Blacktip Island Weather
Sunday, April 3, 2022
Temperature: 81
Humidity: 61%
Precipitation: Seriously?
Filed under best scuba diving novels, Caribbean, Scuba Diving
Blacktip Island Art Society Will Recreate Masterpiece Underwater
Pablo Picasso’s 1937 masterpiece ‘Guernica’ will be recreated on the sandy sea bottom near Eagle Ray Cove resort. (image courtesy of Museo Reina Sofia)
The Blacktip Island Art Society this week announced a team of its scuba-certified members will recreate a version of Pablo Picasso’s ‘Guernica’ underwater in the sand near the small Caribbean island’s Eagle Ray Cove resort.
“We wanted to make a statement, show art is for everyone,” BIAS president Christina Mojarra said. “‘Guernica’ is one of the iconic paintings of the 20th Century, but no one we talked to had heard of it or knew who painted it. Our aim is to change that by creating a mural-sized line-drawing reproduction on the sea floor for swimmers to see.
“The painting resonates on Blacktip because it looks so much like The Last Ballyhoo bar on a Saturday night,” Mojarra said. “It’s touch and go weather-wise when we’ll be able to do it. We need a flat calm day with no surge and no current. That’s why we chose the sheltered lagoon down by Eagle Ray Cove.”
BIAS members say the project presents unexpected challenges.
“In practice sessions, the conchs destroyed our designs as fast as we could draw them,” Reg Gurnard said. “We had to round them all up and pen them well away from our work area. We also have underwater sentries to shoo away stingrays and eagle rays.
“It was a unanimous vote to declare the site a no-scuba zone for as long as the image is viable,” Gurnard said. “It wouldn’t last five minutes with divers kicking across it. The artists have all been picked for their buoyancy skills—one stray kick could ruin the piece. Folks are welcome to view it from the surface with a diving mask. Or a glass-bottom boat.”
Some on the island were critical of the project.
“I understand wanting to inspire a love of art, but this isn’t the way to do it,” Helen Maples said. “Disturbing that much sand will wreak havoc with the marine environment. And putting conchs in pens? Chasing rays? That’s flat-out harassment of marine life and needs to be fined, at the very least.”
Marine Parks officials say the project, though ill-conceived, is legal.
“It’s outside the park—barely—so we can’t do anything to stop it,” marine parks spokesperson Val Schrader said. “I had a talk with all the BIAS divers about respecting marine life, but they were all so zoned in on their scratchings, I’m not sure how much good it did.”
Most island residents, however, look forward to the re-creation.
“I love to see things like this done with the wider community in mind,” Angela Fisher said. “We plan to take the little ones out snorkeling so they can watch the artists in action, maybe inspire them to do some sand drawing of their own one day.”
Eagle Ray Cove has created a special ‘Guernica’ cocktail to mark the event and will have ‘Guernica’-themed t-shirts, caps and other related items for sale.
Filed under best scuba diving novels, Caribbean, Scuba Diving
Blacktip Island Weather
Sunday, March 27, 2022
Temperature: 79
Humidity: 64%
Precipitation: Not today
Filed under best scuba diving novels, Caribbean, Scuba Diving
Blacktip Island Community Players Stage ‘Lukes of Hazzard’ Mashup
Motor scooters will serve as landspeeders and police cruisers in the Blacktip Island Community Players’ production of ‘Lukes of Hazzard’ this weekend. (photo courtesy of Aniket Konkar)
The Blacktip Island Community Players will premier their spring performance, a Star Wars-meets-Dukes of Hazzard original piece titled ‘Lukes of Hazzard,’ at Diddley’s Landing public pier Saturday afternoon, a BICP spokesperson said.
“We strive to stretch ourselves, take unusual risks and celebrate local talent, so when Edwin Chub showed us his original script, we jumped at it,” BICP director Doris Blenny said. “The premise is a young and an old Luke Skywalker time warp into 1980s Kentucky and race around the countryside taking on Boss Hutt and his bounty hunters.
“Their main concern, obviously, is saving Princess Daisy,” Blenny said. “We’re staging it at the public pier so we have a bigger stage to maneuver on, and to allow for a larger audience. We’re using scooters as landspeeders and big cyalume light sticks as lightsabers.”
Cast members say the roles offer new challenges.
“I’m taking two well-established characters and morphing them into something new,” said Payne Hanover, playing Uncle Obi Wan. “It’s tough creating a new character while totally respecting the old characters, but I finally got a handle on it. I know others struggled with the same creative issues.”
Cast members agreed.
“At first it was quite difficult keeping a straight face while delivering lines like, ‘Greedo! Greedo! Git them Luke boys!’” said Lee Helm, playing Sheriff JarJar. “But I immersed myself in the character during rehearsals, and now it flows quite naturally.”
The cast includes:
Hugh Calloway as Young Luke
Peachy Bottoms as Old Luke
Antonio Fletcher as Boss Hutt
Lee Helm as Sheriff JarJar
Jessie Catahoula as Deputy Greedo
Payne Hanover as Uncle Obi Wan
Alison Diesel as Princess Daisy
Cori Anders as Yoda’s Force spirit
Marina DeLow as Tusken Raiders 1 and 2
“Lee wanted to play Princess Daisy, but Alison was the only one who could really make the short-shorts work,” Blenny said. “And spirit-Yoda was a late addition—we needed a character who could talk to the audience to explain events on stage, kind of like the chorus in ancient Greek theater, or an Elizabethan aside.”
Spectators are eager to see the production.
“Doris and them never disappoint with their spring play, and they may have topped even their ‘Nudibrachs’ musical with this one,” Kitty Cottonwick said. “I love Star Wars and I love Dukes of Hazzard, so this touches two special places in my heart. Like a trip back to my childhood. I think most folks feel that way.”
Proceeds from the production will go to the small Caribbean island’s Habitat for Humanity.
The BICP will have auditions next week for their summer musical, ‘Poirots of the Caribbean.’
Filed under best scuba diving novels, Caribbean, Scuba Diving
Blacktip Island Weather
Sunday, March 20, 2022
Temperature: 77
Humidity: 63%
Precipitation: Nope
Filed under best scuba diving novels, Caribbean, Scuba Diving
Blacktip Island Health Department Declares ‘No-Fry’ Zone
Grilled burgers and French fries are now banned at bars and restaurants across the center of Blacktip Island. (photo courtesy of Famartin)
In response to a burgeoning number of clinically-obese residents, the Blacktip Island Health Authority Thursday established a ‘no-fry’ zone around many of the small Caribbean island’s restaurants and bars.
“There’s been an explosion in the number of overweight residents lately. It’s overwhelming our health system,” public health director Dr. Azul Tang said. “A lot of the obesity is due to diet and exercise. We can’t make people exercise, but we can by-God make them eat healthier.
“We banned fried food of any kind across the center of the island where most of the resorts and bars are,” Tang said. “Meals may be baked or boiled, and side dishes will be salads, fruit cups or what have you. People are squawking about it, but we’re not budging.”
The ban will be enforced via multiple methods.
“Doc Tang makes surprise visits, of course, but they’re also using webcams and mini drones,” Sand Spit bartender Cori Anders said. “There’s also cash rewards for people ratting out their friends and neighbors. It’s a scary time—no one knows who to trust. People are eating fries and chicken fingers in locked bathrooms.
“The worst are the health nuts who’ve declared themselves unofficial inspectors, with goofy sky-blue berets,” Anders said. “They see fried anything coming out of the kitchen, they’ll flat-out slap the plate out of the server’s hand. Lee Helm took a hot plate of fish and chips to the face just yesterday.”
The zone’s supporters defended their tactics.
“We’re talking about a sea change in the island’s eating habits,” activist Harry Pickett said. “It’ll hurt at first, but it’s for everyone’s good, long term. If a few diners get hit with fried food, well, they should think twice before sitting down in a food combat zone. Collateral damage is inevitable.
“They’ll soon get used to baked veggie burgers and fresh fruit. Or sautéed spinach,” Pickett said. “The restaurants should be thanking us. They’re saving a ton of money on grease and electricity, and the kitchens smell better, too.”
Many customers are not happy with the ban.
“Who the hell wants a salad and melon slices? Or mushy spinach?” Rocky Shore said. “Nobody has the right to tell me what I can eat. I didn’t eat boiled spinach in elementary school, and won’t eat it now. Blacktip’s a divemaster and construction worker island. We want divemaster and construction worker food. A burger should come with fries. Fries. And I guarantee tourists’ll stay away in droves.”
The ban has spurred an uptick in business for eateries outside the zone.
“We’ve been packed since they declared their no-fry zone,” Tail Spinner bar and grill owner Val Schrader said. “Down at the Last Ballyhoo, too. I feel bad for the resorts taking a hit, but our cash registers are ringing and we’re having to turn people away.”
The Last Ballyhoo and Tail Spinner are providing free shuttle service for resort guests desiring fried fare.
Filed under best scuba diving novels, Caribbean, Scuba Diving
The Blacktip Times 