Category Archives: Bahamas

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.

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Puerto Rico Blows Out Bahamas By 64 Points - 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.

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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

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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

Bahamas forward Shaian James drives to the basket against her Suriname defender.

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

AFTER losing the opening game of the FIBA U17 Centrobasket Championship for Women 53-39 to Costa Rica, the Bahamas bounced back on Thursday to take their frustration out on Suriname with a 86-69 rout.

Leading from start to finish, the Bahamas had four players in double figures as forward Valicia Demeritte led the attack by scoring a game high 20 points on 9-for-17 from the field and 2-for-6 from the free throw line in 34 minutes and 43 seconds. She also had eight rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Guard Alana Pinder, in a team-leading 36:45 minutes, was next with 17 points, hitting with 3-for-6 shots from the field and behind the three-point arch and 2-for-2 from the charity stripe, to go along with six assists, five rebounds and five steals. Team captain Tanea Bowleg, in 30:15 minutes, also had 7 points on 5-for-12 from the field, 2-for-7 from the three-point line and 5-for-6 from the foul line.

Centre Brionte Riley, playing 21:36 minutes, contributed 12 points with 12 rebounds, three steals and two assists. All but two of the Bahamian players, scored in the game. Centre Ulrica Butler had eight points, three rebounds and two steals and centre Michell Butler had six points and five rebounds.

The Bahamas, coached by Varel Davis and assisted by Terrarance Red Eye McSweeney and Deven Johnson, opened an impressive 22-9 lead at the end of the first quarter. By the half, Suriname cut the deficit to single digits as they trailed 43-35. Both teams scored 22 points in the third as the Bahamas stayed ahead 65-57. But, on a 21-14 spurt in the fourth, the Bahamas coasted to the win.

Suriname also had four players in double figures with captain Jolaine Nijman scoring 17 points with four rebounds and three steals.

The Bahamas led in all of the shooting categories, except for three-point, which saw both teams shoot 40 per cent. Surinam had a 28-15 advantage on the offensive rebounding, but the Bahamas made up the difference with a 37-23 edge on the defensive end for a total of 52-41 total.

A 20-16 margin put the Bahamas ahead in assists, but Suriname had 28-35 difference in turnovers, 22-16 in steals and 2-1 in block shots. The Bahamas, however, committed 25 fouls compared to just 19 by their opponents.

Both teams had just eight fast break points, but the Bahamas enjoyed its biggest lead of 19-0, had a 54-44 advantage in points in the paint and a 12-7 edge in points off the bench.

Surinam scored 37 points from turnovers with the Bahamas only getting 28. The Bahamas was also 14-11 against Surinam in second chance points but both teams had 12 points each in their biggest scoring attacks.

The Bahamas led for 39:43 minutes of the 40-minute game.

Today, the Bahamas will have their hands full as they take on hosts Puerto Rico in the feature game at 7pm. Puerto Rico leads Group B with a 2-0 win-loss record, while the Bahamas is sitting in second at 1-1, the same record of Costa Rica, whom they will play on Friday to complete the round robin.

Mexico tops Group A at 2-0 with El Salvador and Guatemala trailing 1-1 for second and third respectively. The British Virgin Islands are 0-2 as are Surinam in fourth place in Group B.

The competition system of the tournament consists of two phases. In the Group Phase, the eight participating teams are divided into two groups of four teams. Teams play in the round-robin format for three days.

The best two teams from each group will advance to the next phase, where the first place of Group A will play against the second place in Group B and vice versa. The winners of the Semi-Finals will advance to the Gold Medal Match, while the losers will play for the bronze of the continental event.

The top-three teams from the tournament will qualify to the FIBA U18 Womens Americas Championship 2018.

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Bahamas Bounces Back With Win Over Suriname - Bahamas Tribune

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#Bahamas, August 17, 2017 Nassau The United Nations Human Rights Commission is telling a local newspaper that Bahamas laws are lagging when it comes to how legitimate refugees are handled; and it is leading to outrageously lengthy detention times for those who rightly fall into the category. The Tribune reports that this is a twenty year old problem, and despite the fact that The Bahamas has signed onto the conventions since 1993, which would necessitate these laws, the legal framework is simply absent.

UNHCR Assistant Protection Officer, Deneisha Moss Balbonisaid, if you look at the people who are admitted into a process and have access to UNHCR, there are still ongoing gaps because there are no guarantees under Bahamian law for people who are recognized as refugees. So things that are protections that are provided for in the refugee convention that people dont have access to, for example the right to be issued ID documents and whatever necessary residence permit to facilitate a refugees continued stay in a country of asylum, or a right to gainful employment so they could become self-sufficient or the right to access basic healthcare and education.

No law it seems, equates to no respect for the right of that UNHCR refugee and for 12 detainees at the Carmichael Road detention center, who were recently released it meant being held for years and years and years without any criminal charge. Bascially, local laws should allow the proven refugee to have freedom of movement.

Moss Balboni reports that the Government is prepared to fill the legislative gaps with some formal mechanisms, adding that as an advisor for the United Nations, her outlook for the future is bright as The Bahamas aims to get this right.

#MagneticMediaNews

Photo Credit: The Tribune

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News Report cites Bahamas refugee laws lacking, UNHCR to help - Magnetic Media (press release)

NASSAU, The Bahamas, Thursday August 17, 2017 The Bank of the Bahamas (BOB) is facing an uphill battle to get out of the red as it continues to rack up millions of dollars in losses due to bad loans.

According to a report on the banks financial performance for the fourth quarter ended June 30, 2017, the bank recorded net loan loss provisions of about $35.4 million during the final quarter of the fiscal year 2016 and $49.2 million since the start of 2017

This was up by $20.1 million from the same quarter last year and up by $24.7 million year to date compared to the prior year. As a result of the increased credit loss expenses, the bank recognized a net loss of $32.8 million for the quarter and $43.8 million year to date, the report stated.

BOB acknowledged that the situation was worrying, stressing that its ultimate return to profitability is largely dependent on the performance of its loan portfolio.

It was at pains to point out that it would have earned $2.5 million in net income for the reporting quarters and $5.4 million to date barring the losses from bad loans.

As such, a great part of the banks profitability will be contingent on resolving its non-performing loans.

The Bahamas Government has expressed concern about the banks continuing troubles.

It recently announced that it would allow BOB to release itself of $166 million of non-performing loans to a special purpose vehicle Bahamas Resolve Limited.

The bank said this transaction would provide substantial relief for its credit portfolio and overall financial position.

Meanwhile, BOB said it would continue to focus on transforming its business by focusing on initiatives around corporate governance, collections, cost optimization and customer care.

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Bad Loans Crippling Bank of the Bahamas - Caribbean360.com (subscription)

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#Bahamas, August 17, 2017 Nassau The terminations of three lower ranking staff at Bahamas Power and Light are just the beginning, according to a statement issued on Wednesday by the Chairman of the Board at BPL, Darnell Osbourne, who asked the union to be patient. The statement came following the termination of three on Wednesday and threats by the Bahamas Electrical Workers Union that the trio would not be used as scapegoats for the bigger targets, whom Union members claim ordered their members to perform certain transactions which led to millions of dollars missing at the nations power supplier.

Astride Bodie, was irate as she addressed media on Wednesday, the Secretary General of the #BEWU claimed, There were 44 cheques cut fraudulently for 16 different companies, they were instructed and did exactly that. They didnt come up with these transactions and made these arrangements, they were instructed by their bosses, Bodie said the fact that managers were made to investigate their own alleged misdealing is wrong and awful, adding that, No, the union isnt condoning theft in any way, our point is dont railroad the employees in a scheme created and carried out by persons in management and give the impression that only they were a part of it.

A forensic audit report is done, turned in and now decisions are being made for terminations and it sounds as if there will be many who fall into the hands of the Royal Bahamas Police for further investigations. Ms Osbourne confirmed that over $2m was missing as a result of the criminal scheme and a apart of the goal of #BPL is to recover that money. Both the Board and Government are with that Ernst & Young audit report in hand.

#MagneticMediaNews

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Bahamas Police get to BPL cases, $2M missing as more to be fired - Magnetic Media (press release)

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

Team Bahamas struggled to score for much of the second and third quarters and failed to keep pace as they lost their opening game of the FIBA U18 Centrobasket Championship for Women.

They suffered a 53-39 loss to Costa Rica as the eight team tournament tipped off yesterday in Aguada, Puerto Rico.

Tanea Bowleg led the Bahamas with seven points, while Terell Cox added six and Briontae Riley finished with five points and eight rebounds.

Valeria Gonzalez led Costa Rica with 12 points while Fiorella Mendez and Laura Castro each scored 10.

The Bahamas scored just six points in both the second and third quarters as Costa Rica outscored them 27-12 during that timespan.

After they fell behind by six points early, the Bahamas rallied to tie the game at 10 on a Cox layup. Tied again at 12, the Bahamas took their first lead of the game 15-12 on a Cox three point play with just over one minute left to play in the quarter. She scored the last five points for the team, and her free throw was the difference as they took the slim one point lead into the second.

Costa Rica opened the second on a 14-5 run to take an eight point lead before Bowlegs three pointer ended the drought for the Bahamas and kept them in contention. It was only one of two field goals for the team in the quarter that they scored just six points. Costa Rica took a 28-21 lead at the half.

The competition level is intense and thats what the coaches kept stressing when we were back home, Bowleg said, We just werent hitting open shots and open layups, we were responding too late on our closeouts and they were hitting their shots. I want to play in this gold medal game so as the captain I just have to tell my team we have to refocus and win these next three games.

Costa Rica took their first ten point lead on a Gonzalez three pointer to open the second half and the Bahamas never threatened again. Gonzalez made another three near the end of the quarter to build a 15 point lead at one point. They took a 47-21 lead into the fourth and both teams scored 12 points in the final period.

Terrence McSweeney took over head coaching duties and said the team would have to bring the same level of intensity and focus to the game that they have in their preparation thus far.

Our shootaround was awesome, the girls had a lot of energy but it all boils down to the third and fourth quarter, just like the senior team when I was with them in the USVI [at Centrobasket] we had no legs and we see the same thing here. My forte as a coach is to mentally and physically get the girls ready. We realised at the end of the game the legs were just not there. We rotated 10 players which was not the norm, but we were trying to search for the correct lineup, he said, They have to bring the game. We cannot be timid at this level of basketball because when players see that they will take advantage. Neither team shot it very well from the perimeter, our post up game was not where we wanted it to be, we missed easy shots we made at shootaround so now they have to soul search individually because they have to bring that these next few games.

Participating teams include the Bahamas, British Virgin Islands, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Suriname.

The top-three teams from the tournament will qualify to FIBA Under-18 Womens Americas Championship 2018.

The Bahamas will face Suriname on Wednesday 2pm and Puerto Rico on Thursday 6pm to complete the group stage.

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Bahamas Loses Opener In U18 Centrobasket - Bahamas Tribune

Dustin Johnson and his fiance Paulina Gretzky are no strangers to tropical vacations, so it wasn't a huge surprise to see them pop up at Baker's Bay in the Bahamas the day after the PGA Championship wrapped up at Quail Hollow.

The couple, along with some friends jetted off to the vacation spot made popular to golf fans by the #SB2K crew - Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas and Smylie Kaufman - over the last couple of years.

In case you weren't already jealous of the people who vacation here, these photos ought to do the trick:

A post shared by Paulina Gretzky (@paulinagretzky) on Aug 14, 2017 at 10:54am PDT

my one & only

A post shared by Paulina Gretzky (@paulinagretzky) on Aug 15, 2017 at 12:47pm PDT

That's my best friend@paulinagretzky

A post shared by (@kmelnichenko) on Aug 15, 2017 at 12:20pm PDT

Via kmelnichenko Instagram Story

Via kmelnichenko Instagram Story

Via kmelnichenko Instagram Story

Via kmelnichenko Instagram Story

Be sure to check back for more on this important developing situation.

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DJ, Paulina unwind with Bahamas vacay ... obviously - Golf Channel