hurricane? what hurricane?

This weekend has been simply beautiful weather. In fact I just got back from sailing for over two hours in Cowpet Bay. Great breeze. I have been talked into sailing in a women's regatta in a couple of weeks and am trying to get in some practice sails. Believe me - there are not enough days for me to prepare for this event as I have done NO small boat sailing - let alone racing in over 20 years. Dark glasses, hat - maybe I'll go unnoticed.

And while you may think I should have had my fill of "breeze" - it still amazes me that not only did we go through a hurricane - but how the weather can change so quickly and dramatically.

Fortunately - Omar did not hit us that hard and moved through very quickly. The two hurricances that did really hit this island hard - Marilyn (1995) and Hugo (1989 )- were not only strong hurricanes - but they sat on the island for a long while, severly clobbering buildings, infrastructure - everything. The memories and experiences from these storms are still very vivid. We frequently hear different renditions of how residents survived the storm. The good news is the island is incredibly organized in its preparation of an oncoming storm.

St. Croix was hit quite hard this week. Much of the island was without power and several boats sunk, docks were lost and there was damage to many homes. Clean up and repairs are well underway.

After weathering the storm at our neighbours home - we returned to our house finding everything in place. No leaks, drips or anything broken. We still had a lot of clean up and getting everything back in place. Shutters to open and everything back out that we had warpped and put away in heavy black plastic bags. But it was all there!

The rest of the week was fairly busy playing catch up at work. I am anticipating some new interest in generators and even running some advertisments next week for some machines we have in stock - Hurricane Omar Generator Blowout.

Last night Mark and I went out for dinner with our friends John and Tara to St. John. We jumped on the ferry and took a taxi to a little restaurant that overlooked the islands. It was actually a fun adventure as well a good meal.

Back to work and school tomorrow.

Did I also mention we had an earthhquake last week that measured 6.8? We were outside on the deck when it happened and our concrete house barely moved but the metal roof made quite the racket.

Hopefully that is our quota for potential natural disasters.

Thank you everyone for all your kind (and frequently comical notes) to us. We love hearing from you.

omar goodness

My plans to go sailing yesterday were interrupted by a storm. Once out of the August and September period - there is a lesser probability to be walloped by a hurricane. However, this is still very much storm season.

Tropical storms and hurricanes usually start in the south east and move in a north westerly direction. This storm - Tropical Storm Omar - which passed over us in a fairly mild manner during the weekend has been building and is now circling back - first over Puerto Rico and then over the US Virgin Island and BVI. It looks like the forecasters are saying it's still a tropical storm with winds gusting to 70 miles an hour and will not reach hurricane status until it's over us.

Having said that - the island has gone into preparedness / panic mode resulting in many people driving and shopping in the same areas. It didn't help that the cover of the local paper read Forecast paints bull's-eye on islands with a big map circled in red around St. Thomas.

The problem is - if the storm lasts long enough - it may take some time to get new supplies into stores. The power may go down for a period of time and it could be more challenging to get around the island if there is severe flooding (which they are predicting).

This morning - the first order of business was to get a quick lesson from our landlord on how to secure the hurricane shutters. They are very sturdy folding shutters that slide on tracks in front of all our sliding doors and lock into place. I started to work on a couple by myself until various large lizards and other jumping and crawling things started leaping out of the folds. I've decided that Mark can help me with the rest when he gets home.

The second order of business is fill vehicles tanks. I've seen before with storms and other hurricanes - that residents start to get panicky with petrol. Today was no exception and the queues were long. I did, however manage to (over)fill my tank. Unlike others, I didn't fill several jerry cans and load the truck up with extra reserves.

From one line of slightly anxious people to the next - I made my way over to CostULess where I was met with a parking lot overflowing with vehicles, people and carts full of water and supplies. At this point, of course, I had convinced myself there would be no water left except a half case of perrier. Much to my relief, the store was loaded to the rafters with everything as it was their shipment day.

What do I buy? How much do I get? The first few things seem fairly obvious - extra batteries for the flashlights and lanterns. More water jugs because if the power is out - we won't have a functioning water pump. Canned foods, dry foods, juice and UHT milk. Wine.

I run into many people we know - some who live on boats and are getting ready to leave the island to a more protected area to moor in the mangrove protected island of Vieques. I am thankful I don't have to make a four hour open-water crossing on a small boat.

I bypass most fresh produce and nothing more for the freezer just in case we are without power for a while. I keep doing a double-take at my cart - it's quite unbelievable that I am actually buying these items. Someone has replaced the real Charlotte with a canned vegetable and chef boyardee consuming mother. I watched one fellow walk down the aisle with a case of SPAM and decided that it would have to become pretty desperate before I reach that stage. I opted instead for some canned wild salmon. It should go quite nicely with the chef boyardee. Maybe some canned peaches for dessert?

Then some things are a little less obvious like making sure we have enough cash on hand in the event the banks are closed. Mark has called me twice to ask me how much to take out. $1000? more? Do we need to worry about having cash on hand for the business? Neither of us know the answer to these questions so we'll have to guess.

Max's school has just called me and asked to have him picked up at lunch as the school will shut down early. All the public schools were closed all day and I don't know what the plan is for Julian's school.

Never a dull moment! Fortunately - we feel fairly prepared and the other option for us is our office building which is not only connected to city water and a generator - but it also has an apartment with a kitchen and full living facilities.

If you are interested - you can track the storm on http://www.wunderground.com/ or on the national hurricane website. But remember, it's not a hurricane.

long weekend

Long weekends are good for many things. They provide that little extra time to accomplish projects or activities that don't normally fit into a weekend. And I must say, one of the best things about renting a house is the time that has been freed up by not having to do gardening and house maintenance tasks. When I now hear a local Home Depot advertisement suggesting some nasty sounding clean-up or maintenance project to do over my holiday weekend - I can completely ignore it - guilt free! Of course, I am not getting off quite that easily. There are still plenty of other "chores" to fill my time. And what we don't have to maintain at the house - we are fixing, cleaning and repairing at the building that houses Import Supply and our tenants.

This weekend, however has been a nice balance of play and work. Julian and I started the weekend on Friday as his teachers had a professional day and there were no classes. We got most of the errands out of the way - buying Julian some soccer cleats, going to doctor appointment for immunizations, and the almost daily visit to the grocery stores. Our local Marina Market is a small place with fairly good selection - a one-stop-shop where you can get everything from a loaf a bread to a bottle of wine. Depending on the day however, there may only be wine as the bread, dairy and produce shipments have not arrived.

Another humourous aspect of living on such a small island is how people get to know you and your family. Should I actually go shopping in Marina Market without children - the first question any of the check-out cashiers will ask me is "Where are the boys today?" or "Where's Max?". Clearly, the boys' have established a reputation for being enthusiastic connoisseurs of their produce...or something.






Mark raced a laser in a dinghy regatta this weekend. There was a variety of weather conditions - some gusty winds and pretty impressive rain squalls. We went down to the club and watched everyone rig up their boats and set off from the beach. Max pulled all the boat trailers in and out of the water wading in the water until he was neck deep. Julian fed fish from the dock with his friends.

The concept of Thanksgiving seems foreign to us right now - first of all as Canadians in a US territory but mainly as we don't have any major seasonal triggers. No sudden changes of colours or leaves to rake. We did, however see some perfectly shaped pumpkins in the store - all set to be carved. I can only imagine how much they cost - but that is something I am getting used to. In fact, I barely batted an eyelash today when I bought a loaf of bread for...$7.00. Let's hope it isn't stale.

I found a scorpion (mainly dead) in the living room this weekend. Julian was very excited. I was a little less enthused when I watched Mark take it away with our BBQ tongs.

Very stormy weather now - rain that reminds me of driving through a car wash. We'll have to watch this storm.

message from mark - special correspondent

It is hard to believe that Max and I have been here 6 months and Julian and Charlotte have been here nearly nine months. What is it like to live here? I will attempt to put pen to paper (or more aptly finger to keyboard) and describe a few of the wonderful and different experiences and perceptions I have had.

St Thomas is physically beautiful. There are plenty of beautiful beaches and the water, at least at this time of the year is warm like bath water. It is a few degrees cooler in the winter season. The ocean is appropriately aqua marine blue, the clouds, when there are clouds, are billowing white.

I remember talking to friends who had moved from Vancouver to LA. They spoke of finding the weather there monotonous. The weather here is anything but monotonous, especially at this time of year. August and September are the most humid months. September through November are apparently the wet months. It never really rains all that long, usually less than 30 minutes at a time. When it rains it sure can come down. Our roof is clad with metal and when a rain shower passes it often sounds as if someone is dousing the house with a fire hose. It can rain 3 to 4 inches in a showery afternoons. The temperature has so far ranged from about 25 Celcius to the low 30’s. There is usually a decent breeze blowing at the house, which helps to keep us feeling cool. In short the weather here is pretty near perfect. Another way to gauge it is: I have only worn long trousers about 6 or 7 times since we have been here. Six times for evening events when it was deemed that shorts would be inappropriate (one was a black tie event and I am not sure I can conceive of how shorts could have been worked into that event in a socially acceptable way) and once for a business meeting.

Living here has changed my perspective on a few things too. For example I could never understand the light fixture with integral ceiling fan that you often see in houses in the southern US. I have now come to understand ceiling fans area requirement for good sleep on a still night.

The joy of driving a nice German sports sedan on the road to Whistler also seems like a distant memory. There is no point in owning an expensive car here, the road surfaces are uneven and tend to develop gaping potholes after a rain shower. Locals tend not to be amongst the most careful group of drivers and the resultant body damage, missing side view mirrors etc must not be repaired, but instead displayed as an island badge of road warrior honor. The island is mountainous and the road surfaces hard on tires, which by some unspoken law cannot be changed till the cords show through. Better yet, if you have a space saver spare tire or 2, those should be substituted for the full size tires and used indefinitely.

As there are no alternate routes to most locations, there are frequent rush hour traffic jams caused by traffic volume. The best part of the morning commute is seeing the West Indian police officers, neatly dressed in their uniforms and white gloves standing in the middle of the four lane main road through Charlotte Amalie directing traffic with shrill blasts on their whistles and numerous hand gestures.
When you drive here you do have to be careful not to follow the car in front too closely. Islanders usually avoid expending the extra energy that would be required to activate their turn signals. They do however stop their vehicles in the middle of the road at a moment’s notice to chat to friends at the side of the road or in the car in the oncoming lane (which will of course also stop to chat). As this is expected behavior those new to the island should remember to breathe deeply and smile and not lay on the horn, as this only works to prolong the conversation.

One wonderful USVI custom is that you MUST greet anyone you wish to speak with (in person, or on the phone etc) with “Good morning”, or “Good afternoon” etc. If you walk into a bank and join the bank line up, you should, for instance, announce “Good afternoon” to the group of people ahead of you in the line. Most will respond in kind. It is a great ice breaker. Some locals (and government clerks) will in fact not acknowledge that you are standing infront of them until you address them appropriately – but once you do they are all extremely polite and willing to assist.

Before we moved here, I had been told that “things move at a slower pace in the Caribbean.” I had no tangible way of quantifying what that meant. I have a better handle on it now. Getting to a destination takes longer because of the aforementioned roads and traffic. When you arrive at a Bank, a government office, grocery store etc be prepared for many wickets or tills, but only one or two will be staffed and the lines will move more slowly the closer you get to the cashier. The pace of business is also a bit slower. From what I can tell this is because there is less choice of service providers. The good electricians, for example, will be very busy and will not call you back as they could not get to your job till possibly next month.

Charlotte and I have found it difficult to keep pace with the sheer volume of requests for new generator quotes and service through this, our first Hurricane Season. I suspect this speaks more to the former owners hard work building up the business over 25 plus years, but it is confidence inspiring to see things continue to move forward somewhat.

The house has a pool, which has turned out to be invaluable. It serves as a way to cool off on hot days. Electricity, as with most of the Caribbean is incredibly expensive here. We have heard storys of people turning on the AC for a month and finding their electricity bill has gone up $1800 for that month. As a result we have tried not to run the air conditioning too much, though we have given in a few nights in the last month. The pool is also a great diversion for the boys. There are quite literally in the pool almost every day of the week. The boys love going in the pool and just having the pool here at the house has resulted in a marked improvement in Julian’s swimming. Max while not actually able to swim yet is able to dog paddle a bit and really enjoys swimming in the “po-po” as he used to call it.

The yacht club is about 5 minutes from our house. It is a great spot. The dining deck, covered with a large shade sail is about 15 feet from the water’s edge. There is a reasonably active one design IC24 fleet. There are a number of very good sailors that have come out of the STYC, including a recent America’s Cup helmsman and Olympic medalist who sometimes sails in the IC24 fleet. As far as cruising opportunities, the BVIs are the chartering capital of the Caribbean and they are just next door (we can see them from the house). There are of course also a large number of wonderful islands to explore “down Island” through the chain of Caribbean Islands. We have been busy enough so far, that we have not yet had a chance to charter a cruising boat. Hopefully soon.

There are more wonderful things to write about, seeing sea turtles, picking ripe Papayas in the yard etc. Perhaps I will be allowed to write about them on “Charlotte’s blog” in another six months!

six months

It never fails. The weekend comes along providing the perfect opportunity for a little extra shut eye - and I awake before the chickens – and Max.

The sunrise this morning, however, made the unfathomably early rise worthwhile. After another very heavy rain last night, everything looks so lush and green. And as the sun rose, the water turned that wonderful emerald green colour as a few boats made their way out of the harbour to St. John. I really love this view – and while there are many spectacular vistas on the island – many from a higher vantage – I don’t think I could ever tire of watching the activity out this harbour and the views of St. John and BVI.

I actually can't believe the amount of rain we have had in the last few weeks. One downpour after another. Last Sunday the rain was an all-day affair giving us the excuse to read books, play snakes and ladders and make cookies. We gauge how much water is collected in the cistern by the pool level. It currently sits level with the pool deck - so I think it's safe to do a few loads of laundry this weekend without running out of water.

This morning we all had a quick dip in the pool before I headed off to a yoga class with my friend Tara. The yoga class is pretty good and is quite popular despite the fact the studio is heated. And no, I don't mean that it lacks air conditioning - the room is actually heated with a space heater. I am sure there is a good explanation as to why the class has to be conducted at this temperature – otherwise the yoga instructor has a warped sense of humour - or the poorest circulation in medical history.

Julian is taking sailing lessons on Saturday afternoons during which time Mark can also be found out in the bay sailing a laser. Often Mark takes Julian out on the laser after he has finished his class and the two of them buzz around the bay for a while. They come home in their surfer shorts, rash guards and sun glasses looking salty and relaying stories of their latest sailing adventure.

Business at Import Supply has been steady. The past few weeks have been so busy it has been hard to keep up. My accounting skills are slowly shaping up and I am beginning to get a much better handle on what needs to be done and when. As a US territory - we have payments that are not only made to the IRS but also to the local Virgin Islands Government. Getting all these things straight have been a bit of a challenge as a foreigner (FICA. FUTA. 501 forms, 401 forms...eeek)- and an even bigger challenge for someone lacking book keeping and basic accounting skills. It's amazing what you can force yourself to learn when it comes to your money.

On October 1st - Mark and I will have survived our first six months in business- together. Not only have we navigated through the labrynth of generator sales, service and basics of running a business - we have actually shared an office. Of course, no one really knows whether they really and truly can work with their spouse until they try. The determination of roles and responsibilities became apparent over time. Mark plays a more operational role - working closely with our General Manager and the technicians. And while I have honestly being trying to learn more about the basic mechanics of a generator, Mark plays a far more convincing role showing up on a work site to meet with customers. Besides, I don’t really have the right wardrobe for this work.


We have 10 employees working on services and two office staff including a new office assistant who is (thankfully) an experienced book keeper. Two technicians are also new hires and Mark is arranging for another person to do services on St. Croix on a contractual basis. Each employee is provided with an Import Supply truck equipped with GPS trackers allowing us to know where anyone is at any given time. (Note to self: trackers may be useful for Julian and Max..)Getting the company vehicles in shape is ongoing and time consuming. We have built up our fleet from the acquired sad and broken-down scrap yard heap of metal to a much more respectable looking fleet of jallopies. If there is a vehicle deal out there - Mark has found it! The most recent acquisition was a Mitsubishi truck purchased from a Welsh woman who recently had her work visa rejected. It was an unfortunate story that involved her moving here with all her belongings including her nice, little truck only to find out that she couldn't teach and would have to return to the UK. Mark met her two days before she was due to leave - in a desperate position to sell the truck. The next day, he was burning around the island in his newest little toy. Of course, like any new toy that comes into our house, there is "discussion" on who gets to play with the new toy. Newer truck and it's standard! So far I'm fighting a losing battle.

With 14 Import Supply vehicles in what I like to describe as island condition" - there is always one in the shop or ready to be serviced. Car purchases, registration and service are almost a full time job in itself. On another note, we still don’t have local drivers licences because of the time and bureaucracy involved.
We have also had to work with an IT person to make a lot of changes to our computer systems. The phones were also a small nightmare for a short period. Phone lines had somehow crossed over cable lines – resulting in strong radio signals blaring music or radio chat over the phone lines. It was funny the first couple of days.

There are many quirks and quarks living and working on this island. Most things make us laugh (or roll our eyes) and others are just the way they are. You either accept it or move on. Fortunately, we spend a lot of time laughing.

boats and genips

It was very still and humid today. In fact, the past few days have been without breeze and much more humid. And while the breeze almost always comes from the east, we've had days where it has blown more from the north. Fortunately - it still feels manageable - and cool enough to sleep. I may, however, reassess the situation tonight.
Max is back to school this week. To be perfectly honest - this realization only occured after Mark drove by the school, called me on his mobile and exclaimed "there’s a lot of parents dropping off children at Max's school right now."

It's amazing how quickly you can get children out the door if you need to.

Fortunately, we live about two minutes from the school. And after all, it's pre-school! (After that little bit of Monday morning excitement, I did triple check Julian's school calendar to confirm that he started Grade One the end of next week...)

With Max in school, Julian and I have been together this week and we've juggled a little work and little play.

This morning, we made our way to the boat yard to oversee the boat being hauled out. Typically, the IC24s and other boats of various sizes are hauled out mid-end of August and put on cradles or stands until the end of hurricane season. I had not been down to this particular boat yard in a couple of months and it was a very different scene from an earlier visit. The yard was full of boats neatly lined up. Even the marina and the lagoon area had a far greater occupancy level. Everyone had completed their seasonal preparations and boats were safely tucked away.

Amazingly, for this part of the world, the entire boat hauling operation was extremely efficient. Boat towed over, lifted out of the water at the scheduled time, gently placed into its cradle - and nothing broke.




Of course, what this also means is that we can't do any sailing on this boat for a month or two.

On a completely different subject matter and with no idea how to segue to the following subject matter, we have an enormous genip tree in our yard. I had never tasted (or even heard of) this little green grape-like fruit. In fact, when a friend was over and pointed to the heavily clustered fruits hanging from the tree, I thought she was pulling my leg with a name like "genip". I had visions of it being one of those lines you feed a newcomer so they are easily identifiable when you go to a store and ask for "genips". Ah yes...a genip....here’s another one….



But sure enough, these little things that taste like a cross between a grape, lychee nut, and a plum are a popular treat in the Caribbean. You can also find them in Spain where they are called waya. The downside to the genip is they are a lot of work. For the amount of sweet, juicy pulp you get in each fruit - there is a lot of careful snacking around a good sized pit. So far, I am the only one in our family who can bother to eat them. Julian just wrinkles his nose and says, "no thanks."

I've noticed they sell genips by the branch at fruit stands. Hmmmmm. Well maybe if Julian and I are bored on Friday.....

flip floppers in florida

It's hard to believe the summer is almost over. Despite both boys having three months summer vacation, the weeks have blown by (some weeks quite literally). Julian completed eight weeks of his sailing camp, Max enjoyed his school camp and Mark and I have been undergoing our own small business learning and training process.

To celebrate the end of the summer, we decided to take a small jaunt over "stateside" to explore a little of Florida. The evening before our trip was very stormy. Thunder, lightning and enough rain to fill the pool to the rim. In fact, when we awoke the following morning to the continuation of the storm, it did cross my mind whether or flight would depart. Fortunately, by the time we were due to leave St. Thomas, the weather had settled considerably. However, Tropical Storm Fay was having some impact even in this area and resulted in our three hour flight being extended an additional hour with some wait time for a gate and the lightning to cease before we could "safely" disembark.

An extra hour on a stuffy plane with two young children is always a great way to start any holiday.

Our week in Florida was an interesting contrast to our life in St. Thomas. Following a short stay in Miami, we drove north to Orlando. We rented a large car (big enough the boys could barely reach other in the back seat), and drove on large, fast freeways. Actually, the driving part was fun. Coming from the roughly paved 30 mph roads of St. Thomas, it was a welcomed change to experience a little first-world highway infrastructure.

The three and a half hour drive from Miami to Orlando was an unremarkably flat drive. As you approach Orlando, there were so many billboards on the side of the road advertising Disney park tickets, hotels,and other services that there was vitually no room for mileage signage.

Orlando is a theme-park destination. Parks, parks and more parks. Disney, Universal Studios, Epcot, Sea World, waterparks. Huge numbers of cars, coaches, people, children and strollers.

What were we thinking?

Braving the masses, we visited the Disney's Magic Kingdom. The smartest move we made was getting a double stroller the lug the boys and our gear around this massive park. We did a tremendous amount of walking.

We had a fun time - all of us. Despite the crowds of "happy" people, the heat and in a couple of instances - the RAIN! - there was enjoyment watching the kids on the rides and rushing off to see something new.

Max loved the mini-race cars and exclaimed "Again!" each time the ride came to an end. Julian was tall enough to enjoy rides like Space Mountain and Splash Mountain - and screaming with delight at the fast rollercoasters.

The morning was quiet enough that we walked easily onto rides and through the park. As the day progressed, the queues grew in size (and so did the people).

At one point, the effects of Tropical Storm Fay were being felt in Orlando and the rain soaked us. We ended up getting some plastic ponchos to keep some of the rain off - and fortunately for you, I resisted any photographic record of our neon batman look.

Disney was an experience and fun for the boys. However, it definitely warranted a glass of wine upon returning to the hotel .

We celebrated Max's third birthday in Orlando and Fort Lauderdale. Fort Lauderdale is an interesting spot of canals, bridges, boats and large waterfront properties. We had a fun beachside breakfast there and played on a very large beach.

We also did something else in Fort Lauderdale that we don't do in St. Thomas. Shopping.

As we get used to a small comunity, it was almost a shock again dealing with crowds large stores and all the selection. After getting some clothes and things we can't get in St. Thomas - I am pretty certain we have all had our fill of retail for quite a while.

And now back to St. Thomas. As we flew in yesterday afternoon, Mark and I remarked how this is the first time we have come back from a holiday trip and not been sad about coming home. It's great to be home and we are excited about work and starting school again. And maybe the roads aren't that great here and I can't always find the food I'd like or supplies we need - but it's a lovely spot.

OH! And today is Mark and my 12th wedding anniversary. Time really does fly by.