10/02/04 Antigua Cruise

[jeanneg]

Mary Jo: so sorry about the wisdom tooth....I hope you weren't miserable the entire Easter weekend. Wish Sara congratulations for making her Confirmation. I received the package Friday and sent you a personal email, but if you haven't been to work, you may not have seen it. Thanks so much!

Kim: sorry about your brother....I hope he's feeling better.

 

[Viking]

OK Folks,
Here's a another reason to book the tour with Coki-Dive: Laura of Coki-Dive replied within an hour, that's IMHO proof for their efficiency. Here's what she wrote:

Hi Eric,
Thank you for inquiring about the Coki Beach Dive Club. We offer all beach diving which has two reefs in front of the beach at no swimming distance in about 30 to 50 feet. Since you are all certified you have the option to go on a guided tour for $40.00 (includes all gear and guide), second dive $20.00 or rent the gear you need and go out on your own.
The rental gear fees are:
bcd $10
reg $10
tank and weights $10
We can organize a pick up meeting in front of the gang way at 8.30. On your way back to the ship you will have to get a cab ($7.00 per person), but we could arrange your way back with the driver that will bring you out. The pick up service would be free if you book a guided tour. We charge $10.00 for the riders that just want to hang out at the beach ( on top of that $10.00 if they wish to rent snorkeling gear) or if you want to rent dive gear.
The max number of divers would be 24 and we would offer a 10% discount.
Let us know if you also have beginner divers, if so, it is important for them to check the medical form on our web site www.cokidive.com , just to make sure they do not suffer from any medical problem that would keep them from diving.
If you are interested, we will ask you to fill out the reservation form on our web site www.cokidive.com , but we will not charge your credit card, we would use it only in case of no-show, charging $10.00 per person. Of course, we would not charge you if we have to cancel the tour due to weather conditions.
A month ahead of time would be enough time to make your reservation.
Let me know if you need further info. Thank you and have a nice day,
Laura

I'd say we take the tour and a second dive for the divers, which would be $60 and if we're enough people it's - 10% = $54, but even without the rebate it's a good deal.
Anja and I obtained our PADI OWD last year at the beginning of our four-week-vacation and did a similar tour covering two dives on Cozumel - and it was great and not in the least exhausting!!! The price sounds very good, especially if you consider that St Thomas usually isn't what one would call inexpensive Two dives leave us with enough time for getting back to the shopping district and to the ship in time. The snorklers can stay close with us and transportation to/from the dive-site is taken care of.

I'd say we do the ressies like this:
-Everybody who wants to go mails his intentions to me. Please use the regular antiguaorbust@yahoo.com -account for it. Just state the number of adult divers, junior-divers, adult snorkelers and junior snorkelers, and your family-name.
-I'll collect all this data for the next three weeks. Deadline is 05/04/04.
-Then I'll forward this list to Laura to certify for the group rebate.
-I'll arrange a code with Laura for the group rebate and then everybody can book using her/his credit-card and aforementioned code. This way no single person has to advance the big deposit required for such a large group, Laura simply can check the people against the List provided, the responsibility for showing-up and not forfeiting the deposit rests solely with the respective divers/snorkelers.

If any newbies (Or late-bies ) want to join us later , there shouldn't be a problem as long as we do not exceed the group-size as stated by Laura, but nevertheless I'd appreciate everybody who's on The List right now trying to meet the deadline mentioned above. It would make planning for me and for Laura easier - And No, I don't get a commission . I'm just typically German and like to plan ahead - LOL

I'll send a Newsletter sometime this week informing everyone about this and promoting it.

 

[Viking]

We're really looking forward to dive with all of you. I think about getting one of those small Canon Ixus digicams (I think they are called Canon Powershot in the US) with 4 to 5 megapixels as a small back-up for my Nikon 5700. There's a housing available for those cams certified down to 135 feet, which would mean that I could take pics of all of us under water - Of course I'd 'shoot' the ladies only with their permission

OK, gotta go to bed now, I just picked Anja up at the hospital and tomorrow's a long day: I'll have to make good some time I 'lost' at my dentist, run at least 4 miles, play Badminton with some of my co-workers and then it's another DVD-night with Gramps before I pick up Anja again from the late-shift.

G'nite

 

[Twinave]

OM, So sorry for everyone that's hurting. PLEASE try and take care of yourselves. We want to see you in Oct.

Eric, I just sent you an e-mail about a dive trip. But this trip sounds wonderful. Count us in. I'll send you the info.
I know what you mean, I love to plan too.

Later, Ave

 

[usetheforceluke]

Hi everyone!

1) I'm fine.

2) Seal cull: True that they've authorized a large cull this year... that's because there's no cod fish stock left. What's really overshadowing the cull is the "Khadr Issue"... it's a really long story about a Canadian 'citizen' who was released from Guantanamo Bay after he said he wasn't a terrorist and then publicly announced that his father was a close associate of Osama Bin Laden. The father died recently in Pakistan in a firefight with the Pakistan army and a 14-year-old son was paralized while he was shooting at the army also, but the 14-year-old is guileless and didn't know what he was doing. They've brought the 14-year-old back from Pakistan so he can get in on our free health care. But he's not a terrorist, and his sister says 9/11 was deserved. I'm p***ed about it and I'm waiting to see what the government is going to do. If you want the whole story, go to www.thestar.com and enter 'Khadr' in their search box. Oh, the seal thing is like on the back page.

3) On a more exciting note, the West Indies skipper Brian Lara hit a record 400 not out when they declared their first innings at 751-5 in the fourth test against England. It was the third day of the match at St. John's, Antigua. The attendance was a capacity 12,000, half from England and the other half from Antigua. Considering that the entire population of the island is something like 70,000, it'll give you an idea of how popular cricket is, especially when it's the third day of the test.

4) I don't do ladders from a long way back, so I can appreciate any one who does.

5) Hope everyone gets better.

This should catch me up for a bit. I don't post a lot because the board continually tells me I'm not logged in and clears my messages. I've got a low tolerance for this.

Jim.

 

[jeanniec]

Eric -- I never got your snail mail address by pm or email (to send the picture)??

 

[Viking]

Originally posted by usetheforceluke
Hi everyone!

1) I'm fine.

2) Seal cull: True that they've authorized a large cull this year... that's because there's no cod fish stock left. What's really overshadowing the cull is the "Khadr Issue"... it's a really long story about a Canadian 'citizen' who was released from Guantanamo Bay after he said he wasn't a terrorist and then publicly announced that his father was a close associate of Osama Bin Laden. The father died recently in Pakistan in a firefight with the Pakistan army and a 14-year-old son was paralized while he was shooting at the army also, but the 14-year-old is guileless and didn't know what he was doing. They've brought the 14-year-old back from Pakistan so he can get in on our free health care. But he's not a terrorist, and his sister says 9/11 was deserved. I'm p***ed about it and I'm waiting to see what the government is going to do. If you want the whole story, go to www.thestar.com and enter 'Khadr' in their search box. Oh, the seal thing is like on the back page.

3) On a more exciting note, the West Indies skipper Brian Lara hit a record 400 not out when they declared their first innings at 751-5 in the fourth test against England. It was the third day of the match at St. John's, Antigua. The attendance was a capacity 12,000, half from England and the other half from Antigua. Considering that the entire population of the island is something like 70,000, it'll give you an idea of how popular cricket is, especially when it's the third day of the test.

4) I don't do ladders from a long way back, so I can appreciate any one who does.

5) Hope everyone gets better.

This should catch me up for a bit. I don't post a lot because the board continually tells me I'm not logged in and clears my messages. I've got a low tolerance for this.

Jim.

Jim,
how can you use 'exciting' and 'Cricket' in the same post For Non-Commonwealth people it is more fun to watch paint dry or grass grow I once again tried to follow it when we were in London, because we only had about 10 channels on our TV and on one the showed a lot of Cricket, but I once again got bored rapidly

Environmentalist often don't get it that overprotecting a species also is negative interference with the eco-system When there are so many seals that there is no cod left, this is proof enough.

 

[RellingTwin]

Eric, count us in on the Coki Beach snorkel trip. I have sent you our info. I think we are going to bring our own snorkel gear, so we only need transportaion.

 

[piglet33]

Hi Everyone,

Hope everyone that had tooth/dentist problems is feeling better now.

Haley had her first stomach virus this week so it's been tough. Something must be going around because he doctor's office was packed when I brought her Monday. Of course Mommy wound up getting it too since we were so close. I'm actually feeling better today. Haley's still sleeping so hopefully she'll be better when she gets up too.

Gotta go.

Renee'

 

[Viking]

Peter & Renee',
Anja called me before she left for the lateshift:
In the morning a mailman delivered the DVD, and when Anja went into the basement to program our washing maschine she checked our mailbox and found the guide-books.
Thank you so much

 

[jeanniec]

Renee' -- So sorry to hear that you and Haley both have stomach viruses. Yuk! What could be worse? Hope you both get better soon -- especially Haley since she is so little and it is probably hitting her harder.

 

[piglet33]

Originally posted by Viking
Peter & Renee',
Anja called me before she left for the lateshift:
In the morning a mailman delivered the DVD, and when Anja went into the basement to program our washing maschine she checked our mailbox and found the guide-books.
Thank you so much

You are very welcome. Enjoy them!

Renee'

 

[bettemom]

Jenn & Peter,

Thank-you sooooo much for my surprise !!!!

It arrived today...

Hugs to you both

Bette

 

[bettemom]

Originally posted by jeanniec
Renee' -- So sorry to hear that you and Haley both have stomach viruses. Yuk! What could be worse? Hope you both get better soon -- especially Haley since she is so little and it is probably hitting her harder.

Renee'... I still have a few beds available in the McBride Hospital Annex... You two are welcome to come on up !!!

Bye, Kim

 

[piglet33]

Kim - I'm not sure you want Haley in your "hospital" right now. It can be very messy at times! Let's just say this whole thing is a learning experience for me. I've done things for her that I never thought I would have ever done. It's amazing that you don't even think about what you're doing until after it's done. Then you say, wow, I never thought I would ever do that.

Thanks for all the get well wishes. Haley is being a trooper about everything though.

Renee'

 

[Hygiene99]

WOW THAT WAS OVERNIGHT... Bette

Gave to mailman Yesterday Afternoon.......


And Eric u are very welcome..... found the dvd to be boring as we already know it all...... lol

But hey Good luck maybe u Can get a few more of your Statesman to Go on the cruise......

 

[cdnmickeylover]

Pixie dust to you Renee and Haley. Been there, done that, not pleasant at all!

DS overdid it yesterday and his ankle was really bothering him this morning so he's resting it. A girl at school told him yesterday that it will probably take him 4-6 weeks to recover which didn't thrill him at all. He wants to be outside playing basketball and he can't start driving lessons either.

Eric -- Jim is right, seals didn't really make the news here but the cod fishery does because when they banned cod fishing about a decade ago the cod fisherman were told that it would only be for a few years to let the stocks go up -- well they are still waiting. For Newfoundland it's a large part of their economy with all the spin off jobs so it's been hard.

Khadr family saga is all the big news here. Free medical care is the big issue although they do have to wait 3 months to get it.

Must get back to work. It's piling up again.

Fiona

 

[fridayfun]

I take one day away from the boards to spend quality time with my DH and I am so behind! I am glad that it sounds like everyone's ailments are getting better, it does seem the time of year to get sick, just when you are ready to go out in the warm spring air (when you have it for more than one hour) something knocks you down! I myself haven't been able to breathe in days, all the things growing have my asthma going crazy! Hopefully I got us some spaces in the dive/snorkel adventure. Until I see the doc, don't know which it will be! My DH said it sounded great! A few more weeks and I might even get him to post a note or something! Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! Take care

 

[fortierv]

Ok, it's been a while since I joined the list and started lurking. We booked airline tickets so I can officially get excited now. Got $227 roundtrips from Reno. Whoo Hoo, that's better than we did in 2001 without a red-eye this year. We don't get into Orlando until 7:30 so I'll probably just book something near the airport for the overnight.

Eric, I'll send you info to join the dive trip for myself and two of our kids. They did an intro dive in Hawaii last year and are getting certified for their birthday's this summer. Diving together was a highlight of our trip last year. One of our guides caught an octypus and we saw two turtles. The ten-year-old surprised me how well she took to it even though they swim competitively and are super swimmers.

I'll try to stay somewhat active and share in the excitement. My DW and MIL are going on a three-night carnival out of LA that MIL won at work in two weeks so I'm sure they'll be spun up for the Magic on their return. I get to take the kids to a swim meet in Boise, ID the same weekend. Seven-hour drive and working the deck at a swim meet all weekend, while they cruise on carnival. I think I get the better deal, Ha Ha. We spend a lot of time traveling to swim meets but love every minute of it.

 

[RellingTwin]

Welcome fortierv! Congrats on coming out of "lurker" mode! Also congrats on the fantastic airfare!WOW!
Best of luck to your daughters on the upcoming swim meet.

Bette..nice to see you posting!

Teeth, ankels,lungs, stomachs!!??? Everyone ...GET WELL!

Jim...nice to see you posting as well.