Captain’s Blog

Straight back into it…….We have nearly been back in the Islands for a month and it has been a mad runaround. We got the boat all set up and de-hurricanised and back into the water from Puerto Rico for our first trip which was on the 7th October. We went out for a week in the most amazing conditions. A typical summers left over week. Flat mirror water, had to motor everywhere and had a great dive on Blonde Rock which due to swell is not always accessible. It was strange being back diving in the BVI. Cayley and I had recently spoiled ourselves on our recent vacation to Australia. We were on a live aboard dive trip out of Cairns to the Barrier Reef. So it was always going to be interesting to compare the diving. I was pleasantly surprised really. Blonde Rock as most of you guys know is a great dive. Lots of soft corals, plenty fish and the odd pelagic around. There are many ledges to explore and lobster aplenty. The visability was not what it looked like from the surface. Very deceptive actually. We had about 50 feet which was great but not comparable to the Coral sea, 120 miles offshore of northern Australia. Great fun.
The trip ended on a high note with the wind eventually playing the game and we had a great downwind sail of the Sir Francis Drake channel.
Conditions over the next few days changed rapidly and we were suddenly staring at a possible Cat 1-3 hurricane bearing down on us, coming from the WRONG direction. OMAR was coming from the west which unheard of really. A few hurricanes have passed the Virgin Islands very closely to the south having come from the west. The BVI was very soon under Hurricane watch and at one stage there was a mad rush to HURRICANISE the boat again. Aldebaran was very lucky to get a huge slip at Village Cay Marina and we ended up having 8-10 feet on either side of the boat. We stretched her out in the middle of the slip and she never moved. The BVI was very lucky. Omar rushed away further and further south as the hours went by and we got a maximum wind of about 60+ kts. Cayley and I were not on the boat at the time of the winds. We had a hotel room at Village Cay which was boarded up, safe and sound. We were worried for awhile though as many local people seemed very unconcerned about the approaching hurricane. Comments like: ” BVI never gets hit” and ” it will go south”, “we will be fine” were heard around the Island. It just seemed there was no urgency………. Anyway thank goodness Omar headed off East sparing the BVI its full force but unfortunately catching many people unawares in Anguilla and St Maarten. A few boats being badly damaged in the area. We are no still at Village Cay Marina getting ready for the annual Charter Yacht Society broker show. Lets all polish and wax our fingers off and look like we are behaving ourselves for the show

Hello Everyone

 I know its been a long time waiting for my next blog reprt. I have been really busy enhancing Aldebaran. I have recently just completed my PADI Dive Instructors certification. All of you out there who are interested in completing your Open Water Certs or doing a Discover Scuba Course. Now you can do it aboard Aldebaran with us.  I will be sending out a pricing schedule in the near future for what is offered but it is the basics of Open Water, Open Water Advanced, Referrals, Resort Courses or DSD’s. etc.

Cayley and I are presently on Vacation and will be heading to Cairns, Australia for a weeks liveaboard dive trip on the Barrier Reef. We are so excited about it and we will let you know how all that go’s as soon as we get back from the trip. We are due back in the BVI Mid October to be ready and waiting for your next vacation with us.

We so look forward to having you all aboard.

Capt. Justin

” DON’T COME CRYING TO ME”

In the famous words of Baz Lurhmann - “Wear Sunscreen”  In more ways than ONE obvious one. It means alot. It might come across as a DEEP life speech. But the one aboard Aldebaran is definately obvious. It could be the difference between a great vacation or turning out to actually be, the pink lobster you are so looking forward to eating at Cowreck Beach on Anegada.Then you go running to your Mom saying “” Mummy I’m sunburnt”" For me it comes with shaving and brushing teeth in the morning. The first thing I do. Then every time I get out the water.For me “you can never have to much sunscreen applied” Follow this link.   Have a bright sunny day  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xavFb4WH7o0  

 ” Draw a line left to right through Orions Belt, the next brightest star is Aldebaran.”

Aldebaran - “Aldebaran” comes from the Arabic name Al Dabaran which means “The Follower”. The origin of the name is apparently that the star, which is the brightest member of the Hyades, follows after the Pleiades constellation  as the sky appears to turn. Aldebaran is the brightest star in the constellation Taurus and one of the brightest stars in the nighttime sky. It is also called Alpha Tauri. Because of its location in the head of Taurus, it has historically been called the Bull’s Eye. Aldebaran has the appearance of being the brightest member of the more scattered Hyades cluster, which is the closest star cluster to Earth

Aldebaran is also known by the Latin name Cor Tauri, meaning “The Heart of the Bull” and by the Latin name Parilicium, a name connected with a festival for a rural goddess.

 Whichever confusing language you want to read it in, it is there. The yacht we all love was named out of  a French cartoon. The space traveller in the cartoon had a spaceship called Aldebaran which our previous French owner decided he wanted for his “travelling ship.”

He loaded up his family in the Mediteranean and sailed the Atlantic to the Caribbean where he lived aboard for two years there after putting her into the charter market.

Needless to say that to us she is the “Brightest Star” in the milky way.

“STAND BACK”  PRO AT WORK.

Seeing as though this blog is all about me. Here is another silly photo of me “blending up a storm” Four shaken margherita’s and a strawberry daquiry on the way…………Five o clock “Happy Hour” aboard Aldebaran is never a dull moment with all sorts of wonderful creations being concocted to complement Cayley’s mouthwatering evening snacks. From Bushwackers to whiskey on the rocks, its all available. You call it I pour it.

Everyone wants to know those secret ingredients for the more-ish irresistable Painkiller, to solve the pain issues of the “terribly stressful day” had aboard Aldebaran.

So, equal parts of the freshest orange juice available, along with tangy pineapple. A dash of the sweetest Coco Lopez coconut cream. Shake up together in a bottle. Add as much rum and ice as desired and sprinkle with freshly ground nutmeg. Sip gently and wait for it. Be very careful not to get addicted. It is deffinately possible.

Grab your loved one and wait for the best sunset ever…………………….

” WHO IS HAVING MORE FUN?”

This may sound like a weird topic of conversation but it is basically the core of life explanation on Aldebaran.Firstly when you wear a belt for your shorts, it catagorizes a person into being someone else. Now on the belt you would have to put on a leatherman multitool, a little maglite flashlight, a VHF radio. Along with that would go your hairstyle, your ego and your attitude. For those of you who have been onboard. I do have a uniform (it is NOT THE SAME PAIR of boardshorts and T-shirt everyday) Try coming here in mid summer and wearing a polo / golf shirt, bermuda or Tommy Bahama kaki shorts. Lets see how long you last. My shirt does hang out over the board shorts but it still draws a line of UNIFORM as apposed to some tank tops and shirtless crew we do see out there………………………….The last guy I saw wearing a “belt” gave him the “RIGHT” to put his 100 FOOT motor yacht, ANCHORED for goodness sake ON THE REEF AT MOUNTAIN POINT VIRGIN GORDA stern too and had picked up a mooring meant for vessels of 60 feet maximum. This is a dive spot…. I mean COME ON THINK ABOUT IT ………………

Liabilities, well on Aldebaran and for any other crew charter boat for that matter, it is part of a silly little life we live where we have to pay someone insurance to cover our mess up’s in life. The person being insured generally being the one with more experience in his field to protect the ones who have not qualified to wear my uniform. HAHAHA. SO please remember to bring your dive cards when you come diving on Aldebaran and unfortunately NO, SORRY YOU MAY NOT DRIVE THE DINGHY ON YOUR OWN.

Peter Island/Dead Mans’Chest/ BVI
Today is a rare occasion.  The boat is off charter and we are anchored in a bay called Little Harbour.  Unfortunately the day requires me to attend to a task which is truly time consuming and will take up most of my afternoon.  I am forced to go and check out a dive site.  It is called Blonde Rock.  It has to be checked by myself and all divers alike - just to see that it is still there and everything is behaving normally (that’s my excuse and I am sticking to it)  The last time we dove with 4 guests - we were able to view a sleeping nurse shark in plain view, we were followed by a 4ft Reef Tip and played with a Spotted Eel.  This job is tough - but someone has to do it !