We hope you are both well. We enclosed a few pictures for you. Dominique busy at the helm
and the captain, well ?
Thank you both for a wonderful sailing adventure. We look back fondly at our time with you on Leona.
Keep us informed on your situation. And remember,

Push forward, regardless!

Doug & Liz Reynolds
collegiatedoug@earthlink.net

REVIEW 
Cruise with Leona 18/30 September  2001

We just got home, settled down, unpacked, and and the film over to the processor.
One word all we keep saying is UNBELIEVABLE! We had the honeymoon of a lifetime.
John, no amount of planning, researching or just plain luck could EVER have prepared us
for we experienced.

OK, so where do I start ? The Villa Rondelei was fantastic and since we had no neighbors,
the most romantic place I could have imagined (though screens on the patio doors would have helped).
Vinnie was the perfect hostess. We cannot say enough on how she treated us.
She made us a swordfish lunch that was just great.

We introduced ourselves to the resort management while shopping at the resort's shop
and ended up making reservations for dinner Thursday and Saturday night.
Nice place, but ..... well, you know not a villa.

Hooked up with Glenroy and he meet us at Rondelei,
gave Nancy a resort course and took us out to dive the reef over in Union.
Nancy had a great time and Glenroy made her feel very comfortable and she was very confident
in his ability and teaching technique. I was hoping to hook up with him later in the trip to the Cays,
but time just flew by and .... Well, NEXT YEAR !

The Leona ......, John, you have a very good friend in Thomas! He speaks very highly of you.
As for our sailing adventure, it was a dram come true. Thomas, is truly an expert seaman!
I had only put two destinations in front of him, Bequia for a day and Nancy wanted to visit Trinity Falls
in St. Vincent. The rest, as I was so fond of saying to Thomas ...."out there, that-a-way" "you're driving!".
Between, Thomas' seamanship and Dominique's cooking, Nancy and I were treated to a sailing
adventure that will have memories for a lifetime ..... or at least until we come back.
We invited Thomas and Dominique to be our guests for the visit to Trinity Falls and I firmly believe
they had just as much fun and as a wonderful time as Nancy and I did.
And, as long as we were in St. Vincent and had NO IDEA where we were going next,
Nancy and I invited them out to dinner that night. You know, when its all said and done John,
it really wasn't a "charter with captain and crew", it was almost like four friends
sailing the islands. I truly hope that they felt the same way.
The days were great, the nights on occasions were warm, but so be it. I have NOTHING to complain about !!!
Thomas was there to help, make sure we had a great time and a safe sail and
have coffee ready for me every morning. Dominique and Nancy king of bonded.
Since most of the islands and cays were "not dinner friendly" we just decided to stay on the boat
for dinner and that decision was probably the second best decision we made,
with doing this in the first place being number one! I probably gained five pounds in the
last seven days thanks to her cooking. If you see her, just tell her I complained about
the "bad' food onboard, and how many times I had to "sample" the fare to see
if it was "getting better". The fish went hungry on this voyage let me tell you.

You know in all honesty (and on a business note), adding her cooking to the charter could be very beneficial.
I'm sorry that our time table prevented us from stopping by, but Thomas said
that they were going to head over to see you today before heading up to Martinique.

Well John, all I can say is thank you and I guess that really doesn't quite say it.
I'm glad that fate and a good browser made the connection and that all the pieces fit
like a well designed puzzle. If you need any testimonials or "client references" don't hesitate
to give out my name and email, Heck ..... give them my phone number!
Again, give Vinnie, Thomas and Dominique all our best and thank your sir, for making our honeymoon
and our first days as husband and wife truly wonderful.
All our best, and keep those warm breezes flowing.

Steve & Nancy Beluch
sbeluch@yahoo.com

REVIEW 
Cruise with the Leona January 2nd 1999-February 4th 1999.

For years we dreamed of cruising the Caribbean on a sailing yacht and when we got married in August 1998
we thought this was going to be the time to see our dream come through.
We decided to book a cruise with Thomas Cohen and his wonderful boat: The S/Y Leona.
We thought it would be nice to stay for a long time
thus having the opportunity to see more and relax at the same time.
We decided to book a cruise for 5 weeks.
It is always risky to book a trip on a relatively small boat for such a long time.
What if one does not get along with the captain?
What if the boat is not so nice?
If we had any worries at all, they all proved wrong.
Thomas Cohen is absolutely wonderful. He is a personality without comparison.
He pampered us for 5 wonderful weeks and he is very skilled when it comes to handling the boat.
Leona also turned out to be very comfortable.
It is quite large inside and has all modern commodities, however, most of the time one stays outside.
Thomas served us breakfast and lunch outside and for the evenings we usually went out on the islands
or we stayed aboard and Thomas cooked.
We enjoyed spending time with Thomas. We had a wonderful time with him.

Our cruise started on Grenada where we were picked up.
Since we stayed for so long we had some extra time to sail all the way from Grenada.
The first day of sailing was quite comfortable since we only sailed for a couple of hours near St. Georges.
However, the next day we sailed for almost 10 hours up to Carriacou.
It was very beautiful and very interesting since we were not used to sailing at all.
After that first day we felt capable of sailing anywhere in the Carribean…….and so we did.
In the following 5 weeks we sailed from Carriacou to Union, Mayreau, Tobago Cays, Canouan, Bequia,
St. Vincent, St. Lucia and all the way back to Grenada visiting all the islands on the way back again.
We enjoyed many of the islands and Thomas was an excellent ”guide”.
He knows everybody everywhere and there were always locals who helped us or gave us good advise.
Thomas really has a nose for those ”out of the way places”.
We can fully recommend a cruise with Leona and Thomas.
In fact we are already saving for our next cruise, even though it will probably never be another honeymoon!!!

Dorte and Tomas Frydenberg, Copenhagen, Denmark.

A Message Posted by webmaster@grenadines.net

REVIEW 

6-7 March 1999 - Weekend
High Temperature 86ºF- Low Temperature 75ºF
           Oh, what a beautiful,  sunny weekend with blue skies and a few puffy white clouds.

   Soooo... beautiful that I made a Grenadines.net business trip.
You ask "How can a Grenadines.net business trip be any
   different from that of any other business?"
Well first you place your order for perfect weather.
Then you arrange for a
  private yacht to take you where you want to go.
I choose Captain Thomas' S/Y Leona,
a 46' fully stainless steel yacht that has been totally refurbished since my last sail.
Yachts and speedboats are basic transportation down here in The Grenadines.
We had a late start from the office but Buster was late coming home
and he just didn't want to go down inside that large bag.
Oh, by the way, Buster is my cat.
It was around 3pm when we finally made it to the yacht and pulled anchor.
We sailed North to Saline Bay on Mayreau and dropped anchor.
We climbed the steep road up to the village
and stopped by James at Island Paradise Bar & Restaurant for a drink and some details on the little cottage
he has for rent. Two bedrooms and no electricity but less than US$20/night!
Then it was a few steps back down the hill to Robert's Rasta Bar for dinner.
An internet friend from San Francisco was staying nearby so we sent a message for her to come join us.
Looks like Pat is going to work-up a homepage for the locals on Mayreau
and when she does, we will link it to ours at Grenadines.net.
Imagine a tiny island with 262 people, no electricity unless you make your own with a generator.
After dinner and around mid-night, it was back down the hill and back onto the yacht for the night.
Next morning it was back up the hill for breakfast at Dennis' Hideaway.
He has a lovely place with 5-6 rooms each with private balcony, bath, and double bed for around US$50-70.
Don't forget that we also have Saltwhistle Bay Resort on Mayreau for US$450/night.
Then it was back down the hill to the yacht to pull anchor again
and sail up to Canouan's Tamarind Beach Hotel and Yacht Club.
The sail took about an hour and after we arrived, Thomas cooled his heels at the Pirate's Cove Bar
and I took the tour.  After lunch with the General Manager
it was over the hill to the newly opened Carenage Bay Resort & Golf Course. WOW!!
You have to see it to believe it.
18-hole golf course, perhaps the largest swimming pool in the Caribbean,
and European standard rooms with air-conditioning.
Compare all this to Mayreau where there is not even electricity yet on the island.
It was around 4:30pm when we returned to the yacht.
We sailed south to Chatham Bay on Union Island for the night
and after breakfast the next morning, Sunday, were back on Carriacou in about one hour's sail time.
Ah.... another Grenadines.net Business Trip in Paradise!!

17-20 December 1998 - Friday and The Weekend
High Temperature 86ºF- Low Temperature 75ºF
Sunny, blue skies, and a really nice wind.

It's been too long since I went sailing
so quick arrangements were made with Captain Thomas of S/Y Leona
and off we went to nearby Union Island's undiscovered secret - Chatham Bay.
Thomas' 46' Stainless Steel Ketch is anchored on Tyrrel Bay
so I packed my sunscreen, light nylon, long-sleeve, jacket, a few t-shirts and shorts
and after raiding the refrigerator of its string green beans, callaloo, eggplant, grounded coffee,
red/green hot peppers, onions, and a head of cabbage I went down the side steps to catch a bus to Harvey Vale.
Beside the Barclays' Bank and opposite the Marketing Board, is my bus stop
where I wait until I see Norbert heading my way.
The EC$2 ride drops me off in front of the Alex Supermarket and the French Restaurant Poivre et Sel.
I go up the side steps to use the VHF at Poivre et Sel to alert Captain Thomas that I've arrived
and I see everyone inside packing to go to Canouan
in Olivierre's Glossy Dive speedboat that's tied outfront on the small, floating jetty. T
hey'll be on Canouan in about 45-minutes, Magaly's daughter says,
and we'll be in Chatham Bay in two hours I think to myself.

 Thomas comes to Scraper's Jetty and I meet him inside the Alexis Supermarket
to add items to our weekend menu: ground beef for the spaghetti, bread, bacon and eggs for breakfast, milk,
Coca Cola and ice cubes.
Leona's new paint job shines as we approach in Thomas' Caribe dinghy pushed by Evinrude.
I notice immediately that new varnish has brought out the teak throughout the yacht.
Seems like now is the time for all captains to have their charter yachts refurbished
and repaired for the up-coming 1999 Season.
While Thomas stores the provisions downstairs in the galley I snoop around.
Nice double cabin in the bow.
Sturdy, reliable head and shower outside.
Room for six-eight around the saloon's dining table
with two small open berths nearby for lounging or sleepy kids to sleep.
Fully-equipped gally with top burners, oven, refigerator, and sink.
Another single cabin to the rear that Thomas assigned me.
I'm six foot and 175 pounds and I had no trouble stretching-out to full length.
I had the option of opening three portholes for ventilation
but I chose the top hatch instead given the strong, steady breeze at our Chatham Bay anchorage.

 While Thomas got his yacht ready to set sail,
I surveyed Tyrrel Bay. There's S/Y Kyrimba, and over there is Drôle d'oiseau , and FireflyB, and Tatoosh.
One last rest for these captains before they plunge into the 1999 Sailing The Grenadine Islands program.
I am amazed at the constant house construction going on. Sections of Harvey Vale that once had a single house
and now looks like small villages with 5-6 new constructions.
Sleepy Carriacou is on the verge of awakening.

   We use the motor only to pull-up the anchor, and we turn in full sails toward Union Island clearly visible ahead.
We tack at Hillsborough Bay's Sandy Island and sail as the crows fly over to Union Island.
It takes us just an hour from Sandy Island as we tack again into Chatham Bay
and once again inside to where Thomas drops anchor.

   Chatham Bay... imagine a bay with two jutting points into the sea
with green hillsides sloping steeply upwards to a ridgeline.
Chatham Bay is a bowl and perhaps the only such anchorage
where even today not a single electric bulb is visible to visiting yachts.
Here isolation and seclusion rule.
Given Leona's draft we anchor several hundred yards from the beach
but come morning the seven other yachts who joined us there that night were scattered widely.

 We have drinks and Thomas makes a delicious, creamy meatsauce for the spaghetti.
Captain John Smith anchors his Mermaid of Carriacou nearby and swims over with a fresh fish the next morning
as we're having morning coffee and a hearty breakfast of bacon and eggs.
Snorkelers have an opportunity to swim over schools of fish so thick that one can't see the ocean bottom.
The birds know this as well as I see them flying low and diving into the water
only to flap their wings and fly away with a flopping fish in tow.
I notice pelicans, seagulls, crane, boobies, and what looks like ducks. Enough of Thomas' coffee, Ducks?!

   The only "development" I notice are two small shacks on either side of the long, sandy bay.
Before dark, two guys on a small speedboat "Shark Attack" are selling lobster
and early next morning another speedboat offers bread, and other items.
As we had provisioned well in Harvey Vale we declined
but it was nice to have the chance just in case we had forgotten something.
Seems like it would be a shame to depart this anchorage
just because we run out of bread and lobster.
Thomas tells me that sometimes these locals will cook on the beach, play steel pan, and offer drinks.
It was deliciously quiet during my stay.

 The Christmas Wind brought us back to Tyrrel Bay in about half the time
and I visited Lee & Lesley's Studio Bar while I waited for a bus to take me back to Hillsborough and my home.,
Ah... another day in paradise!
 

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