Greg is not known for his stand up paddle board skills... but somehow the beer seemed to balance him up and his skills improved dramatically!
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Kerry Katona (Atomic Kitten) and George Kay (Rugby League Professional) married in Gloucestershire before heading to Barbados for their honeymoon. After a dreamy proposal at the top of Blackpool Tower, with the children as witnesses, the wedding too was a family affair with Kerry's son Max acting as the couple’s page boy. He looked adorable, wearing a dark navy suit, identical to George's. The six year old boy, also had the very rare honour of walking his Mum down the aisle! Elder sister, Heidi (age 7) was the flower girl and Kerry's eldest children Molly (14) and Lilly (11) were bridesmaids. The girls all looked gorgeous in matching dark grey halterneck dresses with their hair styled to one side. Not to be left out, five month old Dylan-Jorge watched the ceremony from the comfort of her pram but joined the family for the official 'OK Magazine' photographs afterwards. We were delighted to host George and Kerry on 'Second Chance' for a private charter whilst on their honeymoon. What a genuinely lovely couple - we wish them all the happiness in the world.
On Monday, Barbadians and visitors alike took to the streets to celebrate Grand Kadooment Day, which is our carnival and the culmination of our annual Crop Over Festival.
The festival began to mark the end of the sugar cane harvest, so it is only fitting that the Opening Gala showcases the ‘Ceremonial Delivery of The Last Canes’ and ‘The Crowning of the King and Queen of the Crop’, who traditionally, are the most productive cane cutters of the season. Calypso is a huge part of this celebration with musicians vying against each other for prizes, popularity, and titles such as Party Monarch, Sweet Soca Monarch, Calypso Monarch and the highly coveted Road March (which is the song most frequently played along the road during the Kadooment Day parade). Kadooment sees enormous bands decked out in elaborate and vibrant costumes thronging together. They depart from the National Stadium at approximately 8am after parading before the official judges. From then on the party starts in earnest, the music blares, the rum flows and the revelers dance and gyrate to pulsating calypso all the way to Spring Garden Highway which is lined with stalls selling food and more, and more drinks. As the Bajans say… ‘Party can' dun’. There are seven different species of sea turtles globally, but the four most common species in the eastern Caribbean are The green turtle (Chelonia mydas): Named for the green colour of its body fat. The leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), The only sea turtle without a bony shell. Its back is covered with a layer of tough, rubbery skin that resembles leather. The loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta): Named because of its exceptionally large head and lastly, The hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata): Named because of its narrow head and large beak that resembles the beak of a hawk. Barbados is proud to boast the second largest Hawksbill breeding population in the Caribbean, however, these gorgeous creatures are a critically endangered species. As of 1998, we are happy to say that the Barbados Government enacted a total moratorium on all sea turtle harvesting touting penalites of up to $50,000 in fines and/or two years in jail. Aside from making it illegal to catch any species of sea turtle, it is also illegal to possess or own any form of turtle product. It is a rare honour and a truly wonderful experience to be able to swim with these gentle giants and we urge you, please, do not support turtle trade in any form, it would be such a tragedy to see this magnificent species die out. Barbados is generally known for being one of the top ten holiday destinations in the world, a perfect balance of sun, sand, sea and of course, sailing. It however, also, fast becoming one of the premier sporting destinations, offering world class golf, horse racing, cricket, polo and tennis and in addition to this pretty impressive line up, there is also exemplary motor sport. Our newly built ‘Bushy Park Race Track’ recently played host to the hugely popular English television show ‘Top Gear’. In addition to the full compliment of presenters, Jeremy Clarkson, James May, Richard Hammond and The Stig. Special guests included Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton and hugely popular Rally Champion, Ken Block. Flying cars abounded during some spectacular displays of drifting and the roar of the Mercedes Formula One engine filled the air, this was no ordinary motor event. Guests were treated to the unimagined sight of Lewis Hamilton flipping his car whilst representing Barbados in a quick game of car football and retaliating by nudging a sideways Jeremy Clarkson into a home goal! We have since spent several lively cruises with our guests reliving those moments and debating our favourites, which, for us, has to be the sight of Lewis Hamilton gleefully spinning donuts in his Formula One Mercedes, you could almost see that car smile! Sea Eggs, as we call them are quite common in Barbados, they are a species of Sea Urchin. You will normally find them slightly camouflaged, hiding amongst the reef. Their spines measure anything from 1-2 cm in length, but when threatened they can reach 10-15 cms! It is important to be cautious where you place your feet when snorkelling the reef barefoot, as these spines are venomous. If you are unlucky enough to stand on one, try to remove the spines carefully as they break very easily, then immerse the affected area in water as hot as you can stand for at least half an hour to relieve the sting. Without question, prevention is definitely better than cure with these fellas, always look before you stand! In recent years there has been a noticable decline in the sea egg populaton and the Barbados Government implemeted a ban that now only allows harvesting from September to December. They are highly prized and the roe is seen as a great delicacy which can be steamed, sautéed or as the locals prefer, eaten raw. |
RebeccaHi, I'm Rebecca, your hostess aboard 'Second Chance' and this blog author. My husband, Ryan is the Skipper and the 'Commander-in-Chief'. We spend our days sailing the beautiful West Coast of Barbados entertaining our guests, enjoying their company and enjoying life and we'd love you to join us x Site Linkswww.islandstore.net
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October 2016
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