Tilly Mint's travels

Tilly Mint and her crew have been quite busy since her arrival in the Caribbean - first step was to get her cleaned up after the delivery. From the Virgin Islands, we then moved to St Martin to start the process of getting her ready for the Charter Show, and to load up on some French wine and provisions. Finally we sailed to Antigua where the last detailing took place. Tilly Mint was then officially a Show Boat! The Charter Show was eventful and overall successful, with a photo shoot of the interior and exterior by Billy Black (pictures coming soon!), two brokers' lunches and the Yacht Hop night. Those of you who ate on board during the Show will remember that I decided to play the French card by cooking duck and lamb, with a Caribbean twist  of course. For the second lunch I prepared one my favorite appetizers for the Caribbean season: a cold carrot, orange and ginger soup. It proved so popular that I promised to release the recipe, so here it is! Carrot, orange and ginger ...

After a week of preparations, Tilly Mint finally answered the calling of sunshine and warm weather on October 22nd. Four days later we reached Charleston, South Carolina, just in time to dodge Hurricane Sandy. While our friends in Newport worried about strong winds and flooding, Tilly Mint was safely docked and made it through the storm unharmed. On November 1st we left Charleston and set sail for our final destination - the sunny Caribbean! After 3 days of great sailing, we motored for a few days before finding favorable winds as we got closer to the islands. On November 8th at 12pm Tilly Mint was moored in front of a perfect beach in Jost Van Dyke. After some swimming and pleasant time on shore, we set sail again for St Thomas, where we are getting some work done before the start of a busy charter season... Resting on the lifeline This one got a little bolder... Bow escort Dolphins everywhere! The first catch of the trip - tuna! Mahi mahi ceviche for dinner.....

We realized last week that October was the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and decided that we had to do something about it. Girls wear pink t-shirts, supermarkets distribute pink bags, men wear pink ribbons on their shirts... We decided to go bigger. Our raspberry neon pink spinnaker Go big or go home! Sailing under the Newport bridge We are now thinking about our contribution to Movember next month - men raising awareness for men's health issues by growing a moustache. Not sure yet what will happen, but pictures will definitely be taken. Tilly Mint is now almost ready to sail South, as it is getting colder by the day up here. We have successfully tested our new mainsail a few days ago and are now waiting for the right weather window to leave. If all goes as planned we should be leaving Newport on Monday and sail down to Charleston, South Carolina, where we will wait until November 1st to set sail for the Caribbean. We are sad to leave Newport but very exci...

You might have heard about the famous Bucket regatta that took place in Newport last weekend. Big yachts sailing around the bay and competing for one the most prestigious trophies of the season, all that is great but I feel like we have all seen it before. Let me tell you about the REAL Bucket Challenge that simultaneously took place in Newport last weekend. Shame on the press for not giving the event the publicity it clearly deserved. Make sure you have a scoop of ice-cream in front of you and enter with us the fabulous ice-cream shop of Spinnakers in Jamestown, right across the river from Newport. No, your eyes are not deceiving you, this is real! After two weeks of discovering New England, from Boston to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, Tilly Mint, her owner, his family and crew finally arrived in Newport after a very calm night sail. Two weeks of eating all the desserts prepared by a French chef made them feel ready to take on the challenge that the Captain had been dre...

Last week we woke up to find Newport harbor drowned in fog - and the Harbormaster circling around Tilly Mint, waiting for the Eagle to come into port. The Eagle is the Coast Guard Tall Ship, an impressive looking three mast square rigger that barely fits in the channel and has to be helped by two tug boats to maneuver in the harbor. Phantom masts behind Goat Island Emerging from the fog The Eagle looked completely surreal as she emerged from the fog and slowly glided past us in the early morning light. Of course I got my camera out to capture the moment - but little did we know that at the very moment I was snapping a shot of her, someone on board was doing exactly the same thing! Much to our surprise, we received this morning a picture taken by Ron Holland - who designed the Discovery 67 - as he happened to be on the Eagle that day and was pleasantly surprised when the first boat they saw as they came out of the fog was Tilly Mint! Tilly Mint seen from the Eagle The ...

At long last (drumroll please), we have decided to make public the official 'Chilly Mint' recipe. At first we resisted the demand, but the drink proved too popular and we have been begged, threatened, blackmailed, bribed, and otherwise extorted to release it! We know this is probably a big deal for you, and may ruin the plans you have for the rest of your day, but please take time to read our important disclaimer (bottom) before mixing and consuming this beverage. OK - here it is: The 'Chilly Mint'   1) Muddle, chop, hammer, beat, or squeeze a little or a lot of the following: fresh mint leaves, thinly sliced fresh ginger, and some lime wedges 2) Toss ingredients into a shaker or an old empty jerry can and add a few drops of sugar syrup and aromatic bitters to taste. We prefer diesel jerry cans over gasoline 3) Add as much high or low quality gin as you dare, keeping in mind the repercussions this may have on your boat and your friends' reputatio...

It has been a while since my last post on this blog, but I have a good excuse for my silence: Newport is probably one of the busiest places on the East Coast when it comes to events on and around the water. Since our arrival we have been working a lot and at the same time trying to make the most of the local events. Here are some of the things we have done in the past weeks:  - Haul out the yacht in Portsmouth to have the bottom painted  - Take part in the Newport Charter Show, which proved very successful for Tilly Mint  - Watch the start of the Newport to Bermuda race just in front of Castle Hill  - Bike around town to discover all the great places to shop for our charter guests  - Take wine classes to improve my knowledge of local wines  - Test about 40 recipes with just as many types of fish and seafood  - Take guests to Martha's Vineyard for the week-end  - Sail down the Narragansett in the middle of the America's Cup boats Tilly M...

Tilly Mint and her crew have safely arrived in Newport, Rhode Island on Tuesday morning after a swift 8-day long passage from St Martin. We arrived under the rain but the next morning the sky cleared up and we scrubbed the deck and polished the hull under the sun yesterday. After a lot of complaining and talk of turning right back around on the first few wet and cold hours, we are now starting to enjoy being back in Newport. Among other things I like not needing the AC and just opening hatches to feel a nice cool breeze blow in, having daylight after 6:30pm, taking pictures of the beautiful New England light and just feeling the crispness of the air in the early morning while watching the fog dissipate on the river... Dolphin at the bow Peaceful morning Tilly Mint looking good @ the Newport Yachting Center The next few days will be busy with adjusting to our new environment - planning charter itineraries, finding out the best provisioning sources, getting the boat ready ...

After a week in Antigua spent mostly under the rain and getting the boat ready for the delivery, we are back in St Martin with our crew. The plan is to leave tomorrow morning, and hopefully arrive in Newport in about 10 days... Bye bye Caribbean, you have been good to us as always, we will see you next winter!

With the end of the season almost here, we are taking some time to take care of the boat and to take care of ourselves. On Saturday I spent a perfect afternoon relaxing at the Spa of the Radisson Blu Hotel in Anse Marcel, on the French side of St Martin - with of course the sole purpose of testing it to be able to recommand it to our guests next season! In case you have ever wondered what heavenly bliss feels like, I can tell you it starts with walking through the peaceful gardens of the hotel, catching a glimpse of the swimming pool on my way to the Spa. Next step is changing into a fluffy bathrobe and sipping on a cold lemon juice while waiting for my appointment. Then comes the highlight of the day: the Coconut Dream body wrap - a warm, thick coconut paste is spread all over the body and left to rest wrapped in plastic for an hour, while my face is being treated to a long, relaxing massage involving hot stones. I seriously had to make an effort not to eat the coconut paste, and ri...

Tilly Mint is now swinging at anchor in Marigot Bay, St Martin, waiting to depart the Caribbean for New England, her Summer playground. Her crew however is not just waiting for mid-May to come: Bill is busy fixing all the small things that always need fixing on a boat and improving all the things that can be improved. After giving the boat a complete end-of-season clean-up, Nathalie is busy preparing her summer charter menu by adding new recipes to her culinary range. Caribbean shrimp and lime risotto Chocolate star with hazelnut and ginger Rum baba with vanilla whipped cream and Guadeloupe rum