For Spike's Fans...

The Prince being ferried to shore:


Conked out after a long day of hiking:

Every Force Has Them, I Guess...

A few days ago we took a mooring near Honeymoon Beach for a few hours so that I could hike into Cruz Bay and check the mail and go to the hardware store (it's preferable to a wet dinghy ride, with some exercise to boot). While I was gone, Judy got in the kayak to take Spike to shore. Getting into the kayak off the swim ladder in rolly conditions is no easy task, but she managed to get in and grab Spike without tipping over, but then realized that his leash was on deck out of her reach. Oh well, off to shore, carry Spike across the beach to the dirt road behind it, and put him down to do his thing. He sees people on the beach, so of course he runs to them, and gets all excited when they call him and talk baby talk to him. Meanwhile, Ranger Smith (yes, that's actually his name, Boo Boo) spots Spike loose on the beach and drives his boat over close enough to direct Judy to go back to her sail boat and produce some ID. Wrote her up. No warning, no smile, no getting out of his large outboard, no lessening of his "command presence". Sigh, remember when Rangers were the good guys? Anyway, the whole incident left a bad taste in our mouths about St John, and we are glad to be back in the BVI.

Rangers on Board

We had a very enjoyable time with our friends Fred and Ellen, who came aboard for a couple days. We sailed around the St John area, stopping at several sites to snorkel (well, Judy and Ellen snorkeled, while Fred and I stayed on board to make sure the anchor didn't drag and the beer didn't get warm). Fred particularly liked it when he got to drive the boat ;-)

Spike Makes New Friends

We had to hang out for a week in St Thomas while waiting for a wind generator mount to be fabricated (more on that later), and Spike made friends with three girls on a cruising boat, one of whom fell in love with him.