Blog / BVI

Our interest in collecting charts & maps must have started when we were young and sailing boats up and down the Caribbean.  Pouring over the chart we were using as we made our to or from Antigua or down to Puerto Rico we always fascinated over the islands we were passing.  Even though we were sailing in our backyard it was always interesting to see exactly where were or learn the name of the point, rock or islet we were passing.  (Confession- we still pour over charts, though they are now digital and you can zoom in and out electronically…)  Now we collect all the charts we can get our hands on.  Of course we favor ones from the Caribbean and we have a cool collection of UK, US and French charts with some dating back to the 1960’s.  We started framing them and hanging them in our stores.  We take sections of torn charts and frame them too.  The attached photo shows one wall in our store.

On Sunday we clambered about an IC-24 for the inaugural ABI Regatta in St Thomas.  It was a fun race featuring a run down the South side of St Thomas followed by a couple windward-leeward courses off the beach at Frenchman’s Bay.   We were the envy of the fleet in our matching HIHO suntek jerseys.  Our winning speed also turned heads!  The fleet comprised 10 identical IC-24 sailboats manned by teams of friends and families.  We were sailing with friends against our friends- what could be better.  A group of kids from the clubs junior sailing program beat us to the first mark but we sailed a great downwind run to lead at the buoy off Green Cay.  We succumbed to course misinterpretation on the dogleg reach to the next buoy of the beach and slipped to 4^th but managed to get back to 3^rd by the downwind finish.   We aced the first windward-leeward course and settled for a 4^th in the next which put us in end overall.  By Noon we were anchoring off the beach and swimming ashore to ABI beach bar for drinks, lunch and a casual awards ceremony.

Deliciously refreshing and nearly ubiquitous in the Caribbean islands (the English speaking ones, that is), Ting is, well, about as Caribbean a product as you can find. 

Ting is a soda made from grapefruit.  It’s sweetened with cane sugar, not corn sweeteners.  Kids love it, and so do adults!  Ting cools you off on a hot day and it mixes well with spirits. 

Rum and Ting and vodka and Ting are equally refreshing! 

Ting was “invented” in Jamaica but it’s bottled under license.  We like Ting bottles best.  Specifically, the 8oz greenies that are bottled in St Kitts.  You stumble upon larger 12oz bottled which are shipped down from Canada.  Ting in cans comes from the UK and it has a discernibly different, but still delicious, taste. 

There is also Pink Ting.  It's sexy, but distracting.  Go for the greenies.

 

We just completed our annual photo shoot.  Shot on location in Tortola, it was hard work, but very rewarding.  It¹s a big production trying to capture all the new designs in our line, plus gather plenty of lifestyle shots.  Anyway, we pulled it off despite some inclement Summer weather, including a near full day of rain.  Honestly, it¹s not hard getting great photos on beautiful Caribbean islands like Tortola.  We made good use of our best beaches including Cane Garden Bay, along with local bars and restaurants, plus a stunning residence perched atop a mountain.  The final afternoon was set aboard a 38ft Buchannan designed sloop at anchor in Brewers Bay.  With a setting sun we squeezed of some of the best images of the shoot.  Now we are busy editing and assembling promo material and catalogs for our upcoming Summer shows in Miami & Las Vegas.

  In a way we can’t believe it took us so long to add sarongs to our line.  Everyday items in our Caribbean life that, for some reason, we overlooked until now.  We wear sarongs casually and often to the beach where, once we take them off, they are perfect as blankets on the sand.  Our new sarongs which are available in 100% cotton feature our bespoke prints in great Caribbean colors.  Sarongs are wonderful because you wear them as wraps, skirts, dresses and scarves, and use them as tablecloths or beach blankets.  Truth be told, we sold more sarongs at the Winter trade shows as big scarves than as wraps or skirts.

 

Here at  HIHO we make casual and comfortable clothing for all the things we love about the Caribbean: hitting the beach,surfing,sailing and liming around. Liming means to hang out and relax. So  show us how you lime around in your HIHO clothing. Send your photos via email to limingaround@go-hiho.com .We will be posting a selection on our blog over the next  few months.

 

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Taking a few days off and heading down to Antigua to race wooden boats is a treat, even by our standards.  Our annual pilgrimage to the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta sponsored by Panerai combines our passion for racing with a love of wooden boats.  The event, which is one of the largest gatherings of its kind in the World, blends competition with a wonderful celebration of traditional sailing.  

                   

The starts are jammed with drop dead gorgeous boats including elegant schooners, racing sloops and traditional wooden working boats.  We race aboard Zemi, a 40' sloop built on the beach in Carriacou in the Grenadines by the renowned shipwright Alwyn Enoe.  The Carriacou sloops form a virtual one-design class within the regatta.  The racing is tight, and the post-race camaraderie, fueled by Mount Gay and local Antiguan rum, is boisterous.  The boats are traditional in every way with just two winches, a long boomed mainsail and a genoa.  You sweat in the main sheet by hand and the spinnaker pole is a length of bamboo.  There are no instruments.  It's all about boat speed and tactics.  Local knowledge is king, and with a boatload of Antiguan's there is no shortage of tactical opinions, occasional disagreements and plenty of jokes.  Oh yeah, everyone is on the lookout for fish too.  (Antiguan's, the lot of them, all love to fish).  

Zemi was off the pace on day one of the regatta but we pulled it together and posted solid 2nd place finishes in the remaining three races, including an excruciating 5 second margin on corrected time in race #2.  We had all conditions from squally 30-knot squalls with 15-foot seas to gorgeous 15-knot trade winds under blue skies.  Rain or shine we were comfortable in our HIHO Suntek shirts!

We draw immense inspiration from our life in the Caribbean.  We are surrounded by beauty.  Stunning islands, tropical scenery and simply the most beautiful water color in the World.  

 

A view from Tortola takes in nearby islands, the translucent Caribbean sea and lush mountains divided by plunging valleys.  Gardens overflow with tropical flowers and exotic palms.  Evenings are topped of with a sunset fit for a travel brochure.  

 

We find the sea perhaps the most compelling colored with almost every shade of blue available.  Shallower waters radiate turquoise and aquas while the deeper channels between the islands are darker blue.  It's no wonder that this is one of the favorite colors in our line!  

 

On smaller Caribbean islands the beach sand is clean and white.  The afternoon sun sparkles off the water, and the sky, particularly in the Winter months, is a radiating clear blue.  At night the stars wrinkle down on us.  

 

Our designers translate all this into prints and patterns, and we get noticed for our originality of style.

 

The guys over at Gorp.com recently did a product review of our long sleeve Suntek shirt.  And we're happy to report, they love it as much as we do.

 

Not surprisingly, HIHO Suntek is a staple in my own wardrobe.  Whether I'm going SUPing with my two boys or out on the boat with friends, the long sleeve Suntek holds up in the hot Caribbean sun (and sea for that matter.)  Within minutes of getting out of the water, it's cool and dry.  I just wore a short sleeve version when I participated in the Malibu SUP Cup here on Tortola in the British Virgin Islands.

The guys at Gorp.com really liked the "Keep Calm and Paddle On" design, but we also offer it with our logo and cool faded map of the islands on the front, as well as one with our signature compass graphic.  

And for the surfer girls, Suntek comes in the "Hidden Surfer" design in white and a dark sunset color, like this:

If you haven't tried HIHO Suntek yet, see what you're missing.  We sell them in both men's and women's sizes and they retail between $40 - $44, depending on the sleeve length. 

So, thanks Gorp.com!  You guys are the experts and we're glad to have your stamp of approval!

Cheers!

Necker Island is the exclusive private island belonging to billionaire and BVI resident, Sir Richard Branson.  I'm excited to announce that the 74-acre paradise is also a stop on the Highland Spring HIHO race this year.  

Each day of the race, windsurfers and stand-up paddle boarders race from island to island.  We stop for a catered lunch on some of the world's most amazing beaches.  And on Monday, July 2, competitors will finish the race on the white sand beaches of Necker.

After completing the challenging race from Eustacia Sound, racers can relax in the crisp teal waters of the Caribbean Sea or float in the massive pool belonging to Branson himself. 

Maybe we'll take some items from HIHO's Resort 2013 line with us to Necker in July and snap a few shots.  You could always come with us!  If you're looking for some adventure this summer, the Highland Spring HIHO is for you...  Learn more at www.go-hiho.com/hshiho. 

Cheers,

We've finalized the course for the Soggy Dollar Bar Dash for Cash SUP Relay Race.  Paddler's will race from Tortola's Trellis Bay to the Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost van Dyke.  Hard to believe it is now just a little more than two months away.  

Have you gotten your team together? Each team must be comprised of three members, and one of those members must be female.  We're keeping things interesting!

We think the stand-up paddlers are going to find it both fun and challenging. Take a look:

It's an exciting time at HIHO.  Not only are we making great clothes to fit our lifestyle here in the British Virgin Islands, we are planning some pretty awesome events...