My Definition Of “Tropical Islands” Has Been Expanded To Maui!

My family trip to Maui is creating wonderful family memories and is also educational.

When I think of tropical islands, my mind always goes to the Caribbean. But, my California family members think of Hawaii. So, that is where we all went this week.  This is the second Thanksgiving my extended family has spent in the Hawaiian Islands. 

This year we selected the Four Seasons Resort on Maui as our headquarters with a total of 14 joining us.  What a great choice we made.  Last night our Thanksgiving feast was out on the lawn just above the breaking waves with torches lit around our table as our only lighting with the full moon.  It was a magical night of sharing our mountain of blessings together. 

I am always on the lookout for interesting cultural aspects of any tropical island I am visiting. This week my focus has been on the ancient art of outrigger canoe paddling.  The Four Seasons Resort is only one of two hotels in all of Hawaii that is certified to have an outrigger paddling program. 

Rob, Michael and Gary are the leaders of this program.  We have joined them early each morning for a 45 minute workout along the Wailea coast line.  They have also organized a canoe team from the hotel with Lisa, one of the wait staff, as a coach of their co-ed team.  Their 2006 canoe competition gained them 12 first place finishes and one second place finish – pretty impressive given the number of canoe clubs on the islands.  The closest club open to anyone to join is the Kihei Canoe Club, just about ten minutes from the resort.

The perpetuation of this ancient art has gained momentum in such a manner that it is now an honor if you are able to join a Canoe Club.  They have two sections of their racing season – sprint season and long distance season.  The sprint season has distances from a quarter mile to three miles.  The long distance season has races up to 40 miles, and even a race between islands. 

Our short work out each morning gave us an appreciation of what a paddling pace is at 65 paddles a minute, and remembering that the teams can keep this pace for hours!  The competitive teams train and practice year round and are tremendous athletes.  Next time you are on the Hawaiian Islands, check it out.  Let me know what some of your experiences have been with this ancient Hawaiian traditional sport.

I am off today for meetings with several real estate developers who are creating two 5-star fractional ownership opportunities for our worldwide real estate clients.  I will report back in the next day or so as to what I discover.  Until then…

Shelly Tucker from the yacht Three Moons finally is regaining her voice and has logged in.

Shelly’s Comments: I’ve finally had a couple of days to breath and have begun the process of sending formal “Thank You’s” to everyone that attended the show. (I still haven’t fully regained my voice!) Jim, thanks so much for your personal support of VICL and the 33rd Annual Show with your Internet reporting! The wave of excitement is continuing to carry us on to more positive projects for the local marine industry in the Caribbean.

The grand opening of the 33rd Annual Charter Boat Show, in my mind, was like unwrapping a long awaited present. I never dreamed when I contacted Governor John deJongh, Lieutenant Governor Francis R. Gregory, Senator Lewis Hill, Commissioner of Tourism Beverly Nicholson Doty, and West Indies Corporation’s President Edward Thomas, that they would not only attend and speak at the Boat Show, but also stay and enjoy the festivities on Thursday night that was in their honor.

The island is still buzzing with the news of the success of the first show at Yacht Haven Grande. Media releases are being typed, the best photos from the show are being collected & chosen for release and our thoughts are already turning towards the planning for next year’s Boat Show.

Yacht Haven Grande has already given their formal approval for hosting the show next year! Ken Criswell, Island Global Yachting Caribbean Regional Manager, Marina Manager Kristin Fritz and Derrick Franklin have all given their approval to proceed with planning for the 2008 show. We need to finalize the dates with the BVI Charter Yacht Society; but right now, it looks like it’s going to be November 10th, 11th and 12th of 2008. Announcements will be made soon to the Charter Leagues and the Charter fleet.

I feel we’ve developed a good working relationship with Yacht Haven Grande with respect and trust for each other. With the feedback we are receiving from the show attendees, we should be able to easily surpass this year’s event in size and scope of creating three days that deliver value to all attendees.

Everyone at Yacht Haven Grande was wonderful to work with. Their professionalism and willingness to jump in there and help get the job done was much appreciated. They worked hard to facilitate a good experience for everyone. Many of the yachts had not docked at the marina before. It can be nerve wracking docking at a new marina; but not at Yacht Haven Grande! They were completely smooth and efficient! All the restaurants did a beautiful job of making sure that our show attendees were well fed and happy. Excellent service at a world class marina is what Yacht Haven Grande is all about and they exceeded everyone’s expectations!

I suppose the funniest thing was simply seeing all our friends and brokers that we’ve known for many years go all out with their costumes for the Pirate Party! It was amazing to see so much “Piracy Participation”!

I really enjoyed seeing how many yacht crews and brokers attended the seminars hosted by the West Indies Corporation. One of the requests that we had from everyone this year was to “educate us”! The wine seminars, rum seminars with the Bacardi Ambassador, and the marine related seminar hosted by lawyer Mike Fitzsimmons were well attended. They all had great reviews!

Michael Fitzsimmons, the local Virgin Island admiralty and maritime attorney, and former charter boat skipper and dive instructor, spoke about several unique aspects of maritime law including maritime liens, insurances issues, and common causes of lawsuits against vessels and owners. He took questions from the audience concerning liability waivers and limitation of liability laws. The attendees of this seminar raved about the information provided.

One of the members of the VICL Board of Governors happened to be on a plane full of charter yacht brokers departing St. Thomas. He reported that the brokers were ecstatic with the success of the show and cannot wait to come back for next years event – the 34th Annual VICL Boat Show! Just wait ’til you see the events we are planning for next year’s show! It will blow your socks off. ( You know Jim, I don’t remember ever seeing you with socks on – ever! )

Shelly Tucker – Yacht Three Moons

33rd Annual Virgin Island Charter League Boat Show – a post-event perspective

I never dreamed what I committed to do with four postings a day for this event.

A blogger is a citizen journalist writing about things he/she observes. Last week, I attended the VICL 33rd Annual Charter Boat show, not as a charter yacht broker, but as an internet blog reporter with a commitment to deliver four postings a day. My task was to find four interesting stories a day to write about and add photos to the posting. I had no idea what I had committed to because I had never written more than four blog postings a week. It was like being a newspaper reporter with four deadlines a day! I needed to have my creative antennas out at all times in order to see if I could come up with a new angle on the events that were unfolding at the Boat Show.

In the process of creating the postings, I took over 400 photos in four days. The photos were also a BIG part of the inspiration of each of the postings. By the end of the second day of the boat show a momentum began to surface of the participants recognizing who I was and what I was doing. Everyday I passed out my business cards and letting people know that I was posting about the boat show on www.CaribbeanIslandsRealty.com . What gained momentum were the number of people who wanted me to interview them and take their photos so they could be on the internet. Hopefully, I did not disappoint the participants in the show.

I like to focus on the service providers of any even environment – restaurant wait staff, bar tenders, yacht marina service people, volunteers, etc. That aspect of my postings turned out to be some of the most fun. Because of allowing this group of people to participate in my work, I always was able to get a table at a restaurant and to get a seat at the bars.

The governor, lieutenant governor, and a senator of the Virgin Islands were at the opening reception for the show. Because I was doing the internet interviews, they were glad to participate and answer my interview questions. It allowed me access to these important policy makers for the Virgin Islands that I would have never had if I was just a charter yacht broker for the show. The savvy marketing people and public figures clearly understand the power of the internet and they want and need the exposure.

Another observation is that if a person opens up their consciousness to having “magic” happen each day, it will happen. Remember in my first posting of the boat show it was about my flight being canceled because of mechanical difficulties? It caused me to spend the night in Miami instead of St. Thomas. I allowed my brain to stay open to having that event be OK because it meant there was someone(s) for me to meet. I met Betsy and Marques. Also keeping my brain open I met Bill Tait while he was checking his email at Yacht Haven Grande. Bill emailed me the quote that encouraged him during his first few months in the Caribbean from Mark Twain. I met Megan and Amber at the Rum Hut as they called taxis for me each night. I met Catherine, the manager of Wikked Restaurant & Bar. I met Big Momma who sold the hats and t-shirts for all of the businesses at Yacht Haven Grande – and so on, and so on. These are the people who help create the “Caribbean experience”.

A final observation about the last five days is the “viral marketing” that occurred because of one person telling another person, and another person about my blog, which resulted in visitors from 16 different countries in the past few days. I never ever dreamed that the “viral marketing” aspect of blogging was so powerful. All of the results from this blogging marathon would not have been possible if it had not been for my Blogging Coach, John Harper. He worked behind the scenes as I sent him my articiles and photos, and then he would transform them into postings that resulted into something that made sense and created continuity on my internet site. I am grateful for the services that John delivered to this project. I have still not fully downloaded on all the events of the past five days, but as I sort things out I will let you know more of my discoveries. Until next time…

Now it is show time for the charter fleet and their awesome service providers!

I am struggling to find a way to put closure to the magical experiences and people mingled with at the 33rd Annual VICL Charter Boat Show. The past four days have seemed like a month of memories. In fact, that is probably true. None of this would have been possible without all of the awesome service providers that most people never notice. So, maybe I should conclude this blog posting project acknowledging as many of them as I can remember. I already seek the forgiveness of those that I miss mentioning. ( If I forget to mention your name, email me so I can correct the blog posting and include you. Bur first – check out the next post which will be a slide show of the entire event!:)

• American Airlines and their awesome crews. If my plane leaving Miami for St. Thomas on Tuesday evening had not broken down I would have missed out on meeting Betsy, from Betsy’s Bar, and Marques from VI EcoTours. On flight 672 out of St. Thomas to Miami, for a moment I was able to stand at the door and say to the arriving passengers, “Welcome to American Airlines! You are about to have an unforgettable flying experience!” The first class crew was Silka and Kathy who let me have this moment of fun and fame. The first class crew on flight 1780 - Tammy, Eddie, and Julie, had their hands full with challenges of small mechanical problems and having too many first class guests asking for their chicken dish and running out of it. They demonstrated what professionals are all about. About a half hour into the flight out of Miami we were told to look out the left side of the aircraft so we could see the launch of the space shuttle. (Holy Moly! I still am in awe of space stuff because I think it is magic.) Thank you American!
• American Airlines Admiralty Club: During my long layover in Miami on Tuesday and my long layover flying home, the Admiralty Club took great care of me. One of the stars was Barb, aka, “Barbwire”. Thank you! ( By the way, her husband, Murphy, owns Contractor Shutter Supply in St. Thomas – (340) 776-6654.) I also met David McBride from International Utility Specialist. ( He lives in St. Thomas with his company HQ in Iowa. He also is good friends with Betsy and recently played golf with her husband, Tom. Go figure.)
• Shelly Tucker and the VICL Board of Governors who produced the show get a standing ovation. It was one of the best VICL Boat Shows in YEARS! Congratulations.
• Charter Yacht Brokers: This is the group from all over the country who work so hard throughout the year to fill up all the charter fleet with wonderful customers. Thank you!
• Yacht Haven Grande was my first impression of the Boat Show. The show would not have happened without their highly professional and kind staff. They opened their doors to me and allowed me to come and go as if I was one of their team as I wrote and posted 14 blogs about the Boat Show. Some of the their Team that come to mind are Christina, Jennifer, Christine, Sherry, Bernard, and Derick. Plus, their office is where I met my new friend, Bill Tait while he was checking his email at the computer next to me. Thank you!
• The Charter Fleet Crews: The Captains are the giants of the sea, but without a First Mate, Chef, Steward, and even a 4th Mate which is the title I take anytime I am a crew member, there would be no “Crewed” charter experience. Thank you all!
• ONDECK: They provided four racing yachts and crews for match races everyday for the Charter Brokers and their guests. It was FREE! What a thrill crew member Killian and Johnny, plus many others gave the Boat Show introducing them to a fabulous new chartering opportunity. Thank you, Pamela and Clive for setting this up!
• Wikked: This was my kitchen and bar away from home. Every meal I had throughout the Boat Show was at Wikked. Here are some of the staff that gave me TLC with every visit; Patricia, Norma, Sha Sha, Romona, Johnny T, Big Momma, and the manager and my special Caribbean lady, Catherine! Thank you all!
• Paradise Point: The party they threw for the Boat Show was amazing and it would not have been possible without Murray’s staff of professionals like James, Tony, Elroy, and, most importantly, Chef Alicia.
• Rum Hut: Thank you Megan and Amber for introducing me to a Voodoo Rum and for calling a taxi for me at the end of each day. You are why I met Joseph my favorite taxi driver. Thank you both!
• St. John Brewers: The Governors reception on Thursday night required many volunteer bar tenders, and Kevin and Cheech from St. John Brewers. In addition, Chrystie and Stacey from the Yacht Haven Grande food and beverage staff were called to duty at the last minute at the cash bar. They did not get all the tips typical of this event because there was also a free bar. So, all of you that put money in the tip jar anyway, thank you, too.

As I mentioned, there are MANY others that need to be thanked who were also the service providers for the Boat Show, for all of those who used the airlines to get their, and who will be delivering an unforgettable experience all year for the charter guests who discover this vacation opportunity of a life time. It has been my pleasure to share the Boat Show with all of you. My next stop is San Francisco where I will need an ambulance to pick me up and take me directly to a detox center so I get the Caribbean rum from taking over the rest of my red blood cells. Thanks for sharing the experience of the 33rd Annual Virgin Islands Charter League Boat Show with me each day! There is magic in the air if you just pay attention. Fair winds to all of you! Until next time…

The last night’s Pirate Party was a fitting end to an unforgettable 33rd Annual Virgin Islands Charter League Boat Show!

What a show! Shelly Tucker from Three Moons and her entire committee delivered one of the classiest Charter Boat Shows in recent memory. It officially ended tonight with the Pirates Party at the huge marina center right in the middle of the harbor.

The planning and work required to create a Pirates Of The Caribbean atmosphere allowed all of us to wander out of our boxes and step into the characters of the pirate world. I guess it is no surprise given that captains and crews are a bit crazy anyway.

I made some unofficial choices for best costume and best pirate pet. I wish you could have seen all of the candidates. If you had you may have disagreed with my selection process.

The rum flowed, there were plenty of wenches and pirates, with everyone remembering the pirates code of ethics – “Dead men tell no tales!” That means, whatever happens at the Pirate Party stays at the Pirate Party. It is similar to Las Vegas.

It was also a night of saying, “Until we meet again, mate!” All of the participants realize they will be together again soon, whether on a Caribbean voyage, or at one of the hundreds of bars as a pint is raised to good times ahead. There are two quotes I felt were appropriate for this posting. Enjoy! See you in the morning…

Let my boat of life be light, packed with only what I need - a homely place to stay and simple pleasures, a few friends worth the name, someone to love and someone to love me, a cigar or two, enough to eat and enough to wear, and a little more than enough to drink, for a thirst is a dangerous thing. - Jerome Klapka Jerome

There is no unhappiness like the misery of sighting land again after a cheerful and carefree voyage. - Mark Twain

The Spanish Virgins are islands between St. Thomas and San Juan

Today many of the yachts will be shoving off for either charters or home ports to prepare for their charter season. This has allowed me to take it a bit slower today. While I was in the Yacht Haven Grande downloading the posting for last night’s Paradise Point Party, I ran into Captain Pierre and Chef Adele from Honiara I. They had spoken to me several times during the past few days and asked me to keep my ears open regarding any deals they might find in purchasing a Beneteau 51 so they could expand their charter capabilities this next season.

By keeping my ears tuned to conversations about yachts for sale, I kept hearing that there were yacht owners in Venezuela that were getting VERY nervous about Chavez nationalizing EVERYTHING in the next few months as he continues to want to be the next Castro in Latin America. Because of their fears, they want to liquidate as many of their assets as possible.

Margot Rose – a charter broker in St. Thomas, told me about a yacht in Venezuela that a friend of hers owned that was a great value at $150,000, that would likely sell for $75,000! (The typical yacht bargains are in April and May in Ft. Lauderdale after a new boat owner discovers that a season of sailing the Caribbean is WORK, and they want out.) I connected Pierre and Adele with Margot this morning at breakfast, but Margot shared with them that the boat had actually sold yesterday. (This is not the forum yet to discuss the ramifications to the Western Hemisphere of the mess that is going on in Venezuela.)

Late yesterday I rushed by yacht Blu Moon and only spent a moment with Captain Chris and First Mate Julie. So, after breakfast at my new favorite hangout, Wikked, I stopped by their yacht for an extended chat. I am so glad I did. They have chartered for over ten years and have been married for almost 25 years. They met in Kansas and the story is to long as to how they ended up in the Caribbean. What was most interesting to me was their favorite chartering area – the Spanish Virgin Islands.

I have seen them from the air when flying to the Caribbean from San Juan, Puerto Rico, but I have never actually have sailed around them. The stories that unfolded let me know I have missed a very special part of the Caribbean the last 30+ years. And, the experiences they shared happened with their eyes gleaming and big smiles on their faces. They are passionate about the unspoiled beauty and very laid back style of the Spanish Virgins.

As I walked back down the Boat Show docks I waved to many new captains and crews that have been added to my list of Caribbean friends. One of those is Killian from ONDECK Ocean Racing. He was preparing one of the four racing yachts that were at the boat show providing daily match racing for the Charter Brokers. We sat and shared stories for a few minutes that focused on how some of the very best people we know are connected to sailing.

As we wondered why that was the case, I came back to the experiences I have had the last few days while mingling with courageous Captains and crews who are living their dreams everyday. You must be in a state of commitment to leave the comfortable “shore” of life – both figuratively and literally. You will never get to “new lands” standing on the shore and wishing you were there.

You must get in your “boat of life” and GO in order to have that happen. Everyday the captains and crews of yachts are demonstrating that commitment. It is very inspiring. As we were talking, Clive – one of the owners of ONDECK, stopped by for a bit of a chat. In the midst of our chat he realized I was the one doing the internet blog reporting for the Boat Show and asked if I would stop by their St. Thomas office in Havensight and speak with Pamela Busby – the actual manager of ONDECK, plus she is his darling sweetheart. How could I resist. (Hang with me on this posting. It is a bit long, but it will hopefully be worth the read.)

I took a stroll over to the ONDECK office and walked into to what appeared to be a sail loft. At first glance there was no one there. From the upstairs loft a voice said, “Welcome home!” It was Pamela, and she had no idea it is one of my favorite greetings. I looked up and smiled and asked if I could come up the loft stairs and join her in her office. She said, “Of course! They are around back.” The next hour that unfolded was another magical moment for me in the Caribbean.

What occurred were two strangers that actually happened to be old friends who had not seen each other in 40+ years. We started talking about the purposefulness of life and how no human connection is a coincidence – a life lived “on purpose”. So, since we were destined to meet today how could we create a spectacular experience in the time we had? That is exactly what happened. Not only did we explore the work required to participate in a purposeful life, but I discovered that Betsy, from “Betsy’s Bar” – the person I met and wrote about in my first posting for the Boat Show, is one of Pamela’s dearest friends.

I let her know that it was such a pleasure to share a dinner with Betsy on Tuesday night in Miami. She said that I really had no idea that I had spent an evening with one of the most special people in the Caribbean. I assured her that I was well aware of that fact because of the experience I had. Pamela wanted to know more about the power of blogging and it’s effect on getting you on the first page of Google or Yahoo!. I explained to her what I have learned and let her know that after you learn the “rules”, strategies always win over rules.

What I have been doing is the practicing of strategies and let her know how it could benefit ONDECK or really any business. There are many topics still waiting for Pamela, Clive and I to explore, but they will need to wait for another time – which there will be. Another magical Caribbean moment came to a close. The afternoon is young and there are more inspirational people to meet.

Plus, the Boat Show Pirate Party is tonight. My plane leaves tomorrow. I may need an ambulance to meet me at the San Francisco airport. See you soon…

Holy Moly! The Sun Kings and more from Paradise Point – St Thomas, USVI

The VICL boat show has been over-the-top for me as I am sure you can tell by my use of – Holy Moly – in my postings.

Well, Holy Moly, I fogot to attach some of the photos I had to my Paradise Point post, so I am doing so here.

First there is the shot of the Sun Kings. The Sun Kings kept it hoppin’, rockin’ & shakin’ all night long. What a tremendous time. Great tunes, food, libations and revelers. Throw in the fantastic view and you have a night to remember for a long, long time. Here is a link to Paul Dirk’s Facebook page.

Murray Pridham, CEO of Paradise Point – St Thomas Skyride next to a view that I should have caught a little earlier in the day when there was more light. But, HOLY MOLY – I was busy with people, food, drink and music. What an incredible environment Murray has helped to create.

A Flock Of Ducks Have Been Discovered At The Caribbean Boat Show

I am oblivious to the fanatical sports fans from Oregon that support all aspects of their Teams

So, I am minding my own business at the Yacht Haven Grande office logging in my latest posting today. A crusty Caribbean taps me on the shoulder and asks if I am Jim Walberg. I say “Yes” with a curious look on my face. He introduces himself as Dick Schoonover, the Charter Yacht Manager from CharterPort VI. The reason why this is of any note is because he and I have speaking and emailing each other for the past six months about my 60th birthday charter on Double Feature – a Lagoon 57 catamaran. (Remember, I posted a blog about the Cats taking over the Caribbean?)

It is rare that I meet in person the Charter Yacht Managers of any company since most of them are headquartered on the East Coast or in the Caribbean. His office is in Road Town, Tortola, and I found out that I have walked by it many times.

We start talking about all aspects of the charter business and for some reason he lets it slip out that he is an Oregon Duck. Well, I asked him if he saw their football game last week which catapulted them into the #2 spot in the BCS football rankings. He said, “Of course!” I told him that the odd part of this conversation is that I have never seen so many Oregon Ducks watching football games as I have seen at The Caribbean Saloon in Red Hook, St. Thomas. He said he was there last week. He pays $60 for a water taxi ride to Red Hook, St. Thomas from Tortola, BVI, in order to watch the Oregon games with all of his alumni friends who live in the Caribbean at that bar! It blew me away that there is a gaggle or a flock of Ducks all over the Caribbean and they are at The Caribbean Saloon on the weekends to cheer for their Oregon Ducks!

After that bizarre moment, I heard a rumor that there was a “cocktail” party on Clasship I. You remember that I mentioned them yesterday in my posting. They have one crazy crew headed up by Captain Simon. So, I wonder over to their BIG motor sailor and ask permission to come aboard. Holy Moly! They produced a great cocktail party with Phil, Neil, Debra, and Captain Simon pouring drinks and Chef Lisa handing out her world famous appetizers. It was a brilliant marketing idea because not only were the Charter Brokers on board, but many of the crews from other yachts were there, too.

Also, remember this is the yacht that cost about £3,000 a day to charter! I had a glass of Rosemont Cabernet/Merlot, and while I took my first sip I noticed an man who I learned was Gustavo Hamui – President of Blue World Yachts, smashing some limes in a glass with sugar with a BIG knife whose blade was in his hand. I immediately asked Chef Lisa if there was a first aide kit on board in case we needed a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. She said she was prepared, but all Gustavo was doing was preparing a Mojito for himself.

During my brief visit to the cocktail party I met Captain Greg and Chef Lana from La Dolce Vita – an Irwin 56” 6-Pax. They invited me to stop by and visit their yacht, so I did. What a lovely experience their guests will have! As I got back on the dock from visiting La Dolce Vita, Captain Chris and Chef Julie Bennett, from the yacht Blu Moon – a Beneteau 51 4-Pax, snagged me and suggested I might want to also check out their beautiful yacht. Again, this is a crew and a yacht that is not to be missed by one or two couples who want to explore the Caribbean in grand style.

I am on my way back home so I will stop at The Rum Hut to secure a taxi and to have my next to last cocktail of the evening. Amber is there to help me with taxi and to mix up a Voodoo Rum drink. I may need a nap before I head off the Paradise Point tonight for the Friday night Boat Show party. I will get back to you in a bit. Until then….

A Whole Different Caribbean Chartering Experience – Regatta Racing!

Forget about the laid back crewed charter if you love the excitement of competitive racing!

The Boat Show is open for business today.  Each evening the crews re-clean and polish their yachts for the next day’s inspections by the Charter Brokers.  After last night’s Governor’s reception there were some slow moving crews.  Not only do they present their yachts in their very best conditions,  but they also show off their cocktail skills and prepare an example of their finest on charter hor’doeuvres.  Again, if think it is an easy job to own and crew a charter yacht, you need to be with me for the past few days and see the attention to the details on which they focus.

The BIG deal today is a “race day” hosted by ONDECK – a brand new chartering concept.  ONDECK has purchased and fitted out a fleet of Beneteau 40.7s regatta racing yachts that can be chartered with a full crew so you can participate in any one of the Caribbean Regattas and actually be part of the excitement as a crew member.  They allow for opportunities to develop your racing skills, match racing, and entering any or all of the Caribbean Regatta Series.

ONDECK has up to four fully crewed racing yachts available for a match race on the waters of St. Thomas.  Killian is their representative at the Boat Show, so you can imagine I have enjoyed the conversations and the great concept they have created for serious yacht racers when they are not interested in owning their own $2.5 million racing yacht.  I overheard Killian speaking with one of the guest “crew” and let them know everyone would be dropping in $10 into the bucket and the winning yacht would split the pot.  What a great idea!  The competitive juices are starting to boil around the docks.

Two of the crewed racing charters that intrigued me are the International Rolex Regatta in St. Thomas and Antigua Sailing Week Regatta.  For 34 years, St. Thomas has been running this annual sailing regatta.  It starts Friday March 28, 2008 with three days of very competitive racing.  With new rating methods being implemented, the ‘08 St. Thomas regatta promises to be an unforgettable experience.  Another major date for the yachtsman’s calendar, Antigua Sailing Week, is now in its 41st year.   It is scheduled for April 27 – May 3, 2008.  This event which started in 1967 with a handful of local yachts has grown to become one of the World’s premier regattas.  More than 1,500 participants including Olympic, America’s Cup and round-the-world sailors in more than 200 boats pit their skills against one another in a sportsmanlike but fierce contest in the blue Caribbean waters around Antigua.  Last year one of ONDECK’s chartered yachts took second place.  They hope to take the grand price in 2008 and you can be part of the crew!

I took a lunch break with Jason Kumpf from Raffles Tortola.  He joined me yesterday and has been meeting the same amazing characters I have, and is blown away by the charter community.  Jason has been on Tortola for about seven weeks and is continuing to expand his experience of the Caribbean as he prepares to launch the ultra-luxury resort at Lambert Bay.  He is off to Miami today for a few days off.  You will be hearing more about Jason over the next few months as we connect him up with our customers who want more information about this project.  A busy afternoon is awaiting me as I continue my Caribbean lifestyle detective work.  Until next time…

An opportunity for the Captains and crew to discuss ways to improve the Virgin Island tourist industry.

The preview of the charter fleet is closed for the day and I am headed back for a shower and to change into my “whites” for the Governor’s reception with Governor deJongh (right), Lt. Governor Francis, and Senator Hill.  Walking towards Havensight to find a taxi, I looked back at the fleet with the sun setting and snapped another example of why everyday is magic in the Caribbean.  The place to snag a taxi is at the Rum Hut, and the bartender, Megan, secures one for me.  The taxi driver, Joseph, picked Jason and me up, and I noticed a change of clothes in his Taxi.  It ended up that Joseph was going to stop by the Boat Show reception, too, in order to hear the Governor’s remarks.

I had told Shelly Tucker, the chairperson of the event, that I would volunteer to be a bartender at the reception so I could meet some more unforgettable characters.  Well, it worked.  Next to me were two guys, Kevin and Cheech, who had just opened The Tap Room, the second brewery in the U.S. Virgin Islands – St. John Brewers. ( A past posting had me visiting Fort Christiansen’s Brewery on St. Croix.)  They had an overwhelming response to their Virgin Islands Pale Ale.  My suspicions turned out correct.  I met a bunch of unforgettable characters and I ran into some of my new friends that I have met the past few days.  Holy Moly!  When the crews are not on charter they kick back and have fun! 

In the midst of serving drinks to the boat show crew and guests, I did have a moment with the three government officials and spoke about two questions I had prepared,  “What is the long term plan for creating a sustainable tourist economy in the U.S. Virgin Islands?”, and, “Is there any possibility that the “6-Pack” rule” will be changed in the near future which would greatly benefit the Charter industry?” It was a lively dialogue with each of the elected officials.  They are very concerned about how to sustain an economy that fluxuates with the ups and downs of the mainland economy.  ALL of the service businesses rely on visitors spending money on-island.  They have various ideas as to how to create an economic environment in the Virgin Islands that is so attractive that it will be hard to resist for tourists and investors no matter what the economic climate is on the mainland. 

The BIG issue for the charter industry is the “6-Pack” law.  The law states that no charter can begin in the U.S. Virgin Islands that has more than six guests.  This requires that the fleet of yachts that are able to accommodate more have to pick them up in a different country.  That country is almost always the British Virgin Islands, which allows more than six charter guests to be picked up from their ports. 

The impact on the charter fleet is a MAJOR expense for them to sail or motor to Tortola to pick up their guests instead of having them fly into Charlotte Amalie and walk right on to their yacht.  In addition, the loss of revenue to the economy of the U.S. Virgin Islands is significant.  All of the 8-Pack charter guests spend all of their hotel, airport tax, taxi fares, restaurant fees before and after their charters in the BVI. 

I had an extended conversation with Lt. Gov. Francis and his wife Cheryl, and Senator Hill about this issue.  They clearly understand the problem and the hurdle they have in resolving it, is that the U.S. Federal government is the one imposing this law on the U.S. Virgin Islands.  So, as a protectorate they do not have much clout on Capital Hill to impact the law.

After the reception I decided to walk down the docks and breath in the salt air and saw that Clasship I was all lite up and having a party.  I didn’t stop by, but I snapped this photo.  Another day of interacting with some of the professionals I most admire – charter crews, has come to an end.  I will check with you in the morning.  A great day is planned tomorrow for the Boat Show.  Bacardi Rum is showing up for the Master Blender contest and there will be a BIG party for the participants at Paradise Point in the evening.  We will talk soon…