Hotel complete with some of the chicest rooms on the island:

Tobago is also easy to get to from Europe with cheap flights daily and nonstop flights from London.

Enjoy,

London Idyll

This weekend summer finally arrived in London.

The temperatures been in the high twenties and the temptation has been to find a shady spot and have a nice doze.

It was a spot of luck for the 2010 Wandsworth Art's Festival, held from Putney Wharf to Wandsworth Park, as the crowds descended to its green spaces to picnic and sunbath. The connecting Deodar Road had pulled out all the stops, with violinists seranading the sphinx statues, a young girl dancing to music on her iPhone, another in a wet suit with rowing oar asking passer's by if they'd seen a boat and houses decorated as if entering a fancy dress competition.

The high spot for me was the Graeme Miller installation called "Track". Along the avenue in Wandsworth Park was laid a railway track made from scaffolding poles along which carts could be pushed or pulled.

By lying on one and looking at the sky you saw wonderfully relaxing view of the trees gradually sliding by against a blue sky.

Well at least that was the theory, and the practice if the passenger was under ten. If you were a bit larger and had not just one but two helpings of Eton Mess the previous night there were the occasional grindings to a halt, as happens at the end of this clip.

There were all sorts of craft out on the Thames, but they will have to wait until another day.

Two Safety Tips

Safety seems to be the theme for the watery blogger at the moment, so here are two top tips:

1) Use Gloves

I love the spinnaker: when you put it up you get this surge of power as the boat accelerates - hopefully in the right direction.

But it can be a scary sail. The thing is it just has such a huge area that the loads on it can be hard to manage, and it needs a lot of ropes, which can lead to all sorts of tangles.

This story however involves a hoist of the spinnaker in the picture above that went wrong. The man swigging on the halyard by the mast didn't notice that the rope wasn't being pulled through the jammer but was coiling at his feet. So when the wind caught the sail the rope went flying upwards through his hands, and he wasn't wearing gloves.

The result was not pretty.

2) Stay in the boat

A couple were once found swimming half way between the islands of St Lucia and Martinique. They were all on their own, without a boat and also without any clothes.

Apparently they had been out sailing but as alas happens too often there was no wind. So they decided to go skinny dipping, both of them.

However once in the water the wind picked up, and it was fair to say they were lucky to be picked up too.

Lets be careful out there.

Rowers in the sunset

The Bristol Pilot Cutter and the skip

The Beeb's series of Sea Fever programs is about to end, with the last two of the "boats that built Britain".

The penultimate of these was the totally wonderful Bristol Pilot Cutter (above) while the last was the LCVP landing craft.

To show the evolution of the concept the presenter Tom Cunliffe experimented with a rather unusual vessel, namely a skip with outboard.

And it worked!

Plotting the Thames's Tides

The Thames in London is a tidal river. The currents are fast and the range between high and low water sometimes over 6m.

You can get the raw numbers from the web site of the Port of London Authority (PLA). Here you can find both tide forecasts and live data from gauges along the river. But they are a bit dry, and it can take time to work out the picture along the estuary.

So I was delighted to find this site that shows all this information graphically. If you look at the pictures above and below you can see the water flowing in and out of the Thames today.

Symbols show the locks upriver and the Thames Barrier in the middle, complete with which spans are open.

It's a great example of how the graphical display of data can really bring it alive, giving an understanding of the processes involved.

Beautiful.

A Costa Rica Dream Home

This modern villa in Costa Rica appeals to me. It goes right along with my new favorite high design show, 9 by Design... {although it doesn't look very kid friendly. I'd leave my crew at home when I visit.}

For years, the sleek look of minimalism seemed cold and sterile to me. Fast forward to 2010 and my life is a whirlwind of kids, activities, dinner dates, and a business growing almost faster than I can keep up.... which has caused a change in what I consider comfortable. I would LOVE to leave my chaos behind and head to a wonderfully uncluttered villa like this one:

The perfect balance of neutral tones, glass, and eye-catching shapes:

Don't most amazing homes have amazing pools?

Perfection!

Like what you see at Villa Sietemetros? I'd be happy to book it for you. Read more about the property here.

{dear viceroy}

Dear Viceroy Anguilla, 


I am looking forward to meeting you next month. I am sure it will be mutually beneficial. I know you will impress and I won't be able to keep the experience in, spilling the secret of your beauty and perfection and hopefully inspiring others to meet you as well. 


See you soon,

Two Views of the Thames Barrier

The Thames Barrier (above) is an impressive and strangely beautiful structure.

It is the second largest moveable flood barrier, with rotation mechanisms contained within the stainless steel clad piers which remind me a little of the Sydney Opera House. There are ten spans in total: the four main 61 metre spans were designed to be the same width as that at Tower Bridge.

London depends upon it raising the gates when high tide and a storm surge combine to send water funnelling up the Thames estuary, threatening to flood the capital. And the risk is becoming ever greater, as the south east of England is gradually sinking while water levels rise higher.

And this is another view of the Barrier, using sound not light:

The photo was taken just after we powered through one of the gaps, and you can see the flat bit which shows the gate underwater in the horizontal lowered position.

Trinity Buoy Wharf

The powerboat course last weekend was based in one of those forgotten corners of Docklands that are real hidden gems.

Trinity Buoy Wharf is one of those places packed with character and history, nature and geography. It's where the River Lea meets the Thames, and it was one of the bases of Trinity House, the organisation responsible for maritime navigation aids such as lighthouses and buoys, founded in 1514 under the reign of Henry VIII.

Here none other than Michael Faraday undertook experiments as part of the development of lighthouses, one of which still stands, called appropriately The Experimental Lighthouse:

Since Trinity House left, new uses for the site have sprung up, some historic, some continuing the experimental tradition.

A variety of art usage of the complex includes storage for the English National Opera (ENO) and also the home where you can hear a radical composition of length - wait for it - one thousand years!

Called appropriately Longplayer the first performance began on midnight on 31st December 1999 and will continue until the current millennium ends in 2999. You can listen to the piece play out as it is streamed over the internet, and the best bit is, that you are guaranteed it will still be playing next time you are in London!

The site also includes some experimental architecture in The Container City:

This is pretty much what you'd expect from it's name - buildings built from containers. The advantage is that planning permission is not needed as by nature it is a temporary construction. The downside is I'd imagine they get cold in winter.

Also on the site were some installation artworks, a pier used by the fast Thames Clippers service, and some old lightboats, one of which at least has been converted into someone's home, complete with on-deck bath. Across the river you can see the impressive structure which is the London Millennium Dome.

The final touch to this remarkable site was a genuine American Dinner, Fatboys:

Well worth a visit if you find yourself in Docklands.