The island of Vieques is a Spanish Virgin Island located 6 miles east of the main island of Puerto Rico in the archipelago. It is commonly referred to as “Isla Nena” or “Baby Island”. The hidden paradise has been discovered, and the … Continued
We are still waiting anxiously to hear back from the bank about the SBA guaranteed portion of our loan. To be fair, the bank is actually waiting to hear back from the SBA. Once this fundamental piece of the puzzle … Continued
The name of our blog has a double meaning. The first is for both of our nicknames; Tomas, “el gato” (the cat), and myself, “the mermaid”. Tomas’s Titi (Aunt) Valen, in childhood gave him the nickname “gato mañoso”, (best translated … Continued
We have two-under-two’s for another month and a half. They are 15 months apart, and while we were planning on more than one child, we weren’t aiming on so close together. I do have several friends that intensionally planned them … Continued
The brightest bay in the world containing the magical phenomenon of bioluminescence is found in Mosquito Bay in Vieques, Puerto Rico. The surface of the water in the bay glows a bright blue-green at night due to a bioluminescent microorganism. … Continued
Start-up businesses are a risky business. According to SCORE at least 25% of all start-up businesses fail within the first year, 36% by year 2 and 50% by year 4. To help minimize the risk to banks, the Small Business … Continued
When we became serious about our nautical tourism business idea and had a clear mental image of the plan, writing a business plan became the important next step. Any serious business idea should be written out in a formal business … Continued
I grew up on sailboats as both of my parents are sailors. They owned a few sail boats. They also took us a few times in the Virgin Islands on bareboat charters for a week at a time when we … Continued
When the idea of the nautical tourism business first starting coming to life I started researching and realized that the first step in making this dream a possibility would be obtaining a US Coast Guard Captains license. I also found … Continued
This whole making our dream a reality thing has been a work in progress since we met in Vieques four years ago. Both of our lives have shifted and merged into a joint venture…to make a living…using a luxury … Continued