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LOOK there comin'.....

B O U G A I N V I L L A    C U P    2 0 0 2
R E S U L T S
CLASS 1A - OPEN DOUBLE ENDER - FISHING BOATS

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO ON BOUGAINVILLA CUP

Look who thinks he's invisible among the leaves.
A wild cat gave birth to two kittens
that have now grown just big enough to become curious
about EVERYTHING.

FOCUS ON UNION ISLAND - DAY 44
25 April 2002 - Thursday
High Temperature 86ºF - Low Temperature 80ºF
A beautiful sunny day.
GONE SAILING.... Tobago Cays - Petit Tabac

http://www.grenadines.net/jade.html

FOCUS ON UNION ISLAND - DAY 43
24 April 2002 - Wednesday
High Temperature 86ºF - Low Temperature 80ºF
A beautiful sunny day.

B O U G A I N V I L L A    C U P    2 0 0 2

The idea was a simple one back in 1997.
Local french businesswoman Laura Laugie here on Union Island had a thought....
WHY SHOULD THE TOURISTS HAVE ALL THE FUN?
If a date could be found after the finish of the so-called "tourist season",
then the people who call this their home year round
could all get together for a fun day of socializing and sailing.
So the word is now out:
>> If it floats, bring it, enter it - you're welcome <<
This year it's EC$20/person to ENTER RACE - about US$7.50
So, since 2000, local boats have joined with the yachts,
coming from:
> Canouan
> Mayreau
> Petite Martinique
> Carriacou
headed to Clifton, Union Island
Sunday, 28 April 2002

SCHEDULE
08:30 - Briefing by the organizers
09:00 - START the race by Francois Chevrerry
This year it's a triangle race from
Clifton > SW Palm Island > W Carriacou/Union
(around twice)

LUNCH
( on the white sand beach of The Anchorage Yacht Club )

PRESENTATION CEREMONY
~ National Anthym
~ Mr. Samual Debique - Speaker Introductions ~
~ Mr. Bertram Simmons - Opening Remarks ~
Chairman, Union Island Tourist Board Committee
~ Mr. Dofton Ollivierre - History of the Bougainvilla Cup ~
Operation Manager, Bougainvilla Co., Ltd.
~ Ms Dida Bernard - Tourism Planning ~
Department of Tourism
~ Hon. Rene Baptiste - Feature Speaker ~
Minister of Tourism

CASH PRIZES
The winner of in each of the THREE CLASSES takes home a trophy
Cash Prizes are going to 1st Place, 2nd Place, 3rd Place in each Class
~ Small Open Boats thru Long Open Boats
~ Catamarans
~ Mono Hull

GET YOUR BOUGAINVILLA CUP 2002 T-SHIRT

SPECIAL MENTION for their hard work GOES OUT TO:
Ms Samantha Simmons, Union Island Tourism Bureau, Clifton
Ms Nicole James, Bougainvilla Co. Ltd., Clifton

Time to up-date the Bequia Homepages:
http://www.grenadines.net/bequia/bequiahomepage.htm

FOCUS ON UNION ISLAND - DAY 40
21 April 2002 - Sunday
High Temperature 86ºF - Low Temperature 80ºF
Sunny with blue skies and a few puffy white clouds.

The Anchorage Yacht Club was hopping.....
Just before sunset, nine or more yachts arrived at the jetty.

of

while it seemed a hundred more were also having their own food and drink
while they boogied to the live steel pan music and announced the results of their racing.
A pleasant time was had by all.
Ah, just another day in paradise

FOCUS ON UNION ISLAND - DAY 38
19 April 2002 - Friday
High Temperature 86ºF - Low Temperature 80ºF
Sunny with blue skies and a few puffy white clouds.

A quiet day answering e-mail, visiting with friends from the
S/V Yankee Clipper that stopped @Mayreau for the day today

before returning to Grenada.

FOCUS ON UNION ISLAND - DAY 37
18 April 2002 - Thursday
High Temperature 86ºF - Low Temperature 80ºF
Sunny with blue skies and a few puffy white clouds.

Overlooking Clifton Harbor on Union Island is Fort Hill.
Time to put on the hiking shoes and go have a look....
My guide is CHILD and we head-out from
The Anchorage Yacht Club Hotel.
The climb takes about an hour and follows first a concrete road
but soon turns into a dirt path that takes us to the top.
There is a little park at the top with picnic tables and
shade from the sun so you'll no doubt take your time enjoying the 360° view
of the Southern Grenadines. We enjoyed items from the "survival kit" brought along: bottled water, fresh pastries from breakfast, and the essential SNICKERS candy bar.
OUT COMES THE DIGITAL camera and here's what I saw....

Last Week There was a Wedding.
Read what the Groom had to say:
" Hi John,  We are back to France and have enjoyed a quiet trip from Martinique to Paris and are so glad we believed in the Grenadines to plan our wedding. Dominique and Thomas have been just fantastic as usual but it was also very nice to meet you in the Anchorage Yacht Club.
I know we will miss the color of the sea, the quiet breeze of the winds and the stars at night, but right now it's "back to reality" time and the bride and the groom have to grow into a strong couple.
But as I told you two days ago, I think that having this wedding organized in the Grenadines will strengthen our bond :
a different wedding, a different life, a different love.
We will be back, and I hope that we will stay in contact in the future. I'll go through my pictures and see if something can be of interest. Keep the good work on the Grenadines.net website but please try not to attract too many people in this paradise...
Thanks for everything,
Yann-the-Groom..."
Ah, just another day in paradise

An interesting day....

A French cruise ship anchored outside Clifton's natural harbor, inside the channel with nextdoor Carriacou, and proceeded to tender hundreds of people to shore throughout the day. The white, sandy beach here at The Anchorage Hotel and Yacht Club was like a magnet and most of the people ended-up there for a few hours until it was time to return to their ship.

Here in the islands, there is often discussion about
CRUISE SHIP ARRIVALS
with most locals/businesses being "against them 'cause they don't buy nothing; they don't give nothing." I used to agree 100% as I watch them walk around but now I have also seen some of these individuals return to the island that they remembered most fondly as the cruise ships passed from place to place. So it is a way of advertising and it does produce future business. In a perfect world... cruise ship passengers would stay on their huge ships and be forced to just look from a distance at our tiny pieces of paradise.  In a perfect world... this would leave our fragile, tiny islands to welcome just those lucky few who arrive here off the tiny airplanes or private sailing yachts that come here.
 In a perfect world...

FOCUS ON UNION ISLAND - DAY 28
9 April 2002 - Tuesday
High Temperature 86ºF - Low Temperature 80ºF
Overcast.

ONE MONTH AGO...
Over the past month, I have attempted to show you a brief look

@Union Island Today
We have looked at the central geographic location of Union
with easy access to the other Southern Grenadines
We have explored new ways of making it easier and less expensive
to get to Union Island
We have had a look around the island and seen it's lovely places.
Now we will shift our focus just a bit.

Ah, just another day in paradise

FOCUS ON UNION ISLAND - DAY 27
8 April 2002 - Monday
High Temperature 86ºF - Low Temperature 80ºF
Overcast.

The Anchorage Yacht Club Hotel
welcomes a wedding group today from France.
After being married on nextdoor Petite Martinique,
the bride/groom and the wedding party of perhaps twelve people will transfer here
for a week of celebration, beach BBQ, sailing, swimming, and.....
Interested in having YOUR WEDDING here in The Grenadines?
CLICK HERE

FOCUS ON UNION ISLAND - DAY 26
7 April 2002 - Sunday
High Temperature 86ºF - Low Temperature 80ºF
A BEAUTIFUL sunny day. A few puffy white clouds.

A quiet day.
Time to catch-up on some computer work.

Like...
adding S/Y ZANIAH

to the Grenadines.Net Private Yacht Charter Fleet
This large catamaran filled-in for Year-End 2001 charter with six couples
~ we used two large cats sailing together ~ and now
ZANIAH's French skipper and hostess have decided to join the Fleet.
As time passes I will up-date the above webpage with more information
about this catamaran that sleeps three couples
in three private cabins ~ each with ensuite facilities.

FOCUS ON UNION ISLAND - DAY 25
6 April 2002 - Saturday
High Temperature 86ºF - Low Temperature 80ºF
Sunny with a few puffy white clouds.

Two friends from Carriacou were here for the day.
Time for a swim and lunch at The Anchorage Yacht Club Hotel.
Then, Thomas and Dominique from S/Y Leona dropped by
and we went to St. Joseph's Church for a lobster dinner
with a rack of lamb, too, for Captain Yannis "who doesn't eat lobster."
Captain Yannis owns the catamaran business that send people each day to
The Tobago Cays on daytrips.

The meal was compliments of Heather and her son Alasdair.
Heather is managing director of

Entertainment was provided by five small kittens
that Heather kept in a wicker basket....
Looks like the Carriacou Internet Cafe has found a new house cat.

FOCUS ON UNION ISLAND - DAY 24
5 April 2002 - Friday
High Temperature 86ºF - Low Temperature 80ºF
Sunny with a few puffy white clouds.

The Anchorage Yacht Club Jetty:
Transfer for Palm Island & Petit St. Vincent and Union Island Airport

The PERFECT PLACE to meet when arriving/departing Union Island.
Have the mini-bus do the airport collecting and drop-off.
Then it's time for a cold drink at the outside bar.

FOCUS ON UNION ISLAND - DAY 23
4 April 2002 - Thursday
High Temperature 86ºF - Low Temperature 80ºF
One of those sunny then brief rain then more sun days.

More time spent catching-up on the computer work.
I have recently edited the following webpages:
April Diary
March Diary
Bequia Homepage
Bequia's Village Apartments
Bequia's Friendship Bay Hotel
Caribbean Island Wedding
Carriacou’s 2nd Annual Maroon Music Festival
Carriacou Parang Festival
Palm Island Homepage
Palm Island Private Beach Villas
Union Island Homepage
Anchorage Yacht Club Hotel
Saltwhistle Bay on Mayreau
S/Y JADE - Catamaran
S/Y ZANIAH - Catamaran

Then a swim & snorkel off the beach, and

then sunset dinner with Dominque and Thomas
aboard S/Y LEONA

Ah... another day in paradise.

FOCUS ON UNION ISLAND - DAY 22
3 April 2002 - Wednesday
High Temperature 86ºF - Low Temperature 80ºF
A BEAUTIFUL sunny day.

A quiet day with time spent catching-up on the computer work.
Then a swim & snorkel off the beach, and

HAPPY HOUR ½Price DRINKS from 5:30-6:30PM
@The Anchorage Yacht Club Bar
ENTER AYC HERE

FOCUS ON UNION ISLAND - DAY 21
2 April 2002 - Tuesday
High Temperature 86ºF - Low Temperature 80ºF
A BEAUTIFUL sunny day.

The owners of The Tradewinds, Palm Island,
dropped by The Anchorage Yacht Club Hotel
for a pizza and conversation this afternoon.

Perfect timing as Dominique,
the food/drink co-ordinator for the Palm Island Private Villa Rentals,
was also here. The maids from all the private villas,
along with the boat operators, and Skipper Thomas of S/Y Leona
- webmasterJOHN, we're all invited
to a working lunch to prepare for the up-coming Spring/Summer Season.
An all-inclusive program is quite an effort and requires a lot of co-ordinating
to assure the carefree, no hassle escape
that Grenadines.Net is famous for making happen.

Imagine, our friendly agent meets you... with a smile and a small sign as you deplane the steps from your flight arriving Barbados. No long lines for customs or immigration for Grenadines.Net "in transit" passengers so it's directly on to your gate and to the waiting private aircraft.  We will worry with your luggage. Then it's a quick, low level 50-minute flight south to Union Island's quaint airport

where you are again met and transfered onto a real electric mini-cart vehicle

just like the one in the movies and away you go for the quick ride
thru The Anchorage Yacht Club

to the wooden jetty where your speedboat awaits.

Depending upon time and amount of daylight remaining, relax and have a cool, refreshing drink at The Anchorage Yacht Club Hotel's outside bar.  Watch the definitely live sharks

swim around just a few feet away from you.
In a protected pool - NOT where I swim. So you can relax now. These are happy sharks either born right here or nursed back to health in the constantly refreshing natural pool constructed for their health and happiness.

Then it's into the speedboat and a quick ride across the channel
separating Union Island and Palm Island.
Your skillful boatsman will wind through the living coral reef

to deposit you on the white sand beach where your friendly maid will be waiting to meet you and bring you inside your lovely beach villa.

Then it's just relax and enjoy your all-inclusive escape as it unfolds: internet access, daily maid service, private cook who does your shopping as well, your own private yacht bobbing at anchor outside your door ready for a day trip to Canouan perhaps and 18-holes of champion golf. Relax...  the private yacht,  the skipper, the hostess, the food and the drink are all-included and all exclusively yours, if just for the day.
Ah...  another day in paradise.

For those who have been following along in this diary
since March 2002
we all now know what a special destination
UNION ISLAND IS.....

Let's now adjust the focus just a bit:
or...
D A I L Y  HIGH>SPEED BOAT ACCESS
between GRENADA and UNION ISLAND
and return.

Since September 11^th....
ARRIVALS HERE IN THE GRENADINES VIA PLANE ARE DOWN.
That means tourism here is down.
That means businesses - many family owned and operated -
are struggling to remain open.
Local families heavily invested in their business find their budgets short.
Talk goes around that the solution is to build a big new airport
ON ST. VINCENT
some say for as much as
US$100 MILLION
W O W - That's an awful lot of money
when a person here often works 6-days a week
receiving under US$200/month.

Perhaps I am just one of those simple thinking "americans"
but it seems to me that given this situation
~ the solution is to join forces with Grenada. ~
GRENADA HAS A LARGE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Grenada also has two high-speed boats
able to make the trip from there to here in around an hour
carrying 150-250 passengers/trip.

So GRENADA, why not...
~ put those high-speed boats to work carrying loads of passengers ~
Currently no passenger boats connect Grenada and Union Island
~ start flying planes into Grenada from international destinations ~
Currently the airport is seriously under utilized
~ charge a price that ~
Encourages the Free Movement of People and Goods

Along the way.....

To fly /person/roundtrip to Union Island,
> it now costs US$283 and 50-minutes from Barbados.
> it now costs US$213.20 and 20-minutes from Grenada.
> it costs even more via Martinique, St. Lucia, and....
The planes are tiny, have erratic schedules and often carry under ten people.
From Grenada to Union there is just one scheduled flight each day.
Given late international arrivals on Grenada...
>> you'll usually need to overnight there arriving.
And given early international departures from there...
>> you'll usually need to overnight on Grenada again departing.
( click HERE to tell me what you paid to get to Union and where from.....
and I will add that information in HERE )

Now consider that there are currently TWO
High-speed catamaran boats
~ one with 150 seats ~ the other with 250
currently make this trip from Grenada to Carriacou
In about ONE HOUR for about US$30/person/roundtrip
Harbor-2-Harbor - where you want to be....
N O T
Airport-2-Airport ~ leaving you still more distance to travel.

Now consider that Union Island is the HUB of the Wheel
with transportation spokes directly to:
Carriacou, Petite Martinique (both a part of Grenada), and
Petit St. Vincent, Palm, Mayreau, Tobago Cays and Canouan,
( all a part of St. Vincent)

Now consider that Grenada already has a HUGE international airport
that is now hardly utilized and is certainly under-utilized.

Now consider that St. Vincent is considering
constructing
a new US$100 million airport

NOW... let's adjust the focus and consider instead:
or....
D A I L Y  HIGH>SPEED BOAT ACCESS
between GRENADA and UNION ISLAND
and return.

And let St. Vincent instead spend the US$100 million....
on hospitals and schools.
Visit our Grenadines.net Bulletin Board System (BBS)
and let's discuss ideas and strategies.

Read John's On-Line Diary for March 2002  Read John's On-Line Diary for January 2002