Rhone ranging
A Beaconite covering the recent repairs at the Wreck of Rhone National Park overheard what she thought was a singular joke. Some curious snorkellers at the site couldn’t help but see the big orange Husky Salvage tugboat, which was noticeably different from the sailing and dive vessels nearby, and they asked what was going on. “We’re raising the Rhone,” came the answer. The idea of raising the territory’s most famous and perhaps best-loved wrecked ship is so far from imaginable that the reporter found it very funny indeed.
Tree-arranging
Over the weekend, a Beaconite saw workers removing entire palm trees, roots and all, from the Crafts Alive Village. As part of government’s plans to expand the village, the trees were relocated to the Queen Elizabeth II Park, where they were replanted and braced with wooden supports. The Beaconite, who thinks the Crafts Alive Village seems a little bare without the palms, is hoping the move is only temporary.
Those other guys
Now it’s clear. Finally. For about two and a half years, one Beaconite was very confused by the history of the “British Empire.” He understood that the “united” part in United Kingdom meant Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Learning the difference between Commonwealth countries and overseas territories took a little more time. But the term “Crown Dependency” always confused him until the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s recently released white paper set him straight. The dependencies – the Bailiwick of Jersey, the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Isle of Man – are small islands located close to the UK. But although the islands are part of the UK, they are “internally self-governing dependencies of the Crown” that have their own “directly elected legislative assemblies, administrative, fiscal and legal systems and their own courts of law,” the paper states. It adds that the dependencies have never been colonies of the UK or European Union members. The Beaconite is glad to have the matter cleared up.
Dolphins
A Beaconite was having breakfast at the Genaker Café in Nanny Cay when he saw two small dolphins pop up near the dock of the marina. They breached the surface several times, presumably chasing down their own breakfast. The Beaconite is accustomed to seeing incredible marine life in the Virgin Islands while snorkelling or diving — turtles, big schools of fish, the occasional reef shark — but not while chomping on an egg sandwich and checking e-mail on a Saturday morning.
Kite-surfing record
Sir Richard Branson is at it again. The 61-year-old billionaire, who calls the Virgin Islands home for much of the year, on Sunday became the oldest person to kite-surf across the English Channel, according to The Oxford Times. He crossed a 30-mile stretch of water from Dymchurch in Kent to Wimereux, near Bolougne, France, in about three hours and 45 minutes, the newspaper reported. “The French authorities had told us we weren’t allowed to do this, so when we arrived there was the potential for us to be arrested,” he said, according to the report. “We were on the beach, freezing cold, and they asked us not to do it again but they were very friendly about it.” Beaconites suspect that Sir Richard got plenty of practice for the crossing in the warmer waters surrounding his Necker Island.
Eating lionfish
A Beaconite who isn’t afraid to try new food got the opportunity to taste lionfish for the first time this weekend. During Monday’s Fishermen’s Day celebration at Long Bay, Beef Island, there was a demonstration on how to carefully clean the invasive fish, whose poisonous spines can deliver a painful sting. After the demonstrations, samples of fried lionfish were given out. The Beaconite thought the fish tasted almost like a snapper or grouper. She’s not sure she would want to try handling it at home, though.