We recently hosted a private charter for ten ladies who had travelled here from Scotland.  This was not just an ordinary holiday, this was a very special trip and cause for great celebration. 

These ladies have been friends for many years and in fact went to school together and the purpose of their trip was to celebate their birthdays as they all turn forty this year!   

What a fantastic way to do it!  We are not sure who came up with the idea but they would be very welcome to plan our birthdays.  

Congratulations Ladies! 

Look what we found today!  Gorgeous isn’t it?  However, beautiful as it is, this Queen Conch (Strombus Gigas) is actually a sea snail, which is somewhat less glamorous sounding than its lovely exterior. 

Queen Conch live between 20-30 years, feeding off algae and detritus and achieve their full size between just 3-5 years of age and can weigh up to as much as a hefty 5 pounds.  Throughout the Caribbean, they are prized not just for their attractive shell but also for their edible meat.  Throughout the islands you will frequently see conch on the menu, in the form of conch curry, conch chowder, fritters, cerviche and latterly even conch samosas, it is a well respected delicacy.

Conch shells are also used as a wind instrument and can be blown like a trumpet. In days gone by, local fisherman used them to announce to the local community that they had returned to shore and fresh fish was available for sale.  To this day, you will still often hear them blown at Carnival time.   It is an ancient practise and the Greek God, Triton, was said to control the ocean by using his conch shell trumpet.  They are even listed by the US Coast Guard as an approved sound-making device!  

We are generally incredibly lucky with our year round beautiful weather, but I think Easter may just take the crown.  The climate is perfect; idyllic temperatures and the romance of the ‘Trade Winds’ cooling everything to perfection and this of course makes for perfect sailing.  The captain of any type of sailing vessel always tries to find a course where the wind can be used to their advantage, aiding their journey rather than fighting against it.   It is a simple theory and this doctrine dates back as far as the Portuguese explorers in the fifteenth century who used the Trade Winds to help speed them on their trade route across the Atlantic, hence the name.  

For us now, they represent beautiful balmy breezes, taking the heat out of the day and making evenings cool and comfortable. For our local children, they mean that one of the oldest Easter traditions of kite flying can be embraced.  Island wide, both young and old partake. It can be quite a sight to see, vibrant colours fill the sky with equipment ranging from the super powered imported stunt kites (which always seem so easy in the advertisements) to the simple homemade hexagonal kites, offered in most supermarkets and on the side of the road.  A lot of pleasure can be found by spending an evening building kites with a group of friends. Everyone’s an expert and there is huge anticipation, camaraderie and good natured teasing in anticipation of the inaugural flight the following day.  These are true memory building pastimes to be treasured.   We'll leave it to you to try and guess which actually fly the best...