Dec 28th thru 31st The end of another year

Friday, December 28, 2012

     No rain to make me close up the hatches last night - Yay! It was nice not to have to get up and race around closing all the hatches and nicer still just to have all the hatches and ports open for the breeze.
     After coffee we hoisted the sail and started heading out of Caneel Bay. While heading out, the phone rang and I was surprised because Stephanie is with us. It was Mary Clare and Azaya was anchored over in Christmas Cove (across the windward channel near Red Hook St. Thomas). Want to stop by for some coffee? We got the DSC going on the radio (got a weird battery icon in the lower corner) and changed course for St. Thomas through Current Cut. It was good to see Azaya there! Hunter and his wife from Arctic Tern were there and he jumped in his dinghy to show us which mooring to pick up. I guess there were 2 near Azaya but one didn’t have a hookup attached to it so he went and grabbed the correct one for us (good thing too because another boat was trying to get it before we nosed there – even though they saw him saving it for us and us nosing there). He played taxi for us and took us over to Azaya. We finally got to introduce Steph to Mary Clare & Axel and we got to meet Karlan and Mason (her daughter and son-in-law). They’re heading over to St. John’s and we’re heading over to Culebra. After coffee and chat we headed back to the boat, raised sail and headed to Culebra. This was our first “day” sail with Steph. We figured at 5 knots and 35 miles we’d get there in about 7 hours. I think our detour through Current Cut shaved a little time off though. We weren’t on our best tack with the wind off our rear quarter so decided to motorsail. I got a text off to Bruce and Jan (Celtic Rover) to see where they were. We knew that they were in Culebra but we’d never pulled into Ensenada proper before. We’d moored off of Louis Pena last time.
     We were able to make contact and found them at the end of the Bay near the canal by Dewey. Aw so good to see Alibi and Celtic Rover sitting in the harbor! I spotted Roxie on board before I saw Alibi’s name then saw Ann waving at us. I must have been grinning like a fool waving back at both boats! We waved and took a while setting our hook. I’m not sure what was going on but I think that the chain may have been fouled in the anchor locker. Wayne was hauling out the chain by hand (our windlass doesn’t work) and letting it out. Once we got anchored Bruce came by to see if we needed help resetting the anchor. He thought that a guy that came by in his dinghy wanted us to move but he was only trying to help us also (thought we were having problems).
     It felt like old times with Bruce in the dinghy here and Jan aboard Celtic Rover. We chatted a bit and offered Bruce a beer. He came aboard and we decided to go for pizza with them and Alibi (Ann & Darryl). The pizza place was closed that we were going to but the place we ended up at was cute (Mamacitia’s). I’ve never seen a bar take so long to get drinks. They wouldn’t let us sit down at a table until 6pm so we had to stand near the bar as the bartender ignored us, drinkless but full of discussion! In chatting with Ann I was a little bummed to hear that we were so close to Tom but didn’t see him. I guess when we were over at Christmas Cove, his boat was somewhere close by at Red Hook.
     The food was good (mahi, salad, grouper ceviche) and company even better. I’m so glad that Steph got to meet some our buddies before she has to take off in a couple days. We still need to figure out how to get her to the airport from here but it sounds doable. We also have to figure out what’s going on with our batteries. One appears dead and the other #2 house bank is in the yellow. Both should be charged from motor sailing so this is not good. Tomorrow…

     Saturday, December 29, 2012
After coffee Jan & Bruce (Celtic Rover) came by in their dinghy and Jan gave Stephanie and I the grand tour of Dewey, Culebra while Wayne hung back on the boat and checked out our electrical. We now know where the Ferry Dock, Bakery, Post Office, food shops, and library are. We'd met who I believe is a female single handler who was quite a little hustler. She was trying to get some money for smokes and was chatting with everyone that came to the dock. Steph bought 6-8 small mangos from her for $5 and her response was "Oh good, now I can eat today". We figured she got them out of the yard a few houses down the dock but what the hey... She was aggressive but interesting (4 dogs on her boat).

My little mermaid :)

     After our grand tour Steph and I got changed and went over to Flamenco Beach. It's supposed to be one of the prettiest beaches here and I have to admit - it was very pretty. It was very popular and had a Coney Island feel to it. There were a lot of people there but I guess it's the place to go on weekends for the locals and from folks in Puerto Rico. I could see why... There was a large area devoted to swimming and camping. Picnic areas were abundant and a boardwalk with eateries and drinkeries that chickens and cats felt free to panhandle there too... 2 rusted tanks were on the beach and in the camping area. Both were marked with "Sent" which I didn't quite understand but found them interesting.

     I wandered the beach and Steph got some sun. The people watching was terrific and it was a beautiful day to sit about and watch the world go by. The winds were constant; there were white caps over the reefs were quite prominent in the turquoise water. The clouds added a tinge of coolness which I appreciated. I watched as a couple of boats lifted anchor and left the anchorage by the beach. I was glad we hadn't anchored here. Both the monohull and the catamaran were bucking the waves. I didn't envy either of them and decided the $3 taxi fee was worth it to come across the island to the other side to enjoy the beach. We grabbed a sandwich and pinacolada before heading back to the taxi area to go back to the boat.

     Hate to say it but we didn't really feel like dinner after the late lunch so back at the boat we had quite a bit of rum punch and I made Wayne a sandwich. I packed up a change of clothes, the computer, radio, and phone for our trip into Puerto Rico tomorrow. Need to make sure Steph has everything and finds her passport. Mornings are always harried when you have an early call and especially in the dark. I'm going to miss Steph's companionship when she leaves. I'm enjoying her company even though I know she's feeling cramped on our boat. I'm so glad she got to meet some of our friends (Azaya, Celtic Rover, Alibi) and wish she could meet them all. Tomorrow we start the final leg to Puerto Rico to make sure she makes her flight. She thinks she has an 8am flight so we need to make sure we're somewhere near the airport tomorrow night.

Sunday, December 30, 2012
     We had an early start to the day. We got up at 5am and Bruce (Celtic Rover) came by to pick us up at 5:40am so we could make the 6:30am ferry. Made it to the Ferry dock in plenty of time to catch the Fajardo Ferry but Steph thought she'd left her passport on the boat. Called Bruce after she checked her purse (not there) and carry-on (not there either) then had me checking while I called Bruce to see if he could ransack our boat for us to find it. After calling him, she found it in a bag where she'd said she'd put it a couple days ago. Soooo Call Bruce back - Uhm... Sorry Bruce... Go back to bed - we have her passport - false alarm... I'd bet he's realllllly glad to have us back (not...) but I love him and Jan to death!
     The ferry ride was quiet and pretty nondescript. We sat below so Steph could charge her phone and tried to doze on and off until we reached Fajardo. From there the Thrifty Car rental van zipped us over to their place and we got our wheels and then found somewhere for coffee and breakfast (I'd made a pot of coffee before we left but never got any of it). They make a pretty good breakfast sandwich at Subway and even heat up the milk for the coffee! Wow!

     After breakfast we made our way over to El Yunque National Forest. What a beautiful rainforest! We really enjoyed the visit there. It was so much cooler at the higher elevations and guess what? It even rained in the rainforest. I couldn't believe how sweet the air smelled and the amount of huge ferns; orchids and bamboo plants were there. I'm so glad we got to visit and do a little touring there. We stopped and had some meat kabobs and pinacoladas then went on to find a room for the night near the San Juan Airport. After circling about and driving around looking for a place for the night, we ended up at a Hampton Inn and I dang near choked at the price of it. Vacation time is definitely over and the camping life begins in earnest for the rest of this season... Yep...

The good news is I'm finally able to connect to download email and say hi on Facebook.
Steph's boarding pass printed - check...
Directions to the airport, Arecibo, Sam's Club, and return to Fajardo – check, check, check, and check…
Email - check
Pizza ordered – check but in getting back to the room, it doesn’t look like what I ordered… hmmm…
Time for some shuteye now zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Monday 12/31/12
Early up to shower, catch breakfast and figure out where to go to drop Steph off for her flight out.
She headed to the workout room and I headed for the shower. Then I headed for breakfast as Wayne showered and Steph returned to put on her make-up, fix her hair and get ready for the plane. I must admit that in hugging her goodbye at the airport I found myself quite misty eyed and not wanting to let go. It reminded me of letting her go when she was a toddler to stay with Aunt Pat…
then again on the first day of school as she headed off for the bus…
my 6 week fieldtrip...
another hug goodbye at graduation…
moving to campus...
getting married...
so many emotional hugs to let her go during the course of our lives...
This one felt like those. Each one - a letting go... I'm not sure why the emotion this time but it was there in my heart as I watched her walk away from us and into the terminal to fly back home. She left without looking back – one more time.
I know she's okay. Am I okay? Yes... I guess I am.
After the tearful hug it was time for us to hit the road.
Okay... I'm better.
Time to get lost finding Arecibo.
And...of course - we did get lost.
     All my directions were wrong... the map was wrong... the road signs with numbers or names were not to be found and the roads we did find - weren't on the map. We drove around in the direction that it was supposed to be and did finally make it there.
     One of the workers there must have decided we looked like old folks because he was trying to tell me, in broken English while I was trying to translate in worse broken Spanish, that he wanted to give us a ride up to the observatory deck. After we got it figured out that he wasn't trying to give us a tour and only trying to help us out, we got a ride up to the radio telescope. I figured he must have thought that we were infirm because a family also came up to him to ask him, while we were talking to him, where to go and he pointed them to the stairs that wound up the mountain. "You go there and climb up the road" I didn't know whether to feel honored or miffed that he didn't think we could make to the observatory...
after the lift and seeing other people huffing and puffing after reaching the top... I was honored...
we were bright eyed and bush tailed to wander through the exhibits, view the video about Arecibo and wander about taking pictures.

      Arecibo is the largest radio telescope in the world. I think its best known for its atmospheric research and being in the movies. No news from the stars yet. SETI has been using it for decades in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Maybe someday... who knows?

A view of the dish - not the road below - this array was built in a mountain valley that was the perfect size for it.

     After the trip to the radio telescope we proceeded to get lost again on the trip back. Once again the map gave us a general idea of where to go but we noticed that road signs were hidden or nonexistent. We did manage to find a Sam's Club on the way back but also noticed we were starting to run short of time to get back. The Thrifty Car rental closes at 5pm and we're at least an hour and a half away from Fajardo so wouldn't get there until 5:30pm. That's barring getting lost and traffic. Sooooo It looks like we're here for another night. Unfortunately we couldn't find a place to stay that was reasonable or not booked up. Yes, this is the holiday night - everyone is out partying so the hotels are at capacity!
     We did manage to find our way back to the Thrifty Car Rental place at the Marina del Rey (in the dark no less) and the gate keeper decided that we looked honest enough for us to stay overnight in the parking lot. He couldn't find the card he had with the phone number to a guest house so we parked in the lot then went over to the marina to see if the restaurant was open. It didn't really look like anyone was there or it was open but a sign said open tonight until 10pm. The bar had 2 patrons just leaving so we asked if the restaurant was open. The hostess said no and I said oh... the sign said open til 10? I asked if there was something easy that they could make for us? She said, yes, yes, okay... Easiest thing would be chicken so we ordered a lime chicken, chicken parmesan, a gin and tonic (I see why people like Tanqueray gin now), scotch and soda, and Heineken. Wayne was pretty wired but I enjoyed the drink and meal, then we headed back to the car. This looks like a terrific marina - laundry, library, restaurant and other things here that are all closed up. Time to settle in and see how far back the seats go in this little Nissan Versa. It's actually roomier than it appears... and things could be far worse than having to sleep in a car…
     So ends another year and begins a new one... sleeping in a car in a parking lot - but with full tummies and hearts. We'll see what the New Year brings and hopefully it will be good.

Feliz Anos Nuevos!

St John's for a swim, shower and a wonderful BBQ

Ugh what a night. It was a humid and sporadic rain/sprinkle kind of night where we had to close up all the hatches and ports so it made it more stifling below deck.  I had to keep opening the ports as soon as it quit for air and finally gave in and turned on the fan after closing the ports for the umpteenth time. My head was pounding and the pain was shooting through my jaws and back of my neck.  I hoped that Steph was managing to sleep through this heat.

Wayne dinghied over to Cruz Bay for customs only to return and say that Steph and I both needed to be there to check in too. So things have changed. Last time we checked into customs with Greg and Laura we were all chased out and told “Captain only”. The Customs Officer this time “Frances” was very personable and we were in and out in a jiffy. It was neat to see Cruz Bay. It’s been many years. Never did see a hardware store but did notice how things had changed. We thought maybe in the Lumberyard (a new complex to us) we might find the hardware store that Tom works at but didn’t. Sorry Tom.

We checked out Mongoose Junction. It was nice to see it finally finished but the Canvas Factory was gone. I loved their canvas bags too and was hoping to get another. So we spent the late morning/early afternoon checking out the stores while Wayne Limed and people watched then we had some lunch (steak wraps and burgers) and dinghied over to Caneel Bay. We were told we couldn’t leave the grounds and had to stay behind the beach chair line (ie don’t use our beach) so we ended up dinghying back over to Cruz Bay to catch a ferry to Cinnamon Bay.

I love that place. Seeing the park again, the showers, tents, store, platform area where we’d eat and spend time playing games, was so special to me. It brought back a lot of memories. The cat hanging out at someone’s tent hoping for a hand out, the sound of peepers, the smells of the various plants, wet tropical scents and the beautiful beach of white sand and turquoise water… memories of special moments and sad moments rolled into feelings that made me melancholy and happy at the same time.

We changed into our swim suits and jumped into the water, then showered off the sand and saltwater and went to see what was on the menu at the Raintree Terrace. I hated to say it but nothing appealed to me especially when I saw that there were severe outbreaks of Denge Fever on St Johns. We’d have to stay until after dark to eat there so we headed back again to Cruz Bay and had some wonderful bbq chicken with slaw and corn on the cob at a place called Uncle Joe’s. Good choice. The smells of the bbq entice you in off the street to come sit in the little corner, open air restaurant. The actual meal did not disappoint! It was wonderful washed down with Heineken and Presidente beer. Very satisfying… 

mmmmmm just looking at Steph's plate I can taste and smell the chicken allllllll over again

grrrr sideways again! Steph and Wayne at Uncle Joe's - I WISH my brother could make this mmmmm

The ride back to the boat in the dinghy was refreshing and the full moon peeking at us behind the clouds kept drawing my eye up to the sky to enjoy the orb playing peekaboo with us. St. Thomas is lighting up the sky in its evening colors too and it’s all so very lovely. So what started out a hot and headachy day turned out to be very enjoyable. Once again I feel so blessed. What a lovely day it’s been…

Leaving the BVI for the USVI

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Onward from Norman Island today to Jost Van Dyke then St. John’s. 

The sailing was great. We reached 7 knots at times during the course of the day. We dropped our mooring at at 9am and got into Great Harbor, Jost Van Dyke at 11:47am and picked up a mooring to check in. Finicky little dinghy started right up this time. Several boats were checking in so Steph and I left the Customs House while Wayne checked us in and we went to a little place next to it for some beverages. Steph asked Bobby if he made a good rum punch and told him that her mom made a very good one. He said yes I make the best around! I watched him as he pulled out a bottle of punch and proceeded to make her a rum punch topped with fresh nutmeg. I said I’ll take one of those but without the rum… Well, madam… it’s not a rum punch then… but he got me a punch anyways! I’m thinking his secret weapon might be Rose’s Lime… It definitely added zip to the punch! I’ll have to try it out next time even though Steph said she liked mine better…

Wayne had to take the cover off the motor to pull the little cord thing so he could start it to get us back to the boat again. Did I say finicky? Maybe stubborn is the right word. I think that if the cover isn’t placed on just soooooo, it won’t let Wayne pull the cord to start the motor. 

Bobby making a rum punch at the Jost Van Dyke spot next to Customs...

Steph tasting it.... It's good but not as good as yours mom LOL

By the time we approached St. John’s I changed course and came in closer to the island. The waves that were reflecting back from the outer rocks convinced me that it was much nicer closer to shore. It looked like there were 2 cruise ships in Cruz Bay so instead of heading in there; we detoured and took a mooring at Caneel Bay. I missed the mooring the first time and had to come around for it again. I blamed it on my Virgin Rum Punch and we had sandwiches for dinner and hung out on the mooring instead of heading by taxi or dink to Cruz Bay. We figured that by the time we got there Customs would be closed.

Christmas Departure from Virgin Gorda to Norman Island

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Merry Christmas everyone! After showers and a last breakfast sandwich at the Bath and Turtle, we proceeded to depart Virgin Gorda. Unfortunately when we got back to the boat it started to rain so we decided to hold off a bit before starting the engine. It started right up. A large catamaran had come in earlier and docked at the cement walkway behind our boat and I was leery of backing into him (I sometimes don’t back up well).  So I warned him I don’t back well and he said he’d throw out a fender or two. Anyhow by the time we were set to leave he asked if we’d like help with our lines and I said “sure”! Problem was, I couldn’t get the boat to go in reverse. It wouldn’t go… Talk about not backing up well! We tied back up and kept playing with forward, neutral and reverse. It finally started to reverse slowly while I kept gunning it. I’d forgotten that when we replaced the throttle last season that reverse is just a bump away from neutral, NOT all the way up. It seemed to make a difference and we finally pulled out of the yacht harbor and had a nice sail over to Norman Island under mostly sunny skies. The wind was with us and the swells were too so it made for a very nice trip to the Bight where we picked up our mooring for the evening.

We were going to take Steph over to Billy Bones and the Pirate ship but it was not to be… We had rum punches then Wayne lowered the dink. He couldn’t seem to get it to start and ended up spending the rest of the daylight hours working on the little motor while Steph and I chatted in the cockpit and read.

So glad we bought salads and sandwiches from the store this morning!

I am glad to be away from my stalker on Virgin Gorda and the plan is to head to Jost Van Dyke to clear out of the BVI tomorrow, then clear back into the USVI in Cruz Bay.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Sometimes reverse is not meant to be, in time or in boats but my memories did go into reverse to a place in time of many Christmas’s and our boat carried us from reverse to forward to a new place in Christmas memories.

Wayne & Stephanie at the helm on the way to Norman from Virgin Gorda

Luggage and The Baths at Virgin Gorda plus Coco Maya's

Monday, December 24, 2012

Still no internet on the boat. Got up and put on a pot of coffee and went to the restroom onshore.  When I got back Steph was awake so we went to shore to use the internet and find out about her luggage. It’ll be on the 11:00 am flight. We were told to be there at customs or it will be returned to Beef Island.  

Waiting for breakfast and using the internet at the Bath and Turtle

Our mechanic J-E-S-S-E

We had breakfast at the Bath and Turtle and used their internet, then walked over to the boatyard to see if the guy could look at our kill switch on the engine. They couldn’t do anything with our block for the sail but while Steph and I were wandering the shops, customs and the ferry dock, Wayne stayed at the boat and Chris Cooke (the guy from the boatyard) came by with his son (Jesse) to work on the switch.  Jesse was acting as the mechanic to fix our switch. He was diligently screwing it back together when Steph and I got here, so I questioned him relentlessly on what was wrong with it? He had patience and explained what he was doing to fix it. It was so cute… He bet me I couldn’t spell his name right. I said my grandson’s name is Jesse and spelled it for him. He looked dumbfounded that I spelled it right. I said how do people usually spell it? Jessie. Oh… I think that’s the girls spelling. He was a cutie…

Rough way to wait for luggage :)

Steph and I walked over to meet the 12:20pm ferry. The bag wasn’t on it. It will be here on the 2pm ferry… Okay… So Steph went out on the beach to catch some sun in her new swimsuit from BVI Divers and we headed back over to the ferry dock at 2pm to pick up her bag then headed back to the boat.  It was hot but I think it always is here. Around 3:30pm we decided to walk over to the Baths National Park.  I made some rum punch for our walk and we headed down the road with drinks in hand. It took us about 40 minutes to get there and we saw taxi after taxi bringing the tourists back from the baths and heading for VGYH. 

Steph walking between the rocks to the cave

By the time we got there I think Steph was okay but Wayne and I were a bit winded from the heat.  The huge granite boulders all balance on each other forming tunnels, grottos, paths and caves and they didn’t disappoint us. It’s an impressive display of building size granite giants! We took the path down to the water and watched a group of youngsters scurry past us to find the Geocache hidden in a grotto. They found some foreign coins and other items and it was fun to watch their excitement. It reminded me of Sophie and Zach and I could picture them zooming past us to find the hidden box. It made me smile.

How well is this boulder wedged did you say mom???

Well polished mega granite - it would make a great slide or a good place for a photo op!

The various granite blocks in the sand make wonderful hidy holes to explore

Stephanie in the boulders :)

hmmm guess you'll have to crane to look at this one - it won't straighten for some reason!

 

Hope this video comes out. it was like a butterfly extravaganza coming back from the Baths. Tried capturing it on camera but it just didn't do it justice. I tried videoing after but must of the butterflies had left.

Beach shot as we're leaving the Baths on Virgin Gorda

We caught a taxi back to Coco Maya for sundowners and their awesome chili, lime and honey ribs and shrimp curry. I can’t believe that place. The food and atmosphere was as incredible as I remembered it. We enjoyed the ambiance of the place, sitting on the beach with our drinks, watching the sunset. They had a steel drum band and we kicked back enjoying the fire on the beach, the music and each others company before walking back to the boat. I loved being able to share this with Steph and Wayne. 

fire pit and loungers at Coco Maya - Sundowner time and appetizers

Another shot of Coco Maya - you can see the couchs, dining area and bar area

Steph trying out some of their wine - it was delicious and right on the water - who could ask for more?

Our little area for drinks, ribs, and Shrimp Curry

Looking in the other direction where the musicians set up next to the granite boulders

Can't believe we actually were sitting next to a fire in the tropics.

Kicking back enjoying the atmosphere with full tummies as the sun has left. Shall we head back to the boat yet?

Okay not yet...

 Christmas Eve… Wonderful – I feel blessed…