Crashing waves wake you from a daze as you open your eyes to find yourself all alone on a tropical spit of land. Your boat has sunk to the oblivion of Davie Jones Locker and it’s contents are lost.  Sounds like grand time right?

Just when you thought all was lost, a genie appears ready to give you 3 things to have with you on the island. What would you pick?

Okay, this situation is totally fiction but it’s Friday…let’s have a little fun!

I pose the question to you…

If you were stranded on a deserted island and you could only have 3 things with you, what would that be?

I am looking forward to reading your answers!

Side Note: I still have quite a few Castaway Wristbands left. If you would like one click here. Koozies coming soon!

Have a great Labor Day weekend Castaways!
Cheers,
RumShopRyan

The above sign is hanging in my man cave. As you can read it tells you how to prepare for a hurricane. Sure, when hurricanes and tropical storms come everyone gets off work, we fill the coolers and call up friends. That sounds like a good time but you really have to be aware of what is going on outside and be prepared.

Living in southwest Florida I have been through my share of tropical storms and even a hurricane or two. Hurricanes are nothing to mess with as you can see by the below videos and the news coming out of northern islands of the Lesser Antilles. Hurricane Earl grew to a category 3 hurricane in the morning hours yesterday. Category 3 storms are nothing to mess with. Reports are coming in the from the British and U.S Virgin island that Earl has caused damage and that the famous BVI Bomba Shack beach bar is no more. Truly sad.

Update: I just read that Earl is now major category 4 hurricane. Everyone in the Caribbean please be careful. We are all keeping an eye on the news and praying for the islands.

Update: The Bomba Shack is okay for the most part!

Enjoy the hurricane parties before the storm but please hunker down and stay safe when the storm comes your way. Keep the rum safe as well you will need it later.

Video of Hurricane Earl from Anguilla

Video of Hurricane Earl from St. Kitts

Video of Hurricane Earl from St. Croix

Be safe everyone in the islands.

Cheers,

RumShopRyan

Right time, right place. Looking back at some of your fondest memories, can you recall a memory when you shared a special moment with a hero? I know heroes come in all shapes, sizes and professions. I’m talking about musical heroes here.

I was combing through the overwhelming video library that is YouTube, searching for random Caribbean clips. All the sudden, I found myself staring starry eyed at the screen watching a larger than life personality entertain a small intimate group of people in a bar. I saw magic. Right time, right place.

Jimmy Buffett is known for popping into bars and restaurants to play a couple tunes for the lucky guests. That’s exactly what happened to some lucky people on St. Barts. One thing that makes him great is the way he pulls you into his songs. He is a master storyteller and knows how to seduce his audience. Watch these videos as Buffett plays an impromptu gig at the BAZ Bar on St. Barts. Right time, right place.

Buffett Sings “No Woman No Cry” in St. Barts

Buffett Sings “One Particular Harbor” in St. Barts

Pretty amazing memories for those lucky few. Do you see how he draws his audience in? Those people are going to go back to their lives and jobs feeling like a million bucks. They are going to have stories to tell for a lifetime. They are going to have memories so thick they’ll have to wipe them away from their faces.

One thing I’d like to do before growing old and gray is to see one of my heroes in a small intimate setting like this. Electricity flying through the air, child like giddiness on everyone’s face and a shared magical moment with friends, strangers and one hero. That’s what I want. That’s what I wish for. I hope for that right time, right place moment.

Cheers,
RumShopRyan

Start up that margarita blender and turn on some steel drum music because Josh Martin is going to tell us tales of Kenny Chesney and Jimmy Buffett.

Josh is the owner/operator of two very popular fan sites, BuffettWorld.com and ChesneyWorld.com. These two sites keep us fans up-to-date on all the breaking news about these two entertainers. I was able to lure Josh into an interview with the promise of future margarita rounds bought by yours truly. Enjoy the journey. Cheers!

1. You are the owner & operator of two very popular websites, BuffettWorld.com and ChesneyWorld.com, how long have you had the site sand what made you come up with the idea?

My buddy first introduced me to Jimmy Buffett when I was a sophomore in high school (2000). The more and more I listened to his music the more and more I loved it, and after going to my first show in St. Louis I was hooked. I was very into computers and had been fiddling with making websites so I decided to make a Buffett website. It started as a hobby, but after a couple of years I bought the domain name buffettworld.com and, with the help of my contributor Justin, added a ton of new information. The traffic really grew in 2004 and has grown exponentially since. It’s now the largest resource for all things Jimmy Buffett on the net.

A couple years back I noticed that Kenny was getting more and more of a following. He had become the biggest act in country music and one of the biggest tours in all of music. But there wasn’t a fan website out there for him like there was BuffettWorld for Jimmy Buffett. I had been thinking about creating a Chesney site for a while, and in May of 2008 I decided to replicate what I’d done for Buffett and created ChesneyWorld.com. It grew very quickly and I’ve been surprised and thrilled by its success.

There are a great group of fans for both Kenny and Jimmy and I’m very gracious for those that come to the “Worlds” to get their fix.

2. What is your “Boat Drink” of choice when you are relaxing?

My drink of choice is usually a Bud Light Lime. I also love a good frozen margarita. I guess I’m just sort of a lime guy when it comes to boat drinks.

3. Which singer/song writer do you have more in common with, Mr. Buffett or Mr. Chesney?

I feel like I have a lot in common with both of them. I share their love of sports. I have a laid back, easy going personality, and love fishing and boating. I would probably relate more to Chesney as we’re closer in age, but Buffett and I share one very strong passion, and that’s flying. My day job is corporate pilot and I love it. Jimmy Buffett is a very accomplished pilot and owns several airplanes. When (hopefully not “if”) I do get to meet him someday, I envision it being at an airport where we’ll chat about airplanes and our love of flying.

4. What is your favorite Caribbean Island?

I’ve only been to a couple, but I do love the backside of St. Thomas, away from the city where it’s a little quieter. I’d love to visit St. John. which is Kenny’s home away from home, or St. Barts where Jimmy spends a lot of his time.

5. How many Buffett and Chesney shows have you been too? What was your most memorable experience?

I just went to my 10th Buffett show back in April. A big group of friends have gone every year for the past decade except one. The group gets bigger and bigger every year and it’s such a good time. Easily the most memorable experience was Dallas 2003 when I was fortunate enough to sit second row dead center. At the end of the show, Jimmy always throws his wrist bands into the crowd and he threw one of them towards us and all hands went up for it… the people in front of me thought it fell to the ground so they all leaned forward but the wrist band had been knocked into the air and landed on the back of the guy in front of me as he leaned forward. With the quickest motion I’ve probably ever made I snatched it off of his back. I’ve now got it in a frame on the wall with a picture of Jimmy wearing it from that show.

I’ve seen Kenny 5 times. The first was in 1999 at a small venue here in my hometown. It was pre-No Shoes, No Shirts, No Problems so it was cool to compare him then to later shows after he underwent his “island transformation.” Earlier this year I was able to attend the CMT Crossroads taping in Nashville with Steve Miller. That was a very special experience. It was neat to see the show when it aired on CMT, knowing what all happened behind the scenes to make the show what it was.

6. This will be a hard question, but what are your top 2 favorite songs from both artists?

This is a very hard question, particularly with Buffett songs. I’m glad you asked for top two and not just my number one. For Kenny, it’s “Me and You” and “Back Where I Come From.” “Me and You” is my wife and I’s song. It was the first song we danced to at our wedding. And “Back Where I Come From” has always been a favorite since the first time I heard it back in the 90′s. It’s been a real treat this year as Buffett’s sang it on tour a few times, including the show that we were at. As for Buffett, I’d probably go with “When The Coast is Clear” and “One Particular Harbour.” “When The Coast is Clear” is the first song that Jimmy and Mac McAnally ever wrote together. It’s just such a great tune, and I love it even more after Buffett changed the words to reflect the situation in the gulf. And with “One Particular Harbour”, Jimmy always says that everybody should have that one particular harbour that they can go to and feel at home and have a good time. It’s a staple at his shows and I’ve just always loved it since the first time I heard it.

7. What does the future hold for BuffettWorld and ChesneyWorld?

Earlier this year both sites underwent a major redesign that took a significant amount of time. Since that’s been accomplished there aren’t any big plans for either site right now. We’ll just keep on providing the best and latest news, while utilizing social media like Twitter and Facebook.

8. Last question. If you were stranded on a beautiful tropical island in the middle of nowhere and could bring 3 things with you, what would they be?

I’d bring my wife and two kids (daughter Peyton (3) and son Paxton (1 month)). I couldn’t imagine life without them. If you were gracious enough to count them as one, then I’d also bring along a good book and a computer so I could still keep everyone up to date on Kenny and Jimmy

I want to thank Josh for taking the time do the interview.  I know I will continue going to BuffettWorld and ChesneyWorld for my escapism fix.

Have a great weekend Castaways!

Cheers,

RumShopRyan

Friday? Did someone say Friday? That’s right, it’s time to put your head in the clouds and relax for a spell. Here are 10 jaw dropping Caribbean Rainbow photos to help get you in the weekend state of mind. Cheers.

Which one is your favorite?

Caribbean Rainbows

1.

Location unknown (Heaven?)

2.

Location St. Lucia

Flickr photo from Malcolm Heaven

3.

Location Barbados

Flickr photo from Nigel Durrant

4.

Location Belize

Flickr photo from Jaboedo

5.

Location St. Vincent

Flickr photo from Traveling Storyteller

6.

Location Grand Cayman

Flickr photo from Salvatore Freni

7.

Location St. Kitts

Flickr photo from Liembo

8.

Location Dominica

Flickr photo by Davie Lee

9.

Location Barbados

Flickr photo by Michael Andrassi

10.

Location St. Thomas

Doesn’t your entire body feel more relaxed right now? That’s what the island do to you.

Let us know which island rainbow you liked the best.

Cheers Castaways,
RumShopRyan

Satisfying my Caribbean addiction is difficult to do. It’s like a drug. The more I take in, the more I want to consume. Lucky for myself and other like minds, there is a wealth of great content out there ready to satisfy the beast.

Here is a list of blogs and websites that I visit almost daily. Each one offers a little something different and gives you great insight to that particular slice of paradise.

The first one I want to suggest to you is THIS ONE! How do you subscribe to a blog and follow it? It’s easy. You can follow via email, where each new post is sent to your email in box. I’m not a fan of that way. I just don’t like having my inbox overloaded. The other way is with the Google Reader (RSS). It’s great. The Google reader keeps all the sites you want to follow in one place and shows you which ones have new posts. Done and Done.

Click here to subscribe to RumShopRyan the Coconut Connection. Just pick how you want to follow. Pretty simple.

Island Style Websites I follow

Bermuda Shorts – David LaHuta is a Bermuda based writer specializing in travel and lifestyle stories. David’s blog gives you great information of the island of Bermuda, travel and much much more.

Caribbean Travel News – Written by Laura Sangster. She’s been selling Caribbean Travel for over 11 years. She posts amazing photos of islands she visits and gives great travel advice.

Chesney World – If you’re looking for the latest and greatest on island boy Kenny Chesney, this is the site to follow.

Buffett World – If you follow Mr. Chesney you almost have to be a fan of Jimmy B., Buffett World is written by the same person as Chesney World. Talk about having a couple great websites right?

Definitive Caribbean – Definitive Caribbean is an A-Z guide to the islands, the accommodation and what to do around the region.

Caribbean Travel & Life – This is the blog of the popular Caribbean Travel & Life Magazine. It will give you information on resorts, activities and great island news.

Islands Magazine – I have been a long time subscriber of this great magazine. They have some of the best writers and photographers around.

2 Gringos in the Caribbean – Want to see some amazing photos of the Turks and Caicos? This is the place for you then. The writers 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.

Caribbean Amphibian – Largely inspired by the music of Jimmy Buffett, he took his first trip to the Caribbean and immediately fell in love. Unfortunately, he lives in Charlotte, NC, and thus, far away from paradise. A mis-located Caribbean beach bum, I guess. Aren’t most of us?

Island Obsessions – This is a fun little blog. Written by Patty, who like many of us took a trip to the Caribbean and fell in love. She loves the islands but is obsessed with AXA, Anguilla. Can’t seem to visit any other islands. Anguilla keeps calling. It’s a fun read.

Key West the Blog – Everyone has to have a Key West fix right? KEY WEST THE BLOG is a local’s perspective and, in pictures and words, they’ll be sharing the news and views of their island life with you.

Rum Connection – Rum Connection is dedicated to providing our readers with the latest news, exclusive articles and critical information about the tradition and culture of rum.

On-St. John – One of my favorites. I have a big soft spot for this amazing island in the USVI. Small stories. Insignificant observations. Interesting people and places. And everything that is quirky about St. John can be found here.

St. Thomas Blog – Written by husband and wife combo, Scott and Nicci, they want to fill you in on everything; great St. Thomas restaurants, night life, bars, St. Thomas real estate and much more.

TacoGirl – “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.

Beach Outpost – The purpose of Beach Outpost and its development is to present a new and refreshing take on everything beach-related including travel, tourism, activities, news, food & beverages (beach drinks!), music, interviews, and many other exciting and refreshing new features.

BVI Music – This is a site I just found. BVImusic.com is the one-stop source for artist information and live music performances taking place in The British Virgin Islands. Have to have my Salt Life Sound!

The Sandy 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”

Uncommon Caribbean – a celebration of the undiscovered charms of the Antilles! From the unexpected (surfing a la Martinique?) to the downright bizarre (St. Croix’s beer-drinking pigs), they offer 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.

And that’s my reading list! I told you I need a Caribbean fix…this pirate doesn’t mess around.

If you have any Island/Beach/Caribbean themed sites that you read please let me know. Give a small description and link in the comment section below. I’m sure all of us would love to escape even more.

Cheers,
RumShopRyan

Fascinated by stories of pirates, rum and adventure? Then this is the story for you.

The Sandy Slippper, Beach Outpost and myself teamed up and wrote a short story. We each wrote a part totally independent of the other two. We had no idea where the story was going or starting. An experiment if you will.

The Legend of the Cursed Rum starts here. Read it if you dare!

___________________________________________________

This story of adventure, tropical islands and debauchery all started one stormy night in Key West.

Marco Appleton is a thirty something Bahamian born bar owner living in Key West Florida. His late father willed him the family business, a thatch covered tiki bar on the north side of Duval Street called Bikinis, Boats and Brew. The locals know it as the 3 B’s bar.  Marco is ambitious but loves the casual island life. He craves just a few things in this world; money, rum, women and more rum.

It’s early July and tropical storm Erin is making a fuss outside. The only people in the bar this night are Tucker Gay and Captain Bob. Tucker is Marco’s happy go lucky, sun fried bartender. His hair is long, dirty looking and bleached by the sun. On his bad days he could pass as homeless.

B.O.B. Bob is a drunken old slob. He is a local sailboat owner that begrudgingly takes pale skin tourists out for sunset and dolphin cruises on his mistress of the sea, Nora the Ocean Dancer. Captain Bob is a regular at the 3 B’s bar and he likes his rum straight and dark.

The three burn the hours away alone, drinking rum and whatever as Erin rages. She pushes the more timid souls indoors. Conversations of women and stories of the sea fill the air.  It’s 1am and the 3 island boys exhaust all the rum behind the bar.  Not wanting to call it a night, Marco, with a glimmer in his eye tells Bob and Tucker that there is one more bottle.  It’s the bottle his father left in the office desk. He had always told Marco to never ever drink this bottle. It is a good luck bottle and it’s to be hidden and kept sealed at all times.

Those rules float right out of Marco’s fuzzy mind as he reaches to pick up the bottle. Hell, there is a terrible storm outside and he is thinking it’s a damn fine idea to pop the top on this unlabeled bottle of rum. “I need a little luck on a night like this.” he thinks to himself.  As Marco picks up the bottle he can tell its weight is a little heavy and doesn’t have a fluid feel to it like something filled with liquid would have. He wondered if the bottle was a little off or if it was him and his rum soaked gray matter.

Marco meanders back to the front of the bar where Tucker and Captain Bob are commenting on how attractive Stephanie Abrams from the weather channel is. “Games faces on!” Marco says, as he hands the dusty bottle to Tucker. Tucker also notices something strange with the bottle. The bottle has a red wax seal with what looks to be a skull and cross bones imprinted in the wax. Is this rum or poison Tucker thought as he brushes the hair from his eyes and begins to crack the seal of the strange bottle.

BAMMM! Suddenly a flash of lightening fills the sky flowed by a deafening crash of thunder.  The lights flicker and a cold mysterious wind blows through the 3 B’s bar. The 3 jump slightly in their seats as Tucker pours the first glass. To their curious eyes, sand, not rum pours from the bottle. Confusion and a little disappointment wash over their faces.

Tucker continues to pour the sand and as he does strange metallic noises begin to emanate from the bottle. The 3 rum drunk island boys watch in amazement as the last grains of sand pour from the old bottle and on to the bar. Just when things couldn’t get any stranger, the last grains of sand spill out along with an old rolled up piece of paper.

Marco carefully picks up the weathered looking scroll. They look at it with a quizzical gaze and question what the hell it might be. Captain Bob in his misguided brilliance suggests it maybe toilet paper and that the owners kept it in a bottle to keep it dry while at sea. Shaking his head, Marco unties the delicate scroll and spreads it flat on the sandy bar.

What lies before them is an old map of the Florida Keys, South Florida, the Caribbean and the Bahamas. It was hand drawn and none of the islands had names. There are a few Spanish words written off to the side and a large skull and cross bones over an unnamed island in the Bahamas. It was obviously a map to something, but what. Could it be to a 300 year old Spanish treasure, or maybe it’s a fake or decoy map.  Maybe it’s just a crazy trick Marco’s father is playing on him from the dead.

As Marco and Captain Bob question the authenticity of the map, Tucker picks up the bottle to look it over more closely. As he picks it up the clanging noise again resonates from inside. He holds the bottle up to the light to see what the origin of the odd sounds is. Between his blurred vision and the cloudy bottle he couldn’t make out the source of the mysterious noise.

Without warning Marco grabs the bottle and hurls it towards the concrete floor. The old bottle shatters on impact. The 3 befuddled men lean over the broken bottle and marvel at it’s contents. Laying on the dirty bar floor right in front of them are 7 gold coins with some of the same markings on them as the map.

Lightening again flashes and lights up the bar and the entire white cap covered harbor. This time thunder doesn’t follow. The only thing heard was Marco’s crystal clear words, “You guys want to take a little trip.” The 3 smile ear to ear.

*************************************

Read Part 2 Written by The Sandy Slipper

Read Part 3 Written by Beach Outpost

Enjoy the story!

Cheers,

RumShopRyan

Tropical Storm Bonnie blew in and blew out yesterday. Southwest Florida just got a lot of rain with only a small amount of localized flooding. Pretty weak as far as storms go.

As the storm passed, the skies opened to let the last rays of sun touch the coast before saying good night. The transition from day to night and from stormy skies to calm happened all at once. The beauty of all this is better shown and not written.  Enjoy.

North tip of Little Hickory Island and Bonita Beach.

Here are a few photos as well.

Bonita Beach, Backend of Tropical Storm Bonnie

Walkway to Bonita Beach

Sunset Looking South Towards Naples

I hope all you Castaways are enjoying life this weekend. Soak it up!

Cheers,
RumShopRyan

Glasses full, sun shining, worries gone. I hope everyone is having a no shoes weekend so far. I hope you are kicking back with a frozen boat drink without a care in the world.

The Castaway wristbands are ready for you guys! I put up a photo of the bands on the right side of the page so it will be easy for everyone to see.  I was able to give away what I brought to the Gulf Shores concert but I saved the majority for you guys.

The wristbands are just like the LIVE STRONG Lance Armstrong bands. I went with the lime green color because…when we are on island we like to kick back and lime now don’t we. Limin’ is part of island culture and a perfect color.

The wristbands simply have the words RumShopRyan.com Castaway on them. It’s a little hard to see in the photos.

I have mine on and haven’t taken it off.

Are you a Castaway?

If you would like one just click the easy buy now button. They are $2 with .99 shipping. I’ll ship it out to you right way!

Quantity

1 Wristband $2.00 2 Wristbands $4.00 3 Wristbands $6.00

Once you get yours I would love to see photos of you guys with them on! You can post the photos to the Facebook fan page. I smell a photo contest…hmm.

Cheers Castaways,

RumShopRyan

Zero day had finally arrived and it was time for the beach party to begin. The island of Margaritaville and about 35,000 parrotheads were ready for the show.

We headed down to Gulf Shores after the World Cup final to do a little tailgate. After pounding some pre-show adult beverages we walked through the gates and took in the sea of humanity packed together on the white sand, soaking in the warm sunshine. It’s show time!

We walked through the beach to lay claim to a plot of sand but quickly found out it was a pain in the ass to walk around everyone with beach towels down. Then all the bathroom were in the back. It’s important to be close to bathrooms when you have an acorn size bladder.

So we post up next to the beer stand and bathrooms and take in the joy that is a Jimmy Buffett concert. Here are several video snippets from the show.

“I will play for gumbo”

“It’s 5 o’clock Somewhere”

Watch to the end and you will see these ladies tell me I talk funny and ask if I’m a yankee. Sorry but your the one that talks funny lady! Cheers!

“Bama Breeze”

“Where the boat leaves from”

Buffett covering Zac Brown Band’s “Where the boat leaves from”

“Back Where I Come From”

Buffett and McAnally sing “Back Where I Come From” which Kenny Chesney recorded and Mac McAnally wrote.

“Fins”

Here are a couple fun loving Buffett lovers taking in the magic.

The show was awesome and accomplished what it set out to do. It brought thousands of people to the Gulf Shores area and helped the tourism industry that has been devastated by the oil spill.

You can read about day one on Gulf Shores here.

Our trip is sponsor by Cuttin Up Radio. If you like great country music, entertaining interviews of top artists and being introduced to new bands, then this is the online radio station for you! They also have a cool Facebook fan page. Check them out.

Cheers,

RumShopRyan