What SUP?
A Beaconite had a brush with being lost at sea this week when she tried a new water sport. She was battling wind, choppy water and being a complete novice to stand-up paddleboarding, which led to lots of falling off the borrowed board and into Brewers Bay. While taking a rest next to the board, she was approached by one of the event’s organisers, who informed her that she was drifting away from shore. After a bit of assistance from a more seasoned paddler who helped her get back onto the board, the out-of-shape reporter managed to paddle back in on her own steam. She can’t wait to try SUPing again.
Secret sauce
Most commercial disputes tend to be routine and uninteresting. And then there’s the one about Reggae Reggae sauce. Levi Roots, a Jamaican who claims to have invented the popular jerk sauce, became a millionaire in 2007 when he went on the United Kingdom reality television show Dragons’ Den to hawk the product, according to the Telegraph newspaper. The show features entrepreneurs pitching their ideas before investors to secure start-up capital. Mr. Roots, whose real name is Keith Valentine Graham, is now being sued by his former friend, Tony Bailey, who claims to have taught Mr. Roots the recipe while the two ran a food stand in Jamaica, according to the Telegraph. Mr. Bailey would like a third of the profits from the sauce’s sales. The trial in London is ongoing and is expected to last two weeks. A Beaconite who routinely covers commercial disputes is watching the case with interest.
In the papers
A Beaconite reading this week’s travel section in The New York Times, which was devoted to the Caribbean, was excited by two things. One was the mention of Jost Van Dyke in an article about pepper sauces across the region. The other was a brief article about eating lionfish, the invasive species many worry will devastate reef ecosystems across the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The Beaconite looks forward to trying the fish, though he’ll certainly wait until experts catch and prepare it, making sure it’s free from poisonous spines and ciguatera.
Drag strip
A Beaconite who lives in Road Town has been wondering why government bothered to hire a consultant to assess the feasibility of a drag racing strip in the territory. This is because the territory already seems to have at least one drag strip: Waterfront Drive in Road Town. On a recent Saturday night, cars and scooters burned rubber and roared up and down the road for about two hours, starting at about 2 a.m. The Beaconite wonders why police never showed up to put an end to the illegal activity, which wasn’t exactly quiet. But, then, maybe they don’t live in Road Town.
Culture, anyone?
A Beaconite who always enjoys covering Culture Week hopes residents turn out in numbers for the various activities scheduled for today, tomorrow and Saturday. The reporter has learned plenty of new skills herself during this annual event. While covering a past cultural fair at the Noel Lloyd Positive Action Movement Park, for example, she learned how to weave palm leaves. This year, she hopes there will be more similar activities. For anyone who is interested, this year’s cultural fair takes place tomorrow at the park from 10 a.m. There will be plenty of Virgin Islands music, food and drinks.