Beaches, Fish, and Rocks

While home, we attended 12 events (visits, parties, get-togethers, meals with friends and family, etc.) and hair appointments for each of us.  All within 6 days.  Whew, that was a whirlwind week!  Our sister-in-law, Norma, drove us to the Detroit airport Sunday afternoon, where we stayed overnight.  We caught the 6:35 am flight to Fort Myers to spend a few days with Jo and Craig, and then they drove us to Miami, where we caught a flight to fly back to St. Thomas on Thursday.  Thursday night, we stayed at Beachcomber Island Resort on Lindbergh Bay.  Boy, that place needs a lot of TLC, but the view was spectacular.

On Friday, December 23, we took the ferry back to Tortola, reprovisioned at a Riteway in Roadtown, and grabbed a cab to take us back to Nanny Cay.  While we were away, we emailed Anne Poore with details about the closed engine through hull and about starting procedures, in case she could move the boat to a safer location while we were away.  She did, and our boat was in good shape, so we were happy sailors.



Saturday, December 24, 2016

We had breakfast at the Nanny Cay Cafe, then started ticking off items on our 'to do' list--pick up key and pay Anne Poore, who looked after our boat while we were away, go to ATM, pay marina, fill water tanks, recharge all electronic and electric devices, etc., etc.

When we were ready to go, we asked for a dinghy to be on stand-by, just in case we needed help getting out of the marina.  The wind is quite strong today (20-25 knots) and the water is choppy.  We had to wind our way through some turns to get out, so it was prudent to have support.  As it turned out, the dock guys threw us the lines, but the dinghy wasn't needed.  Always better to be safe than sorry, though.  I like stress free dock work!

We headed across the Sir Francis Drake Channel, with the waves and wind on our beam.  We were a bit sea sprayed by the time we got there, but not bad.  It was a short trip.  By 4:00 pm, we were anchored at Little Harbour, Peter Island, BVI.

This is a very crowded anchorage, so we were happy to put our Bushnell Yardage Pro laser to good use to check the distances to other boats.  This neat little device is made for checking yardages on a golf course, but Craig gave it to us to use on the boat.  It's been great, and it helps us to sleep better at night!



Sunday, December 25, 2016

Merry Christmas!

Well, that was a boisterous sail!  We had 20-25 knot winds, with the seas to match, and we sailed up wind all the way from Peter Island to Virgin Gorda.

We arrived at  4:20 pm at Gorda Sound (just off Prickly Pear Island), Virgin Gorda, BVI.  We (Carey, the boat, and I) were well salted from the spray created by pounding into the waves.  Sailing down here is definitely making us better sailors, because we have to sail in all kinds of conditions.

When we looked around at the other boats it made us think there must be a conference for magicians here.  Some boat names were Illusion, It's Magic, Magic Memories, and a few others.  It was a little weird to see all of these magical boats.



Monday, December 26, 2016

We had a very rolly, noisy night, so after breakfast we lifted anchor to find a better anchorage.  We scouted around Gorda Sound for awhile and ended up anchoring in Biras Creek.  The guidebook says there are mooring balls here for Biras Creek Resort, but we found out that the resort is closed and the mooring balls are condemned. Yikes, not using them!  No matter where we go, the wind finds us.  There really is no good place to be totally protected from these strong winds.  During the night the gusts rattle our bimini frame and make a terrible noise, often waking us up.

Once anchored, I washed the cushions to try to get all of the salt off of them, and Carey wiped down the stainless on the boat.  Later, we launched the dinghy, always tricky in these winds, and we dinghied into the Bitter End for a walk and some dinner.  Then, back to the boat for the night.



Tuesday, December 27, 2016

We lifted anchor around 10:00 and did a tour around Gorda Sound to check out Saba Rock and Leverick Bay for next time.  Then, we headed out and around Virgin Gorda.  This takes us out into the Atlantic Ocean for a bit and then we turn south into the Sir Francis Drake Channel.  The wind was between 15 and 19 knots from the northeast, so we sailed a broad reach for a while with full jib and reefed main, and then sailed a beam reach with reefed main and jib.  We were thinking of stopping at the Baths on Virgin Gorda.  However, as we approached we could see tons of boats anchored there, including some very large yachts (or very small cruise ships).  We decided to pass for today and try to get back on a less crowded day.

Next, we checked out an anchorage on Ginger Island, but that was untenable because of the wind and swells.  Then, we went to Cooper Island and checked out Manchineel Bay (too crowded) and Hallout Bay (too windy and rolly).  Finally, we settled on Salt Pond Bay on Salt Island.  It was tough to set the anchor--we dragged the first time, then reset it and it seemed to hold.  We were all by ourselves--for about ten minutes--then, a charter catamaran came in.  So much for solitude.  This is supposed to be a great area for snorkelling, so we're going in!

We had to swim a fair distance from our boat to get to the rocks near Man Head Rock, but it was worth it. There were large angel fish along with many other colourful varieties of fish.  It rained while we were snorkelling, but that didn't bother us.  We were wet already and we had closed up the boat before we left, because it had been raining off and on all day--two minute downpours that got everything drenched and then bright, hot sun that dried everything quickly.  Later, I relaxed with a book in the cockpit.  Shortly after I sat down, I noticed the most amazingly bright rainbow I've ever seen.  I called for Carey, but too late, I realized it was coming with a fast line of rain.  I grabbed some stuff and threw it down below, but by the time I grabbed the cushions they were soaked. Within minutes the rain was gone and we were left with a whole lot of wet stuff.  Ugh.  And, of course, these were the same cushions that I had washed yesterday and hadn't waterproofed yet.  Aaarrrrgggghhhh!

This is a strange anchorage.  We swing around all ways, which is odd.  Usually, our bow is facing into the wind.  This creates a problem, because it puts our stern to the waves and they slam hard against the bottom of the boat right beneath our bed pillows.  Also, we seem to be quite protected from the wind and then suddenly we get slammed with a huge gust.

Carey is setting up our bed in the vee berth tonight so we won't have the slamming under our heads. Good thinking!



Wednesday, December 28, 2016

We got up at 7:30 and Carey reaffixed the anchor mate while I made breakfast.  Then, we were off to the Baths.  Of course, by 10:30 all of the mooring balls were taken.  We scouted around for awhile and then decided to anchor in Spring Bay and dinghy over to the Baths.

The Baths are amazing!  The Baths are an unusual formation of huge granite boulders.  After dinghying over, we swam to shore (with the help of a safety line they've strung up for us dinghy bats).  Once on land, we walked into the Baths.  The boulders have fallen together, so it's like walking through caves, with light streaming through and pools of Caribbean green water.  To follow the trail to Devil's Bay you have to climb up, over, and through the rock formations, wade through pools, climb ladders, slide along rocks, and creep or crawl under rocks.  It's quite a trek, but at the other end you are rewarded with the beauty of Devil's Beach.

We left the Baths around 3:00 and started looking for an anchorage for the night.  Spanish Town in St. Thomas Bay (on Virgin Gorda) didn't have any good anchoring spots for us (and we didn't want to go into the marina), so we put up the jib and sailed downwind across the Sir Francis Drake Channel to Camanoe Island.  Lee Bay looked good, but there was another Canadian boat in there looking for solitude, so we went around the point to Bails Ground.  It reminded us a lot of Lake Superior.  High rock walls, dotted with scrub trees, and we were the only ones in there.  Perfect!  A pelican was flying around, so Carey figured there had to be fish here.  He went below to get out his fishing gear to try his luck.

Before Carey could get his gear, the skies opened up and I was scrambling to throw the (still not waterproofed) seat cushions below.  He quickly closed the hatches and we waited out the short downpour.  These rains come so quickly with very little warning.  The sky is blue all over, except for a little wisp of grey over our heads.  Sometimes that means rain, sometimes it doesn't.  We are getting good at scrambling.

While we were eating our dinner of Mongolian Beef (delicious, by the way), we got to watch quite a show.  Two dinghies of young local boys were trying to catch a goat in the rocky cliffs that surround our bay.  One boy, in particular, could leap across the rocks like a billy goat, his dog trailing him.  My heart was in my throat the whole time.  He only slipped once, though, with no serious injury.  They all worked together.  The young guys in the dinghies would point out where they saw a goat and the younger boys would tear off after it.  At one point, one of the boys caught a goat, but it got away.  I'm assuming they were catching it for a New Year's Eve feast.  I'm glad I didn't have to see what they'd do to it when they caught it.

Thursday, December 29, 2016

We had another restless night, worrying about the anchor dragging.  However, in the morning we found we hadn't moved at all.  The next worry is that it may be stuck in a rock and we won't be able to get it up!

We ate warm homemade bread for breakfast while we watched the pelicans dive for their meal.  They are wonderful soarers, aided by the updrafts in this cliff surrounded bay, and they dive straight into the water like German Stukas, the dive bombing planes of World War II.

Today we are going to find another anchorage near Scrub Island, where they have a beautiful resort and lots of facilities (like a laundry service). Yea!

The anchor came up beautifully, we sailed all the way to Scrub Island, and the resort will do our laundry for us.  Life is good!

Visit Home

Thursday, December 8, 2016

Snorkelling here in Lameshure Bay is awesome.  We saw many different types of colourful, tropical fish--puffer fish, trumpet fish, angel fish, Gobies--and many types of coral.

Later, we dinghied over to S/V Nomad for a drink and some appetizers. We had a really nice time.  Interesting people.  They used to do wilderness canoeing and were quite proficient at it, it sounds. While we were there, Tom mentioned that we might be able to get a better deal at VI Yacht Charters to keep our boat while we are away.  He gave me the name and contact information for the guy, so I'll look into it tomorrow.

We dinghied back in the dark and Carey barbecued steak for dinner.


Friday, December 9, 2016

There is always lots of maintenance to do on a boat.  Today, we cleaned the water pump screen as well as all of the screens on the taps.  Sounds easy, right?  Haha, of course there was a struggle, but we got it done.

Next, Carey wanted to set up the new 600 Watt converter, which will recharge stuff much more efficiently than our smaller 150 Watt one.  Unfortunately, we found that the new one doesn't work that great, because my laptop draws too much.  It actually shuts down the autopilot and chartplotter!  Yikes!  I guess we can only charge up the laptop when we're on shore power.  Hmmmm, two strikes today.

Then, we needed to look into storing our boat at USVI while we are in Canada.  I called VI Yacht Charters to see about a slip while we are away.  He said he had a back slip at a marina south of Red Hook in a very protected bay.  They are definitely cheaper than Nanny Cay, so we went over there today to check it out.  If we liked it, I would need to cancel Nanny Cay's Reservation, plus cancel the hotel we booked for December 22nd in Charlotte Amalie.  This will mean that we don't have to go back to BVI, check in to extend our cruising permit, check out individually, take the ferry back and forth to Charlotte Amalie, or pay for a hotel for the night we return.  It really simplifies things.  We were hoping it would work out!

We left at 12:30.  We tried to sail, but the waves and wind weren't cooperating, so we furled the sails and motored the last part. When we got to the marina it was full of old and decaying boats.  Some were half underwater, and many had people living on them. Not much better than a cardboard box in some cases.  It didn't inspire confidence in the security here, plus it was very shallow, so we passed. Three strikes.  Back to the original plan of going to Nanny Cay.

We needed a spot to anchor for the night, so we headed for Great Bay and the Ritz.  We are very familiar with this Bay, because we rented Hobie Cats, windsurfers and snorkel gear here when we were staying at a nearby resort a couple years ago.  Best of both worlds, without the hefty price tag.



We went to the Ritz for dinner. We had to dinghy in and we didn't have reservations so we hoped they would feed us!  We ate here a couple of years ago and it was delicious so we're trying it again.  We had a delicious dinner and a good time at the Ritz. I had pan seared grouper with potato fingerlings and asparagus. Yum. Carey had braised beef ribs with pasta.  We talked to the waitress and hostess who both thought it was amazing that we had sailed there from Canada. That does sound like a long way!

Saturday, December 10, 2016

This was a very rolly anchorage, but still nice.

This morning we're going to Cruz Bay, St. John, USVI to clear out with Customs, then moving on to Great Harbour, on Jost Van Dyke to clear into the BVIs.  We left Great Bay around 10:00 and arrived at Cruz Bay, St. John, USVI at 10:40.  We found out that we didn't have to clear out of the USVI. Good to know!  That'll save us some time next time.

We sailed to Jost Van Dyke on a close reach in 10 knot winds.  Really good sail. We arrived, checked in the boat, and found out that we didn't need to check in because we were already checked in until the 17th the previous time we filled out the paperwork. We had lunch at Foxy's (delicious burgers) and stopped in to see Tony at the grocery store.  Tony convinced us that he had the best prices in the island, so we bought some rum from him. We left there around 3:50 and motored around the point to White Bay.  We had to go inside the coral reef to find a spot to anchor. Looked good, so we anchored in 9 feet of water.  This is where they have the Soggy Dollar Bar, so named because people used to have to swim in to get to the bar.  You can either dinghy or swim in now.  I don't think we'll be swimming or dinghying in there tonight. Instead, we took down the Code Zero sail and put the dinghy up on deck in preparation for leaving the boat on the 12th.  It was really starting to blow by the time we put the dinghy up and our anchor chain was making a lot of noise as it dragged over the rocks. I hope it holds tonight!


Sunday, December 11, 2016

We were awake a lot last night.  There were very strong gusts of wind, and we seemed to be dragging our anchor.  Not good. I got up at 2:30 to check and I woke Carey up because I was sure that we had dragged closer to the red channel marker.  Our options were not good--lift anchor and reset it in the dark in a narrow  unknown harbour, OR lift anchor and go to a different anchorage in the dark, OR lift anchor and pick up a mooring ball in this crowded mooring field, OR shorten the anchor rode and put a watch on all night.

We pulled in our snubber, which gave us about 15 more feet, which meant we didn't have to lift the anchor and reset it.  We were both up until 4:30 and then Carey volunteered to stay up for the first hour as a watch.  As it turned out, he took the second hour, too, and I got up at 6:30.  His first words were, "The ARC Rally flag flew off in the night."  What?!?!

Luckily I spotted it on the bottom not far from our boat, and we were only in about ten feet of water. Guess who went diving first thing in the morning.  Yup, me. I wanted that flag back.  I put my snorkelling mask and flippers on and dove down.  Grabbed it in one attempt, but it hurt my ears. I hope I don't get an ear infection, especially when we'll be flying tomorrow.  No matter, I'm happy to have our Rally flag back.

We lifted anchor just after ten o'clock, but it was a little hairy. The wind grabbed the bow and I couldn't make the turn through the narrow channel markers.  I had to turn and do a u-turn around another boat and then we were able to make it out.

We pounded our way all the way back to Nanny Cay against 20 knot winds and lumpy, confused seas.  Lots of salt spray coming over the bow, so we were salt-encrusted by the time we reached Nanny Cay.  They put us in the new marina here.  It was tricky getting in, because the waves were hitting us on the beam and trying to shove us out of the narrow channel. What is it with us and narrow channels?!  Carey maneuvered us in and onto the end of a tee dock.  We were supposed to be in a different dock, but they didn't think it was safe to do that with the high winds.  (A boat had come in earlier and scraped along a large yacht docked near the entrance.  That's not good.) They are calling this a "temporary" slip, so I'm hoping the wind dies down tomorrow before we leave so that we can move it into a better spot.

Nope, the wind didn't die down and is supposed to continue for the next two weeks.  We packed (both warm clothes for Canada--brrrrrrr--and summer clothes for Florida), prepared the boat for our departure. went for dinner, had showers, read for a bit, and went to bed,


Monday, December 12, 2016

Another night of broken sleep.  The wind was howling (30 knots sustained, Arthur on S/V Nordik Light told us), it poured, and we were being shoved against the dock.  We had put out six fenders, so it should be well cushioned, but that was a lot of wind.  We got up at 3:15 am and removed part of the canvas, because it was flapping madly and making the Bimini frame clatter.

We got up at 7:00 to start this long day of travel. We took our bags to the hotel reception and asked them to call a taxi for 8:45.  Then, we went for breakfast.  When we got back we talked to Brendan, the Dockmaster, to ask him to keep an eye on our boat, and asked if they would be able to move our boat to our assigned slip, M9, where it would be hammered less by the wind.  He suggested asking Anne and Miles Poore, as they offer management services.  Anne came in and we gave her our boat key and a boat card and said we would email with details about the closed engine through-hull and about starting procedures, in case they could move the boat.

George, the taxi driver, arrived and we left for the ferry in Roadtown. We caught the 10:00 nonstop Roadtown Fast Ferry to Charlotte Amalie.  We had to waste five hours in Charlotte Amalie, so we walked to Pizza Whole for a looooong, delicious lunch, then cabbed it to the Emerald Beach Resort and had a drink at the beach bar.  From there, we walked up the beach, crossed the road, and got to the airport by 3:30 to catch a 5:30 AA flight to Miami and on to Detroit.  We got in after 11:30 pm and Norma picked us up.  We were home, traipsed through our snowy driveway, and in our own bed by 2:30 am.

We'll be home for a week, and then go to Fort Myers to visit Jo and Craig for three days, and then back to the boat on the 22nd.  Looking forward to seeing everyone this week!

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Our first morning back in Canada included shovelling the driveway, delayed showers while the hot water heater warmed up, and a dead car battery. Welcome home!  LOL. We're happy to be here anyway.

Daily Life in Paradise

Thursday, December 1, 2016

After pre-checking out of the BVIs with Customs, we went to Foxy's for a delicious Asian Calamari Salad and a burger and talked to Skip from Peacekeeper.  Later Tom and Susan from Nomad came in with Charlie, the ER doc, and so we chatted with them for a while.  Then, we bought baked bread, a turnover, and ice and went back to the boat.

Around 4:00, we saw Kinship come in and invited them over for a drink.  While we were waiting for them, Jean and Yolene dinghied up, but couldn't stay because they were meeting Maryse and Merrill at Foxy's.  Matthew and Kathleen came for appetizers and a Margarita, and then they left to join the others at Foxy's. We stayed put and had a quiet evening.



Friday, December 2, 2016

We are going to Cruz Bay on St. John, USVI, today.  We lifted anchor at 9:10 and put up the sails for a close reach. We are getting 11 knots of wind, so it's a perfect sail.  We are running the engine, too, to recharge the batteries.  Once again, we got a low battery alarm through the night, which means the fridge turned off. We'll have to start charging to 100 percent each time.
We arrived in Cruz Bay at 11:00 and anchored in their 3-hour anchorage area for Customs clear in.  We cleared in, then dinghied to the dinghy dock.  First, we walked up and down the hills to the Starfish Market and the St. John Hardware. We were looking for dinghy locks and cables, which we bought from the hardware.  Then, we went into the market.  Beautiful!  Really lovely vegetables and fruits.  So nice compared to the overripe and rotting produce we had seen so far in the BVIs.  We bought a few things and walked back to The Lumber Yard (a big blue building) where they have a few different businesses.

Then, I did something very brave today...or stupid, depending on your perspective.  I found an island beauty salon and asked 'Shani' to cut my hair.  Can you say "pixie cut"?  Haha. Not exactly a great style, but to be fair, I told her that she could go ahead and cut it and I didn't care if it was too short.  I told her I'd like about three quarters of an inch cut off.  Well, she cut off three quarters of an inch, and then she cut off a half inch, and then she cut off another quarter inch.  Gulp!  Voila, pixie cut!  I look like a boy.  (My sister, Diny, says earrings would help.  Haha, not likely.). Oh, well, it's definitely cooler!

We got back to the boat around 2:30, ate a yoghurt and banana and headed out to go to St. Thomas by 3:00.

We had an uneventful trip across to St James Bay and snuggled into Christmas Cove by 4:00. From here, we can see the condos that we stayed at when we vacationed on St. Thomas a couple of years ago.

We ate an early pork souvlaki dinner (since we missed lunch), and then relaxed in the cockpit while we watched the US Virgin Island Yacht Club kids put through their Sailing School paces until sunset.

Saturday, December 3, 2016

This anchorage at Christmas Cove was very rolly.  Even when the ferries aren't roaring by, there is a constant swell rocking our boat.

After breakfast, we decided to go to Magen's Bay on the north coast of St. Thomas. It is supposed to be one of the most beautiful beaches on St. Thomas and one that the cruise ships bring their passengers to on a regular basis.

Although we sailed, we also kept the engine running.  Our batteries are not holding a charge as well as they should. We have charged them up to 80% and 90% overnight, and both result in a low battery alarm in the morning under any load.  Not good. We will try 100% overnight tonight to see if that helps.

We had a wind mostly on the stern, so we only put out the jib.  We did try the Code Zero at one point, but that didn't last long.

Once we arrived, we anchored in about 40 feet of water.  We had lunch and then I did some laundry by putting soap, water and golf balls in a large dry bag, then adding clothes and agitating.  The 'agitating' was me shaking it around.  This is truly a manual washing machine.  I feel like a pioneer lady.  Then, I rinsed them out in fresh water and hung them to dry in the sun.  It did work, but it was labour and time-intensive. Not to mention using our fresh water (which we have to pay for down here).

Later, we dinghied into the beach, hoping to find a trash can and to check out what was there.  Well, we did find a trash can, but that's about it besides a bar.  A wedding reception seemed to be going on in one of the picnic areas.  The beach is beautiful, and not crowded at all today (it's a Saturday, so mostly just locals), but after a short walk we dinghied back to the boat.

There are turtles here and a ton of fish jumping around us.  Always something to see.

Our fresh water is down to a quarter tank, so we are rationing water.  However, showers were imperative if we were going to be able to sleep tonight.

We had chicken fajitas for dinner, charged the batteries to 100%, had really quick showers, and went to bed early.


Sunday, December 4, 2016

This morning the batteries were down to 11.7 again, and an alarm went off when we flushed the electric toilet.  Aaaarrrrrggghhhh!  The batteries are not holding a charge.  Today, we are going to equalize them to see if that helps.  If it doesn't, we're going to have to replace all four of the domestic batteries.  A big expense.  There's always something.  We think the best place to do that is in Red Hook on St. Thomas.  There is a full service marina there.  We're hoping it's a little less expensive than Tortola and that they have them in stock. Let's hope.  Better yet, let's hope the equalization process helps our batteries to hold a charge!

So, today the plan is: equalize batteries, go to either Sapphire Bay or Red Hook to refill water tanks, OR, if needed, go to Red Hook to buy new batteries.   I'm hoping for the first option.

At 10:30, we started the equalization process.  Carey had taken the plastic lids off of the batteries to allow them to vent and removed the black negative cable from the starter battery so that it wasn't effected.

The equalization never started.  We think the batteries are just too depleted to go through the process. I called Island Marine Services to ask about new batteries.  They have them in stock, at a decent price, but they close in an hour, and there is no way we can get there by then. We'll anchor out nearby tonight and go in first thing in the morning.

We lifted anchor at 2:10 and headed for Muller Bay right near Red Hook. We will anchor here tonight and, in the morning, go to American Yacht Harbor, where we can get a slip so that we can buy and install the batteries.  On the way, we went by a place called Tutu Bay.  I'm sure it was named in honour of Carey's mom.

We pulled up to the fuel dock at American Yacht Harbor, filled the fuel and both water tanks, and headed for the anchorage at Muller Bay nearby.  We dropped the anchor at 4:40.


Monday, December 5, 2016

We got up to the rolling of the boat this morning. This is a nice anchorage, except between 5 am and 7 pm when the ferries run. They roar in and out of here and leave a huge wake, which, when it hits us broadside, really makes us roll. Unfortunately, the orange juice I put on the breakfast table went flying during one of those rolls, so we had to clean up the sticky wet mess from our white seat cushions and floor before breakfast.  Ugh.  It wouldn't have been so bad if we were eating breakfast in the cockpit like usual, because we could just hose it down out there. It was raining, though, so we were setting up inside.  Figures.

Today, we have to get a slip at American Yacht Harbor and buy some batteries.  Docking here was a challenge. There is a huge spile to get around, and then the dock is only about 20 feet long.  We are 44 feet long.  That means I couldn't step out of our gate to tie us up to the dock.  I clamoured over the lifelines and got some docklines on (by lassoing a cleat), while a nearby boater tied on our bow line.  It took us a while to get tied up to Carey's satisfaction, but we eventually managed it.  The next hurtle was connecting to shore power.  They only have 50 amp breakers here and we need 30 amps.  Nope, they don't provide the adaptors, either. Grrrrr.  Luckily, a young guy who was working on a nearby Island Packet sailboat offered to see if his company had one that we could borrow. He looked like a corn-fed Iowa boy, but was actually from Vermont.  He found one for us!  Yippee, what a nice young man.

We had a delicious burger and fries at the Bar and Still for lunch.  Then, it was time for shopping for batteries.  We bought four from Island Marine at $160 US a piece, which was a pretty good price, and they have a higher cranking rate than our old ones, but it still hurt.  We truly believe that B.O.A.T. means "Bring On Another Thousand" and we've proven it many times over.  (There's always a snake in Paradise.)

Carey got them installed very quickly and we found a guy to dispose of the old ones. To celebrate, we had a long luxurious shower in the marina, and then we went for dinner at XO Bistro across the street. Sooooo delicious.  Good thing we got reservations--that place was hopping!  Their special on Mondays and Thursdays is Prime Rib, so we'll have to bring Craig there.  Carey ordered big fluffy scallops and I ordered the Garlic Grouper. The chef displayed both the seafood and the vegetables beautifully, so we asked to speak to him to express our delight.  He was delighted that we were delighted.


Tuesday, December 6, 2016

We got up early, ate breakfast, and then ran over to the Island Marine chandlery for some rust fighting products.  Around 10:45, we left the dock and headed for Trunk Bay on the north side of St. John Island.  However, as we got closer we could see that the north swell was going to make that an uncomfortable anchorage.  Almost everywhere on St. John you have to pick up a mooring ball instead of anchoring, because they are trying to save the coral.  That means we have to pay for a mooring ball.  It's usually between 15 and 30 dollars.  We prefer free anchorages.  We arrived in a Maho Bay at 11:45 am and picked up a mooring ball. We're getting good at it!  Yahoo!

After lunch, we went snorkelling and saw lots of fish. Really, they're just like the fish we used to have in our aquariums growing up-- angel fish, black mollies, zebra fish, etc.  Very pretty and varied.  Later, while I was getting dinner ready, Carey saw two large fish under our boat and pointed them out to me.  They were big like a tarpon, but with a flatter head.  We looked it up in our Caribbean Marine Life book and we think they were barracuda.  We could only see the top of them, so we didn't see the teeth.  Yikes, just as well!  It says in the book that barracudas don't attack unless provoked, so we did no provoking.


Wednesday, December 7, 2016

This turned out to be a rolly anchorage, so I didn't sleep very well. We were debating whether to stay another night, but this morning we decided to move on. We headed toward the western end of St. John Island, near Cruz Bay.  We sailed all the way today.  Lovely!

Great Cruz Bay looked very crowded, so we kept going and found a tiny little bay called Chocolate Hole.  It has to be a good place with a name like that, right?  We dropped anchor in one place, but lifted and dropped in a slightly less rolly spot on the other side of the small bay.  We were hoping for a comfortable night.

Well, after snorkelling and checking out the bottom, we decided that this was a little too close to a coral bed.  While the other boats looked like they were anchored, they were actually moored to a set of lines. We lifted anchor and headed east toward Lameshure Bay, arriving at 4:50 pm.  This was cutting it a little closer to sunset than I like, it we didn't have a choice. We picked up a mooring ball at Lameshure, way into the bay, close to the beach.  Looks like a very peaceful bay.  The turtle that popped his head up right beside us thinks so, too!  We are getting gusts of 16 knots here, so I hope the mooring ball is secure!

Wow, Carey has found his spot.  We saw two deer on the stone beach quite near our boat.  They are quite small here.


Thursday, December 8, 2016

We had a very windy night, but felt secure on this mooring.  It's bright, sunny, hot and gusty today.  We had a pancake breakfast and watched the turtles swimming around looking for their breakfast.  This looks like a good place to swim with the turtles. Carey has seen a number of turtles while snorkelling, but I haven't seen any when I've been in the water yet.  I only see them when I'm in the boat.  If I'm ever going to swim with the turtles, it should be here.

This morning, Susan and Tom, from Nomad, dinghied over to invite us for a cocktail this afternoon.  It's so nice that we have this cadre of friends from the ARC Rally.

In the meantime, Carey is working on eradicating the new rust on the boat (a losing battle), while I update the blog and communicate with family and friends.  Soon, we will launch the dinghy and go snorkelling. It's another beautiful day in paradise.

Magical Marine Moments

Yesterday, we had the coolest day.  We went to Foxy's Taboo Bar and Grill for shrimp kebabs and pizza for lunch.  From there we hiked to the bubbly pool where huge crashing waves squirt through the rocks.  (See photos below.). We played in the waves and surf for a while and then hiked back to our dinghy.  On the way we saw a Hermit crab scuttling sideways across the path. On the way back, we waded through a shallow area, about a foot of water, and saw a small reef shark!

We were standing in the shallows and he was swimming around.  He was about two feet long.  So cool.

After we returned to the boat, two couples dinghied up from a neighbouring catamaran.  They noticed our Canadian flag and wanted to say 'eh,' since they were from Cornwall.  We chatted for a bit, and they invited us over for Happy Hour on their boat later.

Carey and I went in snorkelling near our boat.  We saw lots of small fish and Carey followed two stingrays.  I made my way back to the boat after awhile and saw a reef shark right under our boat!  He was about four feet long and just sauntering around.  I videotaped him and then got out of the water. When Carey came back to the boat, he wanted to see him, too, so he took another dive and videotaped him, too.

Later, we dinghied over to the other Canadian boat and had drinks with Shawn, Pam, Andy and Lisa from Cornwall. They had just bought their new 45-foot catamaran, so we all toasted it with champagne.

We dinghied back and Carey barbecued our dinner.  Just as he was serving our steak up, he saw the shark jump at some unsuspecting fish.  With a flashlight, we could see two of them swimming by our back swim deck and underneath our dinghy. Wow, the magic of marine life, right at our toe tips.  Hmmmm, since they are night feeders we won't go swimming tonight.   (For those of you who are worried about us swimming with sharks, the reef sharks are generally not dangerous to humans unless they were in a feeding frenzy because someone had baited them with fresh meat.  We don't intend on doing that.)

The fridge decided to stop working today, so all of our frozen meat thawed out.  Aaarrrggghhh!  The strange thing was that BOTH fridges stopped working.  While Carey tried to problem solve, I cooked up the chicken and marinated the pork for use another day.  Eventually, we figured out that when the domestic battery gets below a certain charge (around 12.0?), it stops sending power to the fridges, because they are the biggest draw.  This saves energy for everything else, but it's not so good for our perishable food.  We turned on the engine to recharge the batteries and, sure enough, the fridges turned on.  Another thing we learned about our boat--the hard way.

As usual at the end of the day, we sat cooling off in our cockpit.  There was a lovely breeze last night.  

After breakfast today, it poured for a while. We lifted anchor around 11:00 and headed for Great Harbour.  It was still spitting, but it cleared up by the time we got there.  We anchored just outside of the mooring balls.  Looks like a great spot in 16 feet of water.

We dinghied in to the Customs and Immigration dock where we pre-checked out of the BVIs so we can leave tomorrow and go to the USVI for a few days.

Sun, Sand, Snorkelling and Stars

Sun, Sand, Snorkelling and Stars

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

This morning, we decided to inflate the new hard-bottom dinghy.  Okay, lets lug this 100 pound boat up the stairs and onto the deck, then pull everything out of the bag for the first time.  Uh, oh, something's missing!  There are two pumps--a foot pump and a two-way hand pump.  However, neither comes with the attachments needed to fill the dinghy. Aaarrrrggghhhh!  We tried this and that, but nothing was satisfactory.  We even went to the chandlery here to see if they sold the attachments.  

 Finally, Jose, from 'Smoke and Mirrors' loaned us his pump, with attachments. It worked great.  Jose's been a great source for information and help.  Really nice guy.  He sailed in the Caribbean 1500, too, but we hadn't met him before.  

It rained off and on all day today, but it's a warm rain, so we usually just kept working.  

Sometimes, I think Nanny Cay is a boomerang port. Every time we think we're ready to leave, it holds on tight and we boomerang back.  By the time we got the dinghy sorted out, it was 3:00 and too late to leave.  We went for a swim in the pool instead.  Oh, well, there's always tomorrow.  

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Today, it's finally time to leave Nanny Cay. We stopped at the fuel dock to get filled up with diesel.  While we were there, Arthur, from Nordic Light, came over to chat.  He was in the Caribbean 1500, but we hadn't met him before. Really nice guy.  His boat is a Mason 54. Beautiful. He is a retired Delta airline pilot.  

We went to Norman Island, just south of Tortola with the intention of anchoring in The Bight.  However, it was littered with mooring balls and boats.  Really no good place to anchor and pretty busy for our taste.  So, we went to Benures Bay on the north side of the island and anchored around 2:30 in a quiet, secluded spot.  It's just beautiful, surrounded by treed hills and Caribbean teal water.  Time for a swim and a cocktail.  Ahhhh, we have finally arrived.  

 BENURES BAY

It's been so rainy and overcast lately, that we have to close the hatches before going to bed. We can't hear the rain in our back cabin during the night, and we don't want the rain to come in.  That means that the only air flow is through our cabin fans.  It's sweltering!  These are the times when we really wish we had air conditioning. 

Thursday, November 24, 2016

In the morning, I cleaned all of the plastic windows on our enclosure. They were covered with salt.  So nice to get them clean. Then, we took them all off so we only have the roof up for sun protection.  We have a beautiful breeze here, so it's lovely in the shade. 

While I cleaned the windows, Carey put Tef-Gel on all of the lifeline turnbuckles, nuts, and bolts to control the rust. The salt water and sea air is terrible for promoting rust on everything, including stainless steel. It's a full time job, just trying to control it. Our poor boat is already showing signs of rust, and the barbecue is covered in rust. Not pretty. 

It's so hot inside the boat (nope, no air conditioning) that I decided we should have a hot lunch and a cold (or at least a simpler) supper.  That will give us time to cool off the boat after having the stove on.  For lunch, we had beef and gravy (out of a can) over egg noodles.  Amazingly delicious. 

So far, I'm not too thrilled about our cell service.  I usually can't download emails or use the Internet, but every once in awhile the phone boings to let me know something has come in.  It's very spotty. I guess I'll just have to compose emails and press send, and wait for it to go in its own good time.  

In the afternoon, we swam and relaxed.  I read my book and Carey puddled around trying to figure out how best to store things (e.g., the enclosure windows we just took off).  Everything needs a spot, but we have limited space.  Time to get creative!  Hmmmm, how about under our mattress?  Worth a try....tomorrow.  

Friday, November 25, 2016

This morning's job was snorkelling.  Yup, it's a tough life.  After, breakfast we got out our snorkelling gear and I suited up, ready to go in five minutes.  A half hour later, I was still sitting here, in full gear, waiting for Carey to get his new gear just right.  LOL. Finally, I jumped in without him and he eventually followed. There are big fish (about 2 and a half feet long) right below our boat. Carey thinks they might be tarpon.  A little nearer to shore, we saw many colourful coral fish--blue, yellow, orange, peach, silver, striped.  Some are shaped like angel fish, while others are tiny and slim. So pretty and peaceful. On the way back to the boat, Carey followed a large sea turtle for awhile. Once I got Carey in the water, he didn't want to get out!

When we got back on board, Carey resumed his organizing while I updated the blog notes and made lunch. I won't actually be able to send the blog update until we have better cell service or free wifi. 

Tomorrow, the plan is to go to explore the Caves past Treasure Point and then go to an anchorage on Peter's Island, but right now it's time for lunch. 

We swam a lot today, and then watched the wildlife--tarpon leaping two feet in the air, pelicans diving for supper, etc.  Cool.  

Saturday, November 26, 2026

After a light breakfast, we left Benures Bay and headed for The Caves, which is just around the bend on this island. We saw a sea turtle swimming near us on the way there.  Picking up a mooring ball for the first time in high winds was a treat, but we finally managed it.  I'm sure our skills will improve with practice.  Once settled, we donned our snorkelling gear and jumped in the beautiful water. It's so refreshing, but not cold at all.  Just a comfortable temperature, even when we're in it for long periods.  We swam over to The Caves and saw lots of pretty coral and colourful fish.  Afterward, while back onboard and eating an early light lunch, friends dinghied up for a visit.  Then, two more friends swam up to the boat.  So fun.  It's a different life here, when people can swim over to drop in.  We hadn't seen them in over a week, so it was nice to catch up.  

Later, we went to anchor in Little Harbour, on Peters Island.  It's a very pretty spot, and of course we went snorkelling immediately.  We swam over the anchor to check that it was secure.  We snorkel every day and swim several times a day.  It's so hot that we need to swim to cool off frequently. No air conditioning on this boat!  

Around 2:00, we enjoyed some appetizers and had a barbecued steak dinner around 7:00. We usually eat dinner in the dark, because the sun sets so early, but it's beautiful in the evenings. No bugs (even with our table lamp), light breeze, tons of stars, and anchor lights.  From this harbour, we can see the lights of Tortola.  So pretty.  After cleaning up the dinner dishes, we usually read for a while, and then go to bed early.  We tend to wake up with the sun, so it works out well.

Sunday, November 27, 2016

At 10:00, we lifted anchor and raised the sails, heading for Soper's Hole at the west end of Tortola. We need to get rid of our trash and do laundry, and this is a place with all of the facilities--restaurants, laundry, trash, shops, and a market. 

We were sailing downwind in about 10-13 knots of wind. Just a lovely relaxing sail.  

We arrived at Soper's Hole, at the west end of Tortola, at 12:45. We picked up a mooring, which was much easier this time. Hallelujah, we're learning!  

The next jobs are to put the dinghy in the water, have lunch, do the laundry, empty the trash, and update the blog, in no particular order.  

When we were coming into the mooring field here, another Canadian boat came in at the same time. Carey called hello to them and chatted a bit across the way.  It was a young couple, who had taken a sabbatical, with their two young kids.  A short time later, around 2.00, they drove up in their dinghy.  The kids immediately climbed aboard and we invited the adults onboard, too.  They are Frances, Matt, Piper, and Digory Vantol, from Surrey, BC.  (I made a game of guessing the kids' names and amazed them when I guessed Digory's name with only a 'G' and a 'D' as clues.  Carey just rolls his eyes, but I love guessing games.). We had a great visit with them and never ran out of conversation during their four hour visit.  They are living the dream that most people only talk about, and giving their kids some awesome life experiences.  They are a really nice couple.  Their kids were so well-behaved and a joy to have aboard.  I got my kid fix!  Woohoo!  

Well, we didn't get anything done on our list, so I guess we'll have to be tasky tomorrow.  (Matt and Frances did take our trash with them, since they were going that way.  So nice of them, and one thing off our 'to do' list.)

Monday, November 28, 2016

It rained off and on all night and throughout the morning.  We had a good breakfast and did some cleaning around the boat while we waited for the rain to stop. The plan was to take the laundry into shore and to buy a few provisions, and maybe even go out for lunch.  And use the free wifi, of course.  What a treat!   Hmmmm, great plans.  

When it was time to lift the dinghy off the bow, it was blowing quite hard.  That makes it a little dangerous to be standing on deck with a large inflatable crazily blowing in the wind.  Since we didn't want Carey getting knocked overboard, we held off on launching the dinghy. That meant that we were boat-stranded for the moment.  We haven't stepped on land since last Wednesday morning.  We don't mind that, but I'd like to get a few things done.  It's rainy, so I can't even do the laundry onboard and hang it out.  Hopefully, the wind will quiet down in a bit and we can go ashore.  We can't even swim here, because some boats don't use their holding tanks--when they flush their toilets it goes right into the bay.  Uck, we are not swimming in that.  

Land Ho!

Thursday, November 17 - Monday, November 21, 2016

Wow, how can I explain the last few days. Amazing!  Yup, that's the word.

On Wednesday morning, we could finally see land. Land ho!  Immediately, we started calculating how long it would take to get there if we sailed (against the wind) or motored.  When we were about 55 miles north of Tortola, we decided to 'just get there'. We were that close to the finish line!  Woohoo!  We could be at Nanny Cay by mid-afternoon.  So, we turned on the engine and motored. Unfortunately, the winds were right on the nose (of course), and we were pounding straight into the waves. Thump, thump, thump, crash!  Thump, thump, thump, crash!   And repeat. That can't be good for the boat and we both cringed every time we crashed hard into a wave. The waves and the wind were making us go much slower than we wanted, too, so that it seemed every time I calculated our time of arrival, it was later!  Not good.  If we kept going like that we were going to use up all of our fuel quickly and arrive in the dark anyway and that's not good in an unknown marina. Eventually we deemed Mother Nature the winner (again) and decided to work with her instead of against her. We turned off the engine, put up both sails (reefed), and planned on tacking back and forth all night until sunrise and then we could reassess the situation. It turned out to be the best decision.  I stayed up almost all night by myself and had the most beautiful Zen-like sail.  The wind was just right, the moon was bright and making the water glimmer, and the air felt like a warm caress against my skin. Ahhhhh, we were sailing in the Caribbean.  No rush to reach the finish line now.  We had already arrived where we wanted to be.  Just enjoy the moment. BE in the moment. Whenever I needed to tack, Carey would get up to help, then go back to bed. (Yes, we can both tack by ourselves, but we had decided from the first that we would always do any sail or direction changes with the other person. Tacking in the dark is a little trickier because you can't see your sails or sheet lines as well, so it's just safer to take your time and work together.).

At one point, we had the option of taking a shortcut near Jost Van Dyke around the other side of Tortola instead of going for the finish line. We decided to do it right, though, even though it meant sailing another night. So glad we did.  (The boat just ahead of us did that.  They got in a day ahead of us, but they were disqualified from the prizes.). Jean, from Caffe Latte, thought we must have been out of fuel so he was thinking about getting a group together to bring some out to us!  Haha. No one could understand why we weren't rushing in!

On Thursday morning, we were a bit closer, but we still didn't turn on the engine until we had tacked into Sir Francis Drake Channel and around to the south side of the island of Tortola.  There are sailboats everywhere. This is charter heaven, because it's such an easy area to sail.  Here, you can use eyeball navigation--you can see your next destination in the distance.  After seeing none for the past 11 days, it was a little odd to see other boats in all directions.

By 9 am, we were on our last tack before turning up the channel. The formal finish line is between Scrub Island and The Dogs Islands.  We had a beautiful sail coming in and crossed the finish line at 12:25 pm.  We arrived at the marina around 2:00. Before we had even navigated the entrance buoys we could here hooting and yelling, and saw the ARC team running along the beach and waving their arms.  What a happy welcome. When we radioed in to get our slip assignment, we had been told that we would be docked beside Yankee Lady. Great!  That was the young family that we had watched swinging on their rigging at an anchorage up in Oxford on the Chesapeake.

When we got to our slip, the dock was full of our rally friends. Wow, what a reception!  Everyone was clapping, hooting, and smiling.  We couldn't have had a more exuberant welcome. A rum punch was thrust into our hands before we had even turned off the engine, and many people came up to
offer hugs and handshakes. I can't explain how special it was. We were just thrilled to be here. We had another wonderful surprise when we docked here at Nanny Cay Marina--John Kretschmer (author and sailing legend) was docked right beside us in Quetzal!  So nice to see him when he was the one to help prepare us for this adventure. (We had sailed with John on Quetzal in January.). Such a coincidence.

After lunch at Peg Legs, we returned to our boat to find a congratulatory gift from Dale and Helen--a bottle of champagne and a bottle of Caribbean Rum. What a thoughtful surprise!  Thanks, Dale and Helen!

 This is Little Peg Leg.  

I still hadn't slept yet, but I was so pumped from the arrival, that I just kept going. We had a
Hollywood shower (ahhhhhhhhh) and wandered over to the Happy Hour with the ARC Rally gang at Gulligan's.  We didn't stay long; just long enough to make an appearance and chat with a few people.

Finally, it was time for bed. Ten hours of oblivion. Felt great.

On Friday, we had to go to Customs and Immigration. Boy, are they grouchy!  They mumble, they roll their eyes, they don't make eye contact, they yawn, they walk away without giving you a clue what they're doing or if they'll be back. Sheesh!  We had been warned, so we came with lots of patience and polite smiles. In the end, we won. We got in AND Carey even made one guy laugh.  Woohoo!  He was all friendly after that.

The Awards Banquet was on Friday night.  They award all of the racers, and then they acknowledge any other boats that were outstanding in any way. We won Most Enthusiastic Sailors.  They were so impressed that double-handers (only 2 crew) didn't rush to get in. They were tracking us and could see we were still tacking back and forth out there even when we were that close.  We won two beautiful hand-made pottery mugs.

During the ceremony, they told us that this is the first time that all boats made it to the destination; previous years, boats have had to divert to Bermuda or the Bahamas or turn back due to mechanical issues. Several sailors indicated that this was one of the most challenging passages you can do because of the uncertainty of the weather at this time of year.  (It is still hurricane season until November 30.). Apparently, we had much rougher conditions than many were expecting. Just as well we didn't know all that. We just assumed this was normal for ocean passages. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss. LOL. After experiencing what was considered a tough passage, we feel pretty good about being able to handle other passages.  No, we're not planning any right now, but it's always an option for the way home.

At the dinner, we sat at an all-Canadian table. Jean and Yolene from Montreal, Merrill, Maryse, and Jean from Montreal, Kathleen and Matthew from Ottawa and us. We had a great time!

On Saturday, Cameron McColl, owner of Nanny Cay Marina, invited us on a private tour of his motor yacht, Jura, and his new marina development.  We had met Cameron in Portsmouth and the three of us really hit it off.  Both his boat and the new marina development are very impressive.  Cameron is extremely knowledgeable and interesting so we had a really nice time.  We talked and toured for two hours!  Jura is quite luxurious.  We told him we'd be happy to crew for him if he was doing other passages.  Haha.

Many of our new friends are leaving to go out cruising the Caribbean. We bid farewell to Yarona, Kinship, and Ambition. Sad to see them go, but I'm sure we'll bump into them along the way.

Now, we're transitioning from passage making to cruising.  So much reorganizing to do!  We worked for the rest of the day on Saturday and all day Sunday, installing the new anchor, cleaning and stowing, doing laundry, cleaning the fridge--again, etc.   It's so hot here that we have to keep taking breaks to jump in the pool!  (I know, that's rough. Haha.). We're almost there. Today, Monday, we're going into Road Town for provisions and a cell phone plan, and then we'll inflate the dinghy.  I think we'll be ready to go out cruising tomorrow. Yippee!

Alberto, from One Mart, came to pick us up at 10:00. It's a free shuttle service he offers at his grocery store.  What a great guy!  He dropped us off downtown, so we could go to all three mobile phone service stores to compare plans.  Later, after we chose Digicel, he picked us up and took us to One Mart.  Whoa!!!  Sticker shock. We were prepared for high prices, but eleven dollars for a pound of bacon?!  Hmmm, no bacon for us for the next few months.  Actually, we may become vegetarians.  Oh, no, that's right, the produce is not really very good (unless we can find fresh markets wherever we go).  We learned that we have to be there the day the boat comes in with fresh food or it gets picked over very quickly.  I'm so glad I stocked up on canned food and paper products before we left.  It'll take a while, but we'll get used to what we can get and we'll work around it.

Tonight, we've been invited over to Caffe Latte (with Jean and Yolene) for pre-dinner drinks. Looking forward to it!

R C Wings' Ocean Photo Op

As promised, here are some photos from our ocean passage.

Just before we left Portsmouth.  

Heading out.

A very windy start!

Just heeling a little. LOL. 

Carey at the helm.  

Just rolling along. 

Here I am cooking along the way, and holding on for dear life!  LOL

This is us on the Atlantic Ocean!  Proof!

These are the jacklines that we put in the cockpit.  Whenever we were in rough weather or alone in the cockpit, we always clipped our harnesses to the jacklines to keep us from falling overboard. 

We made a sea berth to sleep in, which helped us from falling out of bed when the boat heeled---which was always!

There were some beautiful sunsets and sunrises.

 Can you see how blue this water is?  Just beautiful!  

Mom likes to see the sails up.  Us, too! 

 Carey's first-ever Movember attempt.  It's picky!  Shave it off!

Getting close.  Last night out. 

A flying fish caught us.  It jumped on board! Fins like wings. Funny fish.