September 2003

Greetings from sunny Vieques,

The weather has been hot and even a bit humid but that is to be expected this time of year. We have had enough rain so the island is lush and pretty. Lots of mangos and now avocados are ripening on the trees. The flamboyan trees are not quite as brilliant but the orange canopies can still be seen around the island. For the beach lover, the water is warm, and with all the sunshine it is a great time for snorkeling.

The most recent news flash is that an Isla Nena plane crashed Saturday over in Culebra. I have heard several stories but don’t know what is true except that the Cessna Caravan had taken off and was circling back to land (engine trouble maybe) when the pilot had to make an emergency landing at Flamenco beach. The plane landed in the water just off shore, luckily it was on part of the beach that does not attract a lot of swimmers and sunbathers. Fortunately no one was injured in the accident. The wings were removed from the plane and it was put on the cargo ferry and arrived in Vieques today, Sept. 1st. With the plane sitting in salt water for hours I don’t if it can be repaired or not. Isla Nena was the first in Vieques to purchase the Caravans which have become very popular in the Caribbean for small charter airlines.

We will be spared Hurricane Fabian as it appears to be heading well north of us at this time. September is the month that nearby islands fear most during hurricane season as this is historically the time of year that storms get really close or hit us. We all keep our eyes on different weather sites to watch what is going on out there. Because of this many of the restaurants close down this month. No exception this year with several restaurants closing. At the end of the calendar is a list of who is closed for the month or part of the month. Not to worry though, several good restaurants will remain open for business. Anyone traveling to Vieques this month should keep their eyes on the weather just to know if anything is heading this way. If there has been a storm make sure to try and call ahead to make sure everything here is okay. 

It was with much excitement that people looked forward to the cook off between Chef Tony of Chez Shack and Chef Victor of Martineau Bay. I did not attend because of a Humane Society Meeting, however, I heard it was a disaster. First off, there was talk that Chef Victor had been involved in a shooting that occurred outside of PeeWee’s Pub the weekend before the event. The original story that he had the gun has been changed to a friend of his had the shotgun. All we know is that someone did get shot but that Victor was still cooking 5 days later at the event.[update] Chef Tony was not given the support that he had asked for and the waitstaff was not picking up food on a timely basis. The service was lacking, this seemed to be the biggest complaint, and they ran out of several of the entrees early. The only good thing that most agreed on was that the resort is gorgeous, it was a good idea but just poorly planned. It might have gone better if they had done it as a buffet where everyone got to try both chefs food and really compare them. It also would have been easier on the staff who then could have concentrated on delivering beverages to the tables. I know that Martineau Bay wants to encourage the locals to visit the restaurants and for the month of September anyone with proof of residency in Vieques will receive a discount on any meals there. The hotel is having a huge impact on the island, they alone have doubled the number of guest rooms available. Many of the hotel guests have ventured out to eat elsewhere making for a great summer in all the restaurants. 

August was definitely a party month on the island. The weekend that Ute Hanna (Café Mamasonga’s) and Michael Ellison were married, there were at least 4 other weddings on the island that Saturday. I attended Ute and Michael’s wedding and it was a blast. They had a salsa band from the Newyorican Café (in Old San Juan) that was terrific. I actually learned to salsa that night! All of us that were dancing worked off the food and cake that was available! My dress was soaking wet but I was having such a good time that it didn’t matter! The wedding and reception was held at the lighthouse in town, a great location overlooking the ferry dock and looking over to the main island. Although I did not get there I heard that the Mar Azul Anniversary Party was a huge success. Many people attended and there was music and dancing. I can well imagine that several bottles of tequila were consumed as it is Al’s drink of choice! Joanne Hamilton celebrated a birthday also. Although her party hosted by her boss Chef Michael, was small and intimate, we had a great time. Joanne wanted Margaritas and Nachos for her party so I mixed up the drinks and Michael made the nachos. The pictures from the party were fabulous and it was obvious that we had a lot fun!

Speaking of Chef Michael he will be moving his store this month to his new location at the Water’s Edge on the north shore road. His temporary store, opening Sept. 18th, will be located in the gift shop while renovations are done to the former restaurant area. He is hoping that renovations will be done by Thanksgiving and he will be in the larger space. The Waters Edge will have new managers too, Christian and Mark are leaving Hix Island House and taking over the Waters Edge Guest House later this month. I am sure that with their attention to detail the rooms will get a facelift and it will become the place to stay as it is one of the only places right on the water. 

Barry and Diane of Posada Vista Mar are taking advantage of the many restaurants closing and are offering $10 specials Thurs.-Sat. nights. The menu features mostly Italian food and it is excellent, big portions and very reasonable prices. Banana’s has expanded their office area and added a new little store there. The best feature of the new office is the addition of ATM services. Although they do not have an actual ATM they will be dispensing cash to people during office hours. With only one cash machine on the island this should really help a lot of people. It is also not uncommon for the machine at the bank to run out of money on a holiday weekend! Banana’s has also added a real phone booth to the restaurant! With so many of the pay phones broken in Esperanza this also is a needed addition to the island. Owners Glen and Winn Curry just keep coming up with new ideas and services for Banana’s! Tiki Hut is going through some changes with the new owner “Jack” Powell, she is adding more decorations to the hut. She has expanded the menu and it is a great place for breakfast and lunch. Lyman is looking to make Amapola the place to watch football this season. With the large screen TV and NFL Ticket it should cater to the football fans. They will have happy hour prices during the afternoon and maybe have some $1 food specials. Island Steakhouse is going to do a Prime Rib special on Thursday, September 25th. Usually they are closed on Thursdays so I am sure this will be a popular event. Also there will be a Humane Society Benefit to be held poolside at the Crow’s Nest on Thursday, September 18th. We will be serving ribs and chicken, salads and not sure what else as we are still planning. There will be a cash bar and possibly Sangria at a great price! Reservations for the Prime Rib and Humane Society event need to be made in advance by calling the Crow’s Nest.

This is a true story and not sure what the odds are of it happening again but….a group of people were enjoying dinner at one of the restaurants in Esperanza when a passing horse threw (lost) a shoe. The shoe ended up landing on one of the dinner plates, nobody was hurt, but, a few plates and glasses were broken. That has to be a 1 in a million odds!

Living on a small island makes for fascinating gossip, as someone once said "why let the truth stand in the way of a good story." People that I thought might be reliable sources of information were happy to talk about the shooting at PeeWee's Pub but of course did not have all the facts either. The story has changed in the past weeks and Victor was there as a patron, relaxing after work and was not involved in the incident. I only mentioned the incident as it was what was happening on the island at the time and assumed that everyone would believe Victor to be innocent as he was still at work a few days after the incident. I apologize for any misunderstanding. 

Closed for all or part of September
Bayaonda Closes Sept. 2nd
Blue Macaw Closes Sept. 2nd 
Café Media Luna
Chef Michael’s Gourmet Grocery closed until Sept. 18th
Taverna Espanola call first – will be closed most of the month
Trade Winds Closes Sept. 8th
Tropical Baby

Well that about covers the island news/gossip for another month! For more real news check out Vieques Events at www.viequesevents.net. Thanks for reading and for choosing Vieques for your vacation or home away from home, it is amazing how so many people are seduced by Isla Nena and just can’t seem to stay away. Most everyone that visits once can’t wait to return!

Thanks for reading again this month,

Judy

PS: If there is anything you would like to see in the newsletter or have any feedback please email Ask Judy. Thanks.  askjudy@enchanted-isle.com 

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