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Fall
(October-November-December)
2005:
I did not get the time to produce an update in July -
sorry. With my move and the fine weather, it was nearly
impossible to write.
Summer is over. The
blazing heat made the Caribbean somewhat redundant. J35 racing season
has ended and we had more fun than we deserved. Not sure when
I'll get down to the boat again, but Christmas sounds like a
fine plan.
Hurricanes have been the talk
for the past few months. With all the focus on Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita (which was never even close to The Grenadines),
very little was paid to Emily until it spoiled vacations in
Cancun. That storm started off the coast of Africa as a
large blob of moisture, and proceeded to threaten the Windward
Islands in the same manner as Hurricane Ivan a year
earlier. Its behavior was so similar, that we elected to
leave The Usual Suspects on her hurricane mooring instead
of moving her to Grenada. This ended up being the correct
choice, as a the storm passed to the south of Grenada, but
thankfully left that country mostly intact.
Finally,
after what seems like a zillion years, I managed to see a Jimmy
Buffett concert. Having listened to pretty much every song
he has ever written, it was a real treat to catch his
show. He sounded like a million bucks, and hic comical
anecdotes between songs really solidified his reputation as
being a real character. If he is ever in you neighborhood,
by all means, go see him!
In the spring update, I reported
about an organization known as Sailshare,
who used my name as reference on their website, even though we
have never even met. After much persuasion from myself and
Barefoot Yacht Charters, they finally relented and
removed it in early May. They still insisted that it was OK to
misrepresent our business relationship because they could
potentially broker the charter of my boat. Whatever...
For this update:
The Boat - 6th
Year Anniversary Report - This report describes the
experience of charter boat ownership of The Usual Suspects
after six years in operation.
 The
Fall 2005 update’s Background Photo features the
dreaded Hurricane Code Flags, a sign of the times for 2005.
Summer
(July-August-September)
2005:
There was no update. Sorry. With my move, the fine
weather, it was nearly impossible to sit down and write.
Spring (April-May-June)
2005:
Ho Hum. No trip this year.
Barefoot Yacht Charters
has completed yet another major refurbishment on The Usual
Suspects, this time implementing its snazzy new yellow/gray
livery. The boat was also equipped with a new genoa and bimini
this year. I like it.
I was pleased to learn that The
Usual Suspects Website was mentioned in the February edition
of Practical Sailor. In the More Practical
Websites section, under Cruising Guides, they said:
"We simply can't cover
all sailing areas, but if we were to pick out one example, we
would suggest The Usual Suspects - Caribbean Sailing
Adventures (http://www.usual-suspects-sailing.com/).
Click on "The Experiences" for descriptions of the
Grenadines, the Abacos, and other Caribbean cruising grounds
as detailed as any cruising guide found in bookstores. Be sure
to check out the pages listing the vendors who sell ice and
other commodities out of open boats in Caribbean anchorages.
The site is yet another example of a highly localized content,
created by a dedicated individual for the enjoyment of
all."
It looks like my fifteen minutes
are up.
On to the ridiculous. It
appears that there is an organization known as Sailshare,
who specializes in charter boat timeshares as well as brokering
bareboat vacations in Florida, The Grenadines, and BVI.
Under the boat ownership section of their website, there is a
glowing letter of recommendation from myself. (http://www.sailshare.com/CharterYourYacht.htm). I go on to describe my positive experience in
purchasing my charter boat through them, how great an
organization they are, and how much I value the trust I place in
them. Sounds great. Only problem is that I've never
met these people or conducted any form of business with
them. They simply lifted my letter of recommendation from
the Barefoot Yacht Charters website -
Choose Owner Comments Section), changed the
name from Barefoot to Sailshare. Real class
operation. I think I'll call them, send them a big bag of
cash, and see where that goes. After all, I trust them
- they said so. NOT!!!
Thanks to the creative talents
of others, I get to take it easy for this update:
The Adventures - February
2005 - Le Large Adventure - Field correspondents
and fellow Caribbean aficionados Tim and Connie Cree share their
experiences from St. Lucia to The Grenadines on the fully-crewed
charter Le Large.
Needless to say, it was their BIG adventure.
The Experiences - British
Virgin Islands: BVIPirate.com - Walker
Mangum, well-know contributor to TTOL, has compiled an
excellent website describing his adventures in the British
Virgin Islands. His Navigating
to Anagada section is simply the best available.
 The
Spring 2005 update’s Background Photo features the
brilliant colors of dusk on Tobago Cays, taken by Tim Cree from
an elevated vantage point on Baradel Island in the Tobago Cays.
(photo by Tim Cree)
Winter
(January-February-March) 2005:
All the best to everybody for 2005!
2004 was a strange year. We had hurricanes in Grenada
and Florida, tsunamis in Asia. What is next? Now
more than ever, it is obvious that there really is no safe place
to be. No point in hiding in our basements. If you
have the dream of owning a yacht or making that dream trip the
the islands, better get it done. And soon.
I am pleased to report on the marriage of two Prime Suspects
- Keeth “Round Man”
Stone to Dawn
Mowbray, in Jamaica (of all places!), last November.
The wedding
photos tell the whole story. The bare feet was a nice
touch.
Dawn passed preliminary inspection during last February’s Schmoopy
Trip. We figure that if she survived that
adventure, she was going to be a keeper. The November
Nuptials proved that.
All the best to the happy couple!
For this update, we have:
The Experiences - Top
15 Experiences of The Grenadines 2004 - The Prime
Suspect announces his list of favorite experiences to be
had in The Grenadines for 2004. This year’s batch
is little different. Enjoy.
 The
Winter 2005 update’s Background Photo pays tribute to
the Top Grenadines Experience for 2004 - the Suspects
visit Petit Tabac.
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