PADI Open Water Diver certification

So, yesterday I plopped $195 down and started my course work for the PADI Open Water Diver certification. This has been a long time coming. I actually signed up to join the Navy as a diver in my college years, but with the way delayed enlistment worked at that time I decided to go back to school instead.

I'm very excited. I've been swimming underwater since I was 5 and always dreamed of exploring the oceans. My favorite thing to do on our vacations is snorkling. The fish and the underwater environment is just so cool in the caribbean. I hope I enjoy it as much as I think I will.

My initial plan will be to progress all the way to PADI Instructor but that will be a few years and many, many dives away. I've started the frst chapter of the course work and will take my first test after the holidays.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!

Drink Recipes

For those of you who have asked, here are the recipe's for a few of our favorite island drinks:

 PainKiller

• 2 oz Pusser's® dark rum
• 1 oz cream of coconut
• 4 oz pineapple juice
• 1 oz orange juice

Shake or stir ingredients, and pour over ice in a tall glass. Sprinkle nutmeg on top, and serve

Bushwacker

• 4 oz cream of coconut
• 2 oz Kahlua® coffee liqueur
• 1 oz Bacardi® black rum
• 1 oz dark creme de cacao
• 4 oz milk

Combine ingredients with two cups of ice in a blender. Blend until smooth, and serve up in
two 12 oz cups.

Rum Punch (Castaway Girl recipe)

• 2 oz Spiced Rum
• 3 oz Pineapple Juice
• 2 oz Orange Juice
• 1 oz Guava Juice

Shake or stir ingredients, and pour over ice in a tall glass.

Mango Daiquiri

• 1 oz dark rum
• 1/4 oz Orange Curacao liqueur
• 3 oz mango chunks
• 1 1/2 oz sweet and sour mix.

Combine the rum, orange curacao, mango pieces and sour mix in a blender with one cup of
crushed ice. Pour into a tall glass, garnish with a mango stick and serve

The Old Man

The Soggy Dollar Bar

We went on a Norweigan 7-day eastern Carribean cruise right after Thanksgiving. Our ports were Samana, Dominican Republic; St. Thomas USVI; Tortola, BVI; and Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas. The service was atrocious and we will probably never go on another Norweigan cruise - but that's a story for another time.

When we arrived at Tortola, we booked an excusion to Jost Van Dyke and the Soggy Dollar Bar. For those of you that don't know, the Soggy Dollar Bar is the inventor of my favorite island drink - the PainKiller.


While standing at the bar working on our 4th or 5th PainKiller (you tend to lose count), we met an older man, probably in his late sixties/early seventies. He was from the U.S. but worked in the islands. During the conversation, my wife asked him how he was able to make the move to the islands. We are using some of his advice as the basis for our plan.

He told us that if we really wanted to make the move and still earn income, then he would recommend that we became a captain and first mate. He told us that a good crew is always in demand in the islands and that a captain could make around $80K a year with the right boat.

He then told me to get as much sailing experience as possible and get Coast Guard certified (test is supposedly $600 or so). He also recommended that I get experience as diver if possible - preferrably a dive instructor certification. My wife, he said, could be the First Mate. She would be responsible for cooking and entertaining the passengers - something she loves to do.

So the first thing we are going to do is get a boat. We live very close to a large lake and we will earn our chops first with a small motor boat and then graduate to a medium sailboat.

While we are searching for the right boat for our family I will pursue my PADI Open Water certification and see if I can't get to know some of the guys at the local yacht club and try to work my way on to a crew for some experience. Stay tuned...

Embarkation

em·bark : to make a start

Welcome. I've created this blog to serve as a sort of journal as my wife and I pursue the path to island living.

It is our goal to one day live permanently at and island residence and this blog will serve as a place for us to document our progress and any information to that end.

If this blog ends up with any followers, I hope you enjoy the ride. My hope is that this blog will end up as a roadmap for others with the same dream, and help us and them achieve the goal of living in paradise.