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Emily Pearsall was born and raised in St Thomas. She grew up on and under the water. Long days at the beach or on a boat and then nights at home on the mountain on St Thomas’ North Side with views up to the British Virgin Islands. Emily is raising two gorgeous island girls and helps run her husband Tony’s @localmotioncharters, one of the Virgin Islands best day charter businesses. Graphic design is one of her many talents and when we asked Emily put her hand to a couple winners for HIHO. Our new women’s mermaid and men’s swordfish graphics are some of our favorites.  It’s great keeping the creative side of our business almost homegrown. 

Shop our Mermaid Suntek Shirt and Swordfish Suntek Shirts online!

We caught up with the inimitable Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon (aka JetSetSarah) after her recent trip to Grenada.  Sarah knows our islands almost better than we do.  She’s a travel writer, on screen host, and a self described “Carivangelist”. We’ve hung out with her in the Virgin Islands and appreciated her quick take on the Spice Island of Grenada. Follow her adventures on Instagram and on Facebook and at JetSetSarah.com

1. How often do you travel to Grenada and what makes it such a special island?This was my fifth visit to the “Spice Island” and even though I’ve only been home a few days I’m already looking forward to my sixth! Grenada is at the sweet spot of being an island that’s relatively undiscovered by crowds and still genuinely welcoming and also having a diverse and developed (but not too developed!) tourism product in terms of hotels, restaurants and activities. You can have a high-end and vacation in a luxury resort or a homey, intimate stay at a bed-and-breakfast. Either way, you’re guaranteed a good time.
2. What’s your favourite thing to do in Grenada?Most people don’t know that Grenada is a three-island nation with two sister islands, Carriacou and Petite Martinique. I’ve done day trips (it takes two hours on the ferry) from St. George’s to Carriacou, which has just 7,000 people, a single gas station and, they say, 100 rum shops. I’d love to go back and stay over for a couple of nights to really get the feel of the place without rushing to make the afternoon ferry.
3. Can you give us an “insider” tip to the most unique attraction on the island? On this last trip I visited Grand Etang National Reserve for the first time. It’s a 3,000-acre protected rainforest in the center of the island that’s really popular with hikers and birdwatchers. I went with local guide Simon Green, whose company, Hidden Treasures Hikes, offers custom tours. We hiked to Grand Etang, the crater lake at the center of the forest, and saw Mona monkeys swinging in the trees. Visitors make the mistake of thinking that beaches are the Caribbean’s best or only asset. But there’s so much more magic to be found when you leave the coast and go deeper. Grenada is proof.
4. Give us a rundown of your favourite places to stay/eat/drink on the island? Stay: I was a guest at a couple of places, at opposite ends of Grenada’s best-known beach, Grand Anse. Silversands is a two-year-old luxury resort with a fabulous spa and the Caribbean’s longest infinity pool. Mount Cinnamon has a clutch of villas and suites on the hillside above the southern end of the beach and is a great pick for families. On my next trip I have my eye on a stay at Calabash Hotel, a family-run boutique beachfront resort on the south coast. Eat: No one leaves Grenada without eating at BB’s Crabback in St. George’s. It’s a family run join on the water that’s famous for its - you guessed it - crab backs. Drink: I don’t have a favorite bar but I do recommend that wherever you choose you order a traditional rum punch. Everyone has a slightly different recipe but they’re all so good, and ALWAYS topped with a generous dusting of nutmeg. Grenada is the world’s second-largest exporter of the aromatic spice, so not to try it would be rude!

On a busmans holiday Team HIHO sailing aboard the Sunfast 33 “byte” lined up for The 2020 New England Solo/Twin. The event featured a 70-mile ocean triangle course starting and finishing in Newport, RI with a course around Block Island and then down to the Elizabeth islands.  What should have been a quick sprint turned into a slow trek.  The “byte” team battled light wind, adverse currents and ferocious competition to finish in 25-hours and claim a 2nd in class position.

Ryan and Crystal Van Denabeele (@caribbeancastaways and formerly RumShopRyan and Castaway Crystal) have, even by our jaded standards, a dream life.  Together they run the Caribbean Castaways blog and podcast, a burgeoning portal to all things Caribbean. This husband and wife team travel throughout the region often, helping to inspire and inform people on the best the Caribbean has to offer. We know the islands pretty well, and so do they, so it's nice to get their occasional take on what makes the different islands special or different.

HIHO started in 1979 as inter-island windsurfing race through the Virgin Islands. In the 1980’s it was known as the Hook In & Hold On, and was sponsored by Johnnie Walker Scotch Whiskey.  A youthful Andy Morrell took first place in the 1986 edition, and then went on to buy the event.  With the name shortened to HIHO and a fun sun graphic logo the event was re-started in 1983 and endured for another 20-years.  Famous for a week of great windsurf racing, a yacht flotilla and legendary parties, the HIHO race was one of the biggest water sports events on the Caribbean.  And the sun graphic logo shirts evolved into today’s HIHO brand of island inspired apparel.

It’s a funny thing about visiting the Caribbean but tourists like to leave some proof they were there.  The great bars of the Caribbean are adorned with license plates, business cards, intimate apparel and visitor photos.  Graffiti too, as in writing your name, some summary of the experience and the date.  Stickers, though, are by far the most popular.  At HIHO we are happily on this bandwagon and leave our mark at our favorite bars & watering holes.  Our great friends at Sticker Mule help us by making it easy to source stickers, which we tastefully affix here and there.

In a country comprised of so many islands, it not surprising that there are a number of floating businesses. Here are some of our favorites that should be on your radar for your next visit! 

Ocean Spa – Jost Van Dyke, BVI

Floating on the translucent water at the top of White Bay on Jost Van Dyke is the Ocean Spa.  Made entirely from material collected after hurricane Irma, the Ocean Spa offers all kinds of massages.  You can swim, dinghy or paddle over to the Ocean Spa and enjoy a relaxing massage as you sway ever so slightly with the rhythm of the sea.  More info at www.oceanspabvi.com

Willy-T – Norman Island, BVI

The mother of all floating bars, and one of the fun and wildest party destinations in the Caribbean, the famed Willy-T is bigger and better than ever.  A must-visit stop for any BVI charter and a destination for day charter boats and island residents the Willy T is relocating to their usual spot in The Bight, Norman Island.  The bar serves great drinks plus all kinds of shots.  Here’s a tip- the fidd on the Willy-T isn’t bad either.

Pizza Pi – Christmas Cove, USVI

The originator of the food boat revolution, Pizza Pi offers New York Style pizza served off of a sailboat moored in beautiful Christmas Cove on St James island, off St Thomas.  Featuring a full pizza kitchen in the back of the boat, Pizza Pi customers can order ahead and collect their meal by coming alongside or having it handed through a large window at the back of the boat.   A super-cool restaurant, and great pizza too! 

Anegada, perched on the North East rim of the Caribbean chain, combines rugged island beauty with a laid back charm. Sparsely populated and very underdeveloped,  Anegada is a worthy addition to any visit to the BVI, and a great weekend getaway if you are a resident of the rest of the BVI. There are multiple of options for getting around including taxis, scooters and a new Mini-Moke fleet rented through the Anegada Reef Hotel. We recommend the latter, which is a modern version of a 1970’s Caribbean transportation icon. 

There is one road, which basically rings the Western half of the island.  Follow it around and hit beach bars like Cow Wreck or Big Bamboo, or divert down sandy tracks to untouched sections of the contiguous beach that circles the island like a ring of white sugar.  

Even seasoned islanders like ourselves comment on the colors. The blues and greens of the sea meld with the sky creating a kaleidoscope of aqua, turquoise and blues. One long day or a weekend in Anegada is bliss. We highly recommend this diversion!