Book Launch

The highly successful launch of Carriacou Sloops Vol. I & II took place on April 16th during the opening night of the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta. The event was hosted onboard the seven attending Sloops and while the sounds from one of Antigua's great saxophonists, Big Boy wafted across the dock guests were treated to a shot of Jack Iron chased with coconut water. For 2 hours an eclectic group of people ranging from yacht owners, crew, artists, VIPs Antiguan & international press and media moved through the crowed that was buzzing with the interest that Carriacou Sloops have created here at this event over the years. As daylight faded to darkness the sound of Scottish highland bagpipes signaled the start of the slideshow presentation of the books. A 9 foot screen was hauled up the mast of GENESIS as the 300 strong crowd went silent. Afterwards the book signing continued with delicious snacks provided by Grenadian chef Selwyn James.

The books which are now on sale in Antigua and will be also available this summer in Bequia, Carriacou & Grenada. There have been only 1000 copies printed of this first Limited Edition set.

CNN Mainsail Interview

With the exciting news that Ocean Nomad, the new Alwyn Enoe 40 has now been launched in Carriacou and will sail up to Antigua for the upcoming Classics I was reminded when Genesis arrived with similar fanfare in time for the 2005 Antigua Classics. After flying around the course for 3 days I was approached by a lady who was doing a video for CNN Mainsail. They were in Antigua for Sailing Week but had arrived a few days early to take in the Classics and someone had mentioned traditional Caribbean workboats...The resulting video was aired on CNN during the summer of that year. Looking at it now I realise that all that hard work has been worthwhile because since Genesis was launched in 2005 there have now been 3 more launches this year - all 4o footers!  CARRIACOU SLOOPS Vol. I & II "The Books" will be launched April 16th at the Antigua Yacht Club Marina onboard GENESIS & JAMBALAYA 6PM.

Island Where article by Joanne C. Hillhouse

Recently I had a wonderful visit from a gifted writer. Joanne C. Hillhouse had asked to do an interview for a new Caribbean magazine published in St. Lucia called Island Where. The resulting article can be viewed here and gives an indication of the content & style of Carriacou Sloops Vol I & II. Meanwhile news form Windward, Carriacou is that the launching of Ocean Nomad in time to compete in the April Antigua Classics is now a strong possibility. The project has been taken over by the Antigua entrepreneur Eli Fuller and will go into charter service at his eco tour company Adventure Antigua. With the arrival of Peter deSavary's new 40ft sloop recently launched in Petite Martinique to challenge the 5 resident Carriacou Sloops in Antigua as well as the Carriacou Schooner Jambalaya this event promises to deliver some excellent racing. 

New Books on their way from China

After 10 years of working on a photography project on the Carriacou Sloops of the Grenadines the result is on its way from the printer in China. The Limited Edition Box set entitled Carriacou Sloops Vol I & II will be launched at the opening of the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta, April 16th 2008. The launch party will take place on the dock of the AYC Marina & onboard the eight attending Carriacou Sloops, six  of which are based in Antigua and two of which will be making their first appearance at the event having recently been launched. The evening will include a giant slideshow presentation with images from the books, a signing, live music & plenty rum! The books will retail for $85 and can be pre ordered on line at Indian Creek Books and here.

Framed prints exhibited in St. John's, Antigua.

Last week a set of framed prints of the orginal printers proof set for IMAGES was hung in Redcliffe Quay. The mini exhibition coincided with the launch of a new fashion line at ZEITGEIST, formerly Radical Design. The 6 signed prints are for sale and will remain in the store over the Christmas period. A further set is on view at the SEABREEZE CAFE at Antigua Yacht Club Marina and at HARMONY HALL, Brown's Bay. The difference between a photographic print and a printer's proof is the former can be duplicated many times over whereas the latter can never be reproduced exactly the same. That is where its originality and value lies; should the book ever go out of print or the artist ever become so incredibly famous as to make his or her work completely unafordable, the owner of a signed and certified original proof could in theory propel themselves into a higher tax bracket overnight by selling the item at auction...!

New billboard for the Antigua Yacht Show

A specially commissioned billboard went up at the Antigua Yacht Club Marina entrance last week. The proprietor Carlo Falcone had seen similar billboards at the airport arrivals hall and had asked me if we could design one to welcome the brokers, press and visiting yachtspeople to the annual Antigua Yacht Show. At 16' wide with an original resolution of 150dpi @100% it looks impressive right up close. Part of the reason is that it is made up of 11 separate vertical high res images stitched together in photoshop to form whats now known as a gigapan.

Today I spoke with Eli Fuller....

He suggested I take a leap into a new dimension...
If this works then you will see much up dated info very soon.