Ida No Longer a Threat to Caribbean
Storm Watches in Effect in Mexico, Grand Cayman, Cuba
Tropical Storm Ida continues to gain strength in the western Caribbean and is now threatening the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, Grand Cayman, and parts of Cuba.
A hurricane watch is in effect for the Yucatan between Tulum and Cabo Catoche, while tropical storm warnings have been posted for Grand Cayman and the western Cuban province of Pinar del Rio. A tropical storm watch is in effect for Cuba's Isle of Youth.
Ida currently is located about 230 miles southeast of Cozumel and south of Cuba. The storm is moving north and currently is forecast to move over of just east of the Yucatan tomorrow. Ida could become a Category 1 hurricane today.
New Honduras Travel Alert Posted
The U.S. State Department has issued a new Travel Alert on Honduras, advising Americans to exercise extreme caution when traveling in the country and defer nonessential travel to the capital of Tegulcigalpa during the current power struggle there.
The alert notes that a series of (nonviolent) demonstrations have hit the country since the June 28 coup against President Manuel Zelaya. A political accord between the coup leaders in the military and Zelaya has been drafted, but the State Department warns that demonstrations could increase leading up to the Nov. 29 elections in Honduras.
Roatan and the Bay Islands of Honduras have so far been generally unaffected by the turmoil on the mainland.
Resurgent Tropical Storm Threatens Caribbean
The tropical storm I told you about earlier in the week has had a busy few days. The tropical depression that formed off the coast of Nicaragua grew into Tropical Storm Ida and then a minor Category 1 hurricane, came ashore in Nicaragua, weakened back to a tropical storm and then a tropical depression.
You might think that was the end of it. But, no. Ida has now emerged into the northwestern Caribbean Sea and is expected to strengthen into a tropical storm or hurricane again. Forecasters now say the storm could hit the Yucatan Peninsula in the Mexican Caribbean and possibly affect western Cuba. No storm warnings have yet been issued -- I'll keep you posted if they are.
Tropical Storm Forming in Southern Caribbean
The islands off the coast of Colombia and Nicaragua are under tropical storm warnings after a tropical depression formed in the southern Caribbean Sea. Tropical Depression 11 is expected to become a tropical storm later today or tonight.
The storm currently has maximum sustained winds of about 35 mph and is located 65 miles south-southwest of San Andres Island. It is expected to move northwest toward the Nicaraguan coast and is not projected to threaten any other parts of the Caribbean at this point.
WestJet Begins Service from Toronto to Freeport, Bahamas
Grand Bahama Island (GBI) may be the biggest Caribbean destination that many tourists have never seen, with tourism hampered by a deficit of air service. So it's great news (for Canadian travelers, anyway) that discount airline WestJet has started new seasonal nonstop service between Toronto and Freeport, Bahamas, the capital of GBI. The flights began on Nov. 2 and will operate through April 30, 2010. Fares on the twice-weekly flights start at $99 one-way.
Castro Blames Gringos for Swine Flu in Cuba
Despite all that talk about opening up Cuba to American tourism, old habits apparently die hard for former leader Fidel Castro. In a newspaper editorial, Castro recently blamed an influx of U.S. visitors for the spread of the H1N1 (swine) flu in Cuba, which now is present in all of the island's provinces. Castro also chided the U.S. for the decades-old trade embargo that he said is preventing Cuba from getting medicine and other supplies to fight the epidemic, the BBC reported Oct. 31.
"I don't think, of course, that it was the intention of the United States government" to spread the virus, Castro allowed. "But this is the reality resulting from the absurd and shameful blockade."
New Caribbean Cruises Launch from Grenada
The much-loved small-ship cruise line Windjammer Barefoot Cruises may be gone, but a group of former passengers is keeping the concept alive by launching Island Windjammers, Inc., which will begin six-day cruises from Grenada on Nov. 15 aboard a 101-foot brigantine schooner, the Diamant.
The Diamant can accommodate 12 passengers in six air-conditioned staterooms. Rates start at $1,599 per person and include all meals, soft drinks, beer and wine, port taxes, and crew gratuities. The ship will call on Carriacou, Mayreau, Bequia, Union Island, Tobago Cays and Palm Island.
For more information, visit the cruise line's website.
Hero Pilot Dies in Bonaire Crash
Anyone who has ever flown a puddle-jumper between Caribbean islands can sense the terror and anguish felt by the passengers aboard the Britten-Norman Islander that ditched in the sea off the coast of Bonaire last week.
Robert Mansell, 32, the pilot of the Divi Divi Air flight from Curacao, reported trouble with the right engine of the plane on approach to Bonaire and skillfully put the plane down in the water, but was knocked unconscious by the impact.
All eight passengers on the flight survived, but were unable to get Mansell out of his safety harness before the plane slipped under the waves. The survivors were quickly plucked out of the water by nearby dive boats.
If you've never been on one of these flights, let me just explain that for passengers it is much more like being in the back seat of a car than sitting on a commercial jet. Scary enough on takeoff and landing even when the weather is perfect and everything is working smoothly. In this particular plane, a passenger literally sits next to the pilot (as the photos posted here illustrate), so the horror of the crash must have been doubled when the tourists onboard were unable to get the heroic pilot out of the sinking plane.
My condolences go out to the pilot's family as well as to the survivors, who certainly must be traumatized by last week's tragic events.
CDC Advises Travelers on Swine Flu, Screenings
The swine (H1N1) flu is really starting to bite here in the U.S., and travelers should anticipate that they will be screened for signs of the illness when traveling abroad. Mexico and Cuba are among the countries that have been routinely screening arriving tourists, in some cases quarantining sick passengers.
"The United States is not screening travelers who arrive from other countries or depart for other countries," the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says in a document detailing what travelers can expect. "In other countries that are conducting entry screening for 2009 H1N1 flu, travelers may be checked for fever and other symptoms of 2009 H1N1 flu, and their travel may be delayed. Consult the embassy of the country, or countries, in your travel itinerary for information about entry screening procedures."
For more information, see the CDC's 2009 H1N1 site and the latest update on the global swine-flu situation.
Tips on Staying Healthy and Avoiding Illness on Your Caribbean Vacation