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Time to set sail into the Carribean horizon! Bravos Below Deck officially returns for the high seas with Season 11. Steering the yacht into uncharted waters, the upcoming season introduces a fresh captain, Kerry Titheradge, succeeding the beloved Captain Lee Rosbach from the previous 10 seasons. Beyond the typical holiday cruise, Below Deck dives deep into the nitty gritty of cruise life, highlighting the professional adventures of the captain and crew.

From managing eclectic (and sometimes difficult) guests to navigating turbulent seas, Below Deck unfolds the challenges of keeping the luxury yacht sailing smoothly. With a new captain running things, familiar faces, and several new crew members from different backgrounds, the team strives to thread through the unpredictable waters ahead.

All hands on deck! Heres everything we know so far about Below Deck Season 11.

Follows the crew of a multi million dollar charter boat in the Caribbean.

Mark your calendars! Below Deck Season 11 kicks off on Monday, February 5th at 8 p.m. EST on Bravo, treating audiences to a supersized 75-minute premiere. New episodes are also available to stream the next day on Peacock and the Bravo app, premiering Tuesdays at 6 a.m. EST.

In the meantime, audiences can catch up on all the maritime drama in the entire Below Deck collection from Seasons 1 to 10, available for streaming on Peacock. If thats not enough, you can also binge-watch Below Deck Adventure, Below Deck Down Under, Below Deck Mediterranean, and Below Deck Sailing Yacht on Peacock, the Bravo website, or on the Bravo app. The app is also home to other reality TV guilty pleasures, including Vanderpump Rules and RHONY: Legacy.

The trailer for Below Deck Season 11 was first unveiled at BravoCon 2023 on November 3, 2023, unveiling Captain Kerry, a familiar face from Below Deck Adventure. Transporting audiences to the vibrant Grenada, the trailer captures the hustle on the yacht against the backdrop of tropical paradise.

Captain Kerry demands nothing less than perfection and unwavering professionalism. But amid the breathtaking views and endless parties, a bit of fun in between work doesnt hurt, right? The trailer also shows potential tensions not only among the crew but also with their high-profile guests, pushing the crew to their limits with some out-of-the-box requests. As Captain Kerry puts it simply, The easiest part about being a captain is driving the boat. The hard part is the crew. Get ready for a wild ride on the high seas. No ones getting out of this boat soon.

Steering the yacht this season is Captain Kerry Titheradge, the man responsible for leading the St. David crew as they cruise around Grenada. With a whopping 30 years in the yachting game, Captain Kerry credits his adventurous spirit to his upbringing in the Australian outback. Over his extensive career, hes sailed across the globe, from North America to the Atlantic and Caribbean, but Grenada is a first for him. Despite navigating treacherous waters over the decade, the captain confesses that the most challenging aspect of his job is handling the personalities he encounters among his crew members throughout the years.

Captain Kerry has a solid team backing him up, with familiar faces Fraser Olender and Ben Willoughby on board. Audiences have witnessed Frasers journey from a regular stew to a chief stew in just two seasons of Below Deck an impressive feat in a short period. As he steps into Season 11, Fraser acknowledges that taking on the role of chief stew means taking on the responsibilities of a therapist, which likely puts him on the spot in the drama unfolding on deck. Meanwhile, lead deckhand, Ben didnt have the most memorable moments in the previous season. After his breakup with Camille, hes looking for a much calmer season this time around.

Below Deck Season 11 also introduces a bunch of new faces on board. Chef Anthony Iracane is dedicated to the high-class culinary life and has been working in the yachting industry for over four years. Bosun Jared Woodin is set to be the series darling, as seen from his struggle to call out distances after normally working in feet and not meters already iconic moments.

Joining the crew are deckhands Marie Sunny Marquis and Kyle Stillie. Sunny, the sole female deckhand this season, is brimming with intelligence and brings an eager-to-learn vibe to the team. Meanwhile, Kyle is a newcomer to the yachting scene, but hes in good company thanks to his loads of experience.

The team is rounded out by stews Cat Baugh, Xandi Olivier, and Barbara Barbie Pascual. Cat brings in five years of yachting experience, although she admits to being surprised by the size of St. David. With an impressive five-year track record in the industry, Xandi is expected to bring in all the entertainment to the cast. Barbie and her ample experience are bound to catch the captains attention, and her ability to speak Spanish might just give her an extra edge.

Check out the official Braco synopsis for Below Deck Season 11:

Capt. Kerry trades the Nordic Sea for crystal blue waters and stunning waterfalls as he leads his crew in the rich, historical island of Grenada. A disciplined and fair leader, Capt. Kerry has 30 years of experience working on boats and has spent almost two decades in yachting. As he steps on to St. David for the first time, Capt. Kerry relies on returning crew members Chief Stew Fraser Olender and Ben Willoughby to help the new staff find their way around the massive 197 ft. vessel.

Below Deck is executive produced by Mark Cronin and Courland Cox both of whom have worked on the original series and its first expansion, Below Deck Mediterranean. Since the shows premiere in 2013, the duo have had their fair share of unique experiences. Compared to other reality TV series, the cast comprises actual crew members whose professional careers are tied to their roles on these vessels. Not only are they in charge of keeping the boat running safely and smoothly, but they also have to meet the demands of their diverse clientele of celebrities and affluent owners.

Below Deck also serves as an eye-opening show for audiences curious about the yachting industry, which sometimes might not be accessible considering its exclusiveness. As Cox shares with Bravo, what distinguishes Below Deck is its appeal to provide audiences with a glimpse of their work lives on deck.

The vast majority of people that do the show, they always say, I want to do the show because I want my friends and family to understand what my job is,' And theyre like, If I go on Below Deck, I will have a tangible, visible thing for my family and friends to understand what my job is.'

Below Deck first premiered on Bravo on July 1, 2013, and has continuously followed the crews adventures aboard a superyacht during the charter season. As of March 27, 2023, the series has premiered a total of 154 episodes.

Watch on Peacock

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'Below Deck' Season 11 Release Date, Trailer, Cast, and Everything We Know So Far - Collider

Highlights

One of the best resources to Magic: The Gathering players that often goes unutilized is the graveyard. All those cards youve cast arent lost for good, you just need the right cards to get them back.

The Revenant Recon Commander deck from Murders at Karlov Manor brings some of the best reanimator spells the game has ever seen together in one deck. Grab your shovels and get some gloves, these are the best cards from the Revenant Recon deck.

Removal spells are rarely played enough in formats like Commander, but slapping a removal effect on the back of a creature makes it much more appealing to players.

For just two mana you can evoke Shriekmaw into play, blowing up another nonartifact, nonblack creature, and then sacrificing it immediately. In a deck like Revenant Recon, where you can somewhat easily recur creatures over and over again, it makes for a reliable creature to remove your biggest threats.

A weird little Spirit Detective is one of the original cards in this deck that might go overlooked by a lot of players despite having plenty of potential for weird lines. Final-Word Phantom has flying and flash, letting you cast it at any time you like, but the real power is in its ability.

It gives your spells flash, but only if youre going to cast them on your opponents end step. This narrow window gives you plenty of time to set up your next turn. Plus, it's great that Magic made a Columbo card.

A 6/6 flying creature with ward three for six mana is already a great value for a creature, having power, evasion, and protection wrapped into one body. Watcher of Hours. But you dont want to just ramp out to playing this creature as quickly as possible, you want to suspend it first.

When you suspend this Sphinx, you put six time counters on it and then exile it, removing a counter at the start of your upkeep. Every time you do, you get to surveil 1, giving you a total of six surveil instances, helping to either fill your graveyard or give you the best draws you can get.

One of the best mass removal spells you can get, Toxic Deluge has been a staple in the format for years. This three-mana board wipe gives all creatures -X/-X for the turn, with the effectiveness being as versatile as you need it, assuming you have enough life to pay into the X cost of the card.

Toxic Deluge lets you get around indestructible creatures, some of the most bothersome to deal with, since state-based actions will cause creatures with zero toughness to sacrifice themselves. Just make sure youre monitoring your life total and dont over-commit to paying too much life into it.

Theres a lot of text on Animate Dead and thats the curse of being a fun and strong older card in Magic when players want to update the card. Basically all the text on Animate Dead says return target creature from the graveyard to the battlefield, and it gets -1/-0.

Theres more to it than that, but you get the gist. A two mana reanimation spell that has practically no down side lets you pitch a powerful creature in the first couple of turns of the game, only to bring it back before your opponents have time to react.

Another strange reanimation enchantment that comes with a lot of conditions, Necromancy lets you take a creature from your graveyard and return it to the battlefield, turning Necromancy into an Aura. If you were to lose Necromancy for any reason, you have to sacrifice the enchanted creature.

You can also cast it as if Necromancy had flash, but if you do, you have to sacrifice it at the beginning of the next cleanup step, so basically at the end of the turn. Having multiple and cheap ways of pulling creatures back from the grave is a vital component of decks like the Revenant Recon list, especially when a card like Necromancy hasnt been printed in such a long time.

Despite costing a staggering nine mana, theres not much text on Rise of the Dark Realms, but that doesnt mean its not powerful. Rise of the Dark Realms lets you take all creatures from all graveyards and resurrects them back to the battlefield, but theyre all under your control.

It is like a black Insurrection, but you get to keep those creatures forever (or until theyre sent back to the graveyard). If you happen to get a creature that gives everything haste, you can destroy all your opponents in a single turn.

The alternate commander for the Revenant Recon deck, Marvo, Deep Operative provides you a different approach when it comes to your deck building. When Marvo attacks, you get to clash with an opponent, which is a mechanic that hasnt been seen in a long time.

Clashing has you and an opponent reveal the top cards of each of your libraries, with whoever has the higher mana value winning the clash. When you win a clash, you draw a card and then cast a spell from your hand with a mana value of eight or less (because its an octopus), for free. This works particularly well in the deck since theres so much surveil going around, letting you manipulate the top card of your library to be whatever you think will win.

One of the wildest blue creatures ever printed, Sphinx of the Second Sun is a bit of a confusing card to manage but once you get it down it becomes a powerful card. The way it works is that once you enter the postcombat main phase, a delayed trigger is set up to give you a second beginning phase once your second main phase ends.

This gives you the untap, upkeep, and draw step that you usually do at the start of your turn. Then, you immediately proceed to the end step. Sphinx of the Second Sun doesnt give you time to cast anything with sorcery speed, but does give you all sorts of potential to activate abilities of cards you have in play or to set you up to cast instant spells on your opponents turns.

An incredibly powerful reanimation spell, and one of the namesakes of the archetype, is the sorcery spell Reanimate. This one mana spell lets you take a creature from any graveyard and return it to the battlefield but now under your control.

The only downside of this card is that you lose life equal to its mana value, but in a game of Commander where you likely have all sorts of life to spend, you can afford to trade a little life in exchange for a powerful card.

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Magic: The Gathering The 10 Best Cards In Murders At Karlov Manor's Revenant Recon Commander Deck - TheGamer

Improving performance on your Steam Deck ultimately comes down to figuring out what settings work best for different games. For instance, in our guide on how to run Palworld on the Steam Deck, we discuss the exact settings that really help the game shine on the handheld. However, there are some things you can do yourself to help improve performance across the board, and that's what we'll discuss today.

Before we get started, though, I do want to note that the main way we will discuss today is the usage of CryoUtilities, a third-party collection of scripts and commands that makes the way your Steam Deck manages its memory much smoother. This does require some knowledge of moving around your Steam Deck operating system outside of the Steam app, so you'll want to be familiar with that before continuing. If you aren't familiar with it, but are confident you can pick it up, I'll include detailed instructions of everything you need to do.

Before we can start installing CryoUtilities and tweaking things, we need to prepare the Steam Deck for the process. This means you'll need a Sudo Password, which essentially helps protect your Steam Deck from OS-level changes that you didn't approve.

By default, you do not have a Sudo Password set up. This is something you'll need to do manually, so if you've never done it, then you can simply follow the steps below.

On your Steam Deck, press the STEAM button to pull up the menu. Select Power > Switch to Desktop. This will take the Steam Deck out of Gaming Mode and allow you to change things in the OS.

Once your desktop has loaded, open System Settings > Users. From here, set the email for your user account and then click Change Password.

Enter the Sudo Password you want to use. You can pull up the keyboard by selecting the text box with R2 and then tapping X on the Steam Deck. Other places will require you to press STEAM + X to bring up the virtual keyboard. Alternatively, connect a wireless mouse and keyboard to the device to work more easily on it.

Once your Sudo Passcode is set, you're ready to move on to the next steps.

If you have set up a Sudo Password and do not remember it, you will need to reset it. The most straightforward method for this is completely reseting your Steam Deck to factory default, which you can do by pressing the STEAM Button then navigating to Settings > System and scroll all the way down to Factory Reset. This will wipe everything from your Steam Deck, though. If you want to reset the Sudo Password but do not want to lose your data, there are much deeper guides on how to do that, though it's a bit more involved than I can touch on in this particular guide.

The easiest way to install CryoUtilities will require you to make use of the Desktop Mode on your Steam Deck, so make sure to take a moment to get used to controlling the mouse via the touch pads or connect a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard for easier usage.

Before we install it, though, let's go ahead and change the amount of VRAM (video memory) that your Steam Deck can use. This will help CryoUtilities do its job much easier. First, turn off your Steam Deck. This can be done by pressing STEAM then selecting POWER and SHUT DOWN from the Gaming Mode, or you can select the Start Menu and then Shut Down from Desktop mode.

Once the Steam Deck is shut down, press and hold the volume up button and then press the power button. Continue holding down the volume up button until the boot menu loads. Now, navigate to Setup Utility > Advanced and then change the UMA Frame Buffer Size from 1G to 4G to give it the maximum amount of VRAM the Steam Deck can run. Now reload your Steam Deck and return to Desktop mode.

To continue installing CryoUtilities, head to the official Github page on your Steam Deck. You may need to type the address in manually, or you can search Google for CryoUtilities and try to find it that way. The manual address is https://github.com/CryoByte33/steam-deck-utilities

Once here, find the section marked Simple and then click the Download this link option. This will allow you to download a one-click installer for CryoUtilities. The easiest place to save it is on your Steam Deck desktop; that way you can easily find it.

Now, double-click on Install CryoUtilities and select Continue. This will download some data and then open Konsole. After a few moments, it will complete the installation.

Now that you have it installed, find the CryoUtilities icon on your Steam Desktop and then double-click it to open the app. You'll be asked to enter in your Sudo Password, and a disclaimer about how the developer of CryoUtilities is not responsible for damage to your Steam Deck will pop up. Be sure to read this disclaimer, and DO NOT go clicking random things in the app, as some of these settings can cause issues with your system if you do not know what you are doing.

Make sure to read the disclaimer before accepting it so that you understand the risks associated with using this app. Credit: Joshua Hawkins

Once you are logged in, the only thing that most people need to do is click the Recommended button. This will make the changes to the Steam Deck's backend that the developers of CryoUtilities suggest, and from there, you don't really need to do anything else. If you want to dive deeper into what CryoUtilities can do, you can always check out the in-depth video created by Cryobyte33, the creator of the app. However, I only recommend this for advanced users who are comfortable making more in-depth changes.

Ultimately, CryoUtilities' recommended settings should make a huge difference in how your Steam Deck performs. Mind you, it won't make the Deck play top-notch AAA games at the highest settings. But it will eliminate many of the stuttering issues that have long plagued games on these handheld machines. If you plan to play on your Steam Deck a lot, I highly recommend going through this process just for the additional smoothness that it offers.

If videos are easier for you to follow, YouTuber GameTechPlanet has a really great tutorial.

Another thing that I recommend you do on the Steam Deck, if you're worried about performance, is to make use of the performance monitor that is built into the Steam Deck itself. This can be activated by pressing the ... button on your Steam Deck (located on the right side under the touchpad), then navigating to Performance and changing the Performance Overlay Level to something higher than Off.

Level 1 shows you very basic settings, such as the FPS. However, I find that Level 2 can be really useful while still not breaking the immersion of different games, as it provides information on FPS, GPU performance, CPU usage, and even VRAM usage, while also displaying more in-depth information about the battery. Of course, if you want to see even more information, you can also change to Level 3 or Level 4, which provides even more detailed information in a pop-up box. But, as I mentioned above, that tends to block out parts of the games that you are playing, so I don't particularly recommend it.

Read more:
Improve Performance on Your Steam Deck With CryoUtilities - Lifehacker

Among the sea of great reality TV we have been blessed with over recent years, Bravo's Below Deck has been a constant in the viewing habits of millions, with its extravagant settings perfectly juxtaposed by the juicy and emotionally relatable drama. With Below Deck's sister show Down Under also becoming a smash it, eyes are more than ever on the next crew to climb aboard the superyacht, with Below Deck Season 11 having already announced some stark cast shake-ups. So, from surprising returns to sad exits, here is a look at everyone on board for Below Deck Season 11.

Follows the crew of a multi million dollar charter boat in the Caribbean.

The biggest change to Season 11 sees Captain Lee finally hang up his hat and wave goodbye after many years of service after suffering from a variety of medical conditions. However, the challenges at sea wait for no man, and the show continues into a new, or rather old, era as Captain Kerry Titheradge climbs on board. Long-time fans of Below Deck will recognize Kerry from Season 1 of Below Deck Adventure, with his no-nonsense attitude and will-to-succeed the sort of traits that will result in high quality and high drama. As mentioned in the trailer above, Kerry expects perfection from his crew, but will they be able to live up to his high standards?

Fraser Olender's rise to the top has been fun to follow over the last two Below Deck seasons as he went from a regular stew to chief stew in an impressively short space of time. Now he and his eye for detail are back on board for their third season, ready to once again take the role of chief stew and aim for perfection. It's no secret that Fraser is never far from a confrontation with one of his staff, so it may be that it is not a case of if he will cause drama, but when he will cause drama in Season 11.

An exciting new addition to the cast of Below Deck, Anthony Iracane is dedicated to the high-class culinary life and has been working in the yachting industry for over four years. Born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, widely dubbed the 'yachting capital of the world', Anthony's addition to the upcoming cast will be priceless thanks to his lifelong experience around yachts and his keen eye for detailed perfection in every dish.

Ben, the lead deckhand, had quite the tumultuous tenth season, with his blossoming romance with Camille catching the eyes of fans until it all sadly went up in flames after she was fired, leaving Ben in tears. Perhaps Ben will be hoping for a much less dramatic Season 11, but perhaps we won't.

Another addition to Below Deck, Cat Baugh is the new stew on the block and will be hoping to make her splash in Season 11. Born in Orange County, California, Cat is no stranger to the yachting life with five years of experience in her back pocket, making her a shoo-in to impress the returning Captain Kerry. However, Cat has mentioned how surprised she was at the sheer size of St. David, so here's hoping she doesn't feel engulfed by the magnitude of such a big job.

Another new stew, Barbara Pascual is originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and has a lot of fantastic traits ready to bring aboard. In her six yachting industry years to date, Barbie has picked up more than enough experience to help her stand out to Captain Kerry, and perhaps her ability to speak Spanish will push her above the rest. An unknown quantity as yet, perhaps by the end of Season 11, Barbie's notoriety will be akin to that of her toy doll namesake.

Along with Fraser, Cat, and Barbie, Xandi Olivier is another new stew arriving on Below Deck Season 11 with a point to prove. With five years in the yachting industry behind her, South African Xandi will hopefully be an entertaining addition to the cast, and, if the trailer is anything to go by, her penchant for crystals is likely to manifest her more screen time.

All the way from Selkirk in Scotland, Kyle Stillie is yet another new addition to the cast of Below Deck, coming on board as a deckhand. Unlike many others, Kyle is fresh-faced to the world of yachting, but he is certainly surrounded by an impressive crew with bags of experience ready to turn him into the next yachting prodigy.

Hailing from St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada, Marie Marquis (better known as Sunny) is the only female deckhand on Below Deck Season 11. Young, intelligent, and ready to learn, Marie has only a slither of experience so far in the industry and already loves what she does, making her pending growth throughout Season 11 something you don't want to miss.

Bosun Jared Woodin is a fresh addition to Below Deck Season 11 and makes up the final member of the deck team alongside Ben, Kyle, and Marie. If the trailer is anything to go by, Jared is going to be pure TV gold, with his getting called "dumb" and his struggle to call out distances after normally working in feet and not meters already iconic moments. Quite simply, Jared has the potential to steal the show in Season 11.

Below Deck Season 11 officially launches on Bravo on Monday, February 5, 2024, at 9 p.m. EST. In case you need a catch-up before the upcoming premiere, Season 10 of Below Deck is available to stream right now on Peacock.

Watch on Peacock

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'Below Deck' Season 11 Cast Guide: Who Is Back on Board? - Collider

Summary

When Boeing rolled out the mighty 747 in 1969, the world was mesmerized by the idea of a twin-decker airplane. Though a partial upper deck, the ability to design, build, and roll-out a multi-deck aircraft was new. Three decades later, when Airbus introduced the A380, a true double-decker, it was once again a new thing in the world of commercial aviation.

Did you know that multi-deck airplanes predate today's Boeing 747s and AIrbus A380s? In the 1920s, a nine-deck aircraft concept called the Airliner Number 4 emerged. This article explores a century-old concept, its design characteristics, and why the design never reached production.

Commercial aviation in the interwar period was nothing like the far-reaching industry that we know today. While we now think nothing of flying non-stop across oceans like the Pacific and Atlantic, this was a distant dream for the lucky few who could afford to fly.

As such, sea travel was the main option when it came to making long journeys over the water. The huge ocean liners that crossed the Atlantic could accommodate huge numbers of people, and, with it, a diverse public. Indeed, while it was a luxurious way to travel for the elite, less well-off citizens could also make such trips in less glamorous onboard conditions.

However, if there's one thing that boats aren't known for, it's speed. This was key for Boeing when it came to flying its aircraft parts in its 'Dreamlifter' outsize freighters instead of shipping them. Interwar airships were also rather slow, and had limited passenger capacity. As such, Norman Bel Geddes designed an aircraft to solve both these issues.

Photo:cpaulfell | Shutterstock

Born in April 1893, Norman Bel Geddes began his career in theater set design, working in Los Angeles and even on New York's Broadway. However, in the mid-to-late 1920s, his designs took on a more industrial form, with streamlining being a key feature in his work. This is evident in his concept of a teardrop-shaped car, as seen in the photograph below.

Towards the end of the decade, Bel Geddes had his next big idea - a multi-deck transatlantic airliner to compete with sea traffic. The V-shaped design would have had an unbelievable nine passenger decks, making it comparable in this regard to the ocean liners it was looking to replace. It had a planned capacity of 451 passengers and 155 crew members.

Airliner Number 4 had a proposed wingspan of 161 meters, which would have made it the widest plane ever built. The amphibious design featured a row of propellers atop the aircraft's main body. It had a total of 20 engines, with a further six in reserve.

The sheer size of the design meant that passengers would have had sufficient space to enjoy the amenities that they were used to on ocean liners. It was even large enough to feature two internal hangars for smaller planes. It was thought that Airliner Number 4 would be able to fly from Chicago to London in 42 hours, with aerial refueling in Newfoundland.

However, Airliner Number 4 never made it to commercial production. Despite widespread publicity and the promise of luxury, it didn't even reach the prototype phase. It was perhaps too ambitious for the time, which serves as a testament to Bel Geddes' innovative mind.

What do you make of this intriguing design concept? Would you have liked to have flown on such an aircraft? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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Airliner Number 4: The 9 Deck Plane Concept From The 1920s - Simple Flying

Areesha Khan

Published: 2024-02-01T19:19:18 Updated: 2024-02-01T19:19:29

After months and months of waiting, Below Deck has finally made its comeback with Season 11. Heres what you need to know about St. Davids Season 11 adventure location.

Bravos luxury yacht adventure reality show is set to air on February 5, 2024, and all the details about the cast and trailer have already been released.

The official traileraired on November 4, Day 2 ofBravoCon 2023. The new season is announced to return with a few familiar faces, but most of it is filled with newcomers. Most importantly, Below Deck AdventuresCaptain Kerry will be replacing Captain Lee.

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Details of the location St. David sailed on were also revealed. Here is everything we know so far.

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Season 10 introduced Below Deck viewers to a new yacht named M/YSt. David, which sailed across the Caribbean and explored the St. Lucia Island.

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The yacht used for filming this season would again be St. Lucia, and the location is reported to be in the eastern Caribbean Sea. Fans on Reddit claimed to see St. David sailing around Grenada.

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One user wrote: I just returned from Grenada last week and the St David was there Yet another said, A friend of mine got married in Grenada in February and saw Below Deck.

Below Deck Season 11 is set to air on February 5, 2024, and it will be available to stream on Peacock.

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Where was Below Deck Season 11 filmed? - Dexerto

Marni Jameson

I know were not supposed to care, but dont we all kind of want to know whats going on in other peoples houses? As least dcor-wise? Last week, the 2024 Houzz Kitchen Trends Study came out, and I was eager to peek. I wanted to know what was cooking in kitchens not just because I like to keep up, and not even because I am generally nosy, but mostly because my daughter and her husband are about to tackle a major kitchen renovation.

This kind of feels like the first time you see your kid drive off with a new drivers license. While theres nothing you can do, you just hope they dont crash.

When Paige and her husband bought their first home together 18 months ago, they knew they wanted to ultimately upgrade the underwhelming kitchen. After living in the home, theyve had time to think about what they want.

We love to cook and entertain, Paige said. Thats how we live. Our kitchen isnt great for either. Their choice came down to move or improve. Sound familiar? Having a baby on the way (insert cartwheel emoji) caused them to make up their minds and get going.

They asked a designer to show them what was possible. The designer drew up a plan that would indeed allow them to get what they wanted. Their new kitchen will have a larger island with seating, upgraded creamy tan cabinets with smart built-in storage systems, better appliances and white quartz counters to replace the dark speckled granite.

Ive got news for Houzz. They didnt need to bother with a survey. This couple represents pretty much what most remodelers want in a new kitchen.

A popular software platform for home improvers and industry professionals, Houzz has been publishing the kitchen trends study for 10 years, said Marine Sargsyan, Houzz staff economist, who helped compile the study. This year more than 3,400 U.S. homeowners, all of whom had either just completed or were in the middle of remodeling their kitchens, responded.

The beauty of the survey is that we dont ask wishful thinking questions, like, would you like more storage? Or a walk-in pantry? We ask, what did you actually do? Sargsyan said.

Heres whats hot in kitchens today according to this years report:

Kitchens are opening up. After going through the pandemic, a time when homeowners were hesitant to open their kitchens to the rest of their house, I was happy to see a reversal, Sargsyan said. We are back to open-concept kitchens that allow for more socializing. Among respondents, 43% made their kitchens more open to other indoor spaces, up five percent from a few years ago. Of those homeowners who made their kitchens more open, nearly two-thirds (64%) removed a wall.

Organized Storage is a priority. Consumers continue to put function first, she said. Features such as cookie sheet organizers (55%), spice racks (44%), and organizers for cutlery (41%) and utensils (37%) each gained 3 percentage points in popularity over last year. These were all must-haves on Paiges list, too.

Islands are growing. Confirming that the kitchen is the place to be whether cooking, eating, entertaining or doing office or home work, the survey showed a strong trend toward bigger islands with seating. Among renovators, 42% added an island 7 feet or longer, up from 38% last year. We dont see as many islands shorter than 6 feet, she said.

Tradeoffs are real. What the report doesnt capture, Sargsyan added, are the tradeoffs most projects require. A bigger kitchen, for instance, may mean sacrificing somewhere else, like having a smaller laundry room. Paige, for instance, loves her walk-in pantry, but is giving it up to gain more counterspace and more floor space around the island. She is counting on clever storage solutions, to make up for the loss.

Most seek professional help. More than four out of five homeowners (84%) rely on professional help for their kitchen renovations. General contractors are the professionals most commonly hired (55%), followed by cabinetmakers at 35%. One in three homeowners hires a kitchen designer.

Folks still like white. Light colors still reign, especially on counters. Were seeing fewer multi-colored counters and backsplashes. Cream and white counters are the choice for 43% of remodelers. White cabinets also remain popular at 46%, followed by wood, whether dark, medium, or light, at 25%. Interestingly, one-fourth of renovators made their upper cabinets a different color from their lower cabinets, often white above and wood below. Meanwhile, 46% opted for their islands to be a different color from their cabinets. Among those who did, blue was the top pick at 25%.

Layer the light. Recognizing their sustainability and longevity, LED lighting factored into 91% of projects. Recessed lighting was part of the plan in three out of four remodeled kitchens; 69% included under-cabinet lights, and more than half (56%) included pendant lighting. Light dimmers are also on the rise, factoring into 47% of remodels.

Costs are up. Like everything else, the cost to remodel a kitchen has been climbing. The median spend for a major kitchen remodel (meaning all new cabinets were included) was $55,000, up 22% over last year, and for a minor remodel the median spend was $18,000, up 29%.

Whats out? Glass doors and open shelves are trending down, as more consumers opt to keep their stuff hidden, which is probably a good idea.

Marni Jameson is the author of seven books including the newly released Rightsize Today to Create Your Best Life Tomorrow, What to Do With Everything You Own to Leave the Legacy You Want, and Downsizing the Family Home. You may reach her at http://www.marnijameson.com.

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AT HOME WITH MARNI JAMESON: What's cooking in kitchens? Open floorplans, bigger islands, study finds - The Times of Northwest Indiana

If you already have a glass mosaic backsplash, you'll need to take care to maintain it well. Fortunately, understandinghow to clean glass tilesis pretty straightforward. You'll simply need to use a mix ofsoap and water, water and vinegar, or a non-abrasive cleaner to freshen up the glass tileand make it look new again.

When cleaning glass tiles, however, you'll want to be careful that you don't overdo it. Although they're quite durable, cleaning glass tiles roughly andusing abrasive cleaning solutions can lead to damage. Glass tiles are prone to scratching, sobe careful when cleaning them.

Grout can also be damaged, so you'll want to clean it as gently as you can. Like with glass tiles, you'll need to apply a water and vinegar solution to the grout. You'll then need to let it sit for a few minutes before scrubbing it with a soft toothbrush. You can also use a standardgrout cleaner. For tougher stains, you may want to add a paste made of baking soda and waterto the grout beforehand before proceeding to clean it with water and vinegar.

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Glass Mosaic Backsplashes Are Stunning, But They Come With Some Big Disadvantages - House Digest

The sale of a Middletown church will result in a cooperative agreement RSR Realtors thinks will become a trend for religious organizations.

RSR Realtors said Wesley United Methodist Church at 64 Ann Street in Middletown was sold to Zion Assembly of Harrisburg for $299,900. RSR represented the sellers and Josh Mumaw of Coldwell Bankers represented the buyers.

The sale of the 14,000-square foot property represents a negotiated solution between the parties, RSR Realtors said. Although Wesley UMC is selling its ownership in the property, they will continue to hold weekly services and Sunday school at the church for the long term.

Zion Assembly of Harrisburg, which sold its previous church before the pandemic, will shift back from virtual services to in-person services at 64 Ann Street.

Both congregations will conduct services in the church in their own individual time slots, RSR Realtors said.

Garrett Rothman of RSR Realtors thinks this type of cooperative use of the church will be a trend that will continue across the country.

As many churches are dealing with shrinking memberships and high overhead costs associated with owning their buildings, it makes perfect sense for multiple congregations to share the same building, allowing them to share expenses, Rothman said.

From the first moment representatives from both churches met, we all could tell there was synergy between the two congregations, and that they would mutually benefit holding their services under the same roof, he said. It was a true win-win situation.

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Sale of church building to benefit two congregations - Central Penn Business Journal

A long-vacant church in St. Cloud may soon become a place where people can get help for their mental health and addiction challenges, despite pushback from some residents in the neighborhood.

Nelson Construction and Development, working with Ascension Recovery Services, wants to rehab the 15,303-square-foot church at 302 Fifth Ave. S. and turn it into a 48-bed inpatient and outpatient center for treatment of substance abuse, anxiety, and depression.

Built in the 1960s, the building has been vacant since 2013, when the First United Methodist Church relocated after 50 years of holding services there. The building has an assessed value of $208,000, according to Stearns County property records.

As part of the adaptive-reuse project, crews would renovate the education wing and congregation hall for inpatient and outpatient services. Also planned are exterior improvements, new windows, tuckpointing and a roof replacement, among other fixes.

St. Clouds Planning Commission recently recommended approval of a zoning change to move the project forward. Last week, the City Council set a Feb. 12 public hearing date for the proposed reuse, said Matt Glaesman, St. Clouds community development director.

At a Planning Commission meeting in January, project backers said the treatment center would address a big need in the city and create a productive new use for an aging building with historical value.

Weve gotten the bug of repurposing old buildings and saving the history of our community. Well, the First United Methodist Church building was expected to be torn down and ripped down, Brian Schoenborn, the buildings owner, said at the meeting. The idea that we can now invest $17 million to repurpose a historic building is very important.

Brandon George, vice president at Ascension Recovery Services, which operates programs in 25 states, told the commission that St. Cloud, like many, many, many other communities around the country, is struggling with addiction.

The new treatment center, he said, would serve everything from college kids that may need help with anxiety and depression to people that work in the community that may struggle with alcohol or other mental health concerns.

But some residents are cautious about the plans. A recurring theme among project skeptics: centers for treatment of mental health and addiction may be necessary, but build it someplace else.

At the Planning Commission meeting, neighbors peppered the project team with questions and concerns about everything from the type of medication that would be offered at the facility to traffic and public safety issues.

I dont know if Im supportive of this because our neighbors didnt hear anything about this at all, a 22-year resident of the neighborhood told the Planning Commission.

As somebody who has lived there and walks everywhere, I dont feel safe going to Holiday. [The neighborhood] is not a space that you can go into at any time of day or night because of the amount of homeless, drug-addicted, alcohol-addicted folks that loiter in the area.

Weve had a couple of shootings in that area. So we need not just this facility but we need [to take care of] that neighborhood, the resident added.

Another neighbor acknowledged the need for treatment centers, but wondered if the former church is the best place for it. The issue of the placement of this particular program in this particular neighborhood is a concern.

The treatment center would be staffed at all times with up to 30 employees during the day and 12 at night, according to a city report. Onsite employees would include administrative, counseling, medical and operations personnel.

Inpatient services could last up to 28 days, the staff report says, adding that participation in the program is voluntary.

Sue Abderholden, executive director of the Minnesota Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness [NAMI-Minnesota], said opposition to projects like the one in St. Cloud is not unusual, despite the huge demand for mental health and addiction treatment.

NAMI-Minnesota points to the proposed Lincoln on the Creek project, which would bring 89 units of workforce housing to Edina. As part of the project, Touchstone Mental Health would provide support for at least 18 households, including at least nine with a mental illness.

The project is facing rising opposition, according to NAMI-Minnesota.

In recent years, similar opposition upended plans to bring residential treatment centers for children to cities such as Golden Valley and Forest Lake, Abderholden said.

People struggling with mental illness and addiction are living in your city and neighborhood, she added. We want them to be able to get treatment. It could be one of your own children, a sibling, a neighbor, a coworker.

It affects a lot of people. The worst thing we can do is have people not have access to treatment.

RELATED:One-time St. Cloud orphanage to become treatment center

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Church-to-treatment center project up for approval in St. Cloud - Finance and Commerce