Caribbean Compass Yachting Magazine June 2017

BOOK REVIEWS
One for the Little
Kids, and One
for the Big Kids
With Grace, by Joanne C. Hillhouse. Little Bell
Caribbean, © 2016. Hardcover, 48 pages. Color illustrations
throughout. ISBN-13: 978-1-934370-62-9
Raising your family aboard, or have young visitors?
This book is a revealing peek into island life — and a
young girl’s heart. In this picture book for children
aged eight years and up, Grace, of Grace’s Peak, loves
her hill, and her home above the village, above the
whole island.
All her trees are lush and full of ripe fruits, except for
the one at the far end of her orchard. She hates that
tree. So when the smiling, barefoot girl from the village
asks Grace if she can pick fruits to sell at the market,
it is from that sad, bare tree that Grace “generously”
allows her to pick.
Little does Grace know that the young girl’s kind,
generous heart and her sweet special song will make
the impossible happen, and change life at Grace’s
Peak forever.
Alscess Lewis-Brown, Editor of The Caribbean Writer,
says, “With Grace explores a Caribbean space richly
woven with magic, mystery and fantasy — an engaging
fable, not only for young readers but any reader poised
for a new reading experience that twists and turns on
a suggestion of allegory.” The book is beautifully illustrated
by Cherise Harris of Barbados.
With Grace is Antiguan author Joanne C. Hillhouse’s
sixth book in a mixed bag that includes the novellas
The Boy from Willow Bend and Dancing Nude in the
Moonlight — a coming-of-age story and a romance,
respectively — the adult literary fiction Oh Gad!, the
picture book Fish Outta Water, and the teen/young
adult novel Musical Youth — a finalist for the Burt
Award for teen/young adult Caribbean fiction.
Hillhouse’s main nonprofit activity is
http://wadadlipen.wordpress.com — nurturing and
showcasing the literary arts in Antigua & Barbuda.
With Grace is available at bookstores or from
campanitabooks.com.
The Boat Drinks Book: A Different Tipple in
Every Port, by Fiona Sims. Adlard Coles, © 2017.
Paperback, 176 pages, Color photography and illustrations
throughout. ISBN: 9781472930651
The Boat Drinks Book, just out last month, is a look
at cocktail culture in harbors around the world. As
you cruise through the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Baltic,
Pacific, and Caribbean, Fiona Sims urges you to
explore waterfront regions through local drinks (and to
a lesser degree, food), seeking out specialist merchants,
hanging out in bars, and uncovering distilleries,
breweries and wineries, all within a short taxi
ride of your boat.
Caribbean rum aficionados won’t find too much
new here — despite nice mentions of the River
Antoine and Clarkes Court distilleries in Grenada,
there’s only one “boat drink” recipe from the Spice
Isle (a Grenadian Kiss, sort of a coffee-rum milkshake);
predictably Painkillers and Pussers highlight
the BVI (the rum punch recipe is the standard “one
of sour, two of sweet…”); and all the top rums of
Barbados are listed — yes, there’s more than Mount
Gay! But no rhums from the French islands come
into play: quel dommage.
Although the author concentrates more on wine (she
says this is because, according to her observations,
it’s the most popular tipple aboard) than on what
Jimmy Buffet meant by “boat drinks”, the more than
30 boat-friendly cocktail recipes might inspire you to
whip up something unusual — using local liqueurs,
wines, spirits, and produce — to sip on deck at the
end of a long day’s sailing or exploring. Nothing
requires a blender, and there are concoctions that
could tempt you away from your habitual “rum and…”
Some tall, cool gin drinks sound delightfully refreshing;
the Walking Earl — a whisky cocktail — looks like
fun; there are nautical-sounding vodka drinks such
as the Salty Dog and the Sea Breeze; and a Veracruzana
— tequila with strictly fresh pineapple and basil —
says “tropical party time!” There are some virgin cocktails,
too.
This would be an apt gift for an oenophile cruiser
embarking on a circumnavigation, or the budding
charter sommelier/bartender.
Available from http://bloomsbury.com
JUNE 2017 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 35
The Renaissance Marina, located in the heart of
Oranjestad is part of the Renaissance Aruba Resort and
Casino and can accommodate more than 50 yachts.
Located at 12° 31' 2.3124'' N 70° 2' 16.8'' W, Renaissance
Marina is the island‘s most beautiful marina. It stretches over much
of this picturesque waterfront community combining the largest
entertainment and shopping facility in Aruba with the natural
beauty of the Marina.
The marina supplies fresh running water and
110/220/360V 60Hz electricity, satellite TV with security
guards on duty 24 hours a day. For your convenience
there are showers and ice machines available.
Contact us by phone at +297 588-0260
or visit our website: www.renaissancemarina.com
Operating Hours: Mon - Sat, from 8am to 6pm