James Leavey
James Leavey is the son of a German U-boat officer, grew up in London and now lives in Cowes.
He was the first person to write an advert for satellite TV in 1984, when he helped launch BT’s Firebird software – one of the UK’s most successful and influential games companies.
He has since written extensively on business, travel and leisure for over 100 publications including World Cruise Industry Review and is Britain’s most smoker-friendly journalist and broadcaster.
Editor of the world famous FOREST Guides to Smoking in London (and Scotland) and chief taster for Cigar Buyer magazine, he has smoked Havanas in voodoo ceremonies in Brazil, on stage at the Royal National Theatre in London, in Vienna’s sewers, in Dublin’s main prison, and on desert islands.
On his 60th birthday he christened the Churchill smoking lounge of Cunard’s Queen Victoria. It seemed like a good idea at the time. 
He is also the former marketing and PR manager of Firebird publishing.
You can find out more about James at his personal website .
Read the latest entry from James every Friday. Subscribe today so you don’t miss a thing.
Posts by James Leavey:
- When the going gets tough, the tough get cruising (3 Comments) - 19th Mar, 2010.
- Surf 'n' Sea - Internet Access on a Cruise Ship (4 Comments) - 12th Mar, 2010.
- Breakfast on a cruise ship (16 Comments) - 5th Mar, 2010.
- Flog it! And go on another cruise (1 Comment) - 26th Feb, 2010.
- What's opera? Dock! (2 Comments) - 19th Feb, 2010.
- New York, New York – so good you'll sail there twice (8 Comments) - 12th Feb, 2010.
- Disney Dream AquaDuck "Water Coaster" (3 Comments) - 5th Feb, 2010.
- Goldilocks and the Three Cruise Ships (6 Comments) - 29th Jan, 2010.
- Burns Night On A Cruise (2 Comments) - 22nd Jan, 2010.
- An Epic Adventure (7 Comments) - 15th Jan, 2010.
- Zen Cruising - Less Is More (2 Comments) - 8th Jan, 2010.
- Accentuate the positive – and have a Happy New Year - 1st Jan, 2010.
- Cinderella and the Magic Cruise Ship Part 2 - 25th Dec, 2009.
- Cinderella and the Magic Cruise Ship (4 Comments) - 18th Dec, 2009.
- A Fairy Tale Cruise for Christmas (3 Comments) - 11th Dec, 2009.
- The Guests Work For Cunard (5 Comments) - 4th Dec, 2009.
- Little goes Large at the Oasis of the Seas Naming Ceremony (15 Comments) - 27th Nov, 2009.
- Happy First Anniversary (3 Comments) - 20th Nov, 2009.
- I think, therefore I am – a 21st century cruise ship (2 Comments) - 13th Nov, 2009.
- Hold your own Olympics on Oasis of the Seas (9 Comments) - 6th Nov, 2009.
- A Ghost Cruise For Halloween (3 Comments) - 30th Oct, 2009.
- Cruising For Art's Sake (8 Comments) - 23rd Oct, 2009.
- Konnichiwa Tokyo (10 Comments) - 16th Oct, 2009.
- Outlaws Of The Waves (3 Comments) - 9th Oct, 2009.
- Scotch On The Rocks (11 Comments) - 2nd Oct, 2009.
- All Ashore Who's Going Ashore (4 Comments) - 25th Sep, 2009.
- X Factor Prepares To Board Strictly Come Dancing (4 Comments) - 18th Sep, 2009.
- A Cruise Round The Clichés (5 Comments) - 11th Sep, 2009.
- Shipboard to Blackboard (11 Comments) - 4th Sep, 2009.
- To Boldly Go Where Noah Has Gone Before (3 Comments) - 28th Aug, 2009.
- Watching Paint Dry With Goofy (6 Comments) - 21st Aug, 2009.
- Herfing in Hamburg – a Moveable Feast (5 Comments) - 14th Aug, 2009.
- The Next Giant Step For Mankind – Space Cruises (3 Comments) - 7th Aug, 2009.
- Cruising for Cowes (18 Comments) - 31st Jul, 2009.
- Read This. Then Wash Your Hands (1 Comment) - 24th Jul, 2009.
- Hairspray Meets Sea Spray (3 Comments) - 17th Jul, 2009.
- Busy Doing Nothing (3 Comments) - 10th Jul, 2009.
- Hola, Virgin, Take Me To Havana (5 Comments) - 3rd Jul, 2009.
- Dream Ships Can Come True (5 Comments) - 26th Jun, 2009.
- Racing For The Past (21 Comments) - 19th Jun, 2009.
- Santa Barbara: Between A Rock And A Hard Place (6 Comments) - 12th Jun, 2009.
- Watch The Birdies (7 Comments) - 5th Jun, 2009.
- I'll Cross That Bridge When I Come To It (6 Comments) - 29th May, 2009.
- Friends, Family & Whoopsy-Daisy (4 Comments) - 22nd May, 2009.
- Go To Blazes On A Cruise (3 Comments) - 15th May, 2009.
- Some Lines On Crossing The Line (6 Comments) - 8th May, 2009.
- Cats Ahoy (10 Comments) - 1st May, 2009.
- Don't Knock The Rock (3 Comments) - 24th Apr, 2009.
- The Long Goodbye And The Short Hello (3 Comments) - 17th Apr, 2009.
- My Easter Egg Is Cracked (5 Comments) - 10th Apr, 2009.
- To Insure Personal Service (8 Comments) - 3rd Apr, 2009.
- He Sells Sea Shares On The Sea Shore (11 Comments) - 1st Apr, 2009.
- Anywhere I Wander (5 Comments) - 27th Mar, 2009.
- Cruising Back To The Thirties And Forties (6 Comments) - 20th Mar, 2009.
- A Sight For Sore Eyes - At Sea (2 Comments) - 13th Mar, 2009.
- Cruise Fever (15 Comments) - 6th Mar, 2009.
- Betting On A Good Cruise (2 Comments) - 27th Feb, 2009.
- Belfast Bounces Back (3 Comments) - 20th Feb, 2009.
- I'll Take Romance (7 Comments) - 13th Feb, 2009.
- Dubai - Arabia's Magic Lamp (4 Comments) - 6th Feb, 2009.
- Upturning The Poseidon, And Other Disasters (3 Comments) - 30th Jan, 2009.
- Carry On Cruising, Doctor (3 Comments) - 23rd Jan, 2009.
- Tea At Sea - 16th Jan, 2009.
- Happiness Is A Happy Ship (2 Comments) - 9th Jan, 2009.
- In Search Of A Happy New Year - 2nd Jan, 2009.
- It's Virtually Christmas (3 Comments) - 22nd Dec, 2008.
- Take Your Partners – On A Cruise (3 Comments) - 11th Dec, 2008.
- Cruising For Trouble (5 Comments) - 4th Dec, 2008.
- Comedy At Sea (2 Comments) - 20th Nov, 2008.
To the blog
Loading ...
11 Comments
Nov 22 2008
15:54
Where has this guy been hiding?
I can’t wait for more!!!
Dec 09 2008
12:54
hi james, i’d like to congratulate you on such a brillantly written piece. i found it so entertaining-with lots of references to all sorts of different topics -i look forward to reading more………….
Dec 18 2008
17:20
Hi Jim
After a month i’m the third person to read your blog, dont give up now its starting to get funny, great stuff really, all the best you old pirate.
Rob.
Jan 25 2009
12:27
wonderfully written-and entertaining as always-comforting to know there are qualified doctors on board for those unfortunate possiblities……trudy
Feb 27 2009
10:55
hi james -whatever became of your uncle’s family?
Mar 08 2009
8:15
It’s true James, being a pirate today is probably one of those things that seem to take ordinary mortals one the trip with you.
Arnie
Mar 15 2009
7:05
What a wonderful way to spend a couple of weeks.
Aug 14 2009
17:32
Is there anything this man cannot write about without leaving the reader satisfied and well informed?
Aug 17 2009
13:04
Lets try and find something Graham … watching paint dry on the stern via webcam?
Aug 17 2009
18:59
A Challenge, Davey? You’re on. It will be the subject of next Friday’s blog.
Oct 30 2009
15:15
For some reason, possibly because of the many blogs I have written for Virgin over the last year and the support you guys and girls have given me, I now have a Wikipedia entry…So thank you very much. Without you lot, I’d be an unread blogger in hyperspace:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Leavey