- Updates from the Islands -

Tortola and Virgin Gorda (BVI) Update

Happy birthday today to TONY SNELL of the Last Resort, BVI

The Last Resort at Trellis Bay Owner, Tony Snell Happy Birthday today to  TONY SNELL,  owner and long time entertainer at The Last Resort, in Trellis Bay, (though recently he did make an appearance there to a packed house, and I wrote about it in an older post.) I do believe he is past 80 now and still going strong!  He is an important icon in BVI entertainment history. Back in the early 80's on my first visit to the BVI, I of course went to the Last Resort where Tony was singing hilarious songs about bareboaters who were friends before they bareboated together and were now ready to kill each other after a few days of vacation...   He had a singing dog, who later retired and went to live with  a friend of mine at Smugglers Cove, but true to his retirement, the dog never sang another note. There were donkeys, Chocolate and Vanilla, one who loved to muzzle guzzle beer. I think there were also sheep, goats, chickens and cats plus the ubiquitous lizards (and lounge lizards too!)  It was hands down the BEST entertainment because Tony is crazy and his performance was outrageously funny.   Years later when I ended up crewing on charter yachts, we stopped by there almost every week so our guests could enjoy his show. Why the Queen hasn't Knighted him yet, is still a mystery, (I'll ask her about that again...)  If you haven't seen Tony perform, then you've missed one of the BVI's greatest legendary entertainers.   Tony also has a new book out:  Spitfire Troubadour  and here is a link to his blog. He watched the 'Battle of Britain' from the tennis court at home, and when he turned eighteen he volunteered for the RAF. He learned to fly in the USA and was posted to a Spitfire squadron. Some of the story depicts the wild life enjoyed by the young fighter pilots between sorties, as each day could always have been their last one on earth. The squadron was in Malta covering the invasion of Sicily when he was shot down. He crash-landed in a tiny field and set off to get back to the beach to try and get a lift back to Malta. After two skirmishes with the enemy he was finally captured and because of mistaken identity was shot as a spy. Seeing what was about to happen he made a run for it and although hit five times lived to tell the tale. He finally escaped by jumping from a moving prison train in Italy and joined the partisans to make maps for the dropping of arms. He took them over the mountains to Switzerland. He was awarded the D.S.O. He returned to England and joined a jet fighter squadron. After the war he became an actor, doing plays, TV, music hall, cabaret and a few films. He toured Africa and America doing a one man show on piano and guitar, and has been performing at his own restaurant (THE LAST RESORT) on a tiny island in the Caribbean for 37 years. His inspiring wife produced wonderful meals.   Today in the BVI, still hazy with scattered clouds, chance of sprinkles for 1-3 minutes now and then.   Several readers sent Dear Miss Mermaid interesting pictures and you can see these here at my Other Blog.   Also Click here: Hurricane center officials to tour the Caribbean   MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE:  Just an FYI although I am sure you are more than prepared.  We had a mini hurricane in NY the other day with winds over 70 KTS in some places.  Thousands of trees were knocked down because the ground was saturated with heavy rains for 3 days.  My boat club  on the North shore of Long Island was flooded from the tidal surge.  Stay safe out there!  Mitch   Oh my gosh Mitch!  You might as well live in the Caribbean if you are suffering this fate in NY, this is just incredible!  Many folks find out too late: that the fine print in their insurance doesn't cover floods. I hope your boat club was able to bail out!   Also Mitch shared a reprint from Boat US: (Dear Miss Mermaid was a member for many decades, my gosh that makes me sound older than I really am...)    First Hurricane Season Forecasts Rattle Boaters, Marina Operators BoatU.S. Can Help You Prepare ALEXANDRIA, VA, March 17, 2010 - With the release of several early seasonal hurricane forecasts for this year, boaters and marina operators are finding out they could face a much different scenario than last year's relatively mild storm season. Accuweather, a nationwide weather service, recently reported it expects 2010 to be an "extreme season" with as many as 18 named storms, a 100% increase over 2009. BoatU.S., a national boat owners group with experience in hurricane preparation and post-hurricane recovery efforts says that most boaters and marinas can survive by being better prepared. To help with this task, the Association has some free online "tools" available at the BoatU.S. "Hurricane Resource Center" at http://www.BoatUS.com/Hurricanes . The Web site offers easily downloadable storm planning materials including a hurricane preparation worksheet, an in-depth Guide to Preparing Boats and Marinas for Hurricanes, and checklists for what to do before and after a hurricane strikes. Sample hurricane plans for boat and yacht clubs as well as up-to-the-minute storm tracking tools with live satellite images are also online in one convenient Web site. While the safest location for a boat during a storm is on land, boaters may also want to ask their insurer now if their policy helps pay some of the costs of a storm-related haul-out. Boat owners seeking the services of a professional delivery captain to move a vessel to a safe "hurricane hole" can go to the BoatU.S. Captains Locator at http://www.BoatUS.com/procaptains/ . If moving the boat is not possible, BoatU.S. suggests owners contact their marina now to enroll in hurricane "clubs" and coordinate storm preparations. Help for Boat Clubs, Yards and Marinas The free 24-page What Works, A Guide to Preparing Marinas, Yacht Clubs, and Boats for Hurricanes shares success stories as well as failures of dozens of marinas and clubs that have experienced a hurricane over last two decades. The guide covers floating docks with tall pilings, strapping down boats ashore, developing hurricane clubs for customers, dealing with boats at fixed docks, moving boats to hurricane holes, and how to install better moorings. A special legal section, "Protecting Yourself from the Storm," offers information equally important to any marina owner or yacht club leadership -- how to protect themselves from vessel owners seeking compensation for hurricane-related damage. Also included is a sample Marina Hurricane Preparation Plan that can be customized for any boating facility, as well as a Hurricane Preparation Worksheet that can be copied and given to individual boat owners. To download a copy of the guide, go to www.BoatUS.com/hurricanes . To get a paper copy, call 703-823-9550 ext. 3525. ### About BoatU.S.: BoatU.S. - Boat Owners Association of The United States - is the nation's leading advocate for recreational boaters providing over half a million members with government representation, programs and money saving services. For membership information visit www.BoatUS.com or call 800-395-2628.   Warm and Sunny Regards, DearMissMermaid.com Author of Hurricanes and Hangovers (and other tall tales and loose lies from the Coconut Telegraph)

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