After 20+ separate charters yacht vacations each season, a charter crew needs a break…and they take one every Summer up until November 1st!

I let you know in past articles  that owning and operating a charter yacht vacation business is not just having fun and sailing around the Caribbean.  It is a BIG business.  It is BIG work!  And, it is not for the faint of heart!  Imagine owning a bed and breakfast in the Caribbean, except that it is a boat!  If something breaks there is no one to call except your personal skills in fixing it; generators, ice makers, electrical, plugged plumbing, air conditioning break downs, sheets and sail issues, and on and on.  Are you getting the picture that is not just sailing in Paradise and keeping sun screen on?  The “job” of a charter yacht owner/crew is to produce an extraordinary tropical yacht vacation experience for every guest…for every week of charters.  And, if that is not delivered to their charter guests they will not have a “Caribbean floating bed and breakfast” business for very long.

So, in spite of what I have just described, there is a small community of charter yacht owners who would not change one bit of their lives.  They are some of the most professional and competent business owners you will ever meet.  They are the consummate problem solvers every day without their guests ever knowing there may be something wrong.  They deliver four to five 5-Star dining experiences a day!  Every water toy you can imagine is on the yacht – from water skiing, kayaking, snorkeling, wind su rfing, etc.  And, they know every special anchorage in the Caribbean so when the anchor is dropped for the night you will witness a brand new spectacular sunset every evening while you are being served you favorite cocktails.  ( If you think I am over stating the experience one has on a charter yacht vacation, it is because you have been yet.  It is the most unforgettable vacation experience I have ever had – 40 years of sailing in the Caribbean has not dampened my love for this amazing part of the world.)

Two of the “Rock Stars” of the Caribbean charter industry are Randy and Shelly Tucker.  I had the chance to work with Shelly at last year’s VICL Boat Show  at Yacht Haven Grande  in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas.  They own the Irwin 72′ Three Moons – one of my favorite mono-hulls especially built for the Caribbean.  Randy and Shelly are legendary in the Caribbean charter industry because of the consistently exceptional experience they deliver to their clients.  Almost 90% clients are repeat or referral clients.  Here is a quote from Randy and Shelly that truly communicates what is awaiting you for a Caribbean charter yacht vacation, “Comfort, relaxation, and award-winning cuisine are yours sailing aboard our handsome 72 foot yacht throughout  an exquisitely inviting Caribbean playground…the U.S. and British Virgin Islands.”   Because of the cuisine experience that Shelly delivers to their customers everyday, Crew Life Magazine printed a feature story on this award-winning chef.  Shelly has also published the very successful “Three Moons Island Cookbook” - in its third edition!

I had the pleasure of hosting Randy and Shelly at our San Francisco Bay Area home this week during their off-charter adventures.  This was their first visit to one of my top five favorite cities in the world.  Yesterday they had fresh Dungeness crab at the Waterfront Restaurant  on the Embarcadero.  They walked their “deck shoes”  off exploring this magical City.  They stopped by a few days after attending a family wedding in Cabo, Mexico. ( If you look closely at the photo of the catamaran you will see them with very BIG smiles – even though they are not fans of multi-hull yachts.)  During their stay as OUR “charter guests”,  it was such a pleasure to deliver the best we had for every meal, and even dipping into our wine cellar sharing our favorite wines.  ( We also had one night that started out with Belevedre martinis, some BIG reds, and topped off with some amazing Tawny Port for the Sierra foothills – Indian Rock Vineyards.)  I look forward to all of you having the opportunity of booking a charter yacht vacation in the Caribbean.  It will change your life – and that is not an overstatement.  Email me  and I will be your guide in setting up an unforgettable sailing adventure.  Until next time….fair winds!

We are traveling back to California to enroll our last one into college!

We are gladly taking donations from all of our friends, family and the internet world.  As of today we will have all THREE of our kids in college – Matt at Loyola-Marymount University, and JJ and Bryana in Santa Barbara, California!  In fact, what we really need are more real estate sales in the Caribbean!  It is a hectic time of transporting ALL of them and us to the various campuses to get them settled into their college dorms and apartments.  In addition, it will be the first time in 22 years that Ann Marie and I will be “empty nesters”! 

Bryana, as a freshman, is very excited, nervous, and filled with anticipation of how the next chapter in her life will be unfolding.  Her three girlfriends since the second grade have said their goodbyes since they are all going to different universities.  Ann Marie found a blanket manufacturer that could weave in a photo into the blanket.  We found the girls’ favorite photo of them and surprised them with a blanket for each of them so they could be reminded of their dear friendship.  Bryana is currently focused on a career in journalism.  As you can see, she may want to start in television since she is so beautiful and so darn smart.

JJ continues his passion for surfing and golfing while attending college in Santa Barbara.  As a Junior he has kept a 3.0 GPA, and he has lowered his golf handicap significantly between his class work.  If I could pick a career for JJ it would be doing something with kids.  He is an amazing coach with sports, and he has a natural knack of having kids bond with him and listen to his advice and direction.  At the moment his major is social science.  He would be a great elementary school teacher, too.  However, no matter what he does he will need to live by the beach.  We are so glad that he and Bryana will be in the same college town, just so they know there is a family member close by.  It is comforting to us, too.

Matt is completing his last few courses at LMU.  He already graduated with double degrees in Economics and Music – what a combination of interests.  He is passionate about both, and during his last four years he has more than tripled his stock portfolio because of studying the stock markets.  He has made some BIG hits with Apple stock purchases over the last few years.  His next step will be in some type of international experience.  We will be taking him to London in January to interview with the London School of Economics.  And, next we will open some doors in Geneva, Switzerland with the Nestle Group.  He would really enjoy a year’s internship with Nestle. ( Any contacts would be greatly appreciated.)

Ann Marie and I are already planning an adventure when Bryana graduates in four years.  As she exits college at that time, we will get an immediate raise in our income.  With that in mind, we are planning to sail in the Caribbean for six months starting in the BVI and heading south with no other plans than beautiful sunsets, SCUBA diving, fair winds, and having friends meet us along the way at various islands.  I will let you know how these plans unfold.  Wish us well as the launch our last child into a new world.  Until next time…fair winds to all of you!

If you want the best vacation experience of your life, book a crewed chartered sailing adventure in the Caribbean

You will recall that I have been sailing in the Caribbean for over 30 years. Because of those years of sailing I have met some of the most unfogettable people I know – Dougy the head of cabbies at Beef Island Airport; Foxy the owner of Foxy’s on Jost Van Dyke; Mick the bartender at Soggy Dollar Bar; Liz the owner of Duffy’s Love Shack; a Danish couple who had been sailing for over five years with two of their three kids being born on their boat; Baby Bull Rhymer who ripped me off at Cane Garden Bay; Captain Whitey of the catamaran Tamarin; Ustis from Dominica who is the best dancer I have ever met. (He enjoyed dancing with each of our women guests at Quito Rymers; Quito Rhymers, the famous Caribbean “Jimmy Buffet”; Dick at CharterPort; and hundreds more!!! And…whenever and wherever I am sailing in the Caribbean it is always unforgettable!

You also recall that my last ”crew” was made up of seven guests who had never sailed in the Caribbean, nor had they been on a crewed chartered yacht.  Each of them are world travelers and they said it was the BEST adventure they had ever had!  The catamaran’s are currently my favorite choice if you have a group of guests who are unfamiliar with the sailing scene.  However, when I want the pure pleasure of sailing my preferrence is the traditional mono-hull. Our sailing adventure last month was again on “Double Feature”, the Lagoon 57 crewed by Captain Jonny and 1st Mate/Chef Kelly.  My mono-hull of choice this year is Three Moons – an Irwin 72 crewed by Captain Randy, Chef Shelley, and 1st Mate Katy. They also deliver an amazing experience for each of their guests aboard Three Moons.

The reason why it is called an adventure is because you have no idea what will unfold between the moment of your launch and the moment you drop anchor at your final desitnation of the voyage. All of the STUFF that happens in between is the reason why I can’t wait to launch on any sailing adventure. I eat up the STUFF in between! Some of the ”moments” that happen are unforgettable.  Some of those ”moments” are hopefully forgotten quickly. ( Remember my comments months ago about dancing with a goat at Foxy’s?) Well, last month I ended up at The Last Resort with my guests and was swept away with the music and the rum that ended up having me as the back-up singer for the BAND! Most of the moments that need to be forgotten usually happen late at night after some Meyer’s Dark Rum and Caribe beer chasers. With that combination, anything can happen…and usually does.

Back to sailing…that is the real deal in the Caribbean. I am at my “spiritual center” when I am under sail, and with any job that is assigned to me. I have captained my share of sailboats, but I have also been the chef on many boat deliveries, and even been as lowly as a 4th Mate whose job is typically clearing out a clogged head - one of the worst jobs on the boat.  There is nothing like the feeling of the helm in your hands as you steer your course to your next anchorage. The expected activities during any voyage includes; SCUBA, snorkeling, water skiing, wake boarding, kayaking, daily gourmet moments, great beverages because thirst is a dangerous thing, reading, napping, sunning with various degrees of clothing, and even the occasional squals.  Are you getting a better idea as to why I can’t wait to step aboard my next sailboat going to who knows where? Contact me and I promise to set up this type of experience for you, your family and friends.  I am such a fan of this experience that I secured by charter yacht brokerage license in 1997 and I have arranged hundreds of sailing adventures.  Until next time.  Fair winds.

At the start of any sailing voyage, this is the mantra Jim Walberg uses when he raises the anchor and sets sail for another adventure!

This phrase, “Do not be fearful,” is one that I have not only used as a life long sailor, but in many aspects of my life.  It is the phrase that is used by both those staying behind and those on the sailboat as it leaves the anchorage or dock for another voyage.  My experience with this mantra is based on the fact that no one knows what will ever happen on a sailing adventure. The one constant is you know the latitude and longitude of your destination.  What happens from the moment you set sail to the moment you drop anchor at your destination is what is called “a sailing adventure”.

I could write a book about all of the “unexpected / expected” experiences that relate back to “not being fearful”. Well, I guess it is OK to be fearful, but a sailor doesn’t let the fear prevent her/him for setting sail, even knowing the challenges that will be faced during the voyage.  Someone that lets fear stop them from setting sail to a familiar or new destination is called a “landlubber”, not a sailor.  So, fear can either serve you or it can paralyze you.  I chose to have it serve me, even though I have been in some pretty scary experiences during my life time of sailing adventures.

One example of my 50+ years of sailing adventures was during a sailboat delivery on the west coast from San Francisco to Cabo San Lucas in Mexico. The sailboat was a MacGregor 65 that is a “rocket ship” that is only twelve feet wide and sixty-five feet long, and is primarily used for racing. It is not considered a “blue water” sailing vessel. It is just built for speed – 12 to 14 knots for a mono-hull! It is known to break up in even moderate seas because of it being so narrow and light. (If a MacGregor does break-up it doesn’t sink because it is filled with foam so it actually floats and one can hang-on to debris as a last resort while awaiting someone to save your ass.)

Off the Santa Barbara Islands our crew of four decided we better stress the boat to the max to see if there were any flaws that could be uncovered before we got into Mexican waters. Another important note – sailors do attempt to always find the “surprises” during a voyage before they are actually surprises.  Well, one showed up with all the sails out in a 20 knot wind. Within minutes the boom broke in half and I happened to be in the path of the broken parts. It hit me square on the head and knocked me out. (When we meet again you will now note the dent that is still on the right side of my bald head.) My crew mates acted quickly – another important trait of a sailor, and first made sure I didn’t roll overboard, and then lashed the broken boom together and re-grouped. As a sailor you need to constantly improvise during these types of moments which requires a curious and inventive mind. With the boom broken in half you can’t use your mainsail effectively. So, we rigged it to use the jib and “jerry rigged” the main so we had a small portion of it in the wind. We limped to a repair facility in San Diego harbor and set sail again to complete the delivery. We did deliver the yacht on time, in spite of the detour, and I added another story to my journal of sailing tales.

Well, enough of my musings for now. My point is that you can never explore new shores by standing on the dock wishing you could get their. You must get on board, set the sails, and be prepared for many sailing adventures between the launch and your destination.  Hum…maybe there is even some analogies in life that the sailing mantra applies, too – “Do not be fearful!”!!!    So, what about some of your tall tales from sailing adventures?

Our family sends you Holiday greetings and best wishes from the Caribbean!

 This is the time of year that all of us spend time with family and friends, and remember the many blessings that we receive each day.  One of my wishes for you today is that you not only focus on your blessings for a few days in December, but everyday.  There are so many grateful moments that we need to pay attention to each day!  There are people to love, to serve, and even to just listen to that will improve whatever condition they are in.  There is a quote I really like, “If you are wondering if your mission in life is complete… It is not, if you are still alive.”  Below is a prayer that we will be using at our Holiday celebration dinner.  Make a copy of it and review it from time to time.  It means a lot to us.

Dear God, this is the Season of getting together with our loved ones; feast, toast, enjoy the blessings of life – and give thanks.  Thanks for life all around us, under foot, and overhead.

Thanks for the ability to remember the things that we love as well as to forget how much we’ve been hurt. Thanks for fine young bodies and old, venerable minds; for sun on our faces, the rain on the roof, and the food on the table grown by people we don’t even know.  

Thanks that the jets overhead aren’t dropping their bombs, that our healing hands have a place to practice, that children are born every minute of the day, and that death is there to gather us up at the end. And thanks for at least a few days a year when we all take the time to get some perspective.

Best wishes for a wonderful Holiday Season with your dear family and friends!

For the third time in his long career his peers have honored him with this special award!

Jim Walberg was selected by his peers as the 2007 Realtor Of The Year this past week!  This is the third time this honor has been bestowed upon him during his very long real estate career.  The criteria for this award is based on the Realtor who has significantly contributed to the professionalism of the industry and service to the community.

When asked to comment on the award Mr. Walberg gave a few words for the audience to remember.  “To whom much is given,  much is required.”   Some of the organizations that have benefited from Mr. Walberg’s community involvement are;  Rotary International;   The Food Bank;  Adopt-An-Angel;  Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation;  Special Olympics;  The One Warm Coat Project;  Toys For Tots;  and,  many more.  Mr. Walberg continues to live his life using Rotary International’s model of “Service Above Self”.  He describes his experience as a long time Realtor as having a career worth having, a business worth owning and a life worth living.  The entire real estate community congratulations Mr. Walberg on this significant acknowledgement of his commitment to extraordinary service to others.

Mr. Walberg is the owner of Caribbean Islands Realty, The Bay Area Team – a realty group in the San Francisco Bay Area servicing the residential real estate needs of that region, Worldwide Properties 4 Sale – an internet center featuring homes and deeded fractional ownerships that are for sale from the BVI, to Tuscany, to Thailand , and Navigate The World – a charter vacation yacht brokerage company booking vacations on the world’s finest yachts.

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…