Rebel Yell

By Gemma Cleanslate

Rebel Yell is a winner of 10 gold AviChoice awards among others. The entertainment group is one of the oldest and largest tribute groups in Second Life. I have been to some of the shows in the past  and have written about their delightful winter sims over the years. There is now a new  region called Rebel Yell that opened with a grand party Sunday the 13th. It is a celebrities hangout. 

I visited last week before the opening to get the flavor of the sim. At the entrance you are able to rezz a bike if you like to ride over the bridge to a very fine restaurant, relax and have dinner on the open porches. The menu is extensive  from soup to nuts and champagne!

The island where the restaurant is located has paths for a nice walk about. I spotted several relaxing places along the way. Down on the beach there are many areas to hang out and talk. Or , grab a paddle boat for a ride on the river. I also tried a small motor boat. I found a tour boat also and took a ride in that. I came across a ping pong table that uses beer as a ball. It looked like fun! 

Above the entry area you have a choice of a full hot air balloon tour of the area and took that. The other choice is a fun ride up over the island with a handful of balloons carrying you . 

There are villas for rent on the sim so as you move around exploring be careful not to run into the ban lines of privacy protection .. especially while you are in a boat! 

I went back on Sunday to the opening party . This took place on an outdoor dance floor covered with tent like structure. Guiltyangel, an owner of the sim was greeting the party goers and Jamin Nakim-Lenoir(Stevie Edwyn ) , the DJ was providing lively dance  music for the crowd. 

It was a fun opening. Have fun on your visit. There are people taking advantage of the lovely sim all the time. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/REBEL%20YELL%20CONCERTS/192/36/29

Gemma Cleanslate

Seduction Estates

By Becky "Sha" Shamen

While scanning the World Map for interesting, unusual sim groups, we came across this cluster of 30 sims. The individual sims were laid out in such a way as to allow one to travel to all points in the cluster, while being spread out over a larger area of the grid than a compact grouping would cover. It was also clear that every sim also contained water areas that made it obvious that the preferred mode of transportation is by boat. We have a collection of boats, but thought it best to make a quick visit to determine what the rules are and what kind of craft would fit best in the area. Zooming in on the map, we notice that the sim which is fourth from the top and second from the right is the only one without any water of it's own and has a darker texture at the center. This seemed like a good clue that this sim might be an administration and gathering area, so it was selected as a starting point for our adventure.

 Arriving on a beach, on the West side of the sim, we open "About Land" and read up on what the area is about. The entire cluster is known as "Seduction Estates" and is dedicated to selling or renting residential properties. There are no shops or dance clubs or other public gathering spots. This region is for rich, hedonistic, clothing optional adults to have their mansions in a "Tropical Paradise", kind of like a "Beverly Hills on the sea." The rules say no child avatars are allowed, but there is no mention, for or against, of furries being permitted. We played it safe, by going as a 4' tall adult human female. To keep up with the Jones's, we decided to get an inexpensive motor yacht and found one at the Marketplace, for only $75.

We rezzed our yacht at Sunny Beach, to get a feel for how it handles. Satisfied that it would be a good craft for the adventure, we dressed in a yellow polka-dot bikini and a modesty top, to give us the rich girl, playing with "Daddy's Money" look.

We plotted a course that would begin at the Northeast sim and would take us through all thirty sims, using the public waterways. Since most of the properties have security orbs, we wanted to avoid getting sent home, so most of our exploring would be done by zooming and panning our camera.  

To aid navigation, we made good use of both the World Map and the Mini Map. Unlike most of the places that we have visited, the world map, at this location, showed all the properties that are for sale or rent in yellow. This would help us locate and price the available properties.

Although we never found any offices for administration and land sales, we did discover the only gathering spot on a hill in the center of the sim we did our first research on, Seduction Isle. This "club" has a stage, with piano, and three dance floors, we assumed for couples dances, but there was nobody there during our adventure.

 Each of the many individual properties is a small island, surrounded by rocks, waterfalls and trees, for privacy. Most have a large mansion in the center. I was impressed by several that even had the nautical equivalent of a drive way, to moor boats off the main water ways. Few of the mansions had a lived in look, so we began to think, if you've seen one cookie cutter mansion, you've seen them all.

That is, until we spotted an old, derelict sailing ship. The ship and nearby building are probably not a residence. It seemed more like a local park, the sort of place that young adults might gather, to be away from the eyes of elders, while enjoying forbidden fruits.

Speaking of being unseen, we noticed that the number of people, on all of the sims, was highest after 9p.m., but even then was only a few individuals and couples and they were mostly up in skyboxes. We had hoped to find some residents that could be zoomed in on, to check out what the natives were wearing, but they seemed to vanish, each time we were near.

 

Following the World Map, we tracked down the three property sizes that are offered at Seduction. All of the properties require a one time payment of L$500 plus a weekly tier payment, based on size. They each come with a house, which can be replaced with your own. Houses provided count against the prims allowed for each property. A 1/16th sim is $1550 per week, with 460 prims. 1/8th sim is $2500, 900 prims. 1/4 sims are $2900, 930 prims.

 

Personally, as an efficient shopper, I enjoy a higher quality home and community, for half the price, so I'm not planning on moving. In SL, we can become anything we desire. If you feel seduced by Seduction Estates, I wish you all the pleasure desired. Live there or not, we found it to be a fun adventure. We navigated through 30 sims, in a shiny new mega motor yacht and it was like a Hollywood bus tour of the homes of movie stars. Come, enjoy a tropical vacation and let your inner, petite, cuter than dimples on a bunny, rich white girl come out to play, Queen For A Day.

 

We already know what all the guys want,

 

"Sha"

 

Serena Long Cay

By Gemma Cleanslate

I really needed some quiet and solitude after the Burn2 was over.It has been several weeks of busy busy busy.  So I went looking for a place to relax and found it! There is a delightful sim, Serena Long Cay, made just for relaxing and looking at the sea. 

The place seems to be the philosophy of the owner, Franx Markstein. He looks at Second Life in a different way. He has tried the parties and  other activities of Second Life and says,”I like come here and to have something that engages my mind and makes me forget the stress of real life, I tried to do all what is possible to do for me, for my skills, now it was time for a place to relax myself, not very demanding in the management and where people can relax too.“ The name he gives to the area is Otium, from the Latin meaning leisure. And so it is. 

There are beaches with relaxing chairs where you can sit and gaze at the ocean. I found a boat and went for  a ride along the shore line. I walked the beach and took a snorkling tour of the glassy waters, then rested and enjoyed the sun on my face.  I  encountered others just hanging out talking. I ran across a greedy game almost hidden behind the cliffs.  Climbing the hills I found a lovely drop in place where there was  refreshing watermelon on the counter and sat down for a while to enjoy. Another person, Drem, came in to play the pinball machine there.  

 Just looking out on the sim is relaxing and I really enjoyed my time recovering from the business of the past weeks. I ran into an old friend, Purplebutterfly Lykin who is a fellow blogger and there doing a travel series. I recommend getting over there and making a landmark so when you are feeling the necessity for a few minutes alone , or with a friend to relax and enjoy , this is a good place to go. 

Now feeling refreshed I am off on new adventures! Bu , I have the landmark in my favorite places! Thanks Franz!! http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Serena%20Long%20Cay/112/176/22

Gemma Cleanslate

Tradewinds Yacht Club

By Grey Lupindo

Now that summer is here, I wanted to go sailing.  Unfortunately my sailboat inventory was really limited until a friend took me to Tradewinds Yacht Club, located at Dex (174, 32, 24).  At Tradewinds there are free sailboats and a very supportive sailing community.    They give lessons as well easy-to-sail freebie boats. 

Tradewinds Yacht Club states that they are a group that wants to have fun with SL sailing.   Their official statements reads, “Tradewinds Yacht Club is home to the independent minded sailor– what we're about is just having fun without the politics – we really mean it when we say “sailing first".  To support this ideal, there are plenty of free sailboats and lots of places to hang out and things to do when you aren’t sailing.   Races are held every week.  They even have some buried treasure chests hidden around the sim.  

One of my first stops was the SL Sailing History Museum that is being created by Tasha Kostolany at Tradewinds Yacht Club  at Dex  (185,11,28).    The Museum is located inside the lighthouse and shares space with a Coast Guard post.   Kostolany’s notecard states, “This room will give you a brief overview of how we have progressed in sailing from the start to where we are now....Click most every object to get more information.”    Although there is a lot more to be done, the museum a great place to learn about early SL sailing.    This isn’t the only sailing museum in SL, but it looks like it has the potential to become the best.

The most prominent display is about Kanker Greenacre, whom Kostolany describes as the “father of SL sailing”.   He was rezzed on 5/16/2003, making him a very early SL resident.   Approximately two years later, in June, 2005, he released the first SL sailboat, the Tako.   Kanker Greenacre also developed “race wind”, which was more stable for sailing than the real SL wind, as well as other racing items.   In order to promote sailing, the SLSF (Second Life Sailing Federation) was organized, and it remains one of the largest sailing groups in SL.   Even more importantly, he shared the Flying Tako sailboat and its sailing code so that others could use and develop sailing ships.  

To get a good overview of Tradewinds Yacht Club, you can take a free balloon tour at Dex (146, 17, 29). When I typed in “ap start”, the balloon began warming up the burner and soon rose into the air.  The tour started at the harbor and boat store.  From the air you can get a good look at the bay, the lighthouse, and the channel.   To the south is the Siracusa sim where you can sail through The Channel.    The tour passes into other sims and islands and past the Salliohsis lighthouse.   Tradewinds is attached  to over 500 sims of sailable water, and I had only seen a small portion of them.   When a Distance Warning note told me that the next waypoint was 647 meters away, I decided to end my tour.   Although I was enjoying the balloon ride, I was anxious to set sail.

   Tradewinds Yacht Club is following Kanker Greenacre’s example by giving away a lot of valuable sailboats.   Of course there are some larger and spiffier models for sale, but the free ones are the ones most likely to appeal to newbie sailors or residents.   They offer a great way to try the sport without spending a lot of Lindens.
 

My favorite boat is the Becky’s Baby Sloop 2-0 created by Becca Moulliez.  The sloop is easy enough for novice sailors like me, but it can be adapted for a more challenging experience.      What makes it my favorite is the color coded HUD that helps me learn how to trim the sails.   If I can keep the HUD green, I’m good to go.   According to the instructions, once I gain experience I can skip the HUD and sail by feel for a more advanced and realistic sailing experience.   

For a novice like me, the Becky’s Baby Sloop is amazing.   It has a rocking motion and sound as the waves slap against the boat.  The lower view angle and many others features make sailing it feel very real to me.    According to her notecard, this version is the result of over two years of advancements and refinements.  Moulliez wrote that other ship builders, such as Balduin Aabye, Qyv Inshan, Noodleqt Exonar, and Manul Rotaru, helped by giving advice, testing and donating some of their components and improvements.  There are others available, too, and one day I’ll try them out.   For now, however, I’m content to learn with the Becky’s Baby.

Tradewinds Yacht Club is connected to the Coastal Waterway, which is easy to sail through and leads to the Blake Sea.    Information about sailing options, including maps and rezzing sites, is available at their website https://sites.google.com/site/tradewindsyc/.  

Tradewinds Yacht Club, located at Dex (174,32, 24).

Grey Lupindo 

Morgan Straits

"Aye, There Be Pirates Among Us"

No you haven't fallen through a time portal and landed in the age of the rebellious, but you're darn close.

On Morgan Straits you'll find role players from the United States, France, Spain, Canada, Brazil, Ireland, Scotland and England. The original five sims were created January 2010, by owners/founders Dizz Darkstone and Migizi North, who according to Julia had an idea to create a place, with few rules, but common sense.

"It's a place where logistics disappear. You can see what's over the horizon and obtain it," explained JuliaThePirate Buccaneer, a role player member who is deep into the magic of what the 19 sims offer. "Anything you can imagine you can execute. The only thing we require is that you dress pirate, navy, native or mer."

"The people here are friendly and fun. They take care of their own and are open to anyone who wants to visit," said Leessens Mistwalker, a pirate, merman and owl, who "sails fer the pirates, fights fer the pirates and swims in the seas with the mer." He runs two of the sims in the NE and just rebuilt them.

"We wanted to have an estate that was built for sailing. There were more than two of us in the beginning, five or six, each bought a homestead, and Dizz bought the full sim for the estate," Migizi explained. "Now there are 19 sims which are owned individually. We sell to people and they pay tier to Diz. Morgan Straits is the main sim.”

Roni Foxdale added that it’s a pirate infested region, but the New Brunswick Navy does its part to keep the waters safe.

“And if you stumble upon people sitting down and having a drink they'll scoot over and find a crate for you to sit on, pour you a drink and have you join in. I like it here because there is always room for one more,” said Renate Marchionne.

Here you'll find the marketplace, which has a collection of vendors where you can get everything from clothing, weaponry, TSS, SCS and SSS ships, furniture and there's even home rentals.

Roleplay is everywhere, but isn't forced 24/7 in this estate which follows the Golden Age of Piracy 1650-1750. Dizz does most of the historical research in this pre-steam ship era. There are two Harbor Masters, who are battle coordinators: Kayseer Voss and Peeble Oh. A special note of recognition is that Chandra Pelazzi of Shack N Chateau Designs, has worked for a year rebuilding nine sims in the estate, and welcomes custom build requests.

The following is Morgan Straits Event Schedule

Battles:

Monday:
Alternate Monday 11 AM Events
Ship Wreck Battle Race 11 AM SLT
Rum Race 11 AM SLT

Navy vs Pirate 8 PM SLT

Tuesday:
Blood Bath Tuesday 3:30 PM SLT
Cargo Shipment from NB 7 PM SLT

Thursday:
Alternate Thursday 2:30 Battles
Defend Yer Arses Ye Bastids! Melee/Sea Battle
2:30 PM SLT
FFA Sea Battle 2:30 PM SLT

PE - Defend the Tower Melee 4:30 PM SLT

Weekly Events:
Tilted Kilt - Open 12 PM SLT Mon - Friday, closing times are determined by battles.

Sea Shanty Tuesdays! 5-7pm SLT -Nobody's Inn
New Brunswick with DJ Alleykat

Morgans Market - Wednesdays 12-3 PM SLT

Special Events:
Men In Kilts - Saturday, September 24th 3 PM SLT @ Salty Crab -Morgan Straits
DJ - Flamia

Halloween Costume Party - Saturday, October 1st 2 PM SLT @ Morgan's Docks

Mer Ballet Performance Sunday, October 16th 1 PM SLT @ Morgan's

Formal Ball - Saturday, November 5th 2 PM SLT
@ Pirates Keep
Bosun DJ

Here's Morgan Straits Points of Interest!

There are beautiful sims and caves for you to explore freely.

The Tilted Kilt - Saber Point:
A pirate tavern with a Scottish theme. Live dancers to entertain you, with a feisty
bartender to keep yer mugs filled.

Hours of Operation

Monday
12-4 PM SLT
Tuesday
12-3:00 PM SLT
Wednesday 12-3 PM SLT in the Morgan Straits Market
Thursday
12-2:15 PM SLT
Friday
12-4 PM SLT
Hours reflect Morgan's Battle Schedule. The Titled Kilt often stays open longer, if yer there, we are!

Morgan's Market Day Wed 12-3 PM SLT:
Wednesday's 12-3 PM SLT. There are free stalls for your items, come in before 12 to set up, 50 prims, remove all items at 3, and remain on site during market hours. Dance with the Tilted Kilt gals, 'ave a pastry from the baker, get a free hat from the hat maker, or a bath if ye smell a bit off! All welcome! Cheers!

The Salty Crab - Morgan Straits:
A pirate pub located on Morgan Straits Docks
Without regular hours of operation, but used for parties and gatherings by anyone in the estate. See Migizi to book dates.

Dead Man's Tales - Skeleton Reef:
Thursday Nights 8 PM SLT
An evening around a Rebel campfire, listening to pirate stores that will tingle your senses and tantalize your mind.

Teagues Tavern - Dead Man's Reach:
A feisty tavern where the Rebel Pirates and friends dance the hours away. No set hours of operation.

The Tatr'd Sail - Pirates Keep:
A open air venue for live music located on Pirates Keep Docks. Event notices sent out for events.

Morgan Straits Battles:
Most battles start in Morgan Straits Sim. Battles are announced through group notices.

Sacred Lake - La Dominique:
The heart of Dominica is a little lake called "Sacred Lake" by the Kalinagos the last Caribbean native tribe! Take care and be respectful, in character you'll be savagely hunted! Never a pale face that has seen the Sacred Lake has sailed away alive!

Smilla Fredriksson, Artist - La Dominique
Visit our island and keep your eyes open, you will find some of the more than 1,000 pictures she’s done so far in SL.

Native Area - Shanshara
Shanshara offers a message of peace and tolerance! For the Sanatos tribe, even if Kalinagos allied, the Shanshara (mother earth) is open to everyone who come in peace!


Aztex Palace:
You are also welcome to visit a realistic Aztec palace!

Mer Art Gallery - Ashlands
A beautiful underwater tour through tunnels, which feature artwork. It leads to ancient ruins and private hideaways. A must see.

Blood Red Flamia - Pirates Keep
In a remote little house in the swamp, the owner has a den and artistic studio.

Netera Landar

Monaco Yachts

If you need a bit of luxury in your SL, Monaco Yachts is a new sim you’ll want to check out. It’s located at Monaco Yachts (214, 123, 22). The new venture is the collaboration of SL residents MichaelCorleone Losangeles and BlackBarbie Bravin. There have been some recent closures of large sims in SL, so the opening of a new one is a welcome treat.

MichaelCorleone Losangeles, who has been in SL since 2006, is Chief Executive Officer, and he is the yacht designer, too. BlackBarbie Bravin is the Chief Operations Officer. She met up with Losangeles a few months ago and persuaded him to expand on his building venture. Losangeles started building yachts as a hobby three years ago, and sold a few of them under “Christensen Shipyard."

Now he and Bravin have combined their talents to start the yacht club concept. They are joined by resident Anoron Hanson, who has also been a SL resident since 2006. Hanson is the Lead Architect for the sim. Currently there are three yachts and a large building designed for shops and events.

The nautical theme is very well done. When you arrive at Monaco Yachts, a lovely fountain, accented by an anchor, decorates the landing point. Inside the building is a beautiful aquarium that lines one wall, plush carpeting, and more nautical accents. All of this luxury is set against a background of Monaco.

Bravin gave me a tour of the yachts, which are very impressive. Their flagship yacht is 87 meters and has three decks. When describing his yachts, Losangeles said, “I can't build small.” The black yacht is a perfect party destination, while the white yacht has a more residential feel to it. In both yachts, the furnishings are very upscale. Doors open automatically, and functional stairs are concealed until they are needed. The bathrooms were especially nice, with vessel sinks and lots of granite. Be sure to check out the showers—they’re great!

Costs for the yachts range from $20,000 to $40,000 Lindens, depending upon furnishings and other details. If you are interested in a vacation rather than a full-time residence, the yachts can be rented. The ballroom, stores, and other amenities are also available. SL residents are welcome to come to fish, jet ski, swim with dolphins, or lounge on the beach. I rezzed my little sailboat and had fun sailing around.

Monaco Yachts is open now for anyone who wants a sneak preview. The 7 Seas Fishing is set up on one pier, and I saw a few of the dolphins. More items will be added in the coming weeks. The Grand Opening will be May 31.

Grey Lupindo

SL New England

SL New England is located on the united sailing (open waters) sims. This group of sims is in danger of being scrapped seemingly due to bad management. In an effort to save the location, a handful of residents are attempting to generate some public awareness and interest in the area.

Various areas are located on the estate, including Mystic, the Village, Dove Cottage, Fenimore Art Museum and Mystic Beach. In addition to shopping, multiple events are held regularly, including art exhibits in the square, music concerts, marina parties, fashion shows, weddings, scavenger hunts, fishing derbies, just to name a few.

Arriving at the LM, I was presented with two boards: one was a group joiner and the other was an opportunity to take a walking tour of the estate. I clicked on the tour ball, jumped on and began the tour.

SL New England is a series of 35 sims designed with a New England theme. One of the regions is Mystic and one is Nantucket. This is where you will find the SLNE village. Beautiful waterways and beaches are everywhere.

On Nantucket is the outdoor theater. This can be accessed by swimming or sailing up if you like. Musical performances are usually hosted daily. A recent concert featured Simon Voix in the town of Mystic. Hailing from Argentina, Simon plays an ecclectic mix of rock, soul Brazilian funk and Latin rythms on electric, classical style guitar with percussion backing tracks, He is inspired by the American rock & roll music of Jimi Hendrix, Living Colour and 70's music, soul music of artists like Stevie Wonder , Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye and the Latin rthyms of Carlos Santana & the Afro Cuban Musicians. This is just a sampling of the many musical performances that take place in New England.

Also located in Nantucket is the Nantucket Barn. Not your typical barn with horses and cows, it boasts 2 floors of New England Merchants. At the Barn, you can purchase anything from a ship to a blouse. Definitely worth exploring for all you shoppers! At The Nautical Shop, you can find items from maps of NE, boat oars and other boating items and sealife artwork.

At the marina, the largest, three-masted schooner belongs to the harbor master. A visit there will inform you about available slips. Beware of the brig though, there is zero tolerance for piracy. Boat prices range from $L250-$L4000.

Slipping off the pier and into the water, much to my surprise, I landed straight into the underwater world of the Mermaids! All types of merfolk avatars and attire can be found in these depths. There's truth in the saying "you never know what you will 'fall' into."

In the heart of Nantucket is Nantucket Square where art exhibits often take place. A simple click on the Art in New England signs will allow you to join the group and be kept aware of exhibits planned. Many of the shops are historically built and much of the other builds are based on actual buildings throughout the RL New England. Outdoor cafe tables are scattered throughout the square.

A virtual New England port town would not be complete without its share of pubs. The pubs also have swim-up entrances which aid the Merfolk but are utilized by all. Relax in a pub with a view to the water and watch the ships sail by and come into port.

Please help support this gem of sims. Have a visit, take a boat ride, make a purchase and donate if you are able. Inquire about renting a home or shop. Your patronage of this charming, quaint area may save it from taking its place in the SL landfill!

Shellie Sands