The Odyssey Ends

Zeus commanded Odysseus to leave his Penelope to wander on a spirited Odyssey.  When he was away, many men showed attention to Penelope, telling her that he would not return.  She remained faithful to Odysseus who did in fact return to her.

I too left my Penelope to wander and must return to her. The wanderings cease. The Odyssey ends. 

the Odyssey ends.

North Side Wanderings

My wanderings took me to a strange lair on the north side of Tortola.  It was dusk and the air was hazy, heavy and hot.  We walked up to the beach and heard the crashing waves and felt a cool breeze that comforted this wanderer.  As night fell, we settled into Bomba's Shack for a full moon party.


Bomba Shack






Brewers Bay Tortola



I wandered to Brewers Bay for a day of snorkeling.  It was good to return to my element, but I long to dive deeper with a tank of compressed air strapped to my back.

Ocean Star

A wooden schooner has graced Soper's Hole lately.  Ocean Star with its two wooden tree high masts harkens back to sailing days gone by.  The boat appeals to this wanderer as an example of real Caribbean charm.  It is a refreshing change from the ubiquitous white "chlorox bottle" boats. 

Though not for a sail,                                                      

Do I seek a breeze.                                                         

Not from squall nor gale,

Just the cool air please.                                                                                     

It lifts my spirits high.
It's ice on my back.
It allows me to fly
In a vapor attack.

A tropical breeze

Of salty sea air;

It rustles the trees

And flows through my hair.

It kisses my face.

It keeps me at ease,

In a fresh embrace.

That tropical breeze.

......the odyssey continues

Irene Stopped By: A hurricane day off

Well Nomads, Emily just caused a little wind and rain, but Irene stopped by and became mean.  She toppled rocks from the hillsides, uprooted trees and blackened the island with power outages and the water would not flow in faucets. This wanderer loved the cool breezes she brought.


Fallen rocks on road

Road washed out


I went to work only to find the doors locked and offices dark.  I then stopped by the Royal British Virgin Island Yacht Club to offer some help.  We mopped the floor from an onslaught of rain and emptied a powerless freezer.  Sue, the Administrator there, offered me anything I wanted from the bar.  I concocted a spicy bloody mary and visited a while with her and her "old salt" husband Tim.






 No power, no water, no problem. 


Fort Burt Hotel/Drakes Point Restaurant







 I will be shooting a show Saturday.  "How to Throw a Successful Hurricane Party" at the Fort Burt Hotel.  They profess that the hotel and bar will never close due to a hurricane.  After all it is a fort. After the "hurricane" gig, I will be shooting a BVI Fashion Show there.





Sir Richard Branson's Necker Island property



A lightening bolt from the storm set a house on fire at Necker Island.  Kate Winslet was credited for saving a 90 year old woman in the house.  The following is from Richard Branson's blog.  He wrote,

"We had a tropical storm with winds up to 90mph. A big lightning storm came around 4am and hit the house. My son Sam and nephew Jack rushed to the house and helped get everyone out and many thanks to Kate Winslet for helping to carry my 90 year old mum out of the main house to safety - she was wondering when a Director was going to shout CUT!"

......the odyssey continues.

Wandering to Nevis

 

Our new web site features Yours Truly in the Production section. We will soon add photographs to the site. Because of my extensive production experience in the Caribbean, CBN Productions was born and I now get to pick up where I left off some years back.  CBN TV51 polo shirts are on order as well as photo press passes.  Also a new Sony XDCAM 2/3 inch 3 chip HiDef camera will be in our arsenal of video tools.  This is a breakthrough camera and is so popular that major vendors have it on back order. 



The Island of Nevis



The Nevis Tourism Authority was pleased to hear of my tourism/hospitality video/marketing experience in the Caribbean, and is contacting business owners there encouraging our services to help tourism on the island.

I will wander there soon to discuss our production and broadcast services and then return again later with above mentioned camera in hand. 

 Here is where we may bring in Rosemary Vivian as on camera and voice over talent.  Rosemary has worked with me before on Caribbean shoots and we are good friends and make an excellent tourism marketing team. 

The Nail Bay Resort  in Virgin Gorda and the new Anagada Beach Club is interested in both our Production and Broadcast services and may require on camera talent as well. 

We are also creating a program called "What's In Your Galley"  where a top chef will arrive at a charter yacht by dinghy and ask the question.  When asked, "why?," she responds, "I am going to make you dinner!"  She has cooked for Sir Richard Branson on his Necker Island. resort.

The Odyssey continues......

It's A Pirate's Life For Me

Here I hide from dragons and wander into new lairs as captain of a vessel I call "My Caribbean Odyssey."  You see Nomads, it's a Pirate's life for me.  I pay only for fuel...for a car and for me.  My effects are nothing but dive gear, video gear and clothing.

I always look to dance under tropical night skies and dive into the grandeur of wrecks and reefs.  I watch the sea from a beach under the fronds of a spreading palm tree, as if it were a giant green parasol. Viewing the sea clears my mind and provides a peaceful feeling.

Before my days of pillage and plunder, I lived as a yankee in another land. 

                               I miss:

                          family and friends

                          Detroit Tigers

                          cheaper everything

                          sports radio

                         

                           I do not miss:

          

                                 traffic

                            climate changes


                          What I like most here:

                             beaches and beach bars



Pirate's Bight on Norman Island

                               blue shades of the sea

                               friends I've made

                               my work 

                               boats/marinas

                               islands to explore

                               $5 Chinese lunches at the UP,
                               $2 tacos at Frenchman's Cay Resort

                               $5 breakfast sandwiches at D' Best Cup of Coffee.

                               the pool at Village Cay

                               summer festival (5 day weekend)



                           

                             What I like least here:

                                 mosquitoes

                                 steep hills to drive

                                 loneliness

Yankees in The British Virgin Islands

After about a month here, it is abundantly clear that Americans are the minority and treated with little respect by many. Canadians here are well accepted as they too honor the beloved queen.  The Irish and Scottish find us more tolerable and in fact sometimes more so than their fellow British countrymen as these Celtic subjects of the queen were put on the front lines of battles in front of the Englishmen.

I met an American, who not only is a neighbor here on the West End of Tortola, but he also hails from the Detroit area.  Don has been on the island a few months longer so this wanderer has found a good resource for expat questions and issues facing Americans.  He has in fact become a good friend.  He "tagged along" with me on my last project.

Kia Sportage

I now have a car and recently found myself wandering to the popular sites of Tortola.  Here is a photo of my new 4 WD ride.

The British Virgin Islands celebrate a summer festival each year and next week this wanderer will spend some quality leisure time at Long Bay.  It is a 5 day weekend so lots of free time to wander.

Nomads, the only frustration is that I cannot share the beauty of these islands with someone.  To see the beauty with my eyes only is empty and tugs at my heart for friends and family to co-witness such tropical splendor.  Although it rains a little almost daily, the sun is soon out and the island glistens in its glorious shades of green and blue.  The ocean is tranquil and beckoning.  I long for the opportunity to dive the shipwrecks and reefs around these islands and shoot some great underwater programs for Caribbean Broadcast Network.  I am now Operations Manager/Executive Producer for CBN Productions.

We are beginning the week long Summer Festival here and a 5 day weekend will be enjoyed for all but the tourism/charter industry.  I will head to Long Bay and lunch at Bomba's Shack with a friend.

The Bomba Shack

Coconut,Conch and KATS

Greetings from Tortola Nomads.  Immigration was trying and troublesome.  Every expat I have encountered shares the same dilemma.  Even the British have similar woes and frustrations over the process.  I have been told to either laugh or cry. 



Nanny Cay Pool



KATS (Kids at the Sea) Regatta

My wanderings took me to Nanny Cay Resort for the 18th Annual Premier's Cup Youth Sailing (KATS) Regatta.  I was on a yacht and the shore shooting the young sailors as they raced for 3 days to determine a winner.  Teams from St. Lucia, St. Croix, Grenada, Antigua, Anguilla, USA, BVI and Puerto Rico competed for the treasured Cup.  Team Anguilla was victorious but all young sailors took home a great experience, new friendships and additional sailing skills.

I am hoping to my wanderings take me to Virgin Gorda to meet with their marketing executives for a commercial.  I hope it doesn't fall through as I have a great idea for their :60 commercial.



30 foot Catamaran being considered for CBN



We are hoping to secure a boat to shoot from and for transportation to the outer islands.  As we will do a show on scuba diving, the boat will also be utilized to that end.

I have indulged in coconut and conch, both plentiful and pleasing to this wanderer.  Your comments are encouraged and welcomed.

Living the Dream

Although it may be easier to pass through St. Peter's gate than to work in the BVIs, I  successfully moved through the BVI immigration process.

As Odysseus sailed from the shores of Ithica, I too leave the comfort and familiarity of  my own shores to venture far from home.  I am now an ex patriot and work permit resident of the British Virgin Islands.  I am a non belonger who literally has no more respect than the transient tourist  In fact many would say that the tourist brings money to the islands and is appreciated where a non belonger simply takes an islander's job.  Just the term, non belonger suggests a notion of being unwelcome and undesirable.  This may be an  issue with the unemployed locals.  Fortunately unemployment is not high in the BVI.

 I was met at the ferry terminal and driven to my new apartment on West End Tortola.
An eerie feeling came over me as a British Virgin islander (my boss, and owner of Caribbean Broadcast Network Limited) drove me to  West End Tortola.  Was I making the biggest mistake of my life?  I have accepted gigs on a cruise ship and on an Atlantic sailboat crossing only to say, "This is not for me."  Would this be any different?  

As I am one of 25 Americans allowed on the island yearly,  I feel a sort of duty to represent America in a foreign land. Although many Americans live here, I will never compromise my heritage or love of country.  God save the queen, but - Oh By God - Bless America.

July 4 means nothing here but a military defeat in British history.  I may next year find myself on St. Thomas for the night and revel in the pageantry as an American with fellow Americans in America.

Nomads, why would I ever take this life, as it is given, with any doubt or deliberation?  I am here and I shall make the best of it.  How many can say they are living the dream; working at what they love to do and living where they always wanted to be?  I always felt that the epitome of success was getting paid for doing what you would pay to do.  Professional golfers are the best example, but I actually feel that way now.  My earnings fail to compare with pro golfers, but the satisfaction of my work and life in the sun gives me reason to believe that I am living the dream.  I work in television .. in the tropics. 
Pinch me. 


the Odyssey continues...

My Life in 5 Bags

With a successful medical clearance, (Thank God for that as I am feeling better than ever with my ideal weight, ideal blood pressure and an attitude fit for a lower latitude)  I have packed everything I can into 5 bags.   One computer, a bag of dive gear and 3 others with clothes and video production gear will be expensive and difficult to negotiate around airport and ferry terminals.

 On June 28, it will be a 7 hour flight with a layover in Atlanta. The plane leaves for Charlotte Amalie St. Thomas USVI, where I then ferry to Tortola for reaching my final destination.  Here is where Customs inspects and charges duty on my possessions. 

Suits, sportcoats and sweaters were all sold, tossed or given away.  I'm leaving the rat race behind so island wear is the appropriate attire. My daughter inherits some of my belongings and most of my furniture was sold. A little yellow case has traversed the Caribbean with me for many years. Here it is with other bags in St. Maarten.  You can see it's covered in location stickers from many islands.  I am sadly disposing of this little yellow case.

The work permit approval is valid for 3 months, but I am relocating   June 28.  I will arrive only to go through the grueling process of securing the Work Permit.  The BVI Beacon (local paper) spoofed the process in a funny article: BVI Beacon Link  You must read this if you ever plan to be an expat.

Nomads, the next time you hear from me will be from Tortola.

The Odyssey continues...

The Wanderer Prepares

It was supposed to happen over a year ago.  I would have begun this blog then, but the growing pains of a small TV Network, confusion, misunderstandings and other delays all contributed to why I am not there today.  The BBC had not  yet abandoned the Caribbean and the Network had some internal strife.   Now the BBC is gone and the Department of Labour has approved my work permit application.  The process usually takes 6 to 8 weeks, but only after two weeks I was contacted with news of the approval.  After clearing the medical, I am ready to begin the Odyssey.

I must sell, toss or give away nearly all that I own.  It is ironic that all of my Caribbean styled furniture must be sold (it would be perfect where I am going).  Dinnerware, silverware, outerwear and all my wares must go.  I am packing 5 bags with video gear, scuba gear and clothes (that are appropriate for the tropics).  The baggage is going to double my airfare and what I bring is subject to duty. 

The plan is to fly into St. Thomas and take a ferry to Tortola.  Negotiating these 5 bags (250 lbs) around the airport and ferry terminal will be difficult.  There is no direct flight to the British Virgin Islands.  This helps keep these islands somewhat isolated, maintaining some Caribbean charm. So Nomads, this is an ideal location to witness the true beauty of an unspoiled Caribbean.

There will be a moving sale in the next week or so.  If you live in the Detroit area, please stop by and see if you like anything.  It would be nice to see old friends once again.

The Odyssey continues......

The Odyssey Begins







 

As Odysseus must have wondered what lay ahead beyond the shores of Ithaca as Zeus plotted his course, I venture to Tortola not knowing much about living on a tropical island.  Although my resume includes many vacations to top dive destinations in the Caribbean, to leave family, friends and furniture behind is to say the least a daunting task.  Also, I have been gone for months at a time on video shoots in these islands, creating underwater video projects, but now will dive headfirst into a new chapter of my life.

So sit back and read the wanderings of a lost soul in a foreign land of beautiful weather and a British/Native Islander culture.

My readers shall be known as Nomads, as you follow my journey into this tropical world through my words.  Like Odysseus, I travel with both intrigue and trepidation, not knowing what adventures, romances or trials will meet me along the way.  So Nomads be prepared for anything.  I will be an adventurous wanderer and ride the tide of fate along with a consciousness of discovery to search for what I call the true Caribbean. 

My quest is to find that which represents what is most alluring about these islands.  There is a storied history of pirates, Spanish Main, sugar plantations and rum, slavery, revolution and battles between nations for island occupancy.  Sugar was king and Spanish gold flowed through from Mexico and South America.  Many ships went down with their valued cargo and there is still hope that some of this sunken treasure exists today.

I search for idyllic islands and their waterfalls, beaches, volcanoes, gardens, music, dining, coral reefs or rain forests.  I look for Caribbean charm that will not be found on cruise ships, splashy resorts, crowded beaches or in penned dolphin shows.  I seek the lone palm.  I have visited many islands in the Caribbean and have my favorites for different reasons. 

The British Virgin Islands will certainly have many attributes that I will find enchanting.  They provide an ideal backdrop for my wanderings  At times I will venture off the Carib' beaten path, and see places that have escaped tourism and find images, sounds and scents of the magic that draws us to this region.

Characters and quandaries will be met along the way.  The sailing is unclear ahead and the ride will be bumpy.  Nomads, don your Panama hats and hoist the main sail.   Smell the salty sea air and hold tight.

I have been hired to work as Director of Operations for Caribbean Broadcast Network.  As the BBC left after many years of broadcasting in the islands, CBN now fills a huge void in programming and the opportunity to create new shows.  I am being brought on board to develop programming, create advertising copy, hire and train staff, serve as producer for shows and manage the operation. 



web page



We broadcast to 23 island nations and hope to grow very fast and very soon.  We wont be on island time at CBN, as this wanderer with a great sense of yankee ingenuity will be anxious to create cutting edge programming and to shoot live shows of island events. We also own a radio station.  Listen to Tradewinds Radio live at:  http://www.tradewindsradio.com/







The Odyssey continues.....