Fall
(October-November-December) 2004:
Racing season is finally over.
Despite a difficult year, we still managed to win the Western
Lake Ontario Championship for J35s on Winston’s
boat Crime Scene. We were second in the LORC series
- congratulations to Roger Walker and the crew of Battlewagon,
who had a spectacular year winning that series. They also
put in superior performance at the Toronto NOOD, winning it
amidst very tough fleet. We were pulverized in that event.
Get this. There is a J35
in Toronto named The Usual Suspects, owned by the Usual
Suspects Consortium. They claimed to have had the name
before me, and jokingly threaten legal action whenever we finish
ahead of them. To add insult to injury, their logo is
almost identical to the one we later developed for Crime
Scene - a chalk outline.
Time now to start thinking of
slowing down. Actually, anchoring.
It was a brutal hurricane season. Charley, Frances,
Ivan, and Jeanne - all wreaked havoc on interests in the
Caribbean. It's not over yet.
For this update, we have:
The Boat
 The
Fall 2004 update’s Background Photo features yachts
knocked over like dominoes at a marina in Grenada, the results
of Hurricane Ivan, September 2004.
(Internet photo - origin unknown)
Summer
(July-August-September) 2004:
Racing season is in full
swing. We have just completed three weekends in a row
racing Winston’s J35 Crime
Scene, with some good and some not-so-good results.
Enough to keep us coming back for more.
For this update, we have:
The Experiences
- Update to Tobago Cays Marine Park
feature. Find out
the latest developments in the struggle for management of the
park.
- The 2004 update to Destination:
The Grenadines. The information contained in
this travel guide is essential for your full
enjoyment of The Grenadines.
- The 2004 update to the Boat
Vendors of The Grenadines feature, containing all the
latest information on these enterprising vendors.
Due to pressure from the politically correct, Boat Boys
are now to be known as Boat Vendors.
- Update
to Favorite
Links - Added new references - SailingCouples.com,
noonsite.com, and OnPassage.com.
 The
Summer 2004 update’s Background Photo
features the fine work of Terence McKree, model boat builder,
Bequia.
Spring (April-May-June) 2004:
It has been a while. It
took a mammoth effort to finally get this out. For those
of you who waited, I hope it was worth the wait. I really
need to end this job nonsense and dedicate my life to living
adventures and writing about them full time...
Sailing season is fast
approaching, and it looks like another J35 year aboard Crime
Scene. I hope to get my International Star out a few
more times than last year.
The TTOL North Party
was a smashing success. Special thanks to hosts Michael
and Jacomien, who showed us a splendid time as usual.
For this update, we have:
The Adventures - February
2004 Adventure - The Shmoopy Trip - From Dudes to
couples, learn more about schnuggling in The Grenadines.
Find out about the most recent refinements to the perfect
Grenadines itinerary, the latest Boat Boy developments, as well
as the ongoing saga of the Tobago Cays Marine Park management
deal.
The
Suspects - Two “Pledge” Suspects have become
full-fledged members of this questionable community. We
welcome Debbie Ming and Dawn
Mowbray to the fold.
The Experiences - Update
to Favorite
Links - Added two new references - IslandTimeHolidays.com
featuring fully-crewed Grenadines charters, as well as Walker
Mangum’s BVIPirate.com, featuring adventures in the BVI.
 The
Spring 2004 update’s Background Photo
features Supreme Suspect Debbie enjoying the shallow
water at Petit Tabac, one of the islands in the Tobago
Cays. Scenes from the movie Pirates of The Caribbean were
shot in this exact spot. The Tobago Cays anchorage is in
the background.
Winter (January-February-March) 2004:
Time constraints have made it
extremely difficult to update The Usual Suspects website
on a monthly basis. Starting last October 1, 2003,
updates are to be made on a quarterly basis. This job
thing is really beginning to get in the way!
Hopefully the Caribbean travel business
will improve now that Saddam is safely in stir. From his spider-hole,
he successfully convinced the world that they should remain
hidden in their basements. Perhaps more of us will now emerge
and book a trip - the Caribbean could really use the business.
Now if we can only find
that other guy...
Have a look at www.chaseronline.com.
Could this be the answer we’ve all been looking for?
Following my own advice, I will
be in The Grenadines on The Usual Suspects from February
15 - 25, personally trying to stimulate the economy. If
any of you plan to be in the area, send me a note and maybe we
can hook up and compare Rummer recipes.
In January 2003, I wrote an
article featuring the Tobago
Cays Marine Park. Since then, much has
transpired. A proposal from a private
enterprise (Palm Island Resorts) to manage the park was accepted
in principle by the Prime Minister. This triggered a huge
backlash from the local residents, and a second proposal from a
local nonprofit organization, the Mayreau Environmental
Development Organization, we submitted. Now the Grenadines
are embroiled in controversy, as the two groups struggle for
control.
Palm Island Resorts plans to
build a large dock, a Visitor’s Center, a windmill, and Ranger
Station on one of the islands. Anyone familiar with the
Cays understands that a great part of their attraction is the uninhabited
Islands. Build structures on them and you destroy the very
thing that made them special in the first place. The close
proximity of the Palm Island Resort also leads one to believe
that the real intent is to use the Cays for the commercial
benefit of that Resort.
Time will tell how it plays out.
Further details are available
online:
I have also contributed a small
article that will appear in the March issue of SAIL
magazine.
* * *
So, for this update, we have:
The Experiences - Top 15
Experiences of The Grenadines 2003 - The Prime
Suspect announces his list of favorite experiences to be had
in The Grenadines for 2003. You really should try some of
them out for yourself to enjoy this destination to the fullest.
 The
Winter 2004 update’s Background Photo pays
tribute to the Top Grenadines Experience for 2003.
Read the article Top 15
Experiences of The Grenadines 2003
to find out what it is all about.
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