Jan 11
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| Trellis Bay |
With Yang on her way, Jim went in search of and found the proper micro chip needed to download our navigation charts for the next part of our voyage… He tried 5 times to download the charts on the new chip, moving around the boat to get just the right signal. A stint at the bar next to the router, but with the internet speeds sooooo slow, the charts could not be downloaded. 5 phone calls (cha-ching cha-ching) stateside, the entire afternoon shot, we finally had the chart company Fed Ex them to Tortola… It will take 3 days to get them ‘overnight’… maybe.
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| the fire balls and burning man |
So, we picked up some groceries. Ate dinner. Did laundry, which turned into quite an encounter. We only had 2 loads to wash / dry. Mostly swim wear… btw, for the first time in my life… I own waay more swimsuits than shoes… We sat at the pool sipping a glass of fine box wine while the washer did it’s work.
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| part of the studio area |
On a trip to check the status of the machines, a bewildered lady approached me. (French accent): ‘There is no water…” ? me: excuse me? French lady: I can not get the shower to work, no water… Me: “Oh, you have to use a token. You buy them at the office.” She had no money with her and not much on as she was about to take a shower… I bought her a token which she was very grateful for… Returning to the dyer, it had quit working… a report to the office, switch dryers… back in business. Jim went back to the boat for for more quarters. As he stepped over the neighbors water hose again, it dawned on him that we had been stepping over this water hose all day…‘they’ had been using our water spigot, which is metered, to wash their boat and ‘toys’. A trip to the office, Jim informed them of the mistake so we would not incur the bill that is sure to be significant with all the cleaning of the other boat. Folding our laundry, we discovered several shirts which were not ours… Then the only other guy in the place says… “oh, those are mine. I wonder how they got in your with your stuff?” … Hmmm, me too. Everyday IS an adventure.
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| GliGli : the largest dug out canoe in the Caribbean... |
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| hammock, Island style |
Jan 12
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| arts and crafts |
Happy 2nd Birthday Miss Nora… wish you could be here to celebrate it with us…
Beef Island, Trellis Bay
We topped off the water tanks and head to Beef Island for a few days. The wind… on the nose. Our new wind generator was spinnin’ away finally, it seems that the break in period the manufacture spoke of has finally distributed the grease through out the bearings and we are making AC …
A short 10 miles and we had secured to a mooring. The harbor is relatively shallow, 15 feet. There are a few reefs mixed in the mooring field to watch for. It appears as though there is a resident turtle who likes the area around our boat. It surfaces every 10 or so minutes about 40 feet off the starboard side. Ashore are several bar / restaurants. We checked out the Aragorn Studio which features local artists goods. Pottery and metal works made on site, jewelry, baskets, decorative masks as well and tee shirts. The Aragorn facility hosts the Fire Ball Full Moon Party every full moon. There are cast-iron fire balls and a burning man sculpture positioned along the beach front in the water. Each full moon after sunset they are set afire, kindle of wood, paper, etc. We walked up and down the beach area then settled on happy hour at ‘de loose mongoose’. Happy hour consisted of dixie cups with Rum Punch… 7 dollars! Not our ‘happiest hour’… Dinner aboard as the sun was setting. A warm breeze filling the cockpit and boat.
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| Passion Fruit upper left Soursop bottom left Sugar Apple right side |
We ventured back to shore the next afternoon. The grocery store was small but stocked with enough items to carry you over to the next port. We lunched on a Roti Wrap, a local dish. A tortilla is filled with curry mixture of potatoes, chickpeas and chicken. Tasty and filling. We spent a bit more time at the Aragorn Art Studio / Good Moon Farm offering local, organic produce. We purchased a number of exotic fruit specimens… Passion Fruit, Sugar Apple and Soursop… We have to wait till they are ripe (soft and squishy in a few days) to sample.
We stopped for a drink before heading home. It had been a long time since we have seen, and not been the subject of, any harbor cinema. Today’s was the most dramatic we have seen yet… As we looked out over the harbor, Jim noticed a sailboat extremely close to an anchored trawler. Too close. As we tried to make sense of the scene, we noticed a dinghy pulling in vain at the sailboat which had drug it’s anchor… The sailboat hit and got hung up on the anchor line of the power boat… the gentleman in the dinghy struggling to free it from it’s hold on the anchor line, the wind pushing the hull of the sailboat back into the powerboat… Several of us on shore watching and contemplating what, if anything we could do to help… After numerous tries and what seemed like forever, the dinghy captain was able to free the two boats. He had to be exhausted, mentally and physically by now. He then proceeded to pull the large sailboat into the wind and after a bit of a battle, secured it to a mooring ball… whew. Our hearts went out to the captain, thankful it was not our boat in either situation… Then, amazingly, the dinghy / captain left the ‘scene’ and returned to his own boat! This gentleman had done all this and neither boat was his. Sir, kudos to you. You are a great humanitarian…
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| Harbor Cinema... |
We later found out the renegade sailboat had been abandoned in the harbor. Every harbor we have been in including the East Coast of the U.S. has had abandoned, derelict boats. Many of the ‘help’ for the mainland resorts, bar, etc live on old boats setting at anchor to save money on housing which is often far too expensive anywhere near the waterfront where the tourists go.
We ate dinner aboard, grilled Greek chicken and veggies. Then, off to The Last Resort on Bellamy Cay. A very small spit of land with a delightful bar restaurant. I wish we had discovered it sooner. It is one of the little gems you stumble upon by accident (no write up in the guide book) and are very glad you did. The owner has been running the place for 2 years now and trying to create a great destination. The restaurant offers amazing food (too bad we already ate), a great bar and outdoor seating on the tip of this tiny island, maybe a half acre, at low tide. The seating, comfortable. The atmosphere made even better with their eclectic take on decorating, Nautical, whimsical. Artsy. Comfortable. Bobo served us beverages at the bar, named after his grandfather. He is a working, young sailor living in the harbor. His mother a sailor too, they have sailed quite a bit in and around these islands for years.
Live music by an amazing young artist. He played a few ‘rat pack’ songs, Beatles and other cult / pop numbers with his own inventive arrangements. A game of Fooze Ball, Jim won. Must have been that second Jameson’s that put me off my game…
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| Kathy and Danielle |
Having had nearly all the fun and beverage we could reasonable partake, we paid our bill. Just as I was about to attempt standing up, a gentle arm surrounds me, a lovely perfume floats over me… and this delightful French voice says… ‘ello… ‘ow are you?” OMG … It’s Danielle the French lady in need of a shower / token …. We shared a proper French Kiss… cheek and cheek. Her husband says, “ohhh, thank you very much for giving me a nice clean wife” (grinning ear to ear). They too stumbled on this lovely, quaint establishment. It’s their last night of vacation, leaving early in the morning to return to Paris… They have spent their vacation on a charter catamaran with 6 other friends. They offered to buy us one more beverage but I had most defiantly reached my limit so we had to decline. Daniella’s husband assured me it I ever find my way to Paris I would have a warm shower waiting… I just might take him up on that, but first… I had to navigate the path back to the dinghy made troublesome by the cement walkway shifting so many times under my feet. Jim luckily drove us safely around the reef and home. It didn't take long for sleep to find us.
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| Saba Rock lounge |
A while back Jim told me about an exchange he had with a fellow boater. After discovering the two had lived near each other for years in Chicago; Jim said, ‘It’s a small world” The other gentleman’s reply, ‘only if you don’t travel…’ How true this is proving to be.
Jan 14
Next day / next bay: Fat Hog Bay … I guessing at one point there were ‘fat pigs’ here…
It is also known as East End Bay to the Locals…
There was plenty of skinny water to watch for, the mooring field in just 8 feet of water! The area is surrounded by a shallow reef, Red Rock reef marking one side of the harbor entrance. Fat Hogs Bay shoal off to port. Lunch aboard then off to explore. The town, which doesn't appear to have a name, is more laid back, being home to local fisherman and a few cruisers. The grocery is well stocked, fruits, vegetables, meats, and staples. Narrow streets, no sidewalk. Chickens and roosters chasing around; typical of all the islands. We picked some ice-cream and made a dash for home before it melted. We now relish the once easy to get, and ate too often, treats from our former lives. The sun dipping behind the mountain. The breeze wafting through the hatches. I have to pinch Jim again to make sure I’m not dreaming…
Jan 15 Happy Birthday Theresa! Hope you did something memorable
Back to Road Town. The sails came out today for one whole hour! The wind always coming from the direction we want to go…
We needed fuel, a few fresh produce things, then we are off to St. Martin, about 80 miles east; trade winds on the nose… We had to circle the teeny, tiny entrance to the marina, the fuel dock full up with other boats. Maneuvering around an anchored double barge, several HUGE catamarans and numerous ‘Mooring’s’ Charter boats coming and going. Back home, our former one, our boat was a fairly average size for Great Lakes cruisers. As we moved closer to the salty sea, we began to shrink… the other boats just kept getting bigger and bigger the farther we went east and south. Now, we are dwarfed by the vessels transiting the islands. A 74 foot catamaran came in today. Even the locals were down here taking pictures.
We docked the boat, no harbor cinema then the dock master, Denzel, came to ask what our needs were…Fuel and a slip sir. Fuel topped off we took a slip and opened the ports to funnel the breeze through the cabin. Our friends Jim and Cindy (Splash)met us for anchor beverages, they are here exchanging crew… family going home, friends coming aboard to travel with us all to St. Marten. We’ll listen to the weather in the morning and formulate a departure / travel plan.
We have been trying the tropical fruits and veggies here. Quite a few surprises… Passion Fruit is tiny and when ripe sweet. We ate a Sugar Apple, The texture is like custard… soft and creamy. Very sweet, lots of good size seeds to spit out. A Soursop. Looks similar to the Sugar Apple but larger. Texture a bit firm, seed to eat around too. The taste is like lemonade, sweet and tart with just a hint of banana. All very interesting. For dinner I made a Caribbean kind of stew. It’ll be a repeat. Cubed, steamed sweet potatoes, add red or kidney bean, garlic, turmeric, curry and toasted coconut… Very pleasant.
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| The Bittern End beach |
Today ends the saga of the Chart Plotter Chip fiasco! After unsuccessfully trying to download our new (paid for) charts, we called Garmin and they agreed to Fed Ex the micro chip with charts , overnight… Jim called everyday after to check the status; ‘It ships today’ … Everyday for a week we were told this by a different person… We finally decided to cancel the order and navigate using our IPad, which has the charts. Not as convenient but it will get us to St. Marten where we will take up the quest to get the charts, again…
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| Tarpon feeding |
Jan 16 - 18
Virgin Gorda: staging for the crossing
Jim and I checked out of the BVI’s, customs giving us a grace period till Monday for departure. The weather window looks good for the crossing. We’ll be traveling with S/v Splash and their crew of 5.
We chose The Bitter End harbor to wait out the 2 days before heading to St. Martin. We took a mooring ball while Splash dropped the hook. They later told us their depth meter hit zero clearance just as the anchor went down. Jim of Splash dove down to see what could have caused it to zero out and discovered a sunk sailboat under their boat…
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| Tarpon |
We all met up at Saba Rock for happy hour. Saba Rock is a tiny little island that has capitalized on it’s unique space. Rooms to rent, restaurant / bar. Palm trees and shopping. Great internet. Happy hour 4 -6, Tarpon feeding at 5 … Painkillers in hand, we watched as Lance led the group through his spiel on th event before us. Fish CAN tell time by the way. They began swarming by 4:30 in anticipation of their snack. They are HUGE fish, the record: 10 feet, 270 pounds. Lance says they have no teeth which proved to be correct as he hand fed them. They leapt up to meet his arm with the sharkskin bait, engulfing his arm to the elbow, no ill effects on Lance’s part. Tarpon are a fun sport fish, catch and release due to their abundance of bones as well as not being too flavorful.
A question went out to the crowd…’What is a pescatarian ? At this point I would like to thank Rich, Julia, Bridget and Amanda… Several people offered their opinions (incorrect) so I spoke up: a vegetarian that eats fish… Lance says ‘correct, meet me at the bar after the show’.
The show continued, moving to the ‘pool’ where a number of smaller sea creatures were housed. A Lion Fish; invasive and poisonous, several sea cucumbers, many fish and a Moray Eel, 5-6 foot long and 2 plus foot around.
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| Prize in hand ... |
I rejoined our happy hour group. After a while Lance came up and said I should join him at the bar. He ordered us each a generous shot of Sambucca, yikes. I don’t do shots, but what an insult to the Lance if I didn't … so, down it went. Whew! tasty and burning all the way down.
Our group then headed to Inishnee for a night cap and Jean’s Bean Dip, always a hit!
Jan 17
A busy day today. The morning brought cloudy skies, temps in the low 80’s. The “conch’ boat hooting his conch through the harbor signaling to those wishing to purchase some: wave him over, fresh conch for lunch / dinner. Jim and I ventured to shore to the Bitter End Yacht Club. It is an all encompassing vacation spot offering all the amenities you might want and can afford. We strolled the grounds and the beach front then opted to return home for lunch where the prices were more agreeable. Then Jim hit on the idea to hire a diver to finish the patch job on the hull… so we returned to shore and negotiated a SCUBA tank for a very reasonable sum. Jim has his scuba license so there was no need to hire someone… substantial savings… Jim of Splash assisted with the putty mixing compound while Jim (mine) dove and applied the putty. He had the job done with air to spare so the barnacles were scraped and the hull freed of it’s expanding garden.
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| Limin' |
Dinner tonight: fresh (live, until… ) lobster and gumbo. The crew of Splash befriended two of the fishermen from the Saba Rock restaurant and they agreed to return with something for our dinner… 4 Spiny Lobsters and a Red Snapper! No cost!!! they did receive a nice tip…
Inishnee would hosted dinner, potluck style.
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| Jim and Jim |
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With gumbo simmering and the boat patch curing, Jim and I had a few minutes to sit back and take in the afternoons Harbor
Cinema unfolding to port. A recent arrival had opted to anchor just a tad too close to shore… Low tide and a decent breeze put him on the hard. A number of cruisers came to his aide and with 4 dinghies pulling, his motor at full bore, he broke free and headed to a mooring ball.
New Friends Kevin and Jane joined us for happy hour. They are heading north, having traveled the southern Caribbean extensively. An invitation to their Catamaran for tomorrow was offered and accepted. The crew of Splash prepped the lobsters for grilling. Jim and Cindy’s new crew are friends from home; Hamilton, Canada: Colleen, Paul and Frenchy. Frenchy brought a drone along and took videos of our boats. Great views and footage. Thank you!
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| Kathy, Jim, Jane, Cindy, Jim ... |
Dinner… it was amazing! piping hot gumbo followed by fresh grilled lobster dripping with butter, garlic and lemon juices. Delicious coleslaw, the perfect accompaniment… new and old friends sharing this fantastic moment in our respective adventures… Before we knew it, boaters midnight had come and gone… time has little meaning if you don't have to go to w*#k….
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| Kevin, Paul, Frenchy Colleen |
We need a weather window with little to no wind, our course due east into the trade winds… motoring.
St. Martin, here we come ...
wonderful
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