On-line FEBRUARY 2008 NO. 149 The Caribbean’s Monthly Look at Sea & Shore Antigua’s Superyacht Cup See story on page 13 © KOS/KOSPICTURES.COM FEBRUARY 2008 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 2 FEBRUARY 2008 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 3 CALENDAR FEBRUARY 2 - 4 Martinique Carnival Regatta. Club Nautique Le Neptune (CNN), [email protected], www.clubnautiqueleneptune.com 3 - 6 Carnival Monday and Tuesday in most Dutch and French islands, Puerto Rico, Dominica, Carriacou, Trinidad & Tobago, Venezuela, and other places The Caribbean’s Monthly Look at Sea & Shore 7 Independence Day. Public holiday in Grenada 9 - 10 St. Croix International Regatta. St. Croix Yacht Club (SCYC), www.caribbeancompass.com www.stcroixyc.com 13 - 17 Casa de Campo Regatta, Dominican Republic. FEBRUARY 2008 • NUMBER 149 www.casadecamporegatta.com 15 - 17 30th Annual Sweethearts of the Caribbean and 26th Annual Classic Yacht Regatta, Tortola. West End Yacht Club (WEYC), [email protected], www.weyc.net Bombs Away! 17 Sailors’ and Landlubbers’ Auction, Bequia. (784) 457-3047 Visiting Vieques.....................24 18 Presidents’ Day. Public holiday in Puerto Rico and USVI 20 Lunar Eclipse visible throughout the Caribbean 21 FULL MOON 21 - 24 Grenada Classic Yacht Regatta. www.ClassicRegatta.com 22 Independence Day. Public holiday in St. Lucia. Yacht races 24 Bonaire International Fishing Tournament. www.infobonaire.com 27 Independence Day. Public holiday in Dominican Republic TBA Non-Stop Around Martinique Race. CNN TBA Semaine Nautique Schoelcher, Martinique. [email protected] Small Island… …big launching! ....................17 MARCH Labor of Love 1 Spanish Town Fishermen’s Jamboree and 12th Annual Plastic classic renewed ..........18 Wahoo Tournament, BVI 3 H. Lavitty Stoute’s Birthday (celebrated). Public holiday in BVI 6 Budget Marine Commodore’s Cup, St. Maarten. www.heinekenregatta.com 6 - 9 28th St. Maarten Heineken Regatta. www.heinekenregatta.com 6 - 9 13th Annual Tobago Game Fishing Tournament. www.tgft.com 7 - 9 Blues & Rhythms Festival, St. Vincent. www.svgtourism.com ‘Accidental’ Cruiser 7 - 10 11th Annual Dark and Stormy Regatta, BVI. WEYC Why he loves Trinidad ...........30 8 International Women’s Day 9 - 23 6th Annual St. John Blues Festival. www.stjohnbluesfestival.com 10 Commonwealth Day. Public holiday in some places Getting Fresh Boat Buddies 14 National Heroes Day. Public holiday in St. Vincent & the Grenadines A jungle river cruise ..............20 Camaraderie, community ......32 14 - 16 Culebra Heineken International Regatta and Culebra International Dinghy Regatta, Puerto Rico. www.culebrainternationalregatta.com 15 - 16 Le Trophée Gardel Race, Guadeloupe. www.Trophee-gardel.com DEPARTMENTS 17 St. Patrick’s Day. Public holiday in Montserrat; festival in St. Patrick’s, Grenada Business Briefs........................8 Cartoons ................................35 20 Holy Thursday. Public holiday in USVI Eco-News...............................10 Cruising Kids’ Corner ............36 20 International Earth Day. Beach and dive clean-ups in many places 20 - 24 Bequia Easter Regatta. www.begos.com/easterregatta Regatta News ........................14 Dolly’s Deep Secrets.............36 20 - 24 Easterval, Union Island, St. Vincent Grenadines. [email protected] Different Boats .......................16 Book Reviews ........................37 21 FULL MOON Destinations ...........................20 Cooking withCruisers............41 21 Good Friday. Public holiday in many places 21 - 23 Grenada Round-the-Island Easter Race. www.aroundgrenada.com All Ashore… ...........................26 Readers’ Forum .....................44 22 Emancipation Day. Public holiday in Puerto Rico Meridian Passage .................32 What’s On My Mind ..............49 24 - 25 Goat and Crab Races, Mt. Pleasant and Buccoo Village, Tobago 23 Easter Sunday Sailors’ Horoscope ................34 Caribbean Marketplace ......52 23 Nevis to St. Kitts Cross-Channel Swim FEBRUARY 2008 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 4 Island Poets ...........................34 Classified Ads........................54 24 Easter Monday. Public holiday in many places Cruising Crossword ...............35 Advertisers’ Index .................54 27 - 30 St. Barths Bucket Race. www.newportbucket.com/StBarthsIndex.htm 28 - 30 35th International Rolex Regatta, St. Thomas, USVI. www.rolexcupregatta.com Caribbean Compass is published monthly by 29 - Apr 20 Transcaraibes Rally, Guadeloupe to Cuba. www.transcaraibes.com Compass Publishing Ltd., P.O. Box 175 BQ, Grenada/Carriacou/Petite Martinique: 30 Ad Sales & Distribution - Valreece Joseph Spiritual Baptist Liberation Day. Public holiday in Trinidad & Tobago Bequia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. 31 - Apr 6 Tel: (784) 457-3409, Fax: (784) 457-3410, Tel: (473) 536-7492, [email protected] BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival. www.bvispringregatta.org [email protected] Guadeloupe: Ad Sales & Distribution Stéphane Legendre TBA Carlisle Bay Cruise Weekend, Antigua. Antigua Yacht Club (AYC), www.caribbeancompass.com Tel/Fax: + 590 (0) 5 90 84 53 10 Mob: + 590 (0) 6 90 49 45 90 www.antiguayachtclub.com [email protected] Editor...........................................Sally Erdle TBA Antigua Laser Open. AYC [email protected] Martinique: Ad Sales & Distribution - Isabelle Prado TBA Antigua Mega Yacht Challenge. AYC Tel: (0596) 596 68 69 71, Mob: + 596 (0) 696 93 26 38 Assistant Editor...................Elaine Ollivierre [email protected] [email protected] St. Lucia: Distribution - Wayne Barthelmy All information was correct to the best of our knowledge Advertising & Distribution........Tom Hopman Tel: (758) 584-1292, at the time this issue of Compass went to press — but plans change, so please [email protected] [email protected] contact event organizers directly for confirmation. Art, Design & Production......Wilfred Dederer St. Maarten/St. Barths/St. Kitts & Nevis: If you would like a nautical or tourism event listed FREE in our calendar, [email protected] Distribution - Eric Bendahan (599) 553 3850 please send the name and date(s) of the event and the name and Accounting.................................Debra Davis Ad Sales - Stéphane Legendre Tel/Fax: + 590 (0) 5 90 84 53 10 Mob: + 590 (0) 6 90 49 45 90 contact information of the organizing body to [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Compass Agents by Island: St. Thomas/USVI: Distribution - Bryan Lezama Antigua: Ad Sales & Distribution - Lucy Tulloch Tel: (340) 774 7931, [email protected] Tel (268) 774-6657 [email protected] St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Ad Sales - Debra Davis, Tel: (784) 457-3527, [email protected] Barbados: Distribution - Norman Faria Tel/Fax: (246) 426-0861 Tortola/BVI: Distribution - Gladys Jones [email protected] Tel: (284) 494-2830, Fax: (284) 494-1584 We’re on the Web! Curaçao: Distribution - Cees de Jong Trinidad: Ad Sales & Distribution - Jack Dausend Tel: (5999) 767-9042, Fax: (5999) 767-9003, Tel: 868) 634-2622 Mob: (868) 620-0978 [email protected] [email protected] www.caribbeancompass.com Dominica: Distribution - Hubert J. Winston Venezuela: Ad Sales & Distribution - Patty Tomasik Dominica Marine Center, 24 Victoria Street, Roseau, Tel: (58-281) 265-3844 Tel/Fax: (58-281) 265-2448, Tel: (767) 448-2705, [email protected] [email protected] Caribbean Compass welcomes submissions of short articles, news items, photos and drawings. See Writers’ Guidelines at www.caribbeancompass.com. Send submissions to [email protected]. We support free speech! But the content of advertisements, columns, articles and letters to the editor are the sole responsibility of the advertiser, writer or correspondent, and Compass Publishing Ltd. accepts no Articles & Photos • Advertisers’ Directory • Check It Out… Tell Your Friends! responsibility for any statements made therein. Letters and submissions may be edited for length and clarity. Compass Publishing Ltd. accepts no liability for delayed distribution or printing quality as these services are supplied by other companies. ©2008 Compass Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication, Cover: Aboard the 100-foot Swan Virago except short excerpts for review purposes, may be made without written permission of Compass Publishing Ltd. at Antigua’s Superyacht Cup 2007 - “Some of the best racing ever!” ISSN 1605 - 1998 [2600 words. PHOTOS in “Photos for Feb” folder for: Info& Updates New Fees for St. Maarten New bridge fees as amended by St. Maarten’s Island Council went into effect as of January 1st. The hike in fees is intended to provide Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority Singlehander Tristan Gooley with St. Lucian Member of Parliament Robert Lewis Corporation (SLAC) with increased revenue to make necessary investments in, for example, the Simpson Bay Bridge. The new departure fees, commonly called bridge fees, for cruise ships (mega- the attraction. I like the fact that more people have walked on the moon than yachts) per one-week stay or part thereof range from 18 Netherlands Antilles florins tackled the Atlantic by air and sea alone.” (NAf.) for vessels with a length of nine meters or more but fewer than 14 meters, to NAf. 153 for vessels with a length of 36 meters or more. US$1.00=NAf 1.79. Eight Bells The new harbor fees that are due for passenger ships or yachts per one-week stay Buddy Stockwell reports: On December 16, 2007, the cruising community