Your mind is about ready to go on a little adventure. Smuggling, a daring low altitude flight across Cuba and some of Jamaica’s finest home grown; a story that you have to read. This is a guest post by JC Perez, author of Heisting the Beard

The Seven Ton Calamity

It was a hot day in Bimini, the year was 1984. Jamaica was waiting, they had the plane, but a few things were missing, vital of course, or this trip wouldn’t happen at all. What a shame, all that Ganja would go to waste, that sweet Jamaican “Lambs Bread”, and the boys sure wanted a taste.

Crazy Eddie was ready, but like I said before, the plane wasn’t. They had a C-130 on the strip on South side, an old army cargo plane with a rear hatch big enough to drive a pickup in, and more than enough room to accommodate the 14,000 lbs of herb, but they needed a right engine propeller and aviation fuel, and they had neither. The weed was stacked up and ready to go just out of sight off the strip in Cay Manus, down in the Yard, Jamaica for those who don’t know. They needed to be there in two days or the weed would have to be moved and preparations made a new. That was bad ju ju, if they couldn’t make it now there was a good chance the weed would begin to mildew and they could lose hundreds of pounds, none of them wanted to lose that kind of money or sweet herb.

With time running out, the decision was made to get together at Pony tails house on South Bimini. Everybody involved on this endeavor was there, Speedy, Lickum Dead, Sneeze, Bugaloo, Shine, Sarge, Dreamer, White Boy, and fly boy Eddie, island people all go by nick names. They
had a few cases of St. Paulie beer and were hoping that they didn’t get too ripped before coming up with a plan on how to get the weed to Bimini. They also had a couple of ounces of great Jamaican herb to remind them of what they would miss out on if a solution didn’t come
up soon. One beer led to another and one joint was never enough for a group like this.

The Cuban boys from Miami were already in port on the North side, ready to move the weed to the Magic City, and a lot of money had been invested to pull this job off. There was no going back now. It looked like they were shit out of luck and no one had come up with an answer yet. Suddenly in the middle of a toke from the weed and a swig of a Paulie girl that engulfed half the bottle, Eddie had an epiphany. All that was needed was a prop and fuel right, he was the pilot, and a good one at that, maybe the best in the smuggling game.

Bimini being the plane graveyard that it is had many crashed planes all around and near the airstrip and he knew of an old DC 3 that had crashed on the east end. He figured he could use the prop from that, and as far as the fuel went, well, they’d just have to use regular boat fuel that could be bought at the government dock on North Bimini. If the prop was in good shape, or if it could be gotten into good shape it would work, and the fuel, well it wasn’t AV fuel but the engines would run on it. The only problem was he wouldn’t be able to get real good altitude because of it, but he thought he could at least get the plane up to 200 hundred feet or so. It was a dangerous proposition, but that’s all they had, and he was the pilot and everyone believed in what he was doing. They trusted his judgment, and it was his ass up there anyway, Eddie was crazy but not stupid. They finished off the last of the beer and smoked a few more joints of the sweet Jamaican herb, then decided to go get the prop off the crashed DC 3 and begin hauling fuel back to the airstrip on South Bimini. The game was on.

Shine was the mechanical one in the group, he and a few of the boys headed to the mangroves on the east end of the strip and began working on getting the prop off the old DC 3. They were soon done and returned with it where Eddie waited for them by the C-130 at the airport and promptly began fitting it on the old army cargo plane, taking out all the nicks and bends it had on it so it could be used. A bent and nicked up prop won’t grip air good enough to be of any use and was quite dangerous to try and fly with, but Eddie was the right man for the job. The rest of the boys began hauling fuel back from the government dock, it was an easier task, but time consuming considering they were doing it with 10 gallon containers and it took the better part of the next two days to fill up the plane with the necessary fuel.

Everything was finally ready for takeoff, they gathered at the strip and waited for Eddie to power up the trusty cargo plane and leave for the Yard where a small fortune waited to be picked up and delivered back to the waiting boats. Shine, Bugaloo and Lickum Dead would be making the trip with Eddie, and there their two Jamaican buddies Squeechy and Niya would come back with them to help kick out the load to the waiting boats on the water. They’d be stationed between South Bimini and Cat Key that evening at around 5:00 pm when Eddie would have C-130 back and on schedule for delivery.

He needed to leave early to be able to make the trip in one day, the longest part of this adventure would be loading the weed onto the plane down in Cay Manus. That would be a manual job one bale at a time and it would take some doing and balancing the load correctly.

It was 4:00 am when Eddie powered up the two engines on the C-130 and readied for taxiing. When the engines turned over the noise was deafening, but everything seemed to be running smoothly as the big plane took off heading east on the runway then veering south towards Jamaica. Everyone headed back to Pony tails house and got things ready for Eddie’s return trip which was expected at around 5:00 pm. If he made it back on time they would have about 2 and a half to three hours of daylight to do the air drop and have the boats pick up all the bales before dark. Not a lot of time considering it was 14,000 pounds of weed, that was 280 bales, and for those uninitiated that’s a lot of bales. The average 30 foot speed boat was only going to carry 1000 pounds, which was 20 bales; a 50 lb bale takes up a lot of room on a 30 foot boat. There were 6 boats, which meant each boat had to make 2 1/2 runs to and from the stash house on South Bimini, all this work was going to take some time and coordination to pull the job off correctly and on time. All this is good and well, but they also had to be very lucky, meaning, the plans were considering that the D.E.A., Coast Guard, Navy, and the Bahamian Defense force didn’t get involved; luck was a big player in this game of cat and mouse.

Once the prep work and planning was done they headed back to North Bimini where the talk of the island was that noisy plane that took off early in the morning and woke up every Biminite up from Alice town to Porgy Bay. They all played dumb, the islanders knew what was going on and pretty much who was involved, but the boys weren’t admitting anything and just went about their business avoiding the questions.

This deal was just beginning, Eddie had to make it there first, that meant hopefully avoiding all the authorities, and getting the big plane down to the Yard wasn’t going to be easy. He had to stay as far away from the normal flight routes as possible, and in between him and Jamaica stood Cuba, and Castro wasn’t exactly the friendliest guy in the Caribbean. There was only two ways around Cuba, and there wasn’t enough fuel to go the western route. The other way was through the Windward Passage, in between western Haiti and Cuba, but that meant flying right in front of the noses of the American Naval base in eastern Cuba at Guantanamo Bay, and that was suicide. There was only one other way, straight over Cuba, it wasn’t that farfetched, many smugglers did it, the route was the Mayaguez corridor. All plane routes over Cuba had to fly through this corridor or risk getting shot down. The difference was that commercial flights did it at 35,000 feet altitude, Eddie was about to do it at 200 feet altitude, balsy, but it was the only choice he had, or lose the whole load right now.

As it turns out he had no problem in crossing Cuba and had a personal escort by Castro’s Migs almost to the shores of Jamaica. When he reached the north coast of the Yard it was still early, the sun was barely breaking the horizon. The noise of the C-130 caused a raucous on Jamaica as it had in Bimini, and lights from all the homes on the island began to turn on as people rushed out to see what the commotion was. Eddie crossed the coastline and headed for the airstrip at Cay Manus where he landed safely and the work of loading the cargo began under a hot sun with high humidity atop a hill in the lush surroundings of the resort.

A few hours later the work was done, Eddie cranked up the plane and took off on the same route back to Bimini, straight over Cuba. When he crossed the north coastline of Jamaica the people were out in force once again wondering what all the noise was. Only this time they waved at the low flying fortress as it headed into Cuban territory where it caused the same commotion from all the people below. The air force Migs showed up once again and escorted Eddie to Cuba’s north coast while the boys in the cargo area held up bales of Ganja in the windows letting the pilots know it was a pure humanitarian effort; the pilots saluted as the plane continued on into Bahamian waters. Luckily they never ran into any authority that could have caused delays on this adventure, but Eddie knew the odds were on his side. Getting stopped on the water would have spelled instant disaster, but in the air the odds were with him. In those days before the onslaught of the Cocaine Cowboy days, when Ganja was king, and before all the techies turned reefer into an indoor product, the US authorities weren’t allowed to land on Bahamian territory, so all he had to do was make it to Bimini without crashing, so far so good, and the view was exquisite at two hundred above the pristine gin clear waters of the Caribbean and the Bahama bank.

Eddie delivered the C-130 on time; it was 5:00pm when they arrived at the rendezvous spot between Cat Key and South Bimini. The 6 boats were in position when he brought the plane down to 75 feet above the clear water and opened the gigantic rear hatch to begin pushing bales of sweet Jamaican Lambs Bread out onto the water. He made his first pass to the waiting boats where the boys dropped 30 bales to the waiting crafts. The plane moved forward and began a long looping turn to come back to the spot and make another drop where the boats waited patiently. There was one problem though, it took 35 minutes to return to the spot of the drop due to the size of the plane and its slow pace, at this rate it would take a very long time to unload all the bales when only dropping thirty at a time. They made the second drop and Eddie began making the loop once again to get back to position, but this wasn’t their only problem. The noisy plane had alerted everyone on Bimini and they had come out to see what all the commotion was about. They came out in droves, and not only to look, but they came out in boats to help themselves to the feast of Manna from heaven. When the boys realized what was happening, the plans changed on the spot, they had to empty this cargo fast and it had to happen right away.

Eddie open the rear hatch all the way and asked everyone in the plane to strap themselves in with whatever they could so they wouldn’t go crashing out of the plane onto the water with all the weed. He flew over the drop sight once more then pointed the craft upward. The bales began to tumble out while the boys inside held on for dear life. All bales of weed gushed out in an instant and everybody below scattered for their lives to avoid being crushed by the flying Ganja. A melee ensued as the bales of weed hit the water like bombs from a WWII movie.

The pickup boats began to grab the weed as fast as possible, but to no avail, so did everyone else. The Biminites were out in full force, men women and children, it was incredible, and the whole island was out there grabbing bales like it was a giveaway at a soup kitchen. From inside the plane Shine screamed out in dismay at the goings on, it was a high pitched scream and no one in the plane understood a word he was saying. Everyone began to laugh considering Shine was a big man of about 6’2” tall and weighed the better part of 250 lbs, and what came out of his mouth sounded more like the high pitched screeching of a little school girl. There was nothing anyone could do, so the pickup boats grabbed as many bales as they could and watched the rest get swept away by the mass of people who had joined party, uninvitedly so. It was a complete mess; all they could do was watch as the sweet herb got toted off. The Biminites had become the beneficiaries of a bad plan. The crew was able to salvage 5800 lbs and the rest had to be kissed goodbye.

That evening on North Bimini the party was on and the burning weed from all the partiers could be smelled 47 miles away across the Gulf Stream in Miami. What else could the boys do, they couldn’t recoup their losses, so they joined in and were glad to have recovered what they did. Considering the low cost of the weed in Jamaica they made a small profit and enjoyed some good Ganja and plenty of Pauli girls with the rest of the island.

In the days to come the word had gotten out about the 7 ton Calamity in Bimini and the boats from Miami swarmed in to buy up the abundance of weed that had been dropped on the island, and at rock bottom prices, considering the islanders had gotten it free. The boys never forgot that adventure and laughed about it in the days, weeks, months, and years to come and neither did the Biminites; it became folk legend on the island.

There are many stories of modern day pirates and smuggling all throughout the Bahamas and the Caribbean when Mota and Ganja flowed out of Colombia and Jamaica, but that was before the techies went indoors and weed became a home grown product, and the Cocaine cowboys turned smuggling into a dangerous game and everything went to hell. Ahh, the good old days of adventures on the high seas, those days are gone, but the memories still flow as strongly as the rum does in every little island bar from Freeport to the tip of Colombia.

See you rummies somewhere in paradise.

Till the next story of adventure on the Bounty Main.

JC Perez

Bloody Mary’s and the salt air blowing over your face isn’t a bad way to start the day. A weekend full of highlights was capped off with the sweet sweet sound of Mishka playing his smooth style of reggae in Ybor City Tampa. Where do I start? With rum.

Slowing down just enough to let me jump in, Mike from RumConnection.com and Shawn, now with Coastlines & Tan Lines, picked me up and we head north on I-75. Our destination, Osprey Florida, the residence for our buddy Carl, the other half of Coastlines & Tan Lines. Four rum heads hanging out for the weekend, a mid-summer hurricane wouldn’t have stopped this group from having a good time.

We arrive and within minutes a full on rum tasting commenced in the living room. Carl has a fine collection of island rums that we sipped on while swapping pirate stories. I couldn’t tell you how many we tried, quite a few by the groggy state we woke up in the next morning. The remedy, Bloody Marys on the beach.

We head down to the south end of Casey Key to let the ocean air breath life into our tired bodies. Pelicans were dive-bombing the fish, waves were thundering ashore and the Bloody Marys were lifting our spirits. It was a great start to a day that would have us bouncing up the coast towards Tampa. We bar hopped to Sharkys on Venice Beach, Casey Key Fish House, Mr. Beerys, Siesta Key Oyster Bar, Bahi Hut and then on to Tampa for the main event…Mishka.

I have a lot more to say abut the cool places we hit (especially Bahi Hut), but I’ll save those for future posts. Here are a few photos from the day.

Venice Beach Pier

Sharky's, Venice Beach

Tiki Bar at Casey Key Fish House

Siesta Key Oyster Bar

We pulled in to Ybor City with anticipation and excitement. Mishka hit the stage and seduced the crowd with his unique brand of reggae. The concert took place at The Orpheum. It’s a cool place, a small intimate setting which was nice. Not quite as nice as Cable Beach on Nassau, the first place I Mishka, but still a great place to catch a concert.

Mishka played and the crowd soaked in the sounds. I think he played for about an hour and half and did one encore. I didn’t want the show to stop. We were shouting names of songs that he didn’t play, he gave us a smile and ran off stage. Just like all good performers, they leaving you wanting more.

Poor photo quality, but still a cool shot.

Were were able to meet Mishka after the show. He’s a very cool guy and signed a bunch of stuff for us. Mike invited him to come down and play in the Key West sometime, Mishka replied with a cool, “Yeah man, that would be cool.” Another beach setting maybe? One can only hope.

Cheers,
RumShopRyan

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Part of my job as a Caribbean blogger is to constantly be on the look out for new Caribbean sites that I can learn from and in-turn tell you about. Reading other island sites/blogs is one of the best parts of this job. I love seeing what other people have to say about particular islands and the fascinating characters that call them home.

Below is a list of some of the top Caribbean Travel/Island/Sailing blogs that I’ve found and read on a daily basis. I wrote about the top Caribbean blogs last year as well, it’s interesting to see how the list has changed over the past year. There are a few new comers and of course ones that continue to produce great content and make our island dreams come true. Each one of these sites has a great person or team behind it and will give you great insight into their part of the island lifestyle.

The list is in no particular order. Don’t be offended if you aren’t on the list. I read a lot more than just these, I just can’t list hundreds of blogs here. If you have an Island/Beach/Caribbean style blog and would like to be mentioned, just leave a comment and link below and I’ll check it out. Always looking for more Caribbean sites to lime with!

Top Caribbean Travel Blogs of 2011

2 Gringos in the Caribbean – Tired of the rat race and cold weather in the northeastern United States, we decided to chuck the life and try something new. We pulled up roots, sold the house, took only the most prized possessions and with child and Jack Russell Terrier headed to the Turks & Caicos Islands.

Adventure Antigua – a blog about island life spent with sun, sea and sand.

Anguilla Bliss – Great blog about the day to day happenings on Anguilla.

Bahama Bob’s Rumstyles – Based out of Key West Florida and bartender at the Rum Bar on Duval Street, Bahama Bob will tell you tales of the high seas and smooth rum. His blog will take you through the Rum lifestyles of a fine group of people that enjoy the fun and pleasure of fine rums. He travels to distilleries, partys, and Rum Events to bring people the Rumstyles of all those he comes in contact with.

Barbados Sun – Beach, Sea, Sun – It doesn’t get any better. Barbados travel information.

Bermuda Shorts – For island news and tropical updates, it’s your daily dish from paradise.

BigKahuna Brew – Fun in the sun with the beer and the rum. Enjoying craft beer, food of all kinds, airplanes, beaches and the high planes of eastern Colorado.

Bonaire Bliss – Great blog about the day to day happenings on the south Caribbean island of Bonaire.

BVI Music – the one-stop source for artist information and live music performances taking place in The British Virgin Islands.

Camille in the Caribbean – “Chronicling my journey with the Peace Corps”. Based out of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Caribbean Travel and Life – Great magazine blog page about all things Caribbean. Travel discounts, information and more.

Caribbean Travel News – Offers Caribbean hotel information and other great travel tips.

Chesney World – your number one stop on the web for Kenny Chesney news and tour information.

Coastlines & Tan Lines – Written by a finalist in the Tommy Bahama Rumologist contest, my friend Carl Grooms represents the island vibe to a T. This island boy produces great videos of his Caribbean and rum explorations.

Discovering Puerto Rico – brings you non biased, accurate information on things to see and do in Puerto Rico. From popular attractions to lesser known spots around the island I hope to provide you with information to help make your vacation here memorable.

Following The Equator: Voyages of Equinox – Welcome Aboard! We’re just a family following our dreams, living aboard and cruising where we can. Feel free to follow in our wake as we journey aboard our our 2007 Kadey-Krogen 58′!

Irie Time – “My Irie Time is a collection of photographs and stories from our travels through the Caribbean. “Irie” means to be at peace with your state of being, and in a worry-free mindset, just how I feel when my feet hit the sand on the beach.”

ISLANDS Magazine – This magazine’s blog is great. It features stories from islands all over the world. They have some of the best writers and photographers in the business.

Jimmy Buffett World – your number one stop on the web for Jimmy Buffett news and tour information.

Key West The Blog – is a local’s perspective and, in pictures and words,  sharing the news and views of the island life with you.

No See Um’s Blog – Life on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. This guy posts some great photos of how weird and crazy life in the islands can be.

Pirate’s Paradise Adventures – This is a blog for a boat rental company in the USVI. They do a great job of writing interesting stories about the Virgin Islands.

Professor Beach – From the professor: I’ve always said “its fun to visit the worlds best beach locations, but what really matters is that there is great town up the road to eat, drink, shop, sleep and be entertained in”.

Rum Connection – This guy knows his rum. Mike from RumConnection.com is a rum expert and regular judge in international rum competitions. Dedicated to providing rum lovers with the latest news, exclusive articles and critical information about the tradition and culture of rum.

Rumdood – Matt Robold is an Orange County, California-based rum connoisseur and cocktail enthusiast that likes to write about his passions on his blog RumDood.com.

Rum Therapy – A soft tropical breeze, the warm sun touching your skin and a rum beverage in hand. Therapeutic, huh? We think so and through our line of vacation wear, t-shirts, caps and more, we hope to embody the island spirit so you can capture that feeling when you need to.

San Pedro Scoop – “About 5 yrs ago, I moved as a single woman to San Pedro from NYC. I want to show all sides of island life; give you the SanPedroScoop. The island is one of the most beautiful places on earth but every day I see something hard to Belize.”

See St. John – St. John Life – All about St John, Virgin Islands (USVI)

On-St. John – My favorite St. John blog. These guys make the best island videos and give the coolest information of beautiful STJ.

St. Thomas Blog – “We created this website to share our experience and knowledge of St. Thomas. We want to fill you in on everything; great St Thomas restaurants, nightlife, bars, St Thomas real estate, which car ferry to St. John is the fastest, how to greet the locals, what time and day to hit the post office in order to avoid a 35 minute line…you get the idea.”

Taco Girl – “I stepped outside the box and moved to the tropical island of Ambergris Caye off the coast of Belize where I started tacogirl.com – a daily expat travel blog with a unique twist.”

Team Cocktail – These guys know how to party. Based out of my home town of Kansas City but have salt water their veins, Team Cocktails is an island inspired clothing company. They have a fun blog and are always giving away some great TC gear.

The Blog of Maho – Green Musings of an Eco Resort. Maho Bay Camps North Shore Road, St. John, US Virgin Islands. An Eco Resort in the US Virgin Islands.

The Sand Slipper – “Journey with me as I navigate the 700 islands, and direct you to the best fishing holes, watering holes, beaches , party spots, and the most secret getaways that weren’t discovered by Christopher Columbus.”

The Trinadad Charlies – Melissa, Emily, and Noelle or Charley M, E, or N. Three girls on a journey to find their own palm tree paradise. Join us as we embark on a wild ride!

Uncommon Caribbean – UC offers an engaging journey beyond the region’s well-trod sun, sand and sea attractions to reveal a unique side of the Caribbean seldom featured in traditional travel guides.

Webcam Grenada Blog - “Our website is not just another travel guide for Grenada. It is much much more. Grenada is our home, and on this site you will get to see some of the ‘real’ Grenada. Here you will see a selection of things we like to do, places we visit and events which we have gone to, which we have written about in our blog.”

Windtraveler – When two people, with the same life long dream of sailing around the world find each other, there’s only one thing to do… make it happen!

Zero To Cruising – “From total sailing newbies to live-aboard cruisers. How we made it happen!” Follow their island hopping adventures throughout the Caribbean. I got the chance to hang out with Mike and Rebecca on Grenada this year and hand a blast with them. Great people and a fun blog to follow.

____________________________

Again, if you have a Island/Beach/Caribbean style blog and would like to be mentioned just leave a comment and link below and I’ll check you out.

Have a great New Year Castaways!
Cheers,
RumShopRyan

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Again, Merry Christmas, stay warm and enjoy a boat drink or two this holiday season.

Cheers!
RumShopRyan

Last weekend was spent in Key West, participating in the Conched in Key West Bar Crawl. The event started out as just some online friends wanting to get together in a beautiful place like Key West and paint the town with rum. It quickly evolved into more than just a group of island junkies looking for a fix, it turned into a chance to really make a difference and have fun doing it.

Each of the sponsors; Team Cocktail, Rum Connection, Shawn Martin, Conch Republic Bikinis, Hoffman Publications, the Shot Doctor and RumShopRyan – are active online with blogging/social media and have good size readerships. Why not take a little of that influence and invite people (Castaways) to come down to Key West with us and raise money for charity at the same time. The charity we chose was to support the families of the Naval base there in the Keys.

Sponsors of Conch in Key West

So that’s how the Conched in Key West Bar Crawl was started. Now I could write a story about how we went to this bar and that bar, how we drank this cocktail and tried this rum, how the fun lasted till the wee hours of the night and how we can’t wait till next year but I’m not going to do that.

Instead I’m going to tell you about the people and let the photos tell their stories. I titled this post with “A Meeting of the Minds” not because it has anything to do with the large gathering of Jimmy Buffett Parrotheads that will be invading Key West next month also called Meeting of the Minds, but because the people who participated in our Conched in Key West crawl.

BigKahunaBrew (Charles) & RumShopRyan

My buddy Carl of Conch Republic Bikinis wrote a good story yesterday and I think he hit the nail on the head. Most of us have never met, we only know each other through words on a screen, a thumbnail photo and a Twitter handle. But something special happens when you throw a group of people together that all have the same salty, rum infused soul. Handshakes be damned, I’m giving you a hug and buying you a drink!

Raffle for a bottle of Tommy Bahama Rum

We had a group of about 30 crawlers and raised somewhere around $1500-$2000, exact figure is still being worked out due to t-shirt sales. We hit up 9 or 10 bars, you tend to lose track of things as the crawl drags on. The bars we hit, many I’ve never even been to before, where great. Places like the Cork & Stogie, Pearl’s Patio, Rum Bar, Virgilio’s, Krawl off Duval, Overboard Bar & Grill, Captain Tony’s and Irish Kevins. I think a few more places were sprinkled in there, I just can’t recall all their names right now.

Bahama Bob at the Rum and his infamous Root Juice

We raffled off things like limited edition Tommy Bahama Rum, Team Cocktail gift cards, a bunch of Castaway gear and all the proceeds went right to the charity.

Do you know where this is?

But like I said, this wasn’t just an average bar crawl, it wasn’t just an excuse for a bunch of people to get together and drink their way down Duval. It’s the start of something new, the start of lasting friendships and a chance for many to get a taste of the islands. We had crawlers travel from Colorado, South Dakota, Kansas and I think a couple were from Maryland.

Steven and Erin - Nice Koozie Steven!

We are planning on making this an annual event, so if you couldn’t make it this year, start planning for next year. Next year will be bigger and better and everyone is already excited about returning.

Rum Connection Mike and RumShopRyan

New friends, a great charity, an island with a crazy personality and a little bit of rum, mix those all together and you get the Conched in Key West Bar Crawl. It was an amazing time and I’m already missing my new pirate friends.

To see the rest of the Conched in Key West photos you can go to the RumShopRyan Facebook page here and see our Flickr group here.

Cheers to next year!

RumShopRyan

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10 years ago we were flooded with emotion, to many feelings happening all at one time it was impossible to contain. Sorrow, fear, hate, sympathy, love, desperation, unity, resolve and revenge.

10 years ago on September 11th we watched as towers fell, people perished and lives were changed. On September 12th and the days following, this great country came together the likes I never new possible. We came together in the form of loving arms, to take care of those effected by this tragedy. We came together in the form of a hammer, to rebuild out cities, big and better, heeling the bruises of our wounded country. We came together in the form of a fist, to take the fight to our cowardice enemies, to show them we are strong, we are powerful, we are unrelenting and that we are Americans.

Today we stand silent, we close our eyes and think about the people that gave their lives. We think about the our loved ones, we think about the heroic acts of strangers and we think about never letting this happen again. We think about those to continue to fight for our freedom and keep us safe.

Today we watch, we watch as the bruises in our proudest city, our capital city and a field in Pennsylvanian heal. Like a phoenix from the ashes, these spots that were once filled with so much tragedy are transformed into a places of remembrance, renewal and strength.

Today we remember.

How does a Castaway prepare for a pending hurricane? A little differently than the common soul.

I’ve experience a few storms since my move in 2001. Of course 2004 was a tough season. That was the year that us here in south Florida felt the wrath of Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne. Then the very next year we took a shot from Wilma. Good times.

A lot of people have these things called “Hurricane Parties.” You get together with friends and help them board up, have some rum and watch the weather channel. Cities shut down, people are off of work and there’s a monster that looms just over the horizon, what else are you suppose to do but have a little fun!

NOTE: I would only recommend this for tropical storms and hurricanes up to a Category 2. Wilma was a Cat 2 coming in but turned into a 3 at landfall and let me tell you, it got a little scary. I would evacuate if a Cat 3 or higher came this way again.

Hurricane Preparations

So you’re staying in town and are going to ride out the storm. There are a few things you need.

1. WATER – This should be obvious, but you never know with some people. When a storm come through local drinking water can become contaminated and undrinkable. And without electricity to boil water you’re going to need a supply of your own.

2. RUM & BEER (CASTAWAY) – These are essentials for hurricane parties, but you have to be smart. Drink the beer first while it’s cold. After the storm blows through like a pissed off 6 year old with ADD, and you won’t have a cold fridge to keep the beer cold. Rum you sip at room temperature, plus you might need something a little stronger depending on the damage the storm caused.

3. MIXERS (CASTAWAY) – If you like to mix your rum with something then you need to think about a mixer that can be kept at room temperature. Things like fruit juices that have to be kept cold are going to spoil like my shorts after eating Mexican. Things like coke, bloody mary mix, sweet and sour will work nicely. Hopefully you have some ice in a cooler.

4. ICE – Once power goes out your going to be up the proverbial river and realize just hope important electricity is. Before the storm hits, fill all your coolers with ice. You’ll need this to keep some food cold that you don’t want to spoil. Plus you’ll need a couple cubes for that Rum and Coke right?

5. GASOLINE – Who knows when gas stations are going to open up again after a storm. Make sure your car is gassed up. Of course if the storm tosses it into a tree, then you’re not really going anywhere anyways. If you have a generator, which many people in hurricane prone areas do, then you’ll need gas for that as well.

6. BATTERIES – No brainer….flashlights, radios, Tickle-me-Elmo. You know, important stuff.

7. GAMES – Without power you’re going to get bored. Instead of looting the local Wal-Mart, why not play some Taboo or Apples to Apples. Get the gang together and play some poker and make the hurricane a money making experience. I don’t think your buddy with the car in a tree is going to make it though.

8. CANNED FOOD – I went to the store earlier this week to grab some non-perishable food. I was a little lost since Erin does most of the shopping, so the only thing I got were cans of Chef Boyardee Overstuffed Ravioli, Nutter Butter cookies and a six-pack of Carib beer. I really should be supervised when shopping.

That is my list of hurricane preparations. What items would you add to the list?

Cheers,
RumShopRyan

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Rules of the beach, I see the big sign in most beach parking lots. They usually state things like no pets, no fire arms, no alcohol, no feeding of the the sea life…things like that. Those are pretty universal and well understood, but there is another set of rules for the beach that isn’t written down. These rules should sit in the common sense part of the brain, but you’d be surprised by the lack of social cooth on most days at the beach.

I hit the beach probably 2-3 times a week. You can usually find me on Bonita Beach near Doc’s, Lover’s Key Beach at Big Carlos Pass, or on Ft. Myers Beach. I like to kick back with a good book, my iPod and a nice view of the Gulf of Mexico. Simple and peaceful.

It never fails though, I’m sitting there on an uncrowded section of sand and guess what happens, a family of 5 with 3 kids sets up a small city right in front of me. Gulf view gone, peace destroyed.  They unfold their chairs and place them in a neat row, creating an impenetrable wall of canvas and overweight bodies. The kids scream in pitches I didn’t think possible and kick sand on all nearby.

There’s only one choice…move. Castaway Shawn said he carries a bag of potato chips just for this reason. As he gets up and moves to a new plot of sand, he quietly takes a handful of chips and tosses them behind the chairs of the offending party. What happens next is an aerial bombardment of screeching seagulls. Revenge is sweet.

This frustration brings me to the unwritten rules of the beach. I’m going to list a few of the most common rules, then you guys can list rules you have below in the comment section. Hopefully the oblivious offenders read this and learn the social laws of the sand.

Unwritten Rules of the Beach

1. Space

Like I mentioned above, if there is plenty of open space on the beach, do not set up your campsite next to another party. It’s called personal space, people like to have it. The only exception is if the other party is attractive and you wish to start a conversation, even then that’s an ify situation. Fill the empty parts of the beach and try not to sit directly in front of another person’s view.

2. Kids

Kids are great, I love kids, but they are wild crazy animals. They yell, scream, kick sand and cry. They are destroyers of peace. When heading to the beach with kids, seek out a place on the sand close to another family with kids. This will hopefully keep the ciaos contained to local areas and give the kids some other terrorists to play with and entertain themselves.

 3. Banana Hammocks

I’m writing this from the perspective of a Floridian. This is the United States, not the south of France. Men in speedos is not acceptable. This is a huge violation of the unwritten rules. No one wants to look at your man parts being held back by a small tight piece of material. If you’re visiting America you should follow the local customs. Board shorts and swimming trunks are the normal custom for the states.

4. Smoking

The sand on the beach is not your personal ashtray. I can’t stand smoking period, but to have it blow across your face at a place as tranquil as the beach is just offensive. If you just have to have a cancer stick on the beach, make sure you’re not close to other beach goers. You could even take a walk to the parking lot and do your business there. Also please put your cigarette butts in the trash when you’re done, not in the sand.

 5. Music

I love music at the beach…my music. There’s nothing better than staring out at the waves with some Buffett, Chesney, Mishka or Marley playing to set the mood. If you bring a radio to the beach make sure it’s loud enough for only you to hear. If you want it louder, ask the people close by if it is okay.

Those are 5 unwritten rules of the beach. If you’re an offender of any of these hopefully you learned a few things of what people expect at the beach.

If you have others you’d like to add, please do so in the comment section below.

Cheers!
RumShopRyan

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Our destination, Tigertail Beach on the beautiful Marco Island. Located on Hernando Drive, Tigertail beach rewards beach goers with thirty-one acres of  natural undisturbed sand.

I live about 5 minutes from the perfectly good white sands of Bonita Beach, but today I was talked into taking the 40 minute drive south to Marco Island and setting up camp on Tigertail Beach. This is one beach I haven’t yet buried my toes into, so I was pretty excited about the quest.

If you haven’t been to Tigertail before, the beach makes you work a little to enjoy its splendor. Once you unpack your car and load everything on you back like a mule, walk past the park’s restaurant, volleyball court, playground and other distractions. Waiting for you is a 50-60 yard walk through a tidal lagoon that is waist deep (I’m 6’2″) depending on tide. The lagoon bottom is a mix of mud and sand that makes walking somewhat difficult. You then have another 100 yard walk on a trail that takes you past sand dunes, Sea Grapes, and Sea Oats. It really is quite beautiful, but hot. The only thought bouncing through my sweaty head was, JUMP IN THE WATER!

Tidal Lagoon and Tigertail Beach, Red Dot Was Us

The trail comes to an end to revile a beautiful stretch of beach, free of human development and just waiting to be enjoyed. This is my kind of place. The fact that it’s a little difficult to get to keeps the crowds away, so you’ll have a nice plot to yourself without anyone encroaching on your space.

Tigertail Beach, Looking South

Tigertail Beach, Looking North

What only ten years ago was Tigertail’s sandbar is now Sand Dollar Island, a barrier island in the making. Changes in the formation of the island are noticeable on a yearly basis and its development is a welcome occurrence for the many shorebirds that now use it as a nesting site.

Shore Bird On Tigertail Beach

We spend the day floating in the shallow clear waters and listening to Jimmy Buffett, Kenny Chesney and Pirate Sessions. Corona in hand, sun on my skin and good company, life was good. Man do I love southwest Florida and the barrier islands.

Living "THE LIFE"

Was all the work to get to this beach worth it? You can’t see it, but the smile I have on my face as I recall the day says most definitely…yes.

Tigertail Beach: Facilities

• 210 Parking Spaces
• Bathhouse
• 5 Boardwalks
• Concessions with beach equipment rentals, food & drinks
• Picnic area with grills
• Sand Volleyball Court
• Playground
• Butterfly Garden
• Handicapped beach wheelchair
• Rest Rooms

Cheers,
RumShopRyan

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Good times! Thanks Rori and Ben, I had a great blast!

Cheers,
RumShopRyan

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