December 15... 2015 : back aboard

Dec 15 - 

The adventure continues …  

We were up early, really early.  2 am.  Our flight out of O’Hare: 5:30.  Our cabby picked us up and dropped us off at the ‘Spirit’ terminal.  Already a bit of a line.  Our previous 2 flights with them proved, as with most companies and individuals, that kindness goes a   l o n g  way… Spirit has a reputation for being not the friendliest airline, budget their number one interest.  We did save a good deal on tickets (their selling point) but they are lacking in the cheer department … After our ‘wait’ in line, our agent waved us up.  Very business like.  But soon, we had her chatting away and a  smile broke over her face!  She had been working since 2am and had yet to have her wakeup coffee!  Our bags, we knew were each a tad bit over their 40 lb limit… She let Jim’s pass as we continued BS’ing.  Next up my bag… way over weight.  Jim slyly holding the end of mine ever so slightly off the scale… ‘oh, you’re a bit over too… I’ll just let it slide..  No problem.’     Thank you!  

Yeah… now for security.  The line a hundred or so deep, lines Disney style.  No one checking people through yet.  4 am one TSA attendant started the daunting tasks of checking Id’s etc… finally another joined the checking and 80 minutes later… we were through and on to the scanners.  We helped a young family through the process, 7ish year old daughter interpreting for them.  Then on to our gate.  With meeting all those new people, we had little wait time for the plane.  And we were up, up and away landing in Fort Lauderdale 2.5 hours later.  An agent for Spirit kindly met all transfer passengers and guided us OUT of the airport and along the sidewalk.  ??? (For unexplained reasons our Spirit plane was directed / landed in the Jet Blue terminal so we had to be escorted to the Spirit terminal)  We then had to go through security… again.  Yeah!  More new friends to make.  Put on the happy face again.  Seriously, it was no big deal and we got to take in the warmth of south Florida as we walked outside.  Bonus; something a bit interesting to write about too.   Back through security, we headed to the boarding gate.  Our plane already waiting.  (A 3 hour layover. )  As the time drew closer and no call for boarding we started to wonder… Our plane had been outside the large windows the whole time, engines spewing exhaust.  A bit of eaves dropping and we heard we would be moving to yet another gate.  More new people to meet!  yeah … Then the announcement comes on.  Flight Delay.  ….the new departure time came and went … as we watched the plane being taken away we were told a new plane / gate / crew would be ready soon.  5 hours after the original take off time… we began boarding.  

big boats... big toys

view from shore 

One unruly passenger started cussing, then stomping around.  left.  came back.  cussed some more…  Insert image: sagging pants.  multicolored socks with marijuana leaves embroidered on them.  airline pillow cresting atop his dreadlocks.  a winter coat:  He cut in line and then blew past the agent scanning tickets and proceeded down the ramp… I fully expected (kind of hoped) security would be on him but the incredibly patient ticket agent zipped down the ramp and retrieved his ticket to scan it.  After we were all aboard the pilot apologized for the delay said we’d be underway soon.  

We were on a MUCH bigger plane.  LOTS of empty seats.  After the plane reach altitude, we could find a different seat if we wished but had to stay put for now to make sure the weight was distributed as needed for takeoff.  Finally, we were airborne and had an uneventful flight.  Due to the previous delays, we arrived in St. Thomas well after dark.  Our boat sitters had taken a hotel for the night and given directions as to where to find the dinghy and general directions to the boat laying at anchor.  A taxi ride, load the dinghy: head toward the shack on shore and we located the boat.  We were home!

The nice tidy surroundings were soon inundated with our unpacked belongings.  We sat in the cockpit and began to unwind.  It felt good.  The mountain side twinkling with lights from homes.  The road paralleling the harbor alive with traffic.  Caribbean music wafting from shore.  Scents of florals drifting through the air.  Relief filling our senses.  Our heads full of wonderful memories from our winter break.  We sat and relished the evening for a while then called it a night.

St.Thomas / Charlotte Amali

musical ships heading for other ports

Jim got started on the fix it list first thing, installing parts we returned with before we headed out to  brunch with our boat sitters, John and Sue. They filled us in on some of the things to address for repairs. They had had a few mishaps during our absence.  We parted ways; they needed to catch their plane home and we needed to find a computer repair shop.   

We made arrangements with the computer store to return tomorrow for diagnosis and headed back home.  Jim continued fixing and installing while I tackled the stowing of goods.  

Mid afternoon, we headed to Crown Bay Marina to inquire about service for our yet to be ordered wind vane… The dinghy ride was pleasant.   Jim went off to locate the shop while I met up with Cindy / Splash.   Soon the 4 of us were all reunited and shared a few stories from each of our adventures.  Then… we were were serenaded by 2 cruise ships… Crown Bay Marina is located adjacent to one of the 2 cruise ship docks.  We have grown accustom to their signal horns for docking, leaving, etc.  This was quite different.  It started as usual, loud toots from the departing ship then escalated into what Jim thought reminiscent of the Close Encounters closing scene where the Alien spaceship attempts communication with the scientists on the mountain.  The departing ship signals, the docked ship returned / acknowledged it’s signal.  Ship 1 replies… ship 2 ups the ante… for 10 minutes the ships ‘signal’ back and forth each playing something musical and more intricate broadcasting through their ships horns.  Ship #2 even used a HUGE screen TV on the upper most deck with accompanying video, clearing viewed from our vantage point at the marina.  …  Very impressive and VERY loud.  Jim / Splash added a few toots from their air horn in support.  

We made it home as the sun slipped below the horizon.  Dinner: caesar salad.  Cool and fresh.  A glass of wine and our new LUCI lights for the cockpit adding to the ambiance. 

remains of a sugar cane boiling pot

More fixing our boat in exotic locations…

We continued to tick off projects as best we could over the next couple of days.  Adjusting the steering system that broke in our absence.  Ordering a new wind vane to increase our electrical supply (yeah) and locating parts for projects took up most of 2 days.   We took the Safari to Red Hook, another town, to see about installation and parts for the wind vane.  It was a bust, the business too busy too help anytime soon.  The Safari ride was quite interesting though.  We went out of town and up and over the mountain ridge, stopping often to pick up and drop off passengers.  It was a great way to get a glimpse into island life as we sped along.  The ride it cost $2.oo per person since had ventured out of the city limits.

Back at the computer store,  we were told the computer program had a glitch and was preventing the files (9,000 pictures taken so far !!! )  from transferring to the external hard drive… Carlos the technician, put in several hours yet only charged $40.oo.  A bargain to have it working properly again.  

Having completed enough projects to get us on our way, we finally upped the anchor.  Fuel and water at Crown Bay Marina and we were cruising again… The weather report says more unsettled systems rolling through, squalls and winds building over the next few days.  We choose Magen’s Bay to sit out the forecast.  It is only 2 miles away… over the mountain ridge but 10 miles in todays sloppy water.  We (Jim) had quite a soaking from the squalls navigating us along.  

Magen’s Bay is about a 1 mile stretch of beach and public park.  We anchored in 10 feet of clear water with a sandy bottom, Jim dropping the hook as a Ray swam by.   This is a very popular spot for the Cruise Ship excursions to bring customers.  

We passed the evening quite peacefully, our neighbors with their water slides, jet skis and other marine toys kept us entertained.  One of the ‘neighbors’ is Rising Sun, a 450 foot super mega yacht  $211,000 price tag in 2006… built by the founder of Oracle… 88,000 feet of living space.  We are cruising with the big boys now… They have dinghies nearly as big is our lovely Inishnee.  

the windmill was used to run a press to crush the cane and produce juice 

the hill side was stripped of trees and sugar cane was planted

Magen’s Bay turned out to be not a cruiser friendly place.  Within minutes of going ashore, a lifeguard met us and asked (told) us to move our dinghy…. Where to? …   Off the beach… their Cruise Ship customers apparently need the space… Our attempt to point out the numerous derelict boats on shore where we tied up fell on deaf ears. So, not wanting to argue with Simon, ‘Chief of the Beach’ his words not ours… Jim took the dinghy to a private mooring ball (someone’s going to want money I’m sure) and swam ashore…. 

We purchased a drink from the only bar on the beach but didn’t feel very welcome… We finished our beverage and went home.  It is the first time we have felt like intruders and unwelcome in the islands.  We’ll be off tomorrow more a friendlier anchorage.  

St. Johns

The weather report called for more high winds for several more days: the Christmas Winds.  They start blowing around mid December and continue through the winter months.  We decided to head to Watermelon /  Lienster Bay where we had spent Thanksgiving.  A nice protected anchored.  The 12 mile passage should have taken less than 3 hours.  With the winds and seas on the nose we slogged along at 2.5 - 3.5 knots until we would plunge into a good size wave and come to a near stop… 4 1/2 hours later we were thankfully, calmly bobbing from a mooring ball.  No lifeguard to hassle us, no homes ashore to offer up light pollution.  Just a few other cruisers enjoying the sights.  

Charles loosening the flesh from a coconut 

I lazed around this morning, a bit of a cold or bug making me sluggish.  Jim began the work of repositioning things on the aft deck to install our new wind vane soon to be delivered.  Here’s hoping it meets / exceeds our electrical needs.  By noon I was feeling better so we took off to explore the ruins  of the Annaberg Sugar Mill.  A very pleasant walk along the shore, the path shrouded in mangroves and tropical trees.  A mongoose skittered across the trail ahead.  I read that their are snakes on the island as well but not to worry… the mongoose takes care of most of them.   * It’s my guess that since the mongoose is not native to the islands, they were brought here to rid the area of rats (which were brought to the islands by ships / cargo) like ‘they’ did in Hawaii.  The problem… the mongoose is diurnal and rats are nocturnal which wasn't discovered until after their release.  The Hawaiian mongoose it now partly responsible for the decline and extinction of many bird species in Hawaii since the eggs of the birds make for easy meals.  

We continued down the path and then up the stairway to the ruins.  All of the islands had thriving businesses producing sugar and rum from cane juice for about 150 years; at the expense of African slaves.  We waked around the grounds which have been crudely restored, plaques placed at intervals providing information about the buildings and milling process.  

our gifts from Charles... the large leaves are 'painkiller'

So far, our explorations of this island has shown it to be pretty much steep mountainous terrain with only a few pockets of flat land where they built a port … so where did the sugar can come from / grow?… We  spoke with one of the park staff about this.  The slaves were forced to cut down all the trees on the mountain side, create terraces, then pant the canes.  Aqueducts were made and used to divert the daily rains to water the crops.  When harvested it brought to the mill where a windmill powered the cane press which smashed the canes to extruded the juice.  It was then boiled for days to reduce the liquid to sugar crystals or molasses.    Ships carried the finished products to markets.  *The ships ballasts of rock were off loaded and used to as building materials throughout the islands.  

painkillers: leaves or liquid 

Continuing our exploration of the ruins,  we met Charles.   He appeared to be the grounds keeper.  Charles offered up fresh coconut with a lesson on extracting the tender meat inside.  He also manages the small garden which has many local trees and plant species to inspect.  We were given (waaay tooooo many) samples of local plants: steam the leaves of this plant to make a lovely tea (possibly allspice) and this leaf; you place the shiny side directly on your aching parts for relief, an herbal form of aspirin. Charles called it Painkiller and demonstrated how to use it.  We thanked him for his time and hard work, dropped a tip in the jar and headed home.  

What next?… Jim, of course had to compare the 2 very different painkillers we now have on board.  First the leaves… feeling no immediate effects he switched to the liquid tonic; it proved to be fairly effective at least in the short term.