Monthly Archives: August 2017

By Renee Duff, AccuWeather meteorologist August 20, 2017, 3:23:32 PM EDT

A tropical disturbance will sweep across Florida and the Bahamas with enhanced downpours and rough surf into the middle of the week.

The feature, dubbed 92L, is a disorganized cluster of showers and thunderstorms located north of Puerto Rico. A continued track to the northwest is expected over the next few days.

The chance of 92L becoming the next tropical depression or storm of the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season remains low during the first part of this week.

Ninety-two L is expected to remain in a strongly sheared environment for the next several days, AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski said. So, the potential for further development looks low at this time.

Wind shear, or the change in wind speed and direction with altitude, can prevent disorganized features from developing and shred apart mature tropical systems, as was the case with Harvey.

Regardless of development, this system will bring gusty winds and downpours into the Turks and Caicos Islands, as well as the southern Bahamas on Monday, Kottlowski said.

This image shows 92L just north of Puerto Rico and Hispaniola on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2017. (NOAA/satellite)

Hispaniola and Cuba are also likely to experience and uptick in shower and thunderstorm activity as 92L sweeps by to the north.

Downpours will arrive over the rest of the Bahamas on Tuesday, then into southern Florida Tuesday night and Wednesday, Kottlowski said.

A separate tropical feature in front of 92L began to spread showers and thunderstorms across the Florida Peninsula on Sunday. This feature has lost any opportunity to develop into a depression or storm.

Enhanced surf and rip currents will progress northwestward with the storm. Boaters and beachgoers should exercise caution and heed all advisories.

Rainfall associated with 92L could be heavy enough to trigger flash and urban flooding.

RELATED: AccuWeather hurricane center Florida interactive radar How do hurricanes get their names? Harvey to threaten Central America with flooding, rough surf

A push of dry and cooler air scheduled to move across the Southeast late in the week could interact with 92L and further enhance torrential rainfall across the Sunshine State.

Motorists and airline travelers around Florida should expect an increase in delays toward the middle and latter half of the week.

"It is possible that 92L lingers near Florida and is then steered back out over the Atlantic late in the week or next weekend," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski. "At that point, some development could occur."

Should 92L beat the odds and strengthen to a tropical depression or storm, downpours, gusty winds and rough surf would be enhanced even more.

Another area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms located about 1,000 miles east of the Leeward Islands will likely be steered to the north, well away from any land mass.

If this circulation can manage to hang together during the next few days, it might have some opportunity to become more organized during this week and become a tropical depression, Kottlowski said.

The next few weeks are historically the most active in the Atlantic Basin with the peak of hurricane season not until Sept. 10.

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Tropical moisture to bring uptick in downpours to Florida, Bahamas early this week - AccuWeather.com

The Bahamas in action against Puerto Rico.

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas couldnt stop the up-tempo game from host Puerto Rica and ended up getting blown out by 64 points.

The only thing that the undefeated Puerto Ricans didnt do in their near flawless feature game on day three of the championships on Thursday night was reach the 100 century mark in pulling of their 99-35 massacre over the Bahamas.

Puerto Rico used an impressive 21-9 first quarter to propel them to a 49-19 advantage at the half. They came out of the locker room and the Puerto Ricans out-scored the Bahamas 28-5 as they extended their comfortable lead to 77-24 spurt at the end of the final break.

In the fourth quarter, the Bahamas got some contribution of the bench, but it wasnt enough as Puerto Rico cruised to a 22-11 margin to drop the Bahamas to 1-2 in the tournament after splitting their first two games, beating Suriname 86-69 the day before and losing 53-39 to Costa Rica on opening day.

Before fouling out in the third quarter, forward Valencia Demeritte ended up leading the Bahamas once again with just seven points. In the 19 minutes and 23 seconds she played, Demeritte shot 3-for-9 from the field and 1-for-2 from the free throw line.

Guard Alana Pinder, in playing all but 13 seconds, had six points with eight rebounds, four steals and three assists. Team captain Tanea Bowleg also came up with six points with three assists. Michell Butler was the only other player that scored more than two points She had four points with three rebounds.

Puerto Rico had seven players in double figures with Sheslanie Laureano scoring a game high 23 points with nine rebounds, five assists and as many steals.

The Bahamas was dominated in each statistical category, except for turnovers where they had a 37-20 advantage and the team committed 37 fouls, compared to just 20 by Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico enjoyed its biggest margin by 70 points, while the Bahamas only had one lead and that was 3-2 at the start of the game, thanks to a 3-pointer from with the first 4:44 into the game in the first quarter.

The Bahamas didnt get into 7:21 into the second quarter on a free throw from Bowleg. Demeritte, who had picked up three fouls in the first quarter, came back into the game and scored on a lay-up for a 45-15 deficit.

But on the next ply, she committed her fourth foul and had to go back on the bench.

Without Demeritte in the line-up, the Bahamas found it difficult to score, coming up with just five points in the period.

The Bahamas, coached by Varel Davis and assisted by Terrance Red Eye McSweeney and Deven Johnson, will have to play a reclassification game today to determine the final position they will finish in.

Read more:

Puerto Rico Blows Out Bahamas By 64 Points - Bahamas Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Chief Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Emergency Management Agency Director Capt Stephen Russell yesterday urged residents throughout the country to finalise hurricane preparations as the country enters the peak of the 2017 Atlantic Hurricane season.

Capt Russell cautioned residents to routinely check local media and social media platforms for updates, pointing to the projected path of current system Invest 92 L through the Bahamas.

An invest is an area of disturbed weather that has been designated as a system of interest by the National Hurricane Centre with potential of subtropical or tropical development.

On Friday, the NHC forecasters said Invest 92L has a 60 per cent chance of becoming Tropical Storm Irma, with a projected path that will move in a west-northwestward direction towards The Bahamas and Florida through Tuesday.

Capt Russell said: "You should all be aware at this time that there are a number of tropical systems in the Atlantic Ocean, and one or two are projected to cross over, or come near The Bahamas during the upcoming week.

"Even though the systems have not been named, I would like to urge all residents throughout The Bahamas to continue to monitor these systems as we go into the weekend.

He continued: "We are all aware that in 2015, Tropical Storm Joaquin, rapidly intensified and became a major hurricane, which impacted islands in the Central and Southeast Bahamas."

"As long as the current system (Invest 92 L) is projected to pass through The Bahamas, I would like to urge all residents to make those final preparations to protect homes, businesses, check your family disaster plan, family emergency kits, and your communications plans."

Read more:

Nema Director Urges Caution As Weather System Moves Towards Bahamas - Bahamas Tribune

South Floridians seeking a quick island getaway could soon have more options to cruise from Port of Palm Beach to the Bahamas.

The Riviera Beach seaport has secured a new 10-year agreement with Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line -- its sole cruise operator which intends to add a second ship to its schedule of two-night cruises by June 1, officials said Friday.

The deal was sealed late Thursday with Bahamas Paradises new ownership led by Kevin Sheehan Jr., and president and CEO Oneil Khosa.

Sheehan, whose family acquired a majority stake in the company in December for an undisclosed sum, is the son of Kevin Sheehan Sr., the former president and CEO of Miami-based Norwegian Cruise Line. Minority owner Khosas resume includes stints as CEO of an Indian cruise line and as a first officer for Royal Caribbean.

The second vessel described as Grand Classica would join the cruise operators 1,900-passenger Grand Celebration ship now operating short-hop cruises to Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, port documents show.

That ship has surpassed our expectations, said Manny Almira, the seaports executive director, of Grand Celebration. Having a second ship is a welcomed idea as the product theyre selling is [resonating].

For more than seven years, the seaport has had a successful year-round cruise operation to Freeport, Bahamas with one vessel under different operators, officials said.

Thats in stark contrast to its on-again, off-again day-cruise gambling sailings that failed despite attempts by a variety of operators to sustain them.

Were out of that casino day-cruise business, Almira said.

The port expects the new agreement, which has two, five-year renewal options, will produce an extra $15.1 million in net income in its initial term.

Officials are optimistic Bahamas Paradise' expansion plans given strong consumer demand and a management team of seasoned cruise executives.

For me, thats the main thing, the experience that theyve got, said Blair Ciklin, chairman of the ports board of commissioners. The other owners were timeshare guys, not cruise guys.

The second ship, also referred to as NeoClassica, is expected to be a lot nicer and will be top of the line for us, Ciklin said.

In port documents, the 1991-built NeoClassica is listed as a 654-cabin Costa Cruises vessel with three restaurants, theatre, disco and bar, casino and two swimming pools, among other offerings.

Grand Celebration, which began operating in 1987 as a Carnival ship, has 750 cabins, multiple restaurants, music venues and lounges, casino, theater, spa/salon, kids play area and fitness center.

Sheehan Jr., who has a private equity and Wall Street banking background, said the business is doing great after eight months.

Weve been pretty much full, added Khosa. Were not seeing any weakness in our bookings.

Since taking over, the cruise outfit relocated headquarters from Fort Lauderdale to Deerfield Beach to be closer to the Palm Beach County port. Its also made onboard and portside improvements.

Enhancements include a revamped website, improved check-in and disembarkation process and a new specialty seafood and steakhouse restaurant, which cruisers can enjoy for $29 per person, Khosa said. A new caf serving specialty coffees will open soon.

Bahamas Paradise will keep its two-night cruises and longer cruise-and-resort stay vacation package focus, he said. Thats our core business philosophy and we dont want to deviate from that niche as its clearly working.

Cruise-only summer rates, which include most meals, water, coffee and juices, started at $149-$169 per person, while fall rates should start around $129-$149, Khosa said.

The company expects Grand Celebration will carry about 250,000 passengers this year, Khosa said.

As the new owners advertise the improvements and its expansion, it will likely face lingering consumer dissatisfaction issues tied to past operators.

One such company is Royal Seas Cruises of Fort Lauderdale, which has numerous complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau and also Yelp.com for cruise packages offered aboard Grand Celebration.

Khosa said Bahamas Paradise, which under prior ownership took over the Freeport route from the defunct Celebration Cruise Line in early 2015, is not affiliated with Royal Seas. He said previous owners were slow to respond on social media and not focused on growth.

Our mindset is very different, Khosa said. Were a cruise line and cruise business. Were on a growth trajectory and guests like what were doing.

Analysts say time will tell.

Well have to see where it goes from here, said Stewart Chiron, a Miami-based cruise industry specialist. Its certainly good for Port of Palm Beach. It does bring tourists into Palm Beach County and itll provide jobs, especially with the outlook for a second ship.

.

asatchell@sun-sentinel.com, 954-356-4209 or Twitter@TheSatchreport

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At Port of Palm Beach, new Bahamas Paradise owners installing upgrades, second ship - Sun Sentinel

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#Bahamas, August 19, 2017 Nassau Two women in desperate, even vulnerable situations are lured into drug trafficking from their home countries and were this week fined and jailed for cocaine smuggling. A woman from Suriname Nicole Akeola and the other from Guyana Ieasha Graham were behind the Drug Enforcement Unit arrests of two women who came into the country on Caribbean Airlines and were found, each, with nine pounds of illicit drugs.

Ieasha Graham

When they appeared in court, each had a sad story to tell and the judge admitted to having sympathy but still fined each young woman $10,000 and gave them two years in jail. One woman said her mother died and left her to care for two teenaged siblings, no telling what will happen to those children now. The other said she needed money, even considered prostitution to take care of an ailing grand-mother.

With stories which were strikingly similar, both women claimed to have been told that a man would be waiting in The Bahamas for them, pay them for being #drugmules and they could return home. Instead, they were caught red-handed with the cocaine by the #DEU one at the airport, the other at a hotel.

#MagneticMediaNews

Originally posted here:

Drug Mules jailed in Bahamas, claims lured to drug trafficking by desperate times - Magnetic Media (press release)

I suspect deep down I enjoy being disapproved of. It may explain my adoration of a former bartender at the Russian Samovar. It may also explain my new favorite fish, the polka dot batfish (or maybe it is the shortnose batfish). I have experienced fish being wary, hungry, curious, and ambivalent, but never before have I felt disapproved of by a fishuntil now.

We were snorkeling at Jaws Beach when Patrick and Garnet came to tell me about a weird fish they saw. I found one a few minutes later. We were excitedly telling each other about the weird face, the stubbly legs (pelvic fins), and the awkward pectoral fins that looked like wings. We had never seen such a thing and frogfish and sea robins leapt to mind, but neither seemed right.

Research turned up batfish and several species were cited as living in the shallows in the Bahamas. Im going with polka-dot batfish* for this article because the coloration was the most similar. According to Guide to Marine Life: Caribbean, Bahamas, Florida, Polka-dot batfish have distinct spots on the fins, head and body, while shortnose batfish are generally more mottled. The polka-dot batfish is not found in the true Caribbean, but it has been documented in the associated waters of Florida and in the Bahamas. They are usually between 6-12 inches long, which matches the ones I saw.

Batfish are in the anglerfish family and many live deep along the ocean bottom, but a few, like the polka-dot species live in shallow waters. The generally sit around on bottom of the sea and wait for prey to come to them. They are masters of camouflage, blending in with the sand and sea vegetation. They use that bulbous forehead to lure in their prey, which consists of crustaceans, mollusks, and worms.

And they walk. Seriously. When they move, unless they are doing a slow flee, they walk on stubby little pelvic fins. They swim with short pectoral fins that jut out on the side. I was completely fascinated by them. We snorkeled Jaws Beach 3-4 times during our trip and I encountered several batfish. I pestered the hell out of them with my camera and diving down to take a close look at them. I broke my rule of trying not to interfere with animals in the wild. I was so curious. I couldnt stop myself. I had to touch the batfish. Thus, I received a look from the fish that conveyed I had deeply offended him and should stop these antics immediately. He awkwardly swam 2-3 feet away. The disapproving look was so effective that felt ashamed and I left him alone. In that moment I had a new favorite fish.

* If you are reading this and I got the species of batfish wrong please let me know. I almost hope it is wrong so they can disapprove of me further.

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Batfish: Bahamas' masters of camouflage - Baltimore Post-Examiner