Much like today, in 1937 the U.S. economy was struggling and the world is a tough place for a pair of newlyweds looking for a place to escape the madness. Fledgling writer Robb White and his new wife Rosalie “Rodie” Mason decided to head out on an adventure to make a fresh start for themselves. What timing! There was a crippling depression at home and rumblings of a war abroad. Married only 4 months, Robb & Rodie packed up and set sail for the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean in search of a quiet place to write and reflect. Once ashore, they experienced several disappointing weeks in Sea Cow’s Bay, near Road Town, Tortola of being a “novelty” to the West Indian locals and being eaten alive by mosquitos. Frustrated, Robb put his typewriter in his little sailing boat and wrote in the middle of the bay each day. The pair decided they had to get out of town and spent weeks sailing their 13’ sailboat daily throughout the islands in search of a more suitable home. Excitedly, they found Marina Cay, a rocky nine acre island surround by reef just off the East end of Tortola, near Trellis Bay and bought it for an amazing $60! 

We first visited Marina Cay in 1987, vacationing on a privately chartered sailing yacht. The crew told us the tales they had heard of Robb & Rodie living in a tent while digging a cistern and building a small house on top of the highest point of the little island. Paradise wasn’t entire idyllic; as the couple faced one challenge after another. Rob wrote about the experience in his book Virgin Island, published in 1953. His book was made into a movie Our Virgin Island in 1958 starring Sidney Poitier. We’ve been told that the Beef Island airport was built just so that the film crew and stars could land conveniently to Marina Cay! On a 1958 episode of TV's This Is Your Life, Robb White's sister said that "young Bob was the proverbial minister's son, a rebel against all rules and full of deviltry". His rebel spirit was  what made his time on Marina Cay a successful venture. 

The Whites spent three years on Marina Cay, hacking a home out of the rough, rocky land and shipping in enough concrete to build a small, sturdy house. These were adventurous years —during which the couple lived on what they caught in the ocean, weathered a hurricane, fended off a crazy Nazi skipper, aided Jewish refugees who sailed across the ocean to escape the Holocaust, and survived a surprise a visit from Robb’s mother-in-law (who didn’t appreciate the amenities as compared to her 8,000 acre Georgia plantation!). Many of these tales are detailed in his memoirs published in 1939 by the title of In Privateer's Bay. 

Robb was recalled to military duty in the Pacific Navy when World War II broke out; he flew as a pilot, and served on battleships, submarines and aircraft carriers. He earned eight medals and retired with the rank of Lieutenant Commander after five years of service.

During his time away in the Navy, he and Rodie lost Marina Cay. The British government had never issued them a license to hold the land and later formally refused, stating that White's published writings had misrepresented conditions in the BVI. Sadly, a couple of decades later, they divorced; Rodie stayed in her childhood home in Georgia and Robb relocated to California and continued his path as a very successful writer. He wrote adventure novels or young readers such as The Lion’s Paw, television scripts for shows like Perry Mason (21 in all) and screen plays for a few horror films. On November 24th, 1990 Robb White died from major head injuries during an car accident. 

Today, the 600 sq. ft. stout little house Robb and Rodie built stands surrounded by bougainvilleas, hibiscuses and banyan trees. During the sailing season, you’ll find us there with our guests enjoying sundowners at the bar and listening to local music! We enjoy introducing people the wonderful black & white photos of Robb & Rodie, taken when they were only 28 & 24 years old at Pusser’s Restaurant, also located on the island. Our favorite is one of the couple toasting the camera with a pair of crystal martini glasses. These restored old photos were taken by a sailing visitor from San Juan who visited the island occasionally from 1937-1940. 

Many of Robb Whites books are out of print. But we can regale you with the amazing tales of his adventures at Marina Cay handed down from generation to generation of crewed yacht charter Captains! For the past fifteen years, we visit Marina Cay aboard Three Moons Yacht on our charters for the same reason the Whites did; there’s always something magical experiencing what it must have been like to live on a private island and escaping the madness of the world! 

~Contact a professionally certified yacht charter broker for more information about Three Moons Yacht

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Sometimes, the most amazing things just “fall into your lap”. Last week we were asked by the U.S. Virgin Islands Dept. of Tourism if we would be interested in hosting Sail Magazine for an article on "Five Things I Didn't Know About St. Thomas". 

Three Moons will be included in the July charter column of Sail Magazine. Our special guest, Associate Editor Meredith Laitos is writing an article featuring St. Thomas.  Photographer Elinor Mason was also onboard Three Moons taking photos for the story. Once available, you’ll be able to access an online version of the story with more photos at sailmagazine.com. 

Our writers from Sail Magazine want to promote how easy it is, not to mention less expensive, to fly into St. Thomas and be on a yacht within a blink of an eye. They also came aboard with the idea of leading prospective charter clients back toward booking monohulls, or at the very least, making sure that renting a monohull, either Captained or bareboat is included in the choices made by their subscribers. They were excited to promote the romance of sailing on a traditional monohull as though it’s a new marketing idea!

See the full gallery on Posterous

Over the past season, we’ve heard & read more about the popularity of monohulls increasing. Why? As one of our long-time brokers commented, “The savvy client knows that they can book a larger monohull for less money per foot as compared to a catamaran”. Across the board, we’ve found that our 72’ monohull is at least 30% less to charter than a 58’ catamaran for 8 days, 7 nights. And yes, thats even with this month’s rate increase! 

Our current all inclusive rates* are: 

8 guests - $339.00 each per person per day 

6 guests - $405.00 each per person per day

4 guests - $535.00 each per person per day

*rates do not include airfare

Contact a professional, registered yacht charter broker for more information about Three Moons 

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We are in the thick of St. Thomas carnival! It is the last two days of Virgin Islands Carnival's 60th Anniversary Celebrations, and that means it is Parade time!! 

Wednesday’s Food fair was spectacular with lots of local foods to sample and enjoy. 

Yesterday was J'ouvert with 9 bands – That may be a record! The event was safe this year and lots of fun with people swarming & dancing to their favorite band. “Happy Carnival!” called thousands of locals and tourists as they crowded the streets of Charlotte Amalie in the pre-dawn hours Thursday morning, excited for the 60th Anniversary Carnival J’ouvert celebration.

Nine bands and a few smaller groups inched down Waterfront in huge semi-trucks baring massive pieces of sound equipment designed to pump beats into the eager throngs of grooving partiers.

Today is the Children’s parade. They have practiced hard and have been looking forward to this day all year. Tomorrow is the Adults' Parade, and we know that thousands will be attending, but today is about our children. 

About the fireworks - The world-renowned Grucci family of New York will produce the Carnival fireworks finale at 9:00 PM on Saturday. The Grucci’s expect to feature the number “60” in the sky-dance of color.  Participating sponsors of The “Fireworks Spectacular” are Virgin Islands Lottery and WSTA Lucky 13 Radio  and helping are Crowley Marine, Boynes Trucking Systems, Tropical Shipping, MSI Building Supplies and Challenger Trucking. The best spots to fully enjoy the awe of the Fireworks By Grucci are downtown at Carnival Village and its adjacent waterfront area. 

See the full gallery on Posterous

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So you ask...what is "roti"? Roti is prominent feature in West Indian cuisine and one of our favorite "local foods".  

A roti with a stuffing of ground yellow split peas, cumin, garlic, and pepper. The split peas are boiled until they are al dente and then ground in a mill. The cumin is toasted until black and also ground. The stuffing is pushed into the roti dough, and sealed. When rolled flat, the filling is distributed within the roti. It is cooked on the tava and rubbed with oil for ease of cooking. This Dalpuri style is the most popular roti and making them is a true labor of love.

We like our roti stuffed with a savory curried chicken, potato, and carrot filling. (You can also order beef, goat or shrimp roti!) Top it off with fresh mango chutney and Yum-O!

Opened in 1996 by S. & Ben Jinghai, you'll find this busy little 400 sq ft. restaurant on Garden Street in downtown St. Thomas, near Hotel 1829. Don't miss a true taste of the islands! 

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YATES YACHTS CREWED YACHT EVALUATION

Sherry Yates-Charter Broker, CYBA International/Yates Yachts

Toll Free:  866-994-7245/Website:  www.yatesyachts.com

Yacht THREE MOONS 

Guests: The Page Family Charter

March, 2012 

How did you enjoy your cruising vacation?

It was a 10 out of 10 for all of us, both Julie and I, and our two teenage boys. It exceeded our expectations.

How would you describe your Captain and crew? Were they Courteous? Helpful? Friendly? Attentive? Knowledgeable?

Randy and Shelly were so hospitable. They made us all feel so at home on their boat. They were very friendly, attentive and gave us a vast amount of information, history etc. on the BVI’s and everything and anything we did! It was really a great benefit to have a crew who had so much experience in the area, they knew every nook and cranny. We felt very comfortable about their sailing abilities.

Tell me about your meals? Did the menus meet your expectations? Did your crew pay close attention to your Preference Sheets?

The meals were all 5 star. The presentation was beautiful and the taste so delicious. The meals completely exceeded our expectations. Shelly and Randy really followed our preference sheet and even accommodated our son who disliked seafood. They just took it in stride and prepared him steak or chicken instead. Our 14 year old even mentioned to me that Shelly noticed he didn’t like a lot of onions on his salad and made his with less! We especially liked how Randy cooked so much of our main courses on the grill.

How is the yacht? Is she clean and well-maintained? Were your cabins comfortable? Was the cockpit comfortable? Was there enough shade?

The Three Moons yacht is extremely well kept and clean. Although we rarely spent time in our cabins, they were comfortable and had plenty of space for storage and organization. The deck on the boat has plenty of shade which made for very comfortable sailing. The crew changed our sheets and made our beds, which I must admit we did not expect.

What did you like most about the yacht? What did you like the least?
We all really enjoyed the outdoor table on the boat deck where we ate all of our meals and appetizers. I really do not think there is anything we can say that we liked the least, except we all ate too much!

How did you find the pace and the itinerary of your vacation?
Perfect! We saw at least one new island a day. Randy and Shelly were very accommodating to our desire to do as much snorkeling in as many places as possible. We visited 7 different islands!

Would you charter this yacht again? If not, please explain: Absolutely! It was a wonderful vacation enjoyed by the entire family.

What can Yates Yachts do to improve our services?
We really cannot think of anything that Yates Yachts could improve upon. Sherry was extremely helpful in every way, especially helping us in getting information on accommodation in St. Thomas and also providing us with other small details about the island.

May we use you as a reference? Of course.

Additional Comments:
We really cannot imagine having a more pleasant, and helpful crew than Randy and Shelly. They really cared about us and showed us more than we could have imagined. They have such a calm sense about them which made our trip extremely relaxing. I do not believe that anyone on our boat raised their voice once for the entire 6 days. Any family or group that could be their clients would feel very fortunate during and after their voyage.

Signed: Andy, Julie, Stefan, & Austin Page

* * * Thank you very much! We value your opinion. * * *

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March 24th, 2012

Thank you so much for a memorable, wonderful vacation! Shelly’s culinary expertise, Randy’s sailing expertise and your generous attitude has made our first family boating trip fantastic! Snorkeling was high on our list of “to-do’s” and we sure did it! Snorkeling in a different locale everyday for 6 days! Wow! three Moons is certainly a 5-star experience! Thank you! It’s going to be hard to get back to reality!”~ Julie, Andy, Stefan & Austin, Minneapolis, MN

March 17, 2012

“We hope we can make this week of peace and serenity last the whole year long! Thank you so much for making one of fifty-two weeks in a year so special”~David & Mary Ann

“What a wonderful week of sails, travel and yummy food!!! We look forward to seeing you both again!”~Sue & Gay

“We came on our trip with high expectations, and you far exceeded them from first stepping on board. You both have been wonderful hosts. If “stars” were given to boats (maybe they are!), the Three Moons would be a 5-star experience! Many thanks again!”~Kent & Laury

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Bring on the Booty! As we say, the only pirates in the Caribbean are at the gift shops! So here we "arrgh", with a fine display of downright amazing T-shirts, hats and bags at our brand new E-store!

Visit http://www.threemoonsyacht.qbstores.com

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February 4th, 2012

“Dear Shelly & Randy- What a fabulous time. We’ve been all over the world and this is a top 5 vacation. The food, the drinks, the destinations-everything- First CLASS! Thanks so much for your hospitality.”

Kim & Greg

“Thanks so much for an amazing trip. Everything was wonderful! “5 Star” You are both the best hosts ever.”

Rick & Michelle

“Wow! What a trip! Best Ever. We look forward to seeing you again. I will be practicing my dance moves!”

Rhonda & Bill

“What can we say- You popped our BVI Cherry! We won’t be able to get enough now. Looking forward to our next sailing adventure”. Happy & safe sailing.”

Glen & Kathy

January 20th, 2012

“We were here in 2008 and 2012! And again, it’s the best vacation we have ever had! Thank you so much Shelly & Randy again for making our vacation special!”

Peter & Sue

“Shelly & Randy for the second time you have made this experience for us GREAT!! Service #1. The presentation & food again were fabulous. Thanks again-You Guys Rock!”

“Many thanks for yet another memorable voyage aboard Three Moons! Best wishes and happy sailing into 2012!”

Johnson

“Thank you so much for the great holiday good food and a smooth voyage. Hope to see you again soon!”

Louise

“What an amazing way to begin 2012! Ever more precious family time, beautiful vistas & views, fabulous food and, of course, Shrek! Our third visit was even better than the first two, and we’re looking forward to celebrating Grandpa's 90th on board Three Moons”

The Specs

"Dear Randy & Shelly, 

This has been one of our most memorable Christmas vacations ever! Waking up to sunny skies, a brisk swim and your enthusiastic attitude made it exceptional. Your culinary skills Shelly, and your sailing expertise, Randy, allowed us to relax & enjoy. It isn't often we get to spend this much time as a family and we treasure our time together. You made it fun for all & we will always remember your warm smiles, excellent food and your love & appreciation of life. Your accommodation to our dietary requests, your interesting stories, and painkillers to drink were most appreciated. Whenever we see a rainbow, we will remember our wonderful sail on Three Moons!" 

XXOO Diane, Bob, Jon & Sarah Puckhaber and Jay Shea

Dear Shelly and Randy,

We all made it home safely.  We will forever have fond memories of our sail on Three Moons.  We will miss your gourmet meals, pleasant smiles, blue skies, warm water and snorkeling.  You helped make our vacation perfect.  We will certainly return.  You made us all feel so comfortable and relaxed.  If you are in New England please let us know so we can show you New Hampshire.  We will have a nice room for you and I'll try and cook something although it will be hard to live up to your culinary genius Shelly.  Thank you for everything.  We will miss you.  xoxo Diane

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See the full gallery on Posterous

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It's a great time to "just let it all go"…allow in the love of friends and family around you…even those that make you nuts…..and simply eat cake!

Have a beautiful Thanksgiving, small or quiet or big & boisterous. Be "well fed", in every aspect of your life! And enjoy a slice and the flavors of the Caribbean from the galley of yacht Three Moons!

Chef Shelly Tucker
s/v Three Moons

Tipsy Caribbean Cruzan Chocolate Chip & Pumpkin Cake

1 pkg. (18.25 ounces) plain yellow cake mix
1 can (15oz) pumpkin pie filling
1/4 cup Cruzan Blackstrap Molasses Rum
2 large eggs
1 tsp. almond flavoring
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup finely chopped pecans

1. Place rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly mist a 12-cup Bundt pan with vegetable oil spray, then dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Set the pan aside.

2. Place the cake mix, pumpkin, rum, eggs, flavoring, spices and baking soda in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. Fold in the chocolate chips and pecans. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.

3. Bake until lightly browned about 42-50 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Carefully pour the following warm glaze over the cake while it's hot:

GLAZE: Mix together and microwave at 1 minute intervals until very warm: 1/4 cup Cruzan Blackstrap Molasses Rum, 1/8 cup granulated sugar, 2 TBS. butter and 1 TBS. semisweet chocolate chips.

4. Allow the cake to cool in the pan, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate. The longer it sits in the fridge, the better it gets!

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"Foot per foot, a monohull is a better value for you"! What do you think?
 
It's interesting to learn that due to the economy, most industry leaders agree that the charter trends in hiring a private yacht & crew for a sailing vacation are leaning toward monohull yachts.
 
Upcoming Weeks in 2012 Available:

    •    Feb. 19 - Mar. 31
    •    Apr. 1 - May 23
    •    Jun. 9 - Jun. 30

(Wow, I'll bet you never expected all that, did you? Neither did we!)

To those of you who've experienced the "romance of sailing" with Three Moons, we heartily say Thank you! If you haven't sailed with us, then join our adventures via Facebook or Twitter.
 
Cheers to All and Happy Thanksgiving!
 
Capt. Randy & Shelly Tucker

Join the adventures of our award-winning yacht on Facebook and Twitter

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Columbus Day isn't just a day where you run to the bank, only to remember that it's closed. Neither is it a day well celebrated. But for those of us who are interested in the history of the Caribbean, we know that he's a figure much discussed in the West Indies over afternoon cocktails. I am still trying to figure out how in the world he managed to decide that Virgin Gorda looked like a fat lady reclining! Either Columbus didn't have enough rum, OR he had way to much of it!

There are a lot of interesting facts about Columbus, such as he was the first to charter a yacht in the Virgin Islands! He really wasn't the first person to discover America; but he was the first European. He was a little mixed up believing that he had found the Far East; but he did find the number one cruising area of the world! The truth is that he ushered in a new era of exploration and conquest in the West.

For us, Columbus Day marks on the calendar the day we bring the luggage down from our attic at our home in Franklin, TN. Just like previous explorers & entrepreneurs: "We cannot wait to get going to see what the wonderful Caribbean has in store for us this season! We love our jobs!"  

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Laboring Toward Longevity
When we first begin working in the charter industry, we asked a seasoned Captain, "What keeps you excited about your job that's resulted in being here for so many years?" He replied, "First, it's easy to work in this area of the Caribbean and I love the excitement of the learning experience from each new group of guests". Lately, we've been thinking a lot about popular charter yacht Captains in the industry who've been around for twenty years or more. Being well on our way to hitting those same numbers, we have to explore what makes all of us long-term career Crews happy!

We are Fulfilled!
Maybe it's knowing deep inside that this is truly our calling or just the simple fact that while we work hard, we do it in paradise AND have tons of FUN! Our guests really do delight & fulfill us!

We Have the Talent & Temperament for Chartering!
We all have different gifts; but both of us learned at an early age that taking care of people simply comes naturally.

Book Three Moons For Thanksgiving or Christmas This Year!

Below are a couple of updates & bookings to our charter calendar. *Note-Dates may have been adjusted slightly to allow time for turnarounds between groups. Online Booking/Charter calendar may change quickly, so always contact us first before you book your flight.

Dec 28-Jan 04, 2012 Booked: USVI & BVI
Jan 09-Jan 21, 2012 Booked: USVI & BVI
Jan 26-Feb 05, 2012 Booked: USVI & BVI
Feb 12-Feb 18, 2012 Hold: CUSVI & BVI
Mar 10-Mar 17, 2012 Booked: USVI & BVI
Apr 07-Apr 14, 2012 Hold: USVI & BVI
May 27-Jun 03, 2012 Booked: West End, Tortola, BVI

Three_Moons_Live_Brochure.mov Watch on Posterous

Don't Forget!

You'll enjoy browsing our complete blog page YachtThreeMoons.Posterous.com . Scroll down to see the post on Aug. 22 of the amazing before & after photos of the recent event at Richard Branson's house on Necker Island! Check us out on Facebook & Twitter too!

Happy Labor Day Weekend...Hope You Have FUN!

Capt. Randy & Shelly Tucker

ThreeMoonsYacht.net

SailThreeMoons.com

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

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A yacht is called a "she" because there is always a great deal of bustle around her; there is usually a gang of men about, she has a waist and stays; it takes a lot of paint to keep her good looking; it is not the initial expense that breaks you, it is the upkeep; she can be all decked out; it takes an experienced man (or a woman who understands her needs!!!) to handle her correctly; and without a man at the helm, she is absolutely uncontrollable. She shows her topsides, hides her bottom and when coming into port, always heads for the buoys!"

This old tradition is thought to stem from the fact that in the Romance languages, the word for "ship" is always in the feminine. For this reason, Mediterranean sailors always referred to their ship as "she", and the practice was adopted over the centuries by their English-speaking counterparts.

To be a success at sea, you must collaborate with your vessel. If you call her "it", how friendly a relationship are you going to have? "She" seems to acknowledge the intimate relationship you need in order to address the vulnerability you have to the mercy of the ocean and its tempers.

Lucky for us, the waters of the BVI are calm AND Three Moons is a happy gal!

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While Three Moons yacht sat safely last night in the boat yard in Virgin Gorda, Hurricane Irene caused a major fire at Sir Richard Branson's beautiful Necker Island nearby. Winds up to 90mph howled during the storm. A big strike of lightening hit the main house around 4am on August 22nd. This "Great House" was built in 1982.

Richard's son Sam, 25, and nephew Jack rushed to the house and helped get everyone out. Locals have reported that Richard & wife Joan were on the island, but were staying in another house on the property when the fire broke out.

Several UK newspapers have reported: "It is understood that those in the 'Great House' may have included Richard & Joan's daughter Holly, 29, who is due to marry shipbroker Freddie Andrews on Necker Island in December.

Kate Winslet has received accolades for helping carry Richard's 90 year mother out of the main house to safety. Later Kate was quoted by Richard as saying, "she was wondering when a Director was going to shout CUT!". She and her children were staying on the island during the storm.

We certainly feel deep sadness that the Branson family lost "thousands of photographs and his ever famous notebooks" which were located in his office, based in the main house. But all his family, co-workers, friends & guests are well - "which in the end is all that really matters".  

Our thoughts and positive wishes are with them. We know the flag will proudly fly from the main house again as it does in our photo below made a couple of months ago.

We wish them well during this tough time.

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"Come quick! You gotta see this thing in the water!", shouted our yacht charter guest.

Smiling at their excitement, we snorkeled over to the spot of interest located almost directly above the Wreck of the Rhone in the British Virgin Islands. Feeling rather professional after 14 years of leading snorkeling trips here in the islands, we couldn't image not being able to identify most any creature of the sea. But! We were completely stumped by this "thing" that for lack of better words, looked every bit like a long purple slinky covered in eggs. With lots of friends having many years of experience between us, we began asking everyone if they had ever seen anything like it. Finally, Ann on the yacht Sandcastle, with her degree in zoology and an insatiable water bug, classified our find as oceanic squid eggs.

Ok, what kind of creature produces oceanic squid eggs? Is it as wacky as the egg mass we saw? Well, almost. Our big "purple slinky" was made by a Diamond back squid. They belong to a group of large, muscular marine mollusks (the same group as snails and conch) which are called the Cephalopods (their name literally means the 'head-foot' group). They're found throughout tropical and subtropical regions of the world's oceans occupying near-surface waters during the night and mid-waters during the day. They have rather short arms and large triangular fins that extend the full length of the mantle. These animals include the squids and cuttlefish and they are cousins as it were to the octopi, so they have relatively soft pulp-like cylindrical bodies with a circle of tentacles at one end.

The difference here is that the Diamondback squids are relatively large animals with an average weight of around 33 lb. and measuring up to 3 feet in length . The proper name for them is Thysanoteuthis rhombus and another common name for them is the Barrel squid as their large plump bodies look a lot like a red barrel. But are they unique to this part of the Caribbean? Actually, they are found all around the tropics and even sub-tropics of the entire globe, but only at considerable depth. How deep is this you might ask? The average depth distribution of adults is around 4,500 feet! In fact, they only become available to fisherman when they approach around 1,000 feet to reproduce.

Having a 1 year life span, they lay long, sausage-shaped egg masses that float just beneath the surface of the ocean. Eggs lie in a double strand that wind helically around a large gelatinous core. Embryos near to hatching bear large numbers of chromatophores. This is the most commonly observed egg mass of any oceanic squid. The consistency of the oblong mass was loosely gelatinous but not firm enough to offer tangible resistance to our ungloved hand. It has been said that embedded within this gelatinous matrix were 35,000 to 75,000 individual eggs, each containing a single developing embryo. Each embryo was distributed diffusely enough that they were clearly visible through the entire thickness of the mass.

Tempting as a food source for both islanders and for export, the oceanic squid has been studied as recently as 2005 in Jamaica. Biologist Dr. Karl Aiken, working in conjunction with a marine ecologist from the Montego Bay Marine Park, along with CMI's JICA fisheries experts Takahiko Yasuda and other CMI staff, organized a series of trips to explore Jamaican coastal waters. This exploratory fishing was fully supported by the Fisheries division who promoted their effort to try to shift even some of the large number of fishers off the heavily fished reef fishery resources. The specially customized squid fishing gear was adapted from a successful Japanese design. In the end, it seems as though the idea of fishing for oceanic squid as a food source has died due to the difficulty of fishing in such deep waters.

Sex on the reef? You bet! The discovery of egg masses and the creatures that created them made for quite a lot of excitement aboard the yacht Three Moons. But all joking aside, the ocean is a never ending source of amazement and learning for us all!

Learn more about the yacht Three Moons: http://threemoonsyacht.net

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The world is definitely shrinking! Remember "six degrees of separation"? It's alive and well! (Six degrees of separation refers to the idea that everyone is on average approximately six steps away from any other person on Earth, so that a chain of, "a friend of a friend" statements can be made, on average, to connect any two people in six steps or fewer.)

Here we are, floating on a private charter yacht in the middle of the Virgin Islands and a friend of friend from our hometown of Franklin, TN contacts Three Moons for a Three Moons Island Cookbook. Retired after 35 years in public education, she enthusiastically writes a food article for a local paper in Savannah, Tennessee and wants to include our yacht in an upcoming article.  Food has always been her passion, so much so that she put an addition onto her home just for her cookbook collection! That's what you call a “real” foodie!

*This recipe came from my friend, Shelly Tucker in Franklin, Tn. She and her husband Randy own and operate the Three Moons Yacht Charter Service and have been cruising, and exploring the Virgin Islands since 1989. Shelly is a passionate, talented and award winning chef. She has recently published a cookbook “ Three Moons Island Cookbook” and you can follow her blog: http://yachtthreemoons.posterous.com/ or check out their websites : http://threemoonsyacht.net or http://sailthreemoons.com

*The lemon zest adds just the right touch to make this a winner!
 
You might even want to consider chartering a trip to the Caribbean and enjoy Shelly’s wonderful cuisine prepared in her well-equipped galley!
Janice Shelby, The Courier Newspaper
 
Ingredients:

Lemon Sugar Topping:
1/3 cup of sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest from 1 lemon
Sift together sugar and lemon zest in a small bowl until combined: set aside.

Muffins:

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1-1/8 cups sugar, plus 1 teaspoon
2-1/2 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly (½ stick)
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract

Bring 1 cup of blueberries and 1 teaspoon sugar to simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, mashing the berries with a spoon several times, and stirring
frequently, until berries have broken down and mixture is thickened and reduced to ¼ cup, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and cool to room temperature, 10-15 minutes.

Rinse remaining berries under cold water and dry well. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in large bowl. Whisk remaining 1-1/8 cups of sugar and eggs together in medium bowl until well mixed and thick, about 45 seconds. Slowly whisk in butter and oil until combined. Whisk in buttermilk, vanilla and lemon extract until combined. Toss the blueberries in the flour mixture and using a rubber spatula, fold egg mixture into the blueberry/ flour mix until just moistened. Batter should be lumpy, and you may even have a few spots of dry flour, but do not over mix!

Using a large spoon, divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups, completely filling cups and mound slightly. Spoon a teaspoon of the cooked berry mixture into the center of each mound of batter. Using a small paring knife, gently swirl the berry filling into the batter using a figure-eight motion. Sprinkle lemon-sugar mixture evenly over the muffins.
 
Bake in a standard muffin tin pan sprayed with cooking spray on middle rack of oven at 425 degrees until golden and firm (17-19 minutes), rotating muffin tin front to back about halfway through baking time. Cool muffins in tin for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool about 5 minutes before serving. Yield: 12 muffins  

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