Dolphin Encounters

• Paradise Island - One Marina Drive
• Nassau
• Nassau / Paradise Island, Bahamas

IOC awards broadcast rights in United Kingdom for 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2020 Olympic Games to the BBC

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has awarded the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) the exclusive broadcast rights in the United Kingdom for the XXII Olympic Winter Games (2014) in Sochi, Russia; the Games of the XXXI Olympiad (2016) in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil; and the XXIII Olympic Winter Games (2018) in PyeongChang; as well as the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in 2020, which have yet to be awarded to a host city.

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Pandemonium opens BBC season with win

Bahamian angler Sandy Roberts' three blue marlin releases on day two of the Guana Cay Championship propelled Team Pandemonium into the tournament lead.
The Treasure Cay, Abaco-based team added another blue marlin release on day four to ensure owner Kim Kuhnle a clear victory at the recent opening tournament of the Bahamas Billfish Championship's 40th anniversary season.
BBC newcomer Greg Smith guided Team Blue Sky to a second place finish with two blue marlin releases. The 56 Viking from Pawleys Island, South Carolina released their blues on day one and day four. Cruiser Crews' Cowpoke finished in third place. The Avon Park, Florida team released one blue marlin, two white marlin and a sailfish to accumulate 1,100 points during the four-day event.
Kuhnle, Pandemonium owner and captain, said of the win: "We had an absolute ball. In all my years of marlin fishing, this is the first time we caught and released three blues in one day. Considering that no one on our team is under 56 years of age made it even more rewarding."
All four of Pandemonium's blue marlins were caught on lures.
"My 1990, 61' Buddy Davis is certainly not the newest boat in the fleet which shows that the older boats still raise fish," Kuhnle said.
The Guana Cay Championship win earned Kuhnle and Team Pandemonium a Randy Rich designed trophy presented by tournament sponsors Hatteras and MarineMax. In addition, Kuhnle received a $1,000 gift certificate from Aqualuma Lighting. Kuhnle and mate Steve Russell each received Randy Rich designed crew trophies sponsored by the Lewis Marine Group.
Top tournament angler honors went to Sandy Roberts, who will receive a Carey Chen print presented by International Special Risks, Smith-Merritt and Travelers. Roberts now has 1,800 points toward the newly created Jim Lambert Memorial Trophy that will be presented to the BBC's top 2013 angler at the 40th anniversary celebration during the Marsh Harbour Championship.
The second place Randy Rich designed trophy went to Blue Sky. Greg Smith's team finished with 1,200 points as a result of their two blue marlin releases. Cruiser Crews and Team Cowpoke, winners of last year's Treasure Cay Championship, received the third place trophy. In addition to the Hatteras and MarineMax Randy Rich trophies, the three winning teams also received gift certificates from Roffer's Ocean Fishing Forecasting Service (ROFFS) and bottles of Bacardi Anejo from Bacardi and Bristol Wine & Spirits.
The Guana Cay Championship, hosted by Orchid Bay Yacht Club & Marina, produced eight blue marlin, five white marlin and one sailfish. All billfish were released. All catches in Bahamas Billfish Championship tournaments are validated using time and date stamped digital images. Affidavits signed by all participants fishing on each team further confirm that the fish was released in accordance with IGFA and Bahamas Billfish Championship rules.
Hatteras and MarineMax were the hosting sponsors of the BBC's season opener at Guana Cay. The companies' sponsorship included a special pig roast dinner at Nipper's. Other social functions during the tournament were hosted by CAT Marine Power, Ocean Club at Port Canaveral and Aqualuma Lighting.
Now celebrating its 40th anniversary, the Bahamas Billfish Championship is the oldest billfish tournament series in the world. Anglers can fish any or all of the tournaments with cumulative points determining the overall Bahamas Billfish champions. The BBC endowed two scholarships that enable Bahamian students the opportunity to pursue a degree in marine biology or advanced education in the marine technologies.

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BBC report on Bahamas Lionfish

A Long Island fisherman told a BBC reporter that he had never seen a fish multiply as fast as the lionfish, spearing two when the pair stopped for a dive. In this clip from the BBC's Tropic of Cancer, reporter Simon Reeve talked to Marvin, a Long Island fisherman for more than 20 years.

Marvin said in 2004 he spotted one Lionfish. "The following year every diver on my boat saw one or two of them. The following year there were five, six, ten."

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PACBO, BBC Forge Working Relationship With Cuba

A bridge to the future in boxing was built during an important meeting in November in Havana, Cuba. Commissioned by the Pan American Caribbean Boxing Organization (PACBO) and the Bahamas Boxing Commission (BBC), veteran sports administrator and media consultant...

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BBC World Service Newshour: Tax havens scrutinised

A BBC World Service Newshour broadcast that includes an interview with OffshoreAlert publisher David Marchant and Tax Justice Network executive director John Christensen. "Offshore centers tend to get stereotyped and it's very important to realize that they are not all the same.

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BBBC targets 30 percent of market with new beer

FREEPORT, Bahamas- Bahamian Brewery and Beverage Co Ltd. (BBBC) is about to launch "Bush Crack" in the domestic market - the first local beer to retail in a 16-ounce can.
With about 22.5-to-23 percent of the beer market in The Bahamas now in the BBBC camp, according to sales and marketing manager Lynden Johnson, the company is hoping the new 16-ounce can along with the quality of the product will make it a hit with Bahamians. It could also mean a bigger share of the domestic market for the Grand Bahama based brewers.
"With the introduction of Bush Crack, we will be able to get no less than 30 percent of the market in The Bahamas," Johnson said in an interview with Guardian Business yesterday.
While he did not disclose what that translated to in dollar or volume sales, Johnson did say the size of the local market was around 2.6 million cases of beer per annum.  BBBC has no problem 'co-existing' with the other local brewers, according to Johnson, but added that as the only 100 percent Bahamian-owned brewery the company is aiming to make its product-line the 'go-to' beers for Bahamians.

BBBC is targeting the segment of the local market now dominated by foreign beers retailing in16-ounce cans.   BBBC General Manager Donald Delahey said Bush Crack provides a high quality, locally brewed alternative to the popular 16-ounce Colt 45 or Busch offers.
With a price point Johnson said would be 'competitive', he anticipates 3-for-$5, or 3-for-$6 retail specials for 5.8 percent alcohol content beer should be well received by the local market.
BBBC hosted a team of 11 managers and directors associated with Atlantis' newest restaurant,Virgil's, to a brewery-tour and sampling opportunity at its Freeport, Grand Bahama plant yesterday.  Virgil's has an exclusive to serve the beer on draft.
Johnson said he's hoping the excitement that is building from the vote of confidence cast by Virgil's in choosing Bush Crack will carry over to the local market.
With it's 'Real Barbecue' theme, Virgil's customers have come to expect a broad range of quality beers, according to the Virgil's general manager Amaaris Pichardo.  They will also serve the rest of the brewery's line of beer products.  The restaurant opens on November 1.
Bush Crack is described as a gold-yellow color beer with a mild bitterness and a tangy, full-bodied taste profile, BBBC's Brew Master Dieter Stich told Guardian Business yesterday.
BBBC is busy crafting another new product as well.  The ale they are aiming for would have a darker color and fuller-body than Bush Crack.  That product may come to market as early as December, although BBBC is currently gearing up for a January release, Delahey said.
There will be an exclusivity agreement for distribution of that beer with Atlantis, Guardian Business has learned.  That beer will likely only be available at its restaurants on tap.
BBBC now has Sands, Sands Light, Strong Back and High Rock in its product line-up.  The company won Belgium's Monde Selection Grand Gold for its Strong Back beer in 2010, along with the Gold for the High Rock beer that year.
 

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Bahamas Breast Cancer Initiative Foundation (BBCIF) Announces new appointments

The Bahamas Breast Cancer Initiative Foundation (BBCIF) recently announced the appointments of Melissa D. Major as its Executive Director and Magan Trottier as its Genetic Counselor.

Melissa Major has worked in Commercial and Private Banking for the past 14 years. Her role as Executive Director is to report to the Board of Directors and be responsible for the organization’s consistent achievement of its mission and financial objectives. Melissa is the founder of Freedom Survivors, a young adult community for persons affected by cancer and she serves on the Education and Operations Committees of The Cancer Society of the Bahamas.

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BOBBCAT FILMS brings new cooking show to the Islands of The Bahamas

Nassau, Bahamas -

Roger
Bobb, formerly of Tyler Perry Studios has formed his own production
company, and he is working on a number of projects which he hope will be
released to the movie-going public shortly. His most recent venture,
"Hanging With The Manns" a cooking show with hosts, David and Tamela
Mann who are presently the characters Mr. & Mrs. Brown on Tyler
Perry's

Meet The Browns.

Roger Bobb and The Manns were in Nassau from
September 8-12, where they met with some of Nassau's top chefs at The
Poop Deck West, Luciano's Marley Resorts and Frankie Gone Bananas. With a
new production company Roger Bobb is hitting the ground running fast,
as already he has several documentaries and a feature...

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Holiday soul

Move over soul sisters because a new soulful sister is making her way up!
Tica Gaitor who goes by the stage name Holiday Soul has had a "taste" of the bright lights of stardom, having performed her single "Brand New" featuring Sammi Star, on the BBC during Black History Month in the United Kingdom and she has no intentions of letting those lights go dim.
The 18-year-old, twelfth grade student at St. George's High School in Grand Bahama, who has enjoyed singing since her toddler days said as long as she can remember, she had always played with the idea of singing professionally, but the drive to make it happen really took root eight years ago when she heard a lady singing live in a Pennsylvania park.
Holiday Soul's big break came after a teacher, Janet Baxter, took a copy of her single to the BBC Radio Derby, when she went to visit her homeland. The song was a hit -- so much so that she received a call from Davon Daley, the host of "The African Caribbean Experience", a radio show on BBC where she was asked to sing at an awards show.
"I was so honored. It was such a good opportunity," she recalled. "What made it even better for me was that everything was paid for. But the most magical part of all of this was just how I felt on the stage," she said. "I really couldn't believe I was really doing it." She sang an acoustic version of "Brand New". Also in honor of one of her favorite British singers, the deceased Amy Winehouse, she did a cover of "Tears Dry on My Own". She says she wanted to give a performance that would be a familiar and tasteful experience to the people.
During her three-week stint in London, she was asked to perform at numerous other events including at elementary schools and at a youth rally.
She earned her unique moniker due to her always singing a Michael Jackson holiday song whenever she sang impromptu. Because of her soulful vocals, she was also labeled a little Billy Holliday -- thus the name Holiday Soul.
"I was always told that I would be a little star one day and I never took it seriously but now I really know how it can feel to be a hit sensation and I am even more determined to ensure my dream comes true," she says. "This is so exciting," she said from Grand Bahama. "I know I will really be able to do it one day. I will be even more than people imagined I'd be. I'll be a big star!"
Holiday Soul says it has always been her mother, Juanita Gaitor, who has encouraged her to follow her dreams and sing. She says her mother made her sing when she didn't want to, signing her up to perform at functions without her knowledge. Her father, Glenn Gaitor, on the other hand wasn't too keen on her singing, but says if she does, the local scene is not the place for her.
With big dreams to realize, Holiday Soul believes she will make it, especially after her London appearance.
In the meantime, she is hitting the books to complete high school so that she can really break free and make major steps to get a music career underway. Her plans do include attending college, but she says she will make time to work on her music, by ensuring the college she attends is either in New York, Atlanta, Georgia or California.
"I don't know where my road in music will take me but I ultimately want to be happy with whatever I produce. I don't know if I will be signed in a year, six or even 10 years, but I want to create songs that are beautiful."
And if she's able to achieve financial stability through her passion that is music then she will be even happier. She says it's more important to still be in love with the work even years into the game and that it should never be just another job.
Since her three-week sojourn to the United Kingdom, Holiday Soul says she has learned a lot and has since gotten other offers to perform in New York. Although she wants to blow up big in the field of music, she says she is careful about which gigs she accepts and turns down because it's all about the image she is trying to create.
"I am still developing so I have to craft the image I want to have. I love jazz, soul and R&B but I still feel I have room to improve vocally and my talents may push me into another genre," says the songstress. "I am open to what may come my way, but I will always hold strong to my values and let whomever I meet in this industry see I am valuable and they should not think any less of me. I am really hoping I am starting off on the right foot because this road will be long but I know there are rewards. My name will be in lights one day and I will be a star!"
Holiday Soul counts the melody of the classic singers and the soul of modern greats like Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu and Maxwell among her idols.
To listen to some of Holiday Soul's hits and cover songs visit www.twitter.com/holidaysoul, www.facebook.com/holidaysoul and www.reverbnation.com/holidaysoul.

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