Coldwell Banker Islands Blog

The first International Yacht Club Challenge (IYCC) will be part of the 2010 BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival, from 29 March to 4 April, pitting competitors from yacht clubs throughout the world against each other in Sunsail Beneteau 39s. Sunsail Yacht Charters is providing up to a 10% discount for all those booking for the IYCC, a free charter to the winning team, and a perpetual trophy. Although this is the inaugural year for the IYCC, it will be the 39th for the BVI Spring Regatta. Nannyt Cay Marina and Resort will be the host.

Simon Wood, Commodore of the Royal British Virgin Islands Yacht Club, is inviting other yacht clubs from around the world to send teams to compete. An invitation will go out in September to all the yacht clubs in the UK with the help of the BVI Tourist Board. The German BVI Tourist Board is planning to translate the 2010 BVI Spring Regatta brochure to German and then promote the IYCC throughout the yacht clubs there and a similar programme is being planned for the US.

Josie Tucci, the Sunsail Brand Manager expects a lot of interest. “The IYCC is a perfect opportunity because it opens up racing to a lot of people who don’t have their own boats in the BVI. Our Beneteau 39, the boat of choice to race, has performed well in past regattas. The event will also promote good camaraderie among the yacht clubs throughout the world as they will be competing in like boats in gorgeous Caribbean conditions.”

For full details on the BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival, visit BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival.

(resource: Cowes.co.uk)

The first International Yacht Club Challenge (IYCC) will be part of the 2010 BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival, from 29 March to 4 April, pitting competitors from yacht clubs throughout the world against each other in Sunsail Beneteau 39s. Sunsail Yacht Charters is providing up to a 10% discount for all those booking for the IYCC, a free charter to the winning team, and a perpetual trophy. Although this is the inaugural year for the IYCC, it will be the 39th for the BVI Spring Regatta. Nannyt Cay Marina and Resort will be the host.

Simon Wood, Commodore of the Royal British Virgin Islands Yacht Club, is inviting other yacht clubs from around the world to send teams to compete. An invitation will go out in September to all the yacht clubs in the UK with the help of the BVI Tourist Board. The German BVI Tourist Board is planning to translate the 2010 BVI Spring Regatta brochure to German and then promote the IYCC throughout the yacht clubs there and a similar programme is being planned for the US.

Josie Tucci, the Sunsail Brand Manager expects a lot of interest. “The IYCC is a perfect opportunity because it opens up racing to a lot of people who don’t have their own boats in the BVI. Our Beneteau 39, the boat of choice to race, has performed well in past regattas. The event will also promote good camaraderie among the yacht clubs throughout the world as they will be competing in like boats in gorgeous Caribbean conditions.”

For full details on the BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival, visit BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival.

(resource: Cowes.co.uk)

AirTran Airways has filed application with the US Dept. of Transportation to offer service to Nassau, Bahamas; Montego Bay, Jamaica; and Aruba. If approved, service would begin later in 2009 and early in 2010.

“Adding our low-cost, high-quality service from some of our largest operations to some of the most popular destinations in the Caribbean is a win-win for consumers and for AirTran Airways,” said Kevin Healy, senior vice president, marketing and planning. “There’s nothing quite like jetting off to a tropical island in the middle of Winter, and we look forward to making that possible from some of the largest cities in our network.”

Service to Aruba would be from Atlanta and Orlando.

AirTran Airways is the only major airline with Wi-Fi on every flight. They offer assigned seating, Business Class, and complimentary satellite radio on every flight. Visit AirTran.com.

(resource: FoxBusiness)

Good news for the Bahamas real estate industry!
Leading Nassau law firms have recorded an increase of up to 10 percent in real estate conveyances and other commercial transaction-related work in the last few months.
John Delaney, the managing partner in the law firm Higgs & Johnson, said business year to date is down over 2008, but then the latter was a very strong year and it’s a big comparison to make.
The first quarter of 2009 saw a significant drop in real estate and commercial-related work, but things have markedly “trended up” during the second quarter, he added.
Delaney blamed the big fall-off in business on the September, 2008 market meltdown. The collapse of Lehman Brothers, which also had a major investment stake in a Bahamas real estate development, and other international lending institutions made the matter worse.
Investors and wealthy second home owners ^ pillars of the Bahamas economy ^ went “into shock.” This translated into a substantial fall-off in business for the leading local law firms.
Delaney said real estate fell off “big time’ in the Bahamas, but was pleased to report there are now signs of life.
Indications from the U.S. are that a “tentative, tepid” recovery may have started, although consumer and business confidence remains relatively low and investors are cautious about taking on new projects. Source ^ Tribune Business
Here at Coldwell Banker Lightbourn Realty, we’ve also seen encouraging signs.
While sales fell off dramatically in the first quarter of 2009, the second quarter has seen some good solid sales.
Our experience is that if the property is priced correctly, it will sell.
As with Delaney’s experience, year to date we’re still down overall compared to 2008, but business increased significantly during the second quarter and inquiries are on the increase. We are optimistic about the third quarter.

Just listed is an ideal starter home at the quiet end of North Sound Estates, in Savannah, Grand Cayman. Details: 3 bedrooms/2 baths, 2025 SF, 0.2989 SF lot, garden view, motivated seller. Listed at $230,500.

Both inland and canal front properties are available within Savannah. It is a popular area with young Caymanian families as land is still affordable.

Savannah is the historical site of Pedro’s Castle, known as the “Birthplace of Democracy in the Cayman Islands.” Also here is the Countryside Village Shopping Centre, with restaurants, bank, beauty salon, and other retail stores.

Visit with any Coldwell Banker agent about properties for sale in Savannah on Grand Cayman.

“Beautiful by Nature” is the slogan for the Turks and Caicos Islands, and that is no where more obvious than the four outer, or boutique, islands: Parrot Cay, Pine Cay, Dellis Cay, and Ambergris Cay. Read in detail about these at Turks and Caicos Tourism.com, but here is a snapshot.

Parrot Cay: This 1000 acre island now hosts the ultra luxurious and very private vacation hideaway Parrot Cay Resort and Spa, called by some the world’s most exclusive resort. Movie stars enjoy the solitude and anonymity. Beachfront homes have been built for the rich and famous including Bruce Willis and Keith Richards.

Pine Cay: had no permanent population until The Meridan Club was built here in the 1970s. Today, the people who work on the island come primarily from North Caicos and Middle Caicos. Pine Cay’s most striking natural feature, aside from its beach, is its underground fresh water lens. The structure and porosity of the limestone is such that rainfall is absorbed and held as if in a sponge. Being lighter, the fresh water floats on the underlying salt water, forming an underground lens-shaped layer of pure fresh water, varying in depth from a few inches to over 40 feet.

Dellis Cay: Dellis Cay is 560-acre private island just to the east of Pine Cay with welcoming sandy beaches and great sand dollar hunting grounds. It is being developed as a multi-use property by The O Property Collection which will be managed by the globally renowned Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. The exclusive 30 hotel room Dellis Cay resort will be located on an unspoiled 35-acre beachfront site on the scenic south western shore of the island. This secluded hideaway will offer unparalleled opportunities for exceptional home ownership as well as an array of luxurious leisure experiences such as a 9-hole golf course, tennis and water sports center.

Ambergris Cay: home to Turks & Caicos Sporting Club, is an 1,100 –acre private residential island at the southeastern end of the Caicos Bank that has been under private ownership since 1811. With eight miles of waterfront, the private island is nearly 3.3 miles long by 1.5 miles wide and rises to 96 feet. More than 65 percent of Ambergris Cay is preserved to maintain its archaeological ruins and natural landscape. Turks & Caicos Sporting Club offers distinguished homesites, as well as first-rate amenities including the recently opened 5,700 foot private airstrip at Harold Charles International Airport, the longest private airstrip in the Caribbean.

LIME, the full service telecomms provider in the Caribbean, launched a stylish summer promotion called UR It in July, replete with a fresh music video and television ad, a catchy radio jingle and an abundance of prizes. In its sixth week, dozens of customers have won valuable prizes of US cash, cameras, Nintendo wiis and blackberry phones, by talking up texting up or signing up for services.

As explained in SKNVibes, “So you think you can dance, or better yet, you think you can master the U R It Dance? If you answer yes to this question, then you are the contestant we are looking for at Club Kactus this Saturday night, 29th August. At stake is EC$1000 cash for the winner of the Dance Off Contest which will be the main attraction at the UR It event. But skills by themselves won’t get you to the $1000 purse, so participants are being urged to bring their fans with them since ultimately the winner will be decided by the number of texts sent on their behalf. The second and third prize winners will win cash and a phone respectively.”

“The contest is opened to individuals as well as groups,” explained Laverne Caines, of LIME’s Marketing team in St. Kitts & Nevis. “There’s no upper age limit to the contestants either, so although we are expecting to see the youth dominate the contest, it’s really whosoever will if you have what it takes,” she added.

You still have time to watch the dance moves at www.youtube.com under LIME U R it music video. Good luck!

The Chez Nicolette is a new contemporary Danish colonial home in Tortola, on 0.9 acres, with panoramic views over Trunk Bay beach and the island chain all the way to Necker Island. Located on a hillside, with a pool, just minutes from the beach, this 4 bedroom/3 bath home is listed at $1,550,000.

The home has been designed and built by Caribbean Architecture Ltd who most many years of experience designing homes in Tortola and in Europe. A glance at this wonderful example of their work shows how they successfully combine traditional danish colonial design with modern clean lines and contemporary finishes.

Read more and view additional photos at our Coldwell Banker listing page.

The Chez Nicolette is a new contemporary Danish colonial home in Tortola, on 0.9 acres, with panoramic views over Trunk Bay beach and the island chain all the way to Necker Island. Located on a hillside, with a pool, just minutes from the beach, this 4 bedroom/3 bath home is listed at $1,550,000.

The home has been designed and built by Caribbean Architecture Ltd who most many years of experience designing homes in Tortola and in Europe. A glance at this wonderful example of their work shows how they successfully combine traditional danish colonial design with modern clean lines and contemporary finishes.

Read more and view additional photos at our Coldwell Banker listing page.

Enjoy life on the 2nd Fairway of the Tierra del Sol Golf Course in this Mediterranean-style villa under construction in Aruba. Preconstruction price $2,495,000, completed price $2,600,000. Completion date Sept. 30, 2009.

5 bedrooms/6.5 baths, pool, 6,781 SF, 3 balconies are just a few of the specifications on this luxurious home.

The Tierra del Sol Resort, Spa, and Country Club offers the only 18-hole course in Aruba. Designed by renowned Robert Trent Jones II, it is conveniently located just 5 to 10 minutes by taxi from all the major resorts.

Tierra del Sol includes a full length practice range, putting greens, chipping areas, a magnificent clubhouse with golf shop, restaurant and swimming pool and a Master Planned real estate community consisting of villas, condominiums, estate lots and custom homes. Where else can you play Scotland, Scottsdale and the Caribbean all at the same time!

View our Coldwell Banker Aruba listing page for more details.