Caribbean Banks. Sigh. Dinghy thefts. Sigh...

So! I see that dinghies being stolen from charter yachts and from docks in Tortola just seems to be picking up steam over the winter. We are hearing more and more every week. That someone actually had the nerve and gall to go to Little Harbour on Peter Island and try to take three tenders off of backs of crewed charter yachts is fairly brazen I think. In the meantime they untied one of the yachts stern lines! I am not sure what the answer is, other then to bug the marine police (what are they going to do over there?) and to put up and lock your tenders as much as you can...

I will be sending Bazza out to search out heavy chain for both the new tender for the yacht AND the runaround. It is all just a stop gap though, if people want to steal them they will find a way.

On other things, I had quite frankly forgotten which country I was in when I went into town this week and thought I could breeze through about 4 things in an hour or so. I got one done.

One of the things I had wanted to find out, was, I had faxed in a wire transfer request to Scotia Bank here for paying for the house in CA. I was not surprised to see a wire transfer charge on their, typical and expected, but I was not expecting to see was an ADDITIONAL fee of $70.00. I soon found out when I went into Scotia Bank. It pissed me off so much (generic banks in general...) I wrote it down!

Jp Morgan, our correspondent bank used for wire transfers is now levying a charge on all wire transfers. This charge will be taken out by JP Morgan after the wire transfer is processed and sent to the next institution /beneficiary. THIS IS NOT A BANK CHARGE AS IT IS NOT IMPOSED BY SCOTIA BANK.

By the way, on top of your wire transfer fee it is an additional outgoing fee of somewhere between $25.00 and $70.00 depending on the amount and the incoming fee is $20.00 to $35.00.

Excuse me Scotia Bank, but HOW stupid do you think we all are! (Don't answer that as apparently we are damn gullible)
WHAT else do you call it "if it is NOT a bank fee!!" It that supposed to make us feel better if you tell us that? Are we supposed to believe that? And then are we supposed to feel better/be snowballed, when you tell us they "send it on to the next institution/beneficiary?? For god sakes, the person who receives the wire transfer ALREADY pays a wire transfer receiving fee! Are you telling me out of the goodness of your heart you are giving them MORE money? Or is there now a "third" anonymous person or institution that is getting a piece of the pie?

Banks suck. They are as greedy as can be. Bailed out, record profits and not giving out loans or credit in the USA. I believe that this is either they have all gotten together and decided to institute to get more money and pass the buck around blaming it on someone else but they are all sharing...We see it all the time.

It does not matter which way you turn, there is someone wanting to take more. We stopped using/accepting credit cards as much because of the percentage charge for using it internationally, even if it is US dollars, and went more to wire transfers. Now this comes along. Just where and how exactly do you pay or accept payment for things without you losing most of it to a third party? Do I start requesting people bring dollar bills in their backpacks for charter fees?

OK, calm deep cleansing breath, and now I must go figure out what in the hell I am supposed to do with this mound of new and washed linen that is piled up in the salon. For a moment I wondered if I could get away with telling the next guests that they were throw pillows!