Blogging the Olympics - or not?

This summer is of course the Olympics and I have a couple of tickets to the sailing.

It will be great to see the world's best sailors compete together on home waters (and hopefully see blighty win a few more golds) and then blog about it afterwards - or so I thought.

Apparently the following warning is being printed on all Olympic tickets:

"Images, video and sound recordings of the Games taken by a Ticket Holder cannot be used for any purpose other than for private and domestic purposes and a Ticket Holder may not license, broadcast or publish video and/or sound recordings, including on social networking websites and the Internet more generally."

Wow - that's really restrictive and backwards looking.

London is a tech centre, home of start-ups & media friendly, and the mobile operators are already boasting how much 3G coverage the Olympic site will have (and reminding everyone that Beijing only had 2G) explicitly to support Facebook and blog updates.

There have already been signs of back pedalling with Olympic organisers admitting that:

"The internet has changed the world and we’re not going to be silly. But the reality is that we live in an Internet world where Facebook downloads and uploads are happening every day of the week and there’s not much we can do about it."

Anyhow I'm going to go ahead on the grounds that reading the restrictions with a fine tooth comb the issue is mostly with sound and video while for photography it simply mustn't be commercial.

As you might have noticed this blog is advert and hence revenue free so there'll be no commercial gain, but it does seem a bit ridiculous.

This is meant to be the big world-coming-together-unifying event but we're not meant to communicate about it.

That's just crazy.

London and the Shard

The Blue Lagoon, Port Antonio, Jamaica

I've been to the Blue Lagoon before. The first time was 2001. Back then, the Jamaica Tourist Board took a more active role in marketing Port Antonio. We flew into the small airport just outside of town. We stayed at a hotel that is not currently operating called Dragon Bay. {If you saw the movie Cocktail with Tom Cruise, you know the beach and the famous beach bar.} But that was then. In the years since, I've been lucky enough to spend about 5 Easters in Port Antonio and I make it a point with each visit, to return to the Blue Lagoon.

And this is why...

It is simply MAGICAL...

I'll visit any way I can... usually by rising early to walk down the long and winding hill from our home-away-from-home at Goblin Hill Villas. This year, we succumbed to the offers to take a bamboo raft into the lagoon and swim.

 

The ride was relaxing to the point I almost dozed off - that was, until my husband decided to add a little adventure to the trip and jump in the shallow flats in front of the lagoon and capture a sea creature for our son:

Success and oh so spiny....

Fascination with hands on nature is.... better than any classroom...

The Blue Lagoon is adjacent to some of the prized real estate in the Caribbean. These waterfront villas sell for millions but rent for pretty reasonable rates - ask me about renting one for your next villa vacation.

Then we finally reached the lagoon and took a swim in the cool water. The lagoon is reportedly 186 feet deep. I figure that must be 15-16 stories - right? That's DEEP and the reason behind the water's amazing hue - not quite blue, not quite green - truly the closest thing to turquoise I've even seen...

After an hour swimming, our raft guides returned to pick us up... 

Priceless...

a trip to remember

Cheers,

The Motherload of Sunscreen on Sephora Today

I'm a huge promoter of skin protection. Selling vacations to the Caribbean goes hand-in-hand with reminding my clients to pack SUNSCREEN! The sun in the Caribbean is very powerful. Any Sephora fans out there? Check out this amazing deal of sun protection products... 

From Sephora.

Cheers,

Luxury Honeymoons at Secrets Wild Orchid or Secret St. James

Its no secret that Jamaica is a top honeymoon destination. The tropical island is home to some of the most scenic geography in the Caribbean. Beauty relaxes the mind and after months of stressful wedding planning, all brides deserve to relax. So what better place for a honeymoon?


Jamaica has many wonderful resorts - but the two new Secrets Resorts in Montego Bay are a smart and easy choice for anyone wanting a fully inclusive, luxury resort, catering to couples. Now is a great time to book either Secrets St. James or Wild Orchid for your honeymoon and take advantage of the following promotion:

Book a Hotel + Delta Air package for you, each traveler will earn 3000 bonus Delta Skymiles AND at least $50 off your vacation package. Contact us today to get started!

{As with all promotions, restrictions apply. Please inquire for full details.}

Cheers,

I want to sail in Scottish waters

So if the Solent isn't top of my list of places I want to sail, where is?

Well if the title of this post didn't give the game away hopefully the flag in the photo above will. For some time now I've wanted to sail the waters around Scotland.

I've visited the Highlands and Islands quite a few times on family holidays and just loved it. Wild moors with nothing but herds of deer, idylic sandy beaches, crystal clean waters, impressive mountains rising out of the sea, Gaelic culture, stone age remains, friendly locals, good sea food and air as strong as an iron girder forged on the Clyde.

But I've never sailed those waters apart from a couple of afternoons in a dinghy and the inevitable CalMac ferry (above) and yet the area seems ideal for yachts.

There's been a big push to "Sail Scotland" and facilities have been expanded, and while we were on Islay we saw them building a big marina. But usually looking out to sea you'd be lucky to catch sight of a single yacht, which is strange given its under an hour's flight from London, with no passport required.

What about the weather? you're probably thinking.

Well ok it isn't exactly the Caribbean, but it is surprisingly temperate, given its the same latitude as Hudson Bay and Labrador in Canada, places where icebergs drift and polar bears go wandering.

But Scotland is warmed by the gulf stream and typically is only a few degrees cooler than the rest of Britain, though it might indeed be a good idea to stock up with Musto base and mid layers before heading up there.

And on its doorstep there are all sorts of really interesting places: sail for just a few days and you're in untouched wilderness.

One day, hopefully soon, I'll find out for myself.

Why the Solent isn't my top sailing destination

Oops, that might have come out wrong.

I do like the Solent, honestly. I've my favourites ports, like the Hamble, Lymington, Yarmouth and Cowes.

I've done my Day Skipper and Coastal Skipper (er, almost) there. I've moored at Cowes surrounded by legends during the 150th anniversary of the America's Cup, done a Round the Island, raced a Volvo 60 in Cowes week, sailed past the Needles at midnight, chute flying in the moonlight....

But I'm trying to answer Tillerman's blogging writing challenge - which is to say where do you want to sail most in the world.

And that's not the Solent, for me. I'm booked to sail there twice more this summer, but it'll be the Solent "again" and in summer it gets really crowded (above).

I want to go somewhere different, to discover new waters to sail, to push outside that comfort zone.

So where do I most want to sail? Ah, that will have to wait until tomorrow.....

Book Review: Furthest North

This book tells the story of the expedition to row to the North Pole - the magnetic North Pole that is, or at least where it was in 1996 (most famously once the destination for the Top Gear crew).

I blogged about them at the tail end of 2011 after watching a TV program about it and then googling the expedition's web site.

It was quite an amazing if chilly story about rowing across 450 NM of icy waters (and in this case I do really mean icy) to get up to 78.595°N. Six crew were crammed into the boat you see in the pic above which must have been a cosy fit.

Soon after watching it I was at the London Boat Show and who should I meet but the expedition leader, Arctic veteran Jock Wishart. We had a brief chat of which the only bit I really remember is the need for really good sleeping bags.

After that I bought the book and put to one side to read later, which I did just recently.

It's glossy and short but that's all good as it keeps it to the point. It covers not just the row itself but also the critical stages of preparation, in particular building a boat able to be withstand impact with ice floes and yet light enough to drag over pack ice.

I certainly enjoyed it and admired the story and photos of what is certainly a remarkable part of the planet, further north than I'm likely to go. The book includes a serious message about global warming's impact on the polar ice but at the end of the day its really about adventure.

A book to read somewhere warm with a glass of the sponsor's prize Old Pulteney whisky to hand.

Rather appropriately Old Pulteney comes from the far north of Scotland and calls itself "the genuine maritime malt".

Sounds like required drinking for polar explorers!


Updated: on BBC1 tonight and afterwards in iPlayer - see here


Photo from: Amazon

Hot NEW Caribbean Hotel Inclusions!

Here is a roundup of hot new Caribbean hotel amenities being offered in 2012:

Hotel Chocolat in St. Lucia offers guests house-made chocolate truffles from cocoa grown right on property - yum:

The Four Seasons Nevis offers guests with small children complimentary items to childproof their room.


The Body Holiday Le Sport in St. Lucia has an Icicle Tricycle that cruises the beach providing guests with cool and refreshing snow cones daily in unique flavors such as cucumber mint.


{this is for my girls...} Tucker's Point Resort in Bermuda has the prettiest sunbrellas I've ever seen - hot pink with ruffles, found at their spa pool. Book a massage and curl up under one of these with a spa cocktail and a good book:

The St. Regis Bahia Beach in Puerto Rico provides a daily Iced Tea Ritual - where teas from around the world are served iced and accompanied by a tropical fruit skewer.


Excellence Playa Mujeres & Excellence Riviera Cancun offer top-shelf tequila tastings:

Secret Bay, the new eco-luxury resort in Dominica offers guests free exclusive use of a Kindle loaded with daily international newspapers.


At GeeJam in Port Antonio, Jamaica, you have the option of renting out their state-of-the art recording studio, following the drum beats of many famous artists.


Grotto Bay Beach Resort in Bermuda offers spa services in their underground serenity cave. Serene? Yes!

To book these hotels, or any other Caribbean or Mexican luxury resort complete with unique amenities, please contact our Caribbean Travel Specialists - info @ caribbeanjourney.com OR 866-236-1924.

Cheers,

Nelson's Ship in a Bottle - Victory!

Its a good day for art and the National Maritime Museum (NMM)!

The Art Fund has successfully raised enough money to keep Yinka Shonibare's sculpture Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle for the NMM in Greenwich.

It looked good on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square (above) and it will look equally impressive outside the NMM and as a campaign supporter I'll be no doubt be down in Greenwich some time to admire it.

What's more it will be in place in time for the Queen to see it when she visits Greenwich for the opening of the Cutty Sark and the NMM's 75th anniversary on the 25th April, which is this Wednesday.


Updated: The Queen in Greenwich as reported on the BBC web site here.

Dive, Stay and Dine at Nisbet Plantation Beach Club on Nevis

The top-rated Caribbean resort has partnered with Scuba Safaris, a PADI five-star dive center, to offer a week-long dive vacation full of underwater discoveries, gourmet cuisine and spacious accommodations under the attentive care of Nisbet Plantation’s dedicated staff.

Available through December 19, 2012, Nisbet Plantation’s Ultimate Luxury Dive Vacation includes:

·          A free night on a seven-night stay in spacious cottage-style accommodations for two

·          Daily full-service breakfast served poolside at Coconuts

·          Daily lunch either served on the beach at Sea Breeze or boxed up to enjoy on the dive boat

·          Nightly three-course gourmet dinner at the Great House, a AAA Four Diamond restaurant

·          Five two-tank dives in the crystal clear waters of St. Kitts and Nevis

·          Round-trip airport transportation from St. Kitts (SKB) or Nevis (NEV)

Package rates begin at $3,102 for two divers or $2,724 for one diver. Rates are subject to tax and service charge. The package is not combinable with other offers and subject to availability.

During the week-long vacation, divers will have the chance to explore some of the more than 40 dive sites surrounding St. Kitts and Nevis. From gently sloping coral reefs to caverns, ledges and wrecks, the dive sites are home to snapper, barracuda, southern stingrays, eagle rays, turtles and more.

Nevis and Nisbet Plantation offer plenty for land lovers as well. Guests can lounge on the white sand beach or oceanfront pool, get pampered at The Palms Spa, dance under the stars to live music at the weekly Beach Barbeque, cycle around the island or hike through a rainforest.

The 36-square-mile island of Nevis is just a short water taxi ride away from sister-island St. Kitts. Direct flights into St. Kitts (SKB) are available from many gateway cities in the US, Canada and UK. Connecting flights into Nevis (NEV) are available from San Juan (SJU), St. Maarten (SXM) and Antigua (ANU), all cities easily served by American Airlines.

{Contact the Caribbean Travel Specialists at Caribbean Journey if you are interested in booking a dive vacation to Nevis!}

London Kayakathon 2012

There's so much going on in London its impossible to keep up.

Apparently back in 2010 someone had the great idea of having a kayaking marathon on the Thames on the same day as the London Marathon. This year was the third outing, but the first I've caught: no doubt the previous two either missed or pigeon holed as just yet another group out on the river.

It's called a "Kayakathon"  which to be honest sounds a little close to the "Jubilympics" of the wonderful "Twenty Twelve" docu-comedy just finished on the Beeb.

Anyhow congrats to all of those taking part and in particular well done for avoiding getting run down by Kingwood (above).

There is that little voice in my head saying that as the river is tidal the distance through the water isn't 26.2 miles but I've just told it to shut up its all about raising money for charity and I didn't see you heading out on the water!

"So its all good then!" (*)

(*) my favourite quote from Twenty Twelve which I'm rather enjoying using at random but vaguely appropriate moments

Two Rowing Pictures

Two pictures of rowing for Chris of Rowing For Pleasure.

The Thames Rowing Club

I was walking the Thames path recently when I heard a familiar voice barking orders out on the river.

It was a cox of a woman's eight, out doing their training. The question was - as I don't actually know any coxes, how could it be familiar?

The answer was I'd recently seen this video of the Thames Rowing Club's women's eight winning the Head of River Race (HORR). But how could I be sure it really was the same person?

Then she used the catch phrase "stand up!" - which if you watch the video you'll recognise.

The TRC has also been getting the attention of the likes of the Telegraph and the Nautica marketing team, as in this article.

The article talks about getting up at 5 am and how the club includes Olympic rowers.

Maybe all that helps explain the HORR win.


Picture from: the Telegraph here.

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