3 Must-Try Caribbean Cocktails

The Caribbean is known for its sun, sand, sea, and…rum. Here are a trio of signature tropical cocktails, their key ingredients in case you want to whip them up at home, and where you can find the best when on the islands.

Pina Colada: Puerto Rico, specifically the Caribe Hilton in San Juan, is the birthplace of this frosty combination of coconut milk, pineapple juice, and rum. Order one from the hotel’s Caribar, and sip it on the terrace overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

Bushwacker: Created in a long-gone pub in the 1970s on Sapphire Beach in St. Thomas, USVI, it’s Paradise Point above Charlotte Amalie that now claims to serve the best. This concoction is made of equal parts of vodka, Bailey’s Irish cream, Cruzan Coconut Rum, Cruzan Dark Rum, Amaretto, and Kahlúa over ice, with a squirt of chocolate syrup and a cherry on top.

Painkiller: There’s long been a rivalry between a British Virgin Islands-based bar owner and rum-maker over who came up with the perfect combination of orange juice, pineapple juice, cream of coconut, and rum. The answer is Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke with Pusser’s rum as the spirited ingredient.

Calling all Salty Dawgs!

Are you a salty dawg?

Rallies are a popular way to cruise with company when transiting from the U.S. East Coast to the Caribbean in the fall. For eight years now, the Salty Dawg Sailing Association (SDSA) has offered a similar trip for those headed back north after wintering in the islands.

This year, the SDSA’s Spring Rally will launch on May 4^th and for the first time, from 99-slip Crown Bay Marina in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.

“We have found that cruisers planning to return to the States in the spring have generally worked their way up the island chain by late April or early May, which makes the Virgin Islands a great departure point for us,” says Rick Palm, the SDSA’s director of rally management.

“Crown Bay offers several advantages that make this site selection a good one: onsite boat repair facilities are helpful to those completing last minute boat projects, provisioning is within walking distance and our captain’s briefing/weather routing meetings and social events can be held at the marina’s pub.”

The SDSA will also host a Happy Hour and Safe Arrival Party in the arrival destination of Hampton, Virginia. The dates will be posted on the SDSA’s website closer to the time, according to whether the weather favors a direct sail by the fleet to Hampton or stopover along the way in Bermuda. For those nearby in Hampton, visit the Salty Dawgs to learn more about the organization and its many cruising rallies, including its 2019 Fall Rally back to the Caribbean.

saltydawgsailing.org

By Carol Bareuther, Southern Boating May 2019

Marigot Bay Marina, St. Lucia

Marigot Bay Marina

While most marinas must prepare for hurricanes, tropical storms, and other weather hazards, Marigot Bay Marina in St. Lucia does not.

Bob Hathaway, marina manager for 6 years, says not even “Christmas winds” affect them at Marigot Bay. “The level of wind shelter is extraordinary regardless of wind direction.” It is a natural harbor that has never been dredged. In fact, Marigot Bay dredges itself. “The main entrance channel and berth approach have never been dredged,” Hathaway explains. “And it maintains its depth even clearing away silt after heavy rainfall.”

The reefs on either side of the marina’s entrance—as well as the sand spit that protects the inner lagoon—protect it from swells and surges. “While other southern Caribbean marinas may have to clear out large boats if there is a storm warning, we do not,” Hathaway says.

The Marina at Marigot Bay has deeper water than most other Caribbean marinas, with about 700 feet (218 meters) of the stern to dock. There are also some finger piers at the eastern end. The berthing allowances are as follows:

Max LOA: 250’
Max Draft: 15’
Max Beam: 44’

Marigot is said to be the original yachting base in Saint Lucia. The Canadian schooner, Captain Walter Boudreau, brought his 140-foot craft to Marigot in the late 1950s, which is when the industry started, according to Hathaway.

Hurricane Hole Restaurant at Marigot Bay Resort & Marina

Easter and Passover occur the third week of April and make a doubly good reason to
cruise south for a spring break holiday.

No Caribbean marina may be more delicious to dock at than the Marigot Bay Resort & Marina in St. Lucia. Every yacht 80-foot LOA or larger is greeted with a bouquet of flowers, local Piton beer, and freshly baked cookies compliments of the resort’s executive chef.

What’s more, the year-old Hurricane Hole restaurant offers farm-to-fork dining. Start your day with a US$15 Creole breakfast that features stewed codfish or smoked herring, St. Lucian bakes with banana jam, pickled local cucumber, and cocoa tea made with island-grown cocoa.

The 42-slip Marigot Bay Marina handles yachts up to 280-feet LOA and makes a great jumping off point to explore St. Vincent and the Grenadines to the south or the French island of Martinique to the north. The Marina Village oers several shops, including a full provisioning service by advance order, so it’s possible to leave with as good a taste as on arrival.

They are located only yards away from the Discover Hotel, which has their own dedicated entrance to the Hurricane Hole Bar, pools, spa, gym, and the Boudreau Restaurant, named after the Canadian schooner. (Marina guests have access to these facilities.) The Marina has its own dedicated Marina Village with a variety of shopping options, including a supermarket, bank and crew café. “Marigot Bay has all the facilities that any yacht can need. The setting, especially as viewed from the yacht, is completely unspoiled and is more reminiscent of a Pacific Island than the Caribbean,” says Hathaway.

Provisions:

• Complimentary WiFi and high-speed Internet connection
• High-speed fueling: diesel and gasoline
• Garbage disposal
• Liquor and food provisioning supermarket in The Marina Village
• Floral arrangements
• High-end boutiques for shopping in The Marina Village
• Bank and ATM
• Business Centre: FedEx, car rental, travel agency
• Chandlery Shop
• CCTV surveillance and 24-hour security
• Airport transfers (Vigie – 25 mins & Hewanorra Int’l – 1 hour)

Shore Power:

Berths are supplied with single and three phase electricity:
• 380V 3 Phase (50Hz) (100, 125 or 200 amps per outlet)
• 220V / 110V Single Phase electricity (50/60 Hz) (30, 50 or 100 amps per outlet)

Information:

Marigot Bay Marina Resort
P.O. Box MG7230
Marigot Bay
Castries, Saint Lucia, WI
(758) 451-4275
manager@marigotbaymarina.com
marigotbayresort.com

By Erin Brennan, Southern Boating April 2019

Antigua Sailing Week

Antigua Sailing Week Launches into Second Half-Century

Big is the word for the 52nd Antigua Sailing Week (ASW).

This granddaddy of Caribbean regattas set for April 28th to May 3rd will be notable for both the quantity and quality of entries.

For one, more than 100 yachts are expected to compete in everything from racing to cruising, spinnaker to non-spinnaker, monohull to multihull, and privately owned to chartered bareboat classes.

Second, this year’s event features some spectacularly large yachts. One of these is the Dovell 100 SHK Scallywag with Australian Volvo Ocean Race skipper, David Witt, at the helm. Scallywag will be flying the

Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club burgee. A second is another super maxi, Great Britain’s Sir Peter Harrison’s Farr 115 Sojana. Harrison, a regular entrant, has hoisted the overall winner’s Lord Nelson’s Trophy twice before, including in 2018, proving his Farr and its crew are as capable as they are attractive.

If you’re not racing, the best way to enjoy ASW is via a big view from Shirley Heights, an 18th-century military lookout that sits on a nearby hill at a nearly 500-foot elevation. The vantage point from here spans from English Harbor south and east to the Caribbean Sea. Armchair sailors can also follow the racing with real-tim scoring online at yachtscoring.com.

sailingweek.com

By Carol Bareuther, Southern Boating April 2019

More Caribbean Updates:

Marigot Bay Resort & Marina

Antigua Sailing Week of Year’s Past

2018

The Grandaddy of Caribbean Regattas kicks off its next half-century of competition and camaraderie. The 51st Antigua Sailing Week (ASW) sets sail April 24-May 4.

On the water, the Club Class returns after its successful debut last year. This class is open to sailors who want to compete in the regatta, but not take their racing too seriously. Correspondingly, there’s a reduced entry fee for this class and scoring is based on a progressive handicap system. More competitive racers can enter Racing, Cruising, Bareboat, and Multihull classes. More than 100 entries are expected with everything from a Volvo Ocean 70 and Melges 24 to a Gunboat 60.

There are also several sleek yachts available for race charter with or without skippers, including Dream Yacht Charter’s Antigua fleet: Sun Odyssey 379s and 519s, a Dufour 405 and a couple of Oceanis 41.1s.

On land, spectators get in on the Antigua Sailing Week fun, says ASW’s commercial director Alison Sly-Adams. “This includes watching the action from the Shirley Heights lookout, where on Sunday, April 29th, the restaurant serves its famous local-style breakfast. It’s also possible to head out on a catamaran to literally ‘Chase the Race’ and see the action up close for a couple of hours followed by a leisurely lunch and snorkel. Events like the nightly parties, lay day beach party and final awards ceremony are free and open to the public.”

By Carol Bareuther, Southern Boating April 2018

Even More Caribbean Updates:

What’s Open in the BVI’s?

New St. Lucia Restaurant

Caribbean Regattas

If you’ve never tried it, participating in a Caribbean sailing regatta is a thrilling experience and one that we highly recommend.

No matter how much you love your powerboat, there’s no denying the beauty and draw of sailboats, especially when they’re racing on a clear day, their colorful sails filled with the wind.

Sailing schools can be found in nearly any coastal city in the U.S. as well as in the Caribbean, and course programs are offered to accommodate all levels of interest. If you’re not ready to fully jump in the deep water but simply want to dip your toe in the shallow end of sailing, a great option is to join one of the many Caribbean regattas in which you pay to play. Based on Antigua, Ondeck Sailing lets guests reserve a spot (for a fee) on one of the yachts in the regattas. (Prices range depending on the event, yacht, and other factors.)

Foilers, dinghy sailors, superyacht owners and crew, sport boat enthusiasts, racer-cruisers and race charterers will all find something to love in the Caribbean this month. The fun starts off with Martinique International Sailing Week March 1-5. Hosted by the Nautical Center of Schoelcher, located near the French island’s capital of Fort-de-France, this event features large European participation with a focus on small boats, such as Optimist, Laser, and Sunfish. New this year is the addition of windfoils.

The next weekend, March 8-10, the St. Croix International Regatta takes place in the Buck Island Channel off the northeast shore of this U.S. Virgin Island. There’s a highly competitive Rhodes 19 fleet plus classes for racers and cruisers. The winning skipper earns his or her weight in island-made rum.

Over 60 Optimist dinghies will sail in the shadow of cruise ships on San Juan Bay in Puerto Rico for the Pan Pepin International Regatta March 17-18. This highly competitive event offers a Laser class too.

Yachts at the opposite end of the size spectrum are the focal point of the St. Barths Bucket Regatta March 21-24. Entries include the 220-foot Baltic Yachts-built, Dykstra/Reichel/Pugh-designed Hetairos, the 154-foot Perini Navi Aquarius and the 111-foot Royal Huisman-constructed, Frers-planned, Spiip. The prize-giving Bucket Bash is at the Hotel Collectivité.

Racers, cruisers and beach cats cast off in the St. Thomas International Regatta March 22-24. The one-day warm-up Round the Rocks Race, a circumnavigation around the
neighboring U.S. Virgin Island of St. John, takes place March 21st. Nearly a dozen race charter companies based in Europe and the U.S. are offering yachts for both events.

Finally, March Madness Caribbean regattas wrap up with the BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival March 25-31 at Nanny Cay Resort & Marina. The Round Tortola Race on March
26th and Scrub Island Invitational on March 27th preface the traditional three-day regatta. Over a dozen bareboat charters from companies such as The Moorings and Sunsail are expected to race in a class of their own. While March is likely to be the busiest month, Caribbean regattas take place every month of the year.

caribbean-sailing.com

By Carol Bareuther, Southern Boating February 2019

Basil’s Bar is back

The iconic Basil’s Bar is back and better than ever

What do celebrities such as Mick Jagger, Denzel Washington, Prince William, and famous Kates like Middleton and Moss share in common? Cocktails at Basil’s Bar on the Grenadine island of Mustique. Basil’s is back, bigger and better, after a full renovation.

This iconic thatch-roofed, Balinese-décored, rum shack perched on bamboo stilts over the Caribbean Sea now has an extended bar and larger eating area capable of catering to groups of all sizes. What’s more, the kitchen has been rebuilt with state-of-the-art equipment. The food at Basil’s has never been better.

“There is something for everyone with everything from local to internationally inspired cuisine, with a wide range of bar snacks, burgers, stone-baked flatbreads, and pasta,” says former Gordon Ramsey protégé Chef Luke Ferguson.

Enjoy these dishes with signature drinks like a Mustique Mule or Hurricane David. The Wednesday night Jump-Up live music party and Sunday afternoon Sunset Jazz highlight the full upgrade of the bar’s entertainment and lighting system. This makes Basil’s versatile enough to enjoy a quiet lunch or dinner, sip rum from a fresh coconut at a seat over the sea’s array of fish and turtles, or party all night long.

Boaters Welcome

If you arrive by yacht, moor in the harbor and dinghy right up to Basil’s. Now owned by the Mustique Company, the bar’s namesake, Basil Charles, is still a presence on the island. This ensures that even with the new renovations, the old vibe that has drawn celebrities and everyday folks alike to the bar over the past 30 years is still there.

Basil’s Bar offers an eclectic range of live music, guest DJ nights, talks, exhibitions and themed parties all year round, with the Mustique Blues Festival as the highlight of the annual calendar.

basilsbar.com

By Carol Bareuther, Southern Boating December 2018

First ever foiling regatta in the Caribbean

Foiling fever kicked off at the 2013 America’s Cup and hasn’t quit

Sailors fell in love with the sight and speed of sailboats that seemingly flew over, rather than on, the water. Now, the best of both worlds—foiling craft combined with consistent trade winds—will come together at the first-ever Martinique Foiling Regatta. Scheduled for November 17-24, more than 40 yachts are registered in this seven-race series.

Participating foil types include the Kitefoil and Windfoil, one-man Onefly and the popular Moth. Larger craft will race, too, such as the 18-foot Flying Phantom catamaran, the 26-foot Easy to Fly and the American favorite, GC32s.

Racing takes place in the protected 28-square-mile harbor at Fort de France that offers many excellent places to watch the action. In addition, some race courses will take the fleet to the farther shores of Trois-Ilets, Anse Mitan or Anses d’Arlet. “This year, the ‘island of flowers’ will display to the world its perfect sailing conditions and ideal environment at the first edition of the Martinique Flying Regatta, a one-hundred-percent foil world-class event premiere.

Let’s get the foil going,” invites Muriel Wiltord, director for the Americas of the Martinique Promotion Bureau.

martinique-regatta.com

USVI Open / Atlantic Blue Marlin Tournament

It’s time for the USVI Open/Atlantic Blue Marlin Tournament

Catch and release big blue marlin and lots of them at the 46th USVI Open/Atlantic Blue Marlin Tournament (ABMT) August 23-25 out of IGY’s American Yacht Harbor Marina in Red Hook on St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.

“Last year was the first time this was a boat tournament, and it will remain so for this year,” says Andrea “Andy” Courteau, who co-directs the tournament with Capt. Billy Borer. “Being able to host this tournament for the 46th year in a row is a great way to show the sport fishing community that the U.S.V.I. is a premier destination for boating. Two major hurricanes last year can’t keep us down.”

Indeed, IGY has completely resurfaced its A-dock, added new electrical pedestals and repaired and re-mounted the record 1,073-pound marlin replica at the entrance. The conservation-oriented ABMT is a 100-percent release tournament. No blue marlin is or has been brought to the docks for over 20 years.

Proceeds from the USVI Open benefit the non-profit Marine Vocational Program, a vocational course that provides Virgin Islands’ youth with a career path to the marine hospitality industry.

abmt.vi

By Carol Bareuther, Southern Boating August 2018

More Caribbean Updates:

Carriacou Regatta

Sargassum in the Caribbean

Sargassum Weed

It ensnares fishing lines, can stop props and makes for unsightly and seriously smelly beachfront. In recent years, huge quantities of sargassum weed have floated into the Caribbean creating problems for the region’s visitors and residents alike both on sea and shore.

This year’s sargassum bloom is especially massive, perhaps the heaviest on record, leading everyone from island tourist boards to marine researchers to seek out a solution to this problem.

“We knew the sargassum was going to be especially thick this year when we saw large patches in Dominica in February,” says Joan Conover, the Hampton, VA-based cruising station coordinator for the Seven Seas Cruising Association, who sails the Caribbean each winter with her husband, Greg, and sons aboard their Morgan 51, Growltiger.

The weed does have a positive side. One is serving as a nursery habitat for endangered species, such as sea turtles, but on the downside, sargassum is a navigational hazard to vessels.

“Sail when there is wind, which breaks up the mats of sargassum,” Conover says. “Back up to clear props. Don’t use reverse-osmosis systems in weed-filled bays because the hydrogen sulfide gas emitted by the weed can destroy membranes and filters. Finally, go carefully through big mats. We found nylon rope in one.”

Conover and many other cruisers are helping researchers learn more about sargassum to ultimately aid in its control. To assist, cruisers can report sightings to the University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf Coast Research Lab.

In the meantime, plot the most weed-free route by checking out the University of South Florida’s Optical Oceanography Laboratory’s satellite-based Sargassum Watch System, which provides satellite images of weed plumes in near-real time.

By Carol Bareuther, Southern Boating August 2018

More Caribbean Updates:

Carriacou Regatta

USVI Open

Nevis Mango and Food Festival

If you’re looking for galley inspiration, then cruise down to the Leeward Islands for the Nevis Mango and Food Festival. Held July 5-8 in Charleston, Nevis’s capital, the event features a lip-smacking extravaganza of islandwide dine-arounds, cooking classes, and beach barbecues.

Celebrity chefs attending the Nevis Mango and Food Festival include Seamus Mullens, a New York City restaurateur and finalist on the Food Network’s The Next Iron Chef, who will lead a two-hour cooking class on the bayfront July 5th.

Another is Judy Joo, a UK Iron Chef, host of the Cooking Channel’s Korean Cooking Made Simple and frequent guest judge on Food Network shows such as Chopped and Beat Bobby Flay. Joo joins chefs at the Four Seasons Resort on July 7th to deliver a menu of mango-based dishes and drinks on the resort’s newly expanded pier.

The Four Seasons as well as Montpelier Plantation & Beach, Hermitage Inn, Golden Rock Inn, Nisbet Plantation Beach Club, Mount Nevis Resort, and Oualie Beach Resort offer special packages for the festival if you’d like to spend a couple of nights ashore.

There are no marinas in Nevis, but the Nevis Port Authority has mooring buoys, and there are two anchorages north of Charleston off Pinney’s Beach and the northwest corner off Oualie Beach. Nearby St. Kitt’s is home to the Marina at Christophe Harbour. A 15-minute car ferry ride connects the two islands.

nevismangofest.com

By Carol Bareuther, Southern Boating July 2018
Photo courtesy of Nevis Tourism Society

More Caribbean Updates:

Grenada Charter Yacht Show

Hurricane Prep at Puerto Del Ray

The Moorings & Sunsail relocate in the Caribbean

The Moorings & Sunsail relocate to Marina Fort Louis in Marigot

Severe damage to The Moorings and Sunsail charter yacht base in Oyster Pond, St. Martin, has led the brands to relocate east to Marina Fort Louis in Marigot. It’s a good move for many reasons. First, the new location is now in one of the most iconic marinas in the Caribbean. With its unique circular shape and striking seawalls, Marina Fort Louis is exceedingly picturesque and often photographed from the historic hilltop fort nearby. Second, though the fort dates to the 18th century, the marina itself is quite modern with WiFi, shower facilities, a dive shop on site, and bilingual staff. Third, the marina is within walking distance to the numerous restaurants and bars on the Marigot waterfront.

“The Moorings offers charters of all types here, including bareboat sailing aboard both monohulls and sailing catamarans, power catamaran charters, and all-inclusive crewed yachts. Yachts in our St. Martin fleet range from 39- to 58-feet LOA,” says Marketing Manager Ian Pedersen. A week’s charter from St. Martin easily includes stops around the island, Anguilla and the Prickly Pear Cays to the north, the offshore islands of Pinel and Tintamarre, and down to St. Barths.

moorings.com

sunsail.com

By Carol Bareuther, Southern Boating June 2018

Photos Courtesy of The Moorings

Boatshed Expands to the Caribbean

Boatshed Expands to Grenada in the Carribean

As one of the world’s largest yacht brokerage groups, Boatshed is expanding its presence to the southern Caribbean island of Grenada. By combining an online sales platform with traditional yacht brokers in more than 60 offices worldwide, Boatshed’s new location is with Island Dreams.

Island Dreams is a yacht maintenance, sales, and management company based at Port Louis Marina in St. George’s. They also have a satellite office at Clarkes Court Boatyard on the south side of the island in Woburn.

“Grenada has become more attractive as a location for buying a boat as the range of marine services here has increased,” says Anita Sutton, who with husband Mark has owned and operated Island Dreams since 2003.

“We now have three boatyards in Grenada, so there is a nearby yard to haul a boat being surveyed. With Clarkes Court Boatyard, Grenada can now haul much bigger boats. There are two Grenada-based marine surveyors with others on neighboring islands. There are some new services, such as life raft servicing, that have opened in the last year,” she says. “We will soon be adding virtual reality images to our Boatshed Grenada listings so a purchaser can make a more informed decision about a boat they may be interested in.

We have a real variety of boats in Grenada, and I am loving the variety of boats listing with us, from Caribbean classic to family cruisers to vessels ready for a blue water adventure.” Boatshed also has Caribbean locations in St. Vincent, St. Lucia and the British Virgin Islands.

islandreamsgrenada.com

usa.boatshed.com

By Carol Bareuther, Southern Boating June 2018

Photos Courtesy of Island Dreams

What To Do In Grenada

More About Boatshed:

Boatshed’s sales platforms have pioneered the clear and transparent marketing and sale of used boats online. This practice has elevated them to be one of the best in the industry. An advantage of marketing a boat for sale with Boatshed is that an owner reaches beyond the locality of the boat.

Nanny Cay Marina Bounces Back

Nanny Cay Rebuilds

They’re back! Hurricane Irma wiped out 75% of the 220-slip Nanny Cay Marina. The Tortola, British Virgin Islands-based facility’s outer marina will have 60 new docks to be completed by early summer. “Once completed, we will have 100 docks in the outer marina with 60 dedicated to short and long-term dockage and 40 occupied by MarineMax,” says spokesperson Alastair Abrehart.

“We have already restored our fuel docks and are serving fuel, water and ice.” However, November is the target date to have docks repaired in the inner marina, which sustained the greatest storm damage. Abrehart says UK-based Walcon Marine is manufacturing the docks, and the first shipment is expected to arrive in May. Nanny Cay plans to host the BVI Charter Yacht Show November 6-9 and the awards ceremony for the ARC Carib1500 Cruising Rally on November 16th.

nannycay.com

Interested in chartering in Tortola?

More About Nanny Cay:

One of the most popular sailing destinations in the world, Nanny Cay is nestled in one of the finest locations in the British Virgin Islands. Located on the south-side of Tortola, between the Road Town and West End. It has naturally sheltered inner and outer marinas. Nanny Cay boasts a high-speed fuel dock, 120/220V electricity, and garbage disposal services. They also have luxury shower facilities and restrooms, and their own R/O plant. In case of power loss, they have 100% site-wide backup power.

Planning on extra guests or a chartering excursion? The hotel currently offers 15 air-conditioned rooms, standard and deluxe studios that are convenient and comfortable. Another luxury of the island is a refreshing pool that is available to marina and hotel guests. Problems with your vessel? There is full-service boatyard, which provides boat owners with every possible service and facility needed.

By Carol Bareuther, Southern Boating June 2018

Photos Courtesy of Nanny Cay

Dolphinfish Tagging in the Caribbean

Participate in the Caribbean Dolphinfish Tagging Initiative

The Dolphinfish Research Program (DRP) is running the latest study of Dolphinfish, sometimes known as Mahi-Mahi. DRP is the largest private research program aimed specifically at better understanding the movements, population dynamics and life history of dolphin fish around the world. They will be doing so with a dolphinfish tagging initiative.

In the U.S. waters of the Caribbean Sea, namely Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the program has been active since 2008 and deployed seven satellites and nine acoustic tags and has had 150 participants tag and release 742 dolphinfish. Since 2016, twenty vessels have contributed detailed catch information from more than 697 offshore fishing trips.

“The northeast Caribbean Sea is a key location to continue to expand the DRP to further describe local movements and regional connectivity with not only northern Caribbean Islands and the United States, but within the Caribbean Sea as a whole, which is largely unknown,” says Wessley Merten, Ph.D., director and president of the DRP, based in Rockville, MD.

Anglers who catch dolphinfish in U.S. Caribbean waters can participate in the dolphinfish tagging initiative. Send a photo and a brief description to Merten at wess@beyondourshores.org, on Facebook @tagdolphinfish or Twitter @dolphintagging. He and his team will incorporate the report into the DRP’s bi-monthly posts. Anglers who want to tag and release small dolphin can also request a tagging kit by emailing Merten or calling (787) 436-8300.

dolphintagging.com

By Carol Bareuther, Southern Boating May 2018

More Caribbean Updates:

Sport Fishing Tournaments in the Caribbean

Back to Back Sport fishing Tournaments in Antigua & Barbuda

Big boat, little boat, sportfish or billfish, there is something for everyone at back-to-back sport fishing tournaments hosted by the Antigua & Barbuda Sport Fishing Club in May.

For those who like marlin fishing, there’s the Mikie Pigott Jr. Memorial Classic on May 18th. This is followed by the 52nd Annual Antigua & Barbuda Sports Fishing Tournament (ABSFT) May 19-20, which offers both billfish and sports fish divisions.

“The chance to win the US $100,000 is a big attraction. It should be awarded when more boats take part in the Marlin Division,” says Tournament Director Robert Hall. “They will attempt to break our blue marlin record of 771.25 pounds.”

On land, spectators can watch the fish weighed, mix with anglers, buy from food and drink vendors, and join in nightly parties complete with live bands hosted in the Nelson’s Dockyard venue. The ABSFT is a qualifying event for the Offshore World Championship held each April in Costa Rica.

antiguabarbudasportsfishing.com

Photo courtesy of the Antigua and Barbuda Sport Fishing Club

By Carol Bareuther, Southern Boating May 2018

More Caribbean Updates:

Dolphinfish Tagging