Wahoo Reef weather station
Sunday, June 30, 2024
Temperature: 89
Humidity: 68%
Precipitation: Imminent
Monthly Archives: June 2024
Blacktip Island Power Outages Spawn Illegal Betting Pools
Blacktip Island residents have started on-the-sly betting operations concerning the Caribbean island’s aging generator’s frequent power outages. (photo courtesy of Taurus Emerald)
The recent rash of power outages on Blacktip Island has resulted in an unofficial, illegal betting industry on the small Caribbean island, with residents placing wagers on the date and time of the next outages.
“When we had power problems a while back, there was an official lottery to raise money for the power plant,” Kay Valve said. “This is a different critter all together. Folks are placing bets on the sly, unofficially, and pocketing their winnings. Whoever guesses closest to the precise date-and-time takes all. Who’s organizing it, and who’s betting, no one’ll say officially.
“Near as we can tell, the betting venue changes regularly, to keep one step ahead of the law,” Valve said. “No one’s sure exactly how much money’s involved, but with the damn-near daily outages, there has to be a ton of cash being passed under the table.”
Island authorities are attempting to crack down on the gambling.
“Wagering of any kind is illegal in the Tiperon Islands,” Island Police Constable Rafe Marquette said. “We can turn a blind eye to the occasional ‘I bet you $10,’ one-off sorts of bets, but something this large in scale can’t be allowed to continue.
“The big worry now is bad actors sabotaging the plant for financial gain,” Marquette said. “And if off-island gangs get involved, we could have rolling blackouts for the foreseeable future, with Blacktippers’ money being funneled elsewhere.”
Most island residents claimed ignorance.
“There’s rumors of gambling, sure, but this little rock is a rumor factory,” Gage Hoase said. “Ninety percent of ‘em are bogus. But if we get lemons with all these outages, can’t blame folks for making some lemonade. There’s stories of folks making unofficial side bets, too, but, I reckon the first rule of power-outage betting is don’t talk about power-outage betting.”
Others put a positive spin on the outages.
“I make the best of the power failures,” Chrissy Graysby said. “I can now reprogram my stove and microwave clocks in total darkness. And losing power makes you slow down, really, and enjoy just sitting and being, like our ancestors did. Modern island life can get so hectic, can’t it?”
Marquette noted the gambling has self-regulated on a small scale.
“Apparently all power plant workers are banned from betting, so those folks are in the clear in my investigations,” he said. “Seems Stoney MacAdam won three times in a row at the beginning of all this, and everybody knew he was playing dirty pool. That resulted in Stoney and three others in the medical clinic.
“And, though gambling is illegal, if I were a betting man, my money’d be on 11:16 tomorrow morning,” Marquette added.
Filed under best scuba diving novels, Caribbean, Scuba Diving
Blacktip Island Weather
Wahoo Reef weather station
Sunday, June 23, 2024
Temperature: 88
Humidity: 71%
Precipitation: Not happening
Filed under best scuba diving novels, Caribbean, Scuba Diving
Blacktip Island Amateur Botanist Discovers Deadly Triffids On Bluff
A row of what amateur botanist Edwin Chub has identified as triffids—sentient, ambulatory plants that prey on humans—on Blacktip Island’s southern bluff. (photo courtesy of Rob Noble)
An amateur botanist exploring Blacktip Island’s southern bluff Wednesday discovered what he described as a group of venomous, ambulatory triffid plants, sparking concerns for the island population’s safety.
“I did quite the double take when I first saw them, making certain they were real,” Edwin Chub said. “I’ve seen that ‘Day of the Triffids’ documentary, and there’s no mistaking them. They’re not mature yet, or able to move around, but it’s just a matter of time. Then we’re all cooked. It doesn’t do to trifle with triffids.
“What they did in the UK was horrific,” Chub said. “It’s a wonder anyone was left alive over there. I thought they killed all of them, but apparently a few seeds got transported here somehow. Only thing to do now is burn the lot of them, and make sure we didn’t miss any.”
Island authorities said removal was not a straightforward affair.
“That whole area up there’s a nature preserve,” Island Police Constable Rafe Marquette said. “As easy as burning them all would be, it can’t be done legally. Humanity’s survival be damned, it’s a protected area. The best we can do is put up a wall to contain them. If they wander off the bluff, they’re fair game. But until then, our hands are tied.”
Some island residents proposed an exception to the law.
“Them things are a mortal threat to everybody on the island,” Linford Blenny said. “I seen that documentary—you can’t contain ‘em. We need to kill ‘em all now before they kill us. If Rafe won’t take action, well, some of us just might. Late at night when there’s no witnesses.”
Others looked to capitalize on the discovery.
“I’ve never supported all this ‘protected species’ claptrap, but we have to look at the upside to this,” Sandy Bottoms’ Beach Resort owner Sandy Bottoms said. “As far as we know, Blacktip’s the only place in the world with these whats-its. That’s one hell of a draw. We need to fence them in, then charge a premium for folks to see them. Hell, we’ll put folks in body armor and let them run around with them for an up charge.”
A few residents dismissed the discovery, and the dangers posed.
“‘The Day of the Triffids’ wasn’t a documentary; it was a science fiction film,” Jodi Hamlet said. “And a cheesy novel before that. There’s no such thing as triffids. These are just some oddly-shaped trees, combined with Edwin up on the bluff with a bottle of cheap white rum. There’s no emergency here, just nonsense, sky-is-falling melodrama.”
Bottoms brushed aside that criticism.
“If Edwin says they’re real, they’re by-God real,” he said. “The only thing for us to do contain them for public safety, then make a hefty profit off them. We’ll be out the cost of a fence. After that, it’s pure profit.”
Filed under best scuba diving novels, Caribbean, Scuba Diving
Blacktip Island Weather
Wahoo Reef weather station
Sunday, June 6, 2024
Temperature: 86
Humidity: 74%
Precipitation: Soon come
Filed under best scuba diving novels, Caribbean, Scuba Diving
Blacktip Island Resort Unveils Underwater Bocce Court
Bocce, the Italian bowling game increasingly popular around the world, will get a new twist with Eagle Ray Cove resort’s underwater bocce pitch. (photo courtesy of Lomrjyo)
Blacktip Island’s Eagle Ray Cove resort this week unveiled a new underwater bocce ball court near the Eagle Ray Divers boat dock, aiming to attract more visitors to the small Caribbean island.
“Bocce’s all the rage these days, and we thought we’d take the next logical step with it,” Eagle Ray Cove owner Rich Skerritt said. “If it’s that popular topside, underwater’ll make it even better. We built the court up in the hardpan, where the balls roll better. We tried it in the sand, but they just stopped wherever they landed.
“To make it work underwater, we melted lead weights and cast them into three-pound balls,” Skerritt said. “We also ground the limestone substrata smooth for the perfect court surface. There’s already been tons of interest in it, from locals and tourists.”
Some long-time residents were skeptical of the idea.
“It’s a fad, like everything else like this on Blacktip,” Donna Requin said. “It’ll be Flavor of the Month until people get bored and switch to something else. It’s like when half the island was training for the Boston Marathon. Or the sand sledding. Give it a few months and people will have forgotten it.”
Others were concerned about the activity’s environmental impact.
“There’s all sorts of fragile sea life on the hardpan,” Marine Parks spokesperson Val Schrader said. “Rich’s folks destroyed them all grinding down viable ecosystems to make a level court. And what damage did the silt from this atrocity do to the surrounding reefs?
“And on top of that, they’re going to have people walking on the sea bed,” Schrader said. “What the court construction didn’t kill, weighted boots will. And flying balls leeching lead into the ocean is an environmental nightmare.”
Skerritt brushed that criticism aside.
“People aren’t seeing how this is the future,” he said. “This is Blacktip’s chance to claim the global forefront in resort amenities. It’ll take our already-stellar tourism product to the next level. We’re on the cusp of becoming the epicenter of the underwater bocce world. Not even Tiperon has this.
“We’re looking at building a new, underwater bocce-centric resort down the coast,” Skerritt said. “We’ll have fresh- and salt-water courts, to appeal to everyone. The idea’s to eventually host an annual underwater bocce championship. The ball’s in our court, and we have to roll with it.”
Filed under best scuba diving novels, Caribbean, Scuba Diving
Blacktip Island Weather
Wahoo Reef weather station
Sunday, June 9, 2024
Temperature: 76
Humidity: 82%
Precipitation: Incoming
Filed under best scuba diving novels, Caribbean, Scuba Diving
Blacktip Island Stages Pre-Hurricane Party
Hurricane cocktails will take center stage at Blacktip Island’s island-wide pre-hurricane party Saturday, marking the start of the 2024 season. (photo courtesy of NOLAskip)
Blacktip Island community leaders have scheduled an island-wide pre-hurricane party Saturday to mark the start of the Atlantic hurricane season on the small Caribbean island.
“People always wait ‘til the hurricane’s on top of ‘em to have a party,” Chamber of Commerce president Harry Wrasse said. “This year, we decided to throw a general hurricane-season party in case one comes through tomorrow and wipes us out. Kind of a memento mori, if you will, knowing this party could be our last.
“It’ll bring the community together as, well, a community, with members who know they can count on each other in a storm,” Wrasse said. “It’ll focus everybody on coming together as a team for the next six months. Then we can all go back to squabbling.”
Organizers emphasized the positive aspects of the event.
“The way we see it, this is getting out in front of hurricane season,” de facto mayor Jack Cobia said. “If we’ve already had the party, we’re less likely to get hit by a big storm. It’s a proactive celebration aimed at shooing hurricanes away.”
Some were skeptical of the event.
“Gonna have the opposite effect Harry and them think,” Rosie Bottoms said. “Idiots are gonna jinx us for the season. Bring a big-ass storm down on us. Maybe more than one. You don’t spit in Mother Nature’s eye like this without consequences. Best thing to do it not think about storms, hope for the best. But no, we got to do this nonsense.”
Others focused on the party’s details.
“It’ll start early in the day, with half-priced hurricane drinks for everyone,” Doris Blenny said. “We flew in multiple cases of hurricane glasses just for this. Then, once the sun goes down, we’ll have a beach bonfire for everyone to enjoy.
“The highlight, though, will be the hurricane costume contest,” Blenny said. “Contestants will dress as specific, historical hurricanes, with interpretation left to each individual. It’s already proving popular—the store is sold out of cotton balls, and island resorts are reporting pillows stolen and the stuffing ripped out, with folks needing clouds for their get ups.”
The event will also feature live music by island bands, including:
- Social Morays
- Young Jacques and the Double Hose
- TURTLE!
- Duck on a Junebug
- Ivan and the Embolizers
Bands will play hurricane-themed songs, including:
- Like a Hurricane
- Riders on the Storm
- Rock You Like a Hurricane
- Hurricane Drunk
- Ridin’ the Storm Out
- Stormy Weather
- Jumpin’ Jack Flash
Proceeds from the event will go to restocking the rum supply in the island’s hurricane shelter.
Filed under best scuba diving novels, Caribbean, Scuba Diving
The Blacktip Times 