Some Romantic Spots Not To Miss In The Caribbean!

So, my wife, and fellow world adventurer,  Ann Marie, sat down with me today and said, “You are giving your readers a lot of information about real estate, sailing, and bars.  Why don’t you let them know of our Top Ten Romantic spots in the Caribbean?”  She is correct, as always.  I have been remiss in not letting you know about these ten jewels that are our favorite romantic spots to hangout.  They range in price from a $1,500 a day to just the cost of a rum Pain Killer – $10.  Here goes;

#1.  Isle de France – St. Barths:  This is our sentimental favorite because it is where we spent almost two weeks for our honeymoon.  It is a small boutique resort on Flamond Beach and it is in the pricy category.  You will need to book a year in advance and try and secure Suite #1.  St. Bartholomew was named by Columbus in honor of his younger brother.  It is only four miles long and two miles wide,  and just a few miles off the island of St. Martin.  It is a French province so it has all of the flair of St. Tropez, but in the Caribbean.  The haute courtier shopping is over the top! 

#2.  Soggy Dollar Beach Bar:  This got on the list because it is our favorite sunset beach in the Caribbean.  It is on Jost Van Dyke in the BVI.  You will probably swim ashore so that is why your dollars will be soggy.  This is the cheapest date in the Caribbean – $10 or less for a rum Pain Killer.  But, it will cost you some dough to get to the beach.

#3. The Bitter End Yacht Club: This is the last resort in the Caribbean before you head out into the Atlantic on your way back to Europe.  If you remember from my past blog about nautical terms, you will discover what the “bitter end” is.  This resort has it all; great food, a great bar, unbelievable sunsets, sailboats to rent for the day or the week, and every room has a view of the BVI.  It is unforgettable.

#4. Caneel Bay – St. John:  We have spent several of our wedding anniversaries at this Rockefeller Resort.  (Little Dix Bay on Virgin Gorda, BVI is another one.) This resort is also one of the pricier ones,  but it is worth every penny.  It is on a part of St. John that connects it from both sides of the island.  The beaches are unforgettable.  There have been many times when there has be no one on the beach except us.  Check out the many restaurants and the GREAT bar.

#5. Sandy Lane, Barbados:  Now, this one is considered the Top resort in the Caribbean.  Tiger Woods leased the entire resort for his wedding.  It is almost impossible to describe the decadence that awaits any guests that decides to experience this type of luxury vacation.  The beach,  cuisine, bars, and spa are over the top!  You must book this one a year in advance.

#6. The Blue Parrot Hotel:  You may not realize it, but the Mayan Riviera just south of Cancun, Mexico is a part of the Caribbean.  This is our sentimental funky favorite.  It is right on the sand of Playa del Carmen.  You will feel as if you are on the French Riviera.  Half of the town is Italian, French and German. The bar is the BEST!  You sit in swing seats at the bar.  The cervices is our favorite appetizer, and the choice of beers from around the world will satisfy anyone.

#7. Anse Chastanet – St. Lucia: We love St. Lucia!  It is about half way down the chain of Caribbean islands, and it is a jewel!  The 600-acre resort is a lush garden of tropical foliage bordering one of the island’s best beaches.  With this unforgettable resort, it is hard to define where the inside of the rooms stop and the outside begins.  This one will take your breath away from morning to night.  It also has a PADI dive center at the resort.  You will love every moment you spend here.

#8. Palm Island Resort, The Grenadines:  At the World Travel Awards it was named “The Worlds Leading Private Island”,  and Caribbean Travel & Life ranks it amongst the Caribbean’s most romantic resorts!  Travel & Leisure says it is one of the best places to stay in the WORLD!  So, how is that for an introduction?  You get there from Union Island after a ten minute boat ride.  There are 37 guest rooms and five white sandy beaches.  This is a Euro-Caribbean cuisine experience not be missed!  Plus, there is another unforgettable bar.

#9. Coco Plum Cay Resort, Belize:  You are in for the surprise of your life if you make it to this Caribbean resort.  Belize used to be British Guiana, and is the only English speaking Central American country.  Coco Plum Cay is a tiny private island that has stand alone cabana’s along the beach with your privacy in mind.  Romance is the experience you will have 24 hours a day. This little island has very private beaches, hidden hammocks, and a beautiful peninsula all to yourselves.  This is a honeymoon and lovers paradise!

#10. Divi Aruba Beach Resort, Aruba:  Last, but not least, is Divi Resort in Aruba.  You are almost at the southern end of the Caribbean islands when you step off the plane in Aruba.  It is an island that is almost all sandy beaches and this resort is one of our favorites.  There are only 203 rooms at this all-inclusive beach resort and every amenity you expect in the Caribbean is there.

There you have it.  From one end of the Caribbean to the other,  Ann Marie’s Top Ten Caribbean Romantic Spots – from $10 to thousands per day.  Let me know what you think of the ones you visit.  Until next time….

The title of junior Tourism commissioner was up for grabs this weekend and V.I. high school students jumped at the opportunity.

Held last Saturday morning at the Legislative Conference Room in Frederiksted, the competition was aimed at introducing Caribbean youth to the important role that tourism plays in their region’s economic development. The position of junior Tourism commissioner is designed to inspire local teens to pursue a career in tourism and leadership positions.

No USVI student has ever won the contest – that is – until now. Kia Griffith of St. Croix Central High School impressed the panel of judges, which included Tourism Commissioner Beverly Nicholson-Doty as moderator. The finalists of the competition were considered based on their vocal projection, their physical appearance and the appropriateness of their speech.

Griffith stood out among other competitors with her vision of promoting the Caribbean as health-and-wellness vacation spot and was the only student who opposed a hassle-free entrance into the USVI. Referencing 9/11, she said that “We should not let our guard down.”

- Joseph Natividad

image courtesy of The VI Daily News

So,  why do Old Guys keep surfing – no matter if it is in the Caribbean, SoCal, Fiji, Australia, and

Thailand?  I read a story from Foondoggy that was written in 1996 for Alternative Surfing, that gave me the best answer I have ever found regarding this question.   Here is his Top Ten list of reasons why Old Guys keep surfing.

10.  Cool Clothes: At our age no other sport allows us to be so fashionable wearing baggy shorts & shirts, sweat-stained ball caps, and praying mantis rainbow shades.

9.  Cool Cars: Living in suburbia living vicariously off of surf movies, we have no good reason to own a fully tricked out HUMMER. But if we’re going on a surfari to say, Central America (or just bragging about going), then a guy’s gotta have the appropriate wheels. Right?

8.  Cool Language: It’s not often in our high level business meetings we get to say, “Dudes, Mackin, Worked, Housed, Floater, Airs, Kooks.”   So surfing allows us to enrich our vocabulary and syntax.

7.  Cool Magazines: Guys get tired of reading Forbes, Money, Fortune and Golf Digest. The surfing rags have more pictures, so we don’t have to read, plus once a month you get a nice butt shot.

6.  Long Boards:  Riding the big ones (boards and waves) announces you’re at the top of the food chain in surfing. They paddle easier, catch waves sooner, and you don’t have to throw your back out turning them like you do on those damn potato chips.

5.  Travel: There’s nothing like a good swell as an excuse to blow off the weekend “Honey-do” list and go to the beach.(”It’s only this good once a year sweetheart, I can clean gutters anytime!) For those who can get away with saying you’re going to some South Pacific island that has only thatch-roofed huts, no running water or electricity and only raw fish for food, having a Tavarua brochure on your coffee table has a certain cache to it. Of course, most of us won’t go since there are no places to be some BIG red wines.

4.  Male Bonding: Though not normally a team sport, surfing seems to be dominated by guys. So if you’re so socially maladjusted you can’t find a girlfriend, there are plenty of guys out in the break between sets you can bitch to about women.

3.  Virility: Scientific studies by Dr. Peter Amschel have proven conclusively that straddling a surfboard in very cold water causes the gonadal tissue to contract and shrivel, thereby stimulating and increasing the production of testosterone. ( This may not apply to me anymore because I had prostate cancer in 2001 so I am not sure if this one applies to me.)

2.  Three Words – Chicks love Surfers!  And there are some places to surf where they don’t wear very many clothes.

1.  Alternative Surfing:  A great newsgroup to brag about your surfing exploits, even if you live in the armpit of Ohio, and because basically people who really know you wouldn’t believe you anyway.

Do you have some more to add to this list of reasons why us Old Guys still find surfing a worthwhile past time?  Let me know.  Until next time… “Surfs UP, Dude!”

So how does a surfer kid end up falling in love with the Caribbean?

I arrived in Redondo Beach at a young age – 4 months old in 1948, and didn’t stray often from the beach for 21 years!  As a kid you don’t have a clue that there is anywhere else to grow up, so I thought living a block from the Redondo Beach Pier was normal.  I thought all things connected to the Pacific Ocean were normal – sailing, surfing, diving, beach volleyball, pier fishing, boat deliveries to Mexico, and a hundred more activities.  So, in hindsight I realize that I was one of the luckiest kids I know because of growing up with amazing experiences everyday, with each of them connected to the Pacific Ocean.  I had no idea that my love for the ocean would end up helping me fall in love with the Caribbean Islands.

During my surfing days, Dewey Weber was the one leading the surfing parade in SoCal.  Even though he died in 1993 his family business is still producing surf boards and surfing accessories.  The long board was the only choice in the 50’s and 60’s.  I never thought it was odd that in my 8th grade woodshop class the first project I completed was a surfboard trailer that would hook up to my beach bike seat post so I could tow my 11 foot, 75 pound balsa wood surfboard instead of carrying it to the beach on my head.  Looking back on those long board surfing days it was a much slower ride than the short boards of today, and you had so much room to walk around.  “Hang’n Ten” was a daily occurrence.

Even before I discovered Old Guys Rule I always felt as if that was true for me.  Other than death, I was not going to stop discovering the world.  One of those life changing discoveries happened for me in the mid-1970s while on my first sailing adventure in the Caribbean.  I had only sailed in the Pacific and Mexico so it was like my second home because of the surfing and sailing trips down Baja.  My Caribbean sailing trips began in the BVI, and then broaden out over the years to sailing the entire chain of the Caribbean – from the BVI to Santa Margarita Island off Venezuela – that was the voyage where I qualified to get my “shellback” earring.  ( I didn’t realize that when you bought an earring you had to get a pair.  So I have one, and my wife, Ann Marie, got a second hole in her ear so she could wear the other one.)  Discovering the Caribbean also caused Ann Marie and I to live there and start a real estate company.

But, back to surfing. Did you know there are a bunch of great surfing spots in the Caribbean?  They are also on some of the most beautiful beaches you will ever see, and the local scenery is pretty nice, too.  No joke!  I first discovered this while visiting the surf shop, Totem, on St. Barths.  I could not believe there was a surf shop to visit on this island, so I was intrigued.  I still have a Totem decal on the back window of my SUV.  The staff at Totem opened up a whole new world to explore – Caribbean surfing.

After St. Barths’ discovery I began my Caribbean detective work and found that the best surfing in the Caribbean appears to be in Barbados.  Melanie Pitcher runs one of the best surfing schools in the Caribbean – Surf Barbados.  And, boy can she surf.  There is even a surf camp in the BVI on Tortola.  I just discovered that one last week!  So, if you think I have the Caribbean scene wired after all these years of detective work you are mistaken.

So, is this old guy back to the long boards? The answer is no – not because of my lack of desire, but because of the multiple surgeries repairing all of the damage to my body over the last 55+ years of worldwide adventures.  ( The list of them is too long to get into at this time.)  But, if you want to watch a killer demonstration of body surfing with my Viper Fins on,  I am the one to join with on any wave!

Check out the Top 10 List of why old guys keep surfing.

I am exhausted from reliving all of these surfing memories of the past 55+ years, so your Caribbean lifestyle/Realtor detective is going to have to find an ice cold Red Stripe and regroup.  Contact me about some of your favorite surf spots.  I look forward to adding them to my list.

A pirate ship has been spotted at Norman Island.

It appears that a ship used by the Pirates Of The Caribbean is anchored in the sheltered anchorage of Norman Island called The Bight on this mainly uninhabited jewel in the British Virgin Islands. The truth is better than fact regarding this sighting. It is the world famous pirate ship, the Willie “T”! The Bight is typically the first anchorage one uses when on a week’s charter yacht vacation in the BVI. And, if you don’t have cocktail hour on the Willie “T” you will be missing one of the most unforgettable bars in the Caribbean!

The real name of this pirate ship bar and restaurant is the William Thorton. It is a 98 foot schooner that was transformed into one of the many “hot spots” sailors visit in the Caribbean. The original Willie “T” sank and is now party spot for parrot fish. You will need to make friends immediately with Zeus, the bartender. Just in case you don’t know the rules of bar hopping in the Caribbean, meet the bartender first, tip him BIG before you even order a drink, and you will become the center of any craziness that unfolds for the hours you are there.

Zeus is the main guy to know at the Willie “T”. Zeus also applies Willie “T” tattoos to any willing lady.

There actually was a William Thornton. He was born on May 20, 1759, on Jost Van Dyke, in the British Virgin Islands, and died on March 28, 1828, Washington, D.C. He was educated in Scotland as a physician, but rarely practiced his profession. As an architect, Thornton was self-taught. He also was a painter, and an inventor. William Thornton’s plantation on Tortola was located in the Pleasant Valley area near Nanny Cay.

Other than the floating pirate restaurant and bar, William Thornton’s greatest claim to fame is the design for the United States Capitol Building! His design was submitted after the competition of 1792 had closed, and was approved by President Washington, who praised it for its “grandeur, simplicity and convenience.” A prize of $500 and a city lot was awarded to Thornton on April 5, 1793; he is thus recognized as the first “Architect of the Capitol”. President Washington later appointed Thornton one of the three Commissioners of the Federal District (later the District of Columbia) in charge of laying out the new federal city and overseeing construction of the first government buildings, including the Capitol building of his own design. Don’t you think he would be proud of how his name is now remembered in the Caribbean – the Willie “T”?

The Bight anchorage at Norman Island is believed to be the fabled site of Long John Silver’s treasure trove as described in Robert Louis Stevenson’s book, Treasure Island. There are still treasure seekers combing the island with the off chance that fact and fiction blur together. For the last 30+ years I have anchored at The Bight the only sounds you hear while trying to sleep were goats and the debauchery happening aboard the Willie “T”. This trip I learned that the goats were finally taken off the island – they were originally put on the island by the pirates that used their meat for food on their long voyages. So, the only night time noises left are the revilers on the Willie “T”. Today on the menu is “grog and grub”.

One of the most treasured t-shirts you can get in the Caribbean is the one from the Willie “T.” This is only given to women brave enough to jump off the stern topless. The stern bar is the center of debauchery on deck where body shots are facilitated by ropes and whipped cream, and where the “shotski” is available for synchronized swilling – a water ski modified to hold four shot glasses.

If you are not on a sailing adventure in the BVI and you want to visit the Willie “T” anyway, you can hitch a ride on the Willie “T’s” supply boat, Wet Willie, that leaves Nanny Cay, Tortola daily at 5PM. Leave your watch behind because there is no scheduled return time. It arrives back in Nanny Cay when the last reviler has jumped off the ship.

Because of my many trips to the Willie “T” and because Zeus is one of my favorite bartenders, he gave me his recipe for Zeus Juice. He said it was confidential and if I ever revealed it he would hunt me down and make me pay dearly. Hopefully he won’t read this post because here it is:

Zeus Juice: Mix equal parts pineapple, orange, guava, passion fruit, and mango juice; add a splash of Coco Lopez, a splash of grenadine, and add dark rum according to your taste and according to your goals for the evening. Mix over ice and top with a sprinkle of nutmeg. (Remember to keep this just between you and me.)

Let me know if you got the t-shirt on your next visit to the Willie “T”. Until next time…

In the Caribbean the fashionable drink of the day is OJ on the Rum. No Ford Bronco and no sports memorabilia, but it will help you “get away” and become a legend in your own mind!

You have got to love a drink that captures the hype of what is happening on CNN this past week. This may have nothing to do with infamous events, but like many great drinks or dishes, it has a name easy to remember. It’s a dark rum drink that is rumored to have surfaced in several Caribbean bars the – “OJ on the Rum”!

Your personal Caribbean lifestyle detective, yours truly, is on the hunt to track down the validity of this new concoction that is apparently sweeping the Caribbean like a run amok hurricane. The word on the street is that its popularity might not last very long, but the ingredients sound like it should be ordered no matter what the name,

Start out with a tall glass tumbler filled with ice cubes.
• 2 oz. of Pusser’s Dark Rum (You could also use Cruzan’s Dark Rum, or even Bacardi’s Dark Rum. The key is the quantity of the rum for each drink – a lot!)
• Fill the rest of the tumbler with OJ
• Include a splash of Grenadine just for the color, and a bit of a sweet taste to cut the acidic OJ taste.
• Garnish with a speared orange slice with a tiny rubber football. Place it on top of the drink. You’re guaranteed a smile at the end of the first glass, and after two or three more you will barely remember OJ had anything to do with the Rum.

I will be trying out several versions of this overnight-Caribbean-success to see if it can be perfected enough to send it to my friend, Mick, at Soggy Dollar Bar, and my friend, Foxy, at Foxy’s – both on Jost Van Dyke, BVI.

Come to think of it, I will send this out to each of my favorite drinking establishments in the Caribbean – Latitude 18, Fort Christian Brew Pub, Duffy’s Love Shack, Pusser’s, Caribbean Saloon, Cooper Island Bar, the Willie “T”, and many more. It may become the most popular drink on their bar menu, for at least a week or two. It will be fun to see if all of them can capitalize on the latest drama that is actually not that important in the big scheme of things.

Let me know if you come up with a fun version of this drink. My guess is, it will be worth all of experimentation. If nothing else, we will have a great time trying. Until next time….

Raffles, Tortola is coming in as the worldwide management company.

The Lambert Bay rumors have now been clarified because of several people who emailed because of my remarks last week. Colin O’Neal, owner of JOMA Properties, let me know, “The developer and owner of the Lambert Bay project is Greenfield Development, Ltd., owned by Mark Vanterpool and other local BVI properties.” They have hired Raffles Resorts as the management company.

“My partner, Percy Rhoden and I, are thrilled to be part of The British Virgin Islands dynamic tourism growth, and Raffles Tortola can only add to the island’s reputation as a choice destination for visitors to the British Virgin Islands,” said Mark Vanterpool, Co-Director of Greenfield Property Holdings Ltd. “This is Raffles” first project in the Virgin Islands and we are very pleased to be working with such a world renowned brand.”

As I mentioned last week, this project is set on 50 acres of beach front property that includes a half mile of white coral sand beach with unbelievable views of the Caribbean Sea. They are also building a 90 meter pier as part of the project. It is projected to be completed by 2010 with a Founders Program in place for the 25 exclusive 3,000 square foot villas available for pre-sale – $2.2 million each. Contact me if you want more information.

There was a recent interview with Dr. the Honourable D. Orlando Smith, Chief Minister and Minister of Tourism of the British Virgin Islands and this important project, “The British Virgin Islands has long been able to offer world class accommodations, however, Raffles will bring to Tortola a degree of luxury which is truly first rate and world class. The business and tourism communities have long asked for a resort of this stature on Tortola and Raffles will meet that demand. The fact that this resort is 100% owned by British Virgin Islanders is a perfect example of how we as a people are able to develop a large-scale project with the same quality and success enjoyed by major investors throughout the world. This is an accomplishment of which we are all extremely proud.”

Besides all of the amazing amenities and facilities available at this world class resort, Raffles is building one of only three Raffles Amrita Spas as part of the project. It will occupy an expansive 15,000 square feet facility that reflects the Amrita Ancient Sanskrit legend of being the magical elixir of youth sought by deities.

“Raffles Tortola will be distinguished by the heartfelt service and residential charm that is characteristic of the Raffles brand,” said Diana Ee Tan, Managing Director of Raffles Hotels & Resorts. “This luxurious sanctuary will be an ideal point from which residents can enjoy the lush landscape and white sand beaches of Tortola, and we are delighted that Greenfield Property Holdings Ltd. has appointed Raffles to manage this gem in such an awe- inspiring locale and destination.”

As I mentioned last week, I have anchored at Monkey Point, Guana Island for many years, which is just across the channel from Lambert Bay, but I had never set foot on it until now. What an amazing project, and one that all of us who are interested in the real estate happenings in the Caribbean will be watching closely. Again, contact me anytime for more information. Until next time….

St. Croix – The Center Of 2007 Real Estate Action In The Virgins

OK, so I made it off the horse and back onto the sailboat. I can tell you firsthand that riding a horse in cutoffs and deck shoes is not the way to go. We have some friends who wanted me to check out the real estate market conditions in St. Croix, because they are thinking about doing an exchange for a home they own in San Juan Capistrano in Southern California.

So, the first thing I do when I get ashore is find a bar. The one I stumbled into was Fort Christian Brew Pub. ( The only brew pub in the Virgin Islands.) So, I sat down at the bar and ordered a Blackbeard Ale – which I had never heard of, but it sounded interesting.

On the menu it described it as, “…a deep red bull body ale, smooth malty character, with an herbal hoppy finish.” You must be kidding. The main item I noticed on the bottle was 6% alcohol! Well, after two of them I was really glad I found this pub.

The place was packed. I asked the bartender if he knew of any Realtors in town that would be fun to meet and help me with my detective work. He not only said yes, but he said the person at the end of the bar, David, was the main real estate guy on the island.

I told the bartender to send him a Blackbeard and let him know it was from me. The next four hours unfolded with me getting a lesson on what was happening in the St. Croix real estate market. David and I finished our Blackbeards and then he moved us on to some dark Cruzan Rum. ( For some reason I did not know that Cruzan Rum was made in St. Croix.)

Here is what I learned, or at least this is what I remembered from David’s enthusiastic description of St. Croix and the exciting real estate market that is happening in 2007 on this jewel of an island. David started out by explaining that St. Croix is 1,700 miles from New York and 1,100 miles off of Miami.

He went on to explain that St. Croix is “different” than St. Thomas and St. John. This is because there have been seven countries that have ruled the island, so it has very interesting architecture, language and customs unique to the Virgin Islands. It may not have the quantity of white sand beaches of her sister islands, but it has enough to satisfy the most discriminating visitor. I was blown away by the hibiscus and the bougainvillea that was everywhere. David told me the SCUBA diving was amazing in Cane Bay, and the sea life and corals were very close to shore.

David invited me to his real estate office and he gave me a one hour lesson in the three different market levels in St. Croix – $100,000 to $399,00; $400,000 to $999,999; and, $1 million and up. He picked a property in each of these price points to illustrate the variety of choices one has; condos, townhomes, and beach front estates. There is a Questa Verde condo; 1-bedroom, 1-bath unit for $169,000!

A Candel Reef townhome; 3-bedroom, 3-bath for $525,000; and a villa on the beach called Miramar; 4-bedrooms, 4.5 baths, and OVER THE TOP in amenities for $5.8 million! I was blown away with the variety of homes for sale, and they are moving fast! I have more homework to do, but if you want more information on St. Croix real estate contact me today. I would be glad to let you know what I am discovering.

I am now on my way back to Fort Christian Brew Pub, because David told me I had to try their Foxy’s Lager Ale. ( I have a soft spot for Foxy’s on Jost Van Dyke, so I have to try it.)

So, my friend, John, decided to post a blog with me in my daily Caribbean outfit, while on a horse in the Bay Area. I am not quite sure what it is called today, being the old dog that I am, but he got me good. Here is the real story…

An amazing equestrian estate in the San Francisco Area! Check out this property to die for located in Danville, CA and backing up to Mt. Diablo.

In my past life, I had quarter horses, in spite of being a surfer kid in Southern California up until 1970. So, I still have a lot of horse friends in the San Francisco Bay Area. One of them called us up and asked us we would represent them in the sale of their equestrian estate – for $3.7 million! We obviously said YES!

What an amazing jewel of a horse ranch this is: 26 acres adjoining Mt. Diablo State Park – which has over 175 miles of riding trails. It is an old farm house that has had four months of complete remodeling to bring it up to the standards 2007 amenities. It is a breath-taking redo. It has 3,400 square feet, 4-bedrooms, 3.5-baths, a bonus room and an office/loft, all right in the middle of an old English garden. In addition, there are two barns and a horse paddock. (There is even a chicken coop that has had up to 30 laying hens.) Plus, there are five fenced pastures, an arena, and fenced pasture right in front of the farm house.

Again, this is a jewel that has not surfaced for 30+ years. We have not even officially put it on the market and the sellers have received two purchase offers for full price. If you want to get in on this real estate opportunity you will need to contact me today!!!

We are on our way back to the Virgin Islands to check out a real estate opportunity in St. Croix for one of our clients from San Juan Capistrano in Southern California. My investigation has confirmed that St. Croix is where the real estate action is in the U.S. Virgin Islands right now. I need to do my homework there, and then I will report back on my findings.

If you are a horse person and you want one of the equestrian jewels of the Bay Area give me a buzz today! Until next time…

Would you consider this a picture of a Virgin Cowboy?

It is none other than the owner of Caribbean Island Realty - Jim Walberg  on a horse with his Caribbean islands sailing rain gear on.  Also, check out the deck shoes, shorts, and Duffy’s Love Shack  t-shirt – the typical attire he has on when he is riding horses – whether in the Caribbean or the San Francisco Bay Area.

This shot was taken recently in the San Francisco Bay area of California where Jim is working on his 26 acre equestrian estate listing that backs up to Mt. Diablo – $3 million US.  This picture of Jim is just after he finished assisting the owner in rounding up their eight horses from the pastures. 

A little known fact is that this “Old Guy Surfer” moved to the Bay Area in 1970 and had quarter horses.  So, he is very comfortable in the saddle of any horse.  He is about to fly back to the Caribbean for a tour of one of his new listings on the Dominican Republic, at Cap Cana..

So the question is – If a Virgin Island ”Old Salt” gets on a horse, does that make him a “Virgin Cowboy”?  You decide!  What is your vote as to what to call this Caribbean character?