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Barefoot’s Safer Sunscreen Checklist

It is now possible to choose our level of sun protection and ingredients in the sunscreen we use when we are sailing thanks to the Barefoot Yacht Charters Safer Sunscreen Checklist!

We all need some sunlight because it gives us 80% of the Vitamin D that we need, the trick is not to burn.

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Photo – Mark Pratley, Barefoot Yacht Charters

If you are sailing in The Grenadines, then you are going to be spending a lot of time in the cockpit.  Even if you have your bimini up, you are still going to be exposed from the reflection from the water.  Protecting the skin from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays is important for both preventing skin cancer and reducing the rate of skin aging.

Depending on your skin tone, between 10-20 minutes a day of sunlight is good for you. Beyond that we need to think about protecting our skin from the harmful UV rays.

You can reduce exposure by following some simple principles:

  • Avoid going out in the sun.
  • Wear long sleeves and a hat
  • Sit in the shade

Doesn’t sound like a fun holiday right?

So now we need to consider sunscreens.  The most widely available sunscreens are chemical based and work mainly by absorbing UV light. Most penetrate the skin to some degree, can enter the bloodstream and cause serious health conditions.

As a follower of the Barefoot Lifestyle I try to avoid synthetic chemicals as much as I can and this applies to sunscreens.

My reasons why? Because some of the ingredients can release free radicals in sunlight, act like oestrogen and therefore disrupt hormones, cause allergic reactions and skin irritations.

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Photo – Mark Pratley, Barefoot Yacht Charters

In addition, when we jump into the sea we are releasing these chemicals and there is some evidence that it is causing coral bleaching by promoting viral infections.

Recent studies on sunscreen also suggest that the

“titanium dioxide in sunscreens is largely responsible for dramatic spikes in hydrogen peroxide levels in coastal waters with potentially dangerous consequences for aquatic life”.

Tony Gibbons Beach, Bequia

Tony Gibbons Beach, Bequia

At present sunscreens have no rigorous safety standards.

Until recently, anyone who didn’t want to use these toxic chemicals had to make their own sunscreens using natural ingredients with a natural SPF such as non-Nano zinc oxide, Almond Oil, Coconut Oil, Red Raspberry Seed Oil, Carrot Seed Oil, and Shea Butter.

This is a great, fun thing to do, but when it comes to packing for your holidays it is more convenient to be able to buy something off the shell…one less thing to worry about! The good news is that the market place has embraced natural sunscreens and there are a few to choose from such as Erbaviva Sunscreen or Purple Prairie SunStuff. Barefoot Yacht Charters also carry a local Caribbean brand of natural sunscreen at the Barefoot Yacht Charters Boutique. Ask our lovely front desk ladies for more information!

To help you, Barefoot Yacht Charters have created a Safer Sunscreen Checklist to help you choose which sunscreen product to buy.  Get your copy here!

 

 

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St Vincent and the Grenadines – Zika Virus FREE

The rapid spread of Zika virus through the Americas, together with the association of infection with microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome, have propelled this previously ignored virus into the limelight. 

Says Professor Esper Kallas of University of San Paolo, Brazil.

What is Zika?

Zika fever is transmitted among humans by mosquito bites. It is a member of the flavivirus family, which includes the dengue virus.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention outline that “most individuals (75%) infected with Zika virus experience mild or no symptoms”. About 25% of infected people develop symptoms 2-10 days after infection in four people may develop mild flu symptoms and a light rash that can last between two and seven days.

The World Health Organisation says people affected should drink plenty of fluids, ensure they rest regularly and treat pain and fever with common medicines.

Which countries are affected?

The World Health Organization has placed travel notices for those countries experiencing the transmission of the ZIKA virus.

This list of countries currently includes the US Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a U.S territory, Saint Martin, Barbados, Curaçao, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Haiti and Jamaica. A map on the Pan American Health Organisation website is updated weekly.

Should we be concerned about Zika in St Vincent and the Grenadines?

There have been no reports of the Zika virus in the islands of St Vincent and the Grenadines, and no travel notices are issued by the World Health Organization (WHO).

If you are traveling to and from St Vincent and the Grenadines, do keep in mind that travelers who visit a country where Zika is found could still become infected if bitten by a mosquito in those areas (download our checklist to help avoid this HERE). Imported cases may result in local spread of the virus.

Prevention for Travelers

When traveling to countries where Zika virus or other viruses are spread by mosquitoes, it is important to take precaution:

  • Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
  • Stay in places with air conditioning or that use window and door screens to keep mosquitoes outside.
  • Sleep under a mosquito bed net if you are overseas or outside and are not able to protect yourself from mosquito bites.

We have created a special Mosquito Prevention Travel Checklist for you to download below to help you reduce your risk of mosquito bites wherever you go!

In addition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have created a checklist for travellers which you can download directly from our checklist. We are dedicated to keeping you healthy and happy!

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We want you to experience the very best of the Grenadines with nothing to worry about except which island to which you would like to set sail :)

 

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Barefoot Sailing for Valentines Day

Valentines Day or Saint Valentines Day is traditionally a special celebration of all things LOVE.

This auspicious day is fast approaching this year and is widely celebrated throughout the islands of St Vincent and the Grenadines. This time of year is a big deal in the islands and you can expect to find special events at the numerous restaurants as you sail in and out of your favourite bays.

At Barefoot Yacht Charters, we make it simple for you to enjoy a romantic day out on the water, loved up and stress free. Treat your loved one to a romantic day sail, a relaxing glass of wine as the sun goes down or a stunning sunset dinner on deck under the stars.

There are many ways to enjoy the best of this special day, making the most of the stunning beaches, scenic walks, sunset spots and charming islands restaurants.

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Sail down the islands early to enjoy your romantic day relaxing in the Tobago Cays. Go for a gentle kayak or snorkel with the turtles by day then enjoy the romantic hours on the water at night.

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Take a sunset stroll along white sand beaches and watch the spectacular sunset as the sky turns shades of watermelon, rose pink and coral then spend the evening on your private charter boat under the stars.

BOSS National GeographicArrange a picnic rug and dinner (try Driftwood’s gourmet meals for the perfect romantic ‘to-go’ meals), a bottle of wine and enjoy an intimate dinner on any one of the beautiful west-facing beaches!

Enjoy dinner at Driftwood Restaurant on St Vincent, the cozy Bagatelle’ on the stunning Friendship Beach or the famous Basil’s Bar in Mustique. Many other restaurants often have special events on this special day.

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Whatever you dream of this Valentines Day, these beautiful islands have you covered.

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It’s the Season to be Sailing!

It’s the season to be sailing!

How about a tropical sailing Christmas? ? Have you ever wanted to just sail away from it all? Anchor off an uninhabited island, swim, snorkel, relax and watch the sunset in pure Island Life.

Clear water, soft sand, perfect breeze and good vibes

This is the perfect description of this time of year in St Vincent and the Grenadines, 32 islands that can easily become yours!

With no customs to concern you, no shopping queues or to-do lists. Just a sailing holiday getaway in paradise.

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A Tropical Sailing Christmas in Tobago Cays

This year, Christmas falls on a full moon, which means one of our favourite islands, Union Island will be hosting the best Full Moon Party of 2015 on Clifton beach at sunset. From Happy Island to Clifton beach, you can bar hop and experience the best this island has to offer by sea. Clear water, warm breeze, soft sand and a rum punch in hand!

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Union Island Full Moon Party!

We love to treat our guests like family and one of the best ways we do this is by inviting them to join our Barefoot Family! Life at Barefoot Yachts is relaxed, friendly and laid back. Just as Caribbean life should be! We take care of everything for you so you can arrive, unwind and enjoy every minute of your well deserved vacation! It’s a Breeze!

No matter where you are this Christmas, we wish you the most wonderful holiday season. From our family to yours!!

Happy

Wishing the most wonderful Holiday Season and all the very best that 2016 has to offer! May all your dreams come true. May you always find your true north and forever have wind in your sails.

“To reach a port we must set sail –
Sail, not tie at anchor
Sail, not drift.”
― Franklin D. Roosevelt

See you Next Year!

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We are Going Green! Smart Antifouling Solution at Barefoot Yacht Charters

 We are going GREEN!
The beautiful waters of St Vincent and Grenadines are lush and filled with tropical flora and fauna for all to enjoy. At Barefoot Yacht Charters, we are dedicated to keeping it that way.

It is our goal to help reduce threats to our marine ecosystems by careful attention to boat maintenance and use.

Many antifouling paints are harmful to marine life such as turtles, rays, fish, sea birds, shellfish. Even a small amount of toxic chemicals can easily disrupt their natural habit and reduce their life span. We believe it is our duty to help to preserve our sea and wildlife.

 

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The new Sea Hawk Smart Solution is the next generation in antifouling technology.

It is engineered to be the most effective environmentally friendly antifouling paint available. Smart Solution provides equivalent performance to traditional antifoulants, but utilizes completely METAL-FREE biocides resulting in no bioaccumulation in the environment.

Sea Hawk have long been an industry leader in bottom paints and barefoot has used their products for sometime. Smart Solution is undergoing testing on our fleet with very promising results so far and will be fully employed through out our entire fleet by summer 2016.

Philip Barnard, Managing Director of the Barefoot Yacht Charters and The Barefoot Group of Companies shared the company’s vision and it’s decision to introduce the new Smart Solution to the fleet.

“The request for an environmentally friendly bottom paint was received by all other paint companies like asking for it to be day and night at the same time, it just could not be done. The addition of Smart Solution to the Sea Hawk product line came as a great comfort to us at Barefoot Yachts as we have been searching for an alternative to the poisonous bottom paints used in the charter industry for some years now. Smart Solution works with the environment instead of against it using nature to protect our boat bottom instead of trying to kill everything that comes close to it. This is another great leap forward for our Barefoot lifestyle”.

SeaHawk

Smart Solution is the next generation in antifouling technology.

is engineered to be the most effective environmentally friendly antifouling paint available. Smart Solution provides equivalent performance to traditional antifoulants, but utilizes completely METAL-FREE biocides resulting in no bioaccumulation in the environment. The coating’s reaction to salt water creates a slick film that encapsulates the hull, providing enhanced speed and premium performance against growth.

  • Environmentally-friendly metal free bottom paint
  • Slick film when launched
  • Copper-free
  • Compatible over existing antifoulants
  • Increased speed
  • Llyod’s Registry Certified
“In our ongoing effort to reduce our impact on the areas we sail, Barefoot is proud to continue our partnership with Sea Hawk paints and maintain the natural beauty of St Vincent and the Grenadines.” Philip Barnard
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5 Top Tips for Cooking on your Charter Boat

5 TOP TIPS

Before you know it, it’s that time to provision for your charter and cooking tasty meals on board your charter boat can take time and effort in planning and preparation.

It it is important to us that you and your guests have time on board to enjoy your vacation.

Here are 5 simple tips to cooking easily in your galley!

1. Healthy Energy-Filled Snacks

Do ever notice how you always feel hungrier at sea? Whether it is the sun, sea or salt, food always tends to be on the mind a little more when we are at sea. Whether you are trimming sails, pulling sheets, maneuvering the helm or balancing and moving with the movement of the ocean, your body will likely be functioning at a higher level or even just differently than what it would be at home. To make sure you and your crew are fueled, energized and satisfied, serve simple healthy snacks on your charter boat throughout the day. These may consists of fruit, chopped vegetables, dips, nuts etc. Hummus dip is one of our favourites for a quick go-to high protein, high energy snack.

Another favorite is this 5-Minute Guacamole that can be made quickly and easily on board your charter boat.

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5-Minute Tasty Guacamole Recipe

Ingredients

2 large, ripe avocados, pitted.
⅓ cup fresh salsa sauce
Juice from 1 lime
Sea salt, to taste

Directions

Mash the avocado in a bowl using a fork. Add salsa and lime juice. Add salt to taste and mix well.
Serve immediately with chopped veggies or fresh tortilla chips. If you are storing your guacamole, place the pit of the avocado into the dip, seal with a lid and place it in the fridge or cooler to prevent it from turning brown.

2. Meal Planning

It is a great idea to plan your meals in advance to remove the decision making each day. If everyone knows in advance what they are having, where the snacks are located and what to prepare lunches, the workload can be shared. Prepare a meal plan for yourself and your crew or ask our trusty on-site Nutritionist about meal planning or ask about our pre-prepared meals and chef packs to reduce your galley hours while on your charter! Once you have a list of all the meals you would like, you can generate your shopping list with the exact number of items you will need to purchase or you can choose to have provisioning prepared for you by Barefoot Yacht Charters.

Download our simple meal planning Menu Template to help create your charter menu. Reach out to our Lifestyle Consultant if you would like assistance planning your meals.

3. Bring your favourites

Bring your favourite spices and condiments with you on your charter boat! Barefoot Yacht Charters keeps some provisioning at the base and St Vincent has a wide array of local produce and the supermarkets do have some imported goods, however you may not find everything your taste buds desire so bring along any spices and sauces that you simply love.

4. Food Storage

Food storage space can be limited on the charter boat and most often, there is an ice box but you may have no freezer. Choose drinks that can be purchased and stored at room temperature add some non-perishable items to your menu wherever possible to help your provisioning to last longer on your charter boat.

5. Eat Fresh First

Organise your meals based on the freshness of ingredients. Plan for meals made with perishable foods as well as others made with canned ingredients. Eat the most perishable items first (fresh fish, dairy and eggs), and keep the meals based on canned foods or ingredients that keep well at room temperature for the end of the trip. Request frozen meals and pre-parared 10-minute DIY meals from the Barefoot Yachts provisioning options. Purchase frozen marinated meats from our restaurant; they will aid to keep the other food cold and will defrost gradually in the fridge.

As part of Barefoot Yacht Charters and the Barefoot Lifestyle, we endeavor to make your sailing vacation as stress free, relaxation and enjoyable as possible. Look out for our exciting new Chef Select Provisioning options to take the heat out of the galley and give you some extra time for sailing and seeing the islands!

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Grenadines Magical Coral Reefs

St Vincent and the Grenadines Show-Stopping Coral Reefs

Throughout St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Barefoot Yacht Charters transports snorkellers and divers to diverse and magical worlds of healthy, living, revitalised coral reefs.  Four islands in SVG have been designated as Marine Conservation Areas; additionally, there’s one Marine Reserve and two Marine Parks, one of which, Tobago Cays-Mayreau, also has Marine Reserve status.

The silent, seemingly effortless choreography of coral reefs belies the centuries it took to create these undersea spectacles – the ones we see today are 5,000 to 10,000 years old.  Compare that to a major Broadway production that might take a few years to produce and, if lucky, a decade or two of performances.

Coral reefs are reality shows, real life on Earth – rare, awesome, slow in the making yet easy to destroy.   Worldwide, many coral reefs are degraded beyond recovery.  Even more are in critical condition.  In SVG, however, coral reefs are thriving and strong.  The Tobago Cays, for example, have been described by many sources as being one of the largest remaining pristine coral reef groups in the Windward Islands.

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The natural, underwater sets are constructed by tiny animals called “polyps,” which have calcium skeletons that connect to each other with living tissue to form communities.  They build on past skeletons so that only the top layers contain the living designers.  Pencil, brain, star corals, with sponges in a rainbow of colours, dark red gorgonians, Christmas tree and feather duster worms, and many other striking organisms complement the scenery.

The cast includes vaudevillian types of otherworldly characters clothed in varying and vibrant costumes: weaving chromis, creole wrasse and boga; fascinating entertainers such as frogfish, seahorses, flying gurnard and white-spotted octopus; and the lovely butterfly, angel and trumpet fish and sea turtles to name but a few.

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But even SVG’s coral reefs aren’t immune to the ravages on their ecosystems, both of the natural kind (e.g., hurricanes, rising sea surface temperatures) and man-made (litter, chemicals, etc.).  As one person on a planet of billions, you can do your part to save coral reefs by being aware of, and reducing, your own carbon footprints and by voicing your concerns over such things as overfishing and oil spills.

On a more immediate and specific level: anchor on sand rather than near reefs or use moorings if available; do not touch any of the sensitive corals; stay off the bottom because stirred-up sediment can settle on coral and smother them.  Use environmentally-friendly products; don’t throw any kind of garbage into the sea; properly treat sewage; only empty holding tanks at pump out stations or when more than three miles offshore in the open sea.  There are other ways to preserve the world’s coral reefs, but that’s a start.

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Let Barefoot Yacht Charters guide you to the various extravaganzas that play beneath the sea throughout St. Vincent and the Grenadines.  The St Vincent and the Grenadines Coral Reefs are bound to make your trip unforgettable. They’re all box-office hits, sure to please and inspire, amaze and electrify.

Enjoy your dream vacation!

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