Welcome Aboard

I've been really slipping on my blog posts. A few weeks ago, Judy's good friend Laura joined us for a week in the BVI. We all had an enjoyable time, and Judy had someone to snorkel with for hours every day!

You've Gotta Love the Islands...

Quick story - today I took the safari bus into town, and on the way, the driver pulled over at a stop where nobody was waiting. He got out and said "I be right baak", and then he walked into the brush to take a pee. No big deal, just some mild giggling from the passengers. But, it would probably warrant a newspaper article and subsequent investigation at home ;-)

A Series of Mechanical Repairs in Exotic Places...

Two days ago I got trashed in the dinghy while trying to re-launch it in a north swell on Cinnamon Bay beach. Spike and I both got "Maytaged", as my whitewater friends would say, but while we both made out OK, the dinghy came out missing the fuel line, an oar blade, and some other miscellaneous gear. Since any retry would have probably obtained the same outcome, Spike and I ended up swimming through the surf zone and out to the boat in the dark. It became much easier to swim with him once he saw the boat, as then I could let him go, since he stopped trying to get back to shore and swam with me to the boat. Poor little guy - he was scared to death. It was no big deal retrieving the dinghy in the morning, since by then the north swell had peaked and was diminishing. I had to paddle it instead of rowing, and I can tell you for sure that rowing an inflatable tub is a lot more practical than trying to paddle it single handed.

So, I'm hoping that a new fuel line will get the outboard up and running again, and since it's Good Friday in the islands, I don't even attempt to get a ride to a store. But, this morning, I promptly hike over to the dollar bus and get a ride to Crown Bay Marina, where I actually find the hose with the fittings which I need. Sweet - now all I have to do is rinse the engine with fresh water, douse it in WD-40, and then start it up.

Of course, when I remove the engine cowling, I get a big surprise - the compartment is packed completely full of sand. Sorry I didn't take a picture - I was just too overwhelmed at the time. Now, this is not merely normal sand, which would be bad enough. It is St John sand, a fine white concoction of Parrot Fish poop which some tourist council cleverly labeled as "powdery". And indeed it is powdery - it clings to every surface like over cooked rice. I finally realize that the best tool I have on board is a Super Soaker loaded with fresh water. The funny thing is that I told Judy we didn't have room for silly toys like that ;-) After several gallons of precious fresh water, it looks much better, and after almost a full can of WD-40, it looks almost like an outboard engine that is even older than my boat, because it is. However, despite my efforts, which take all afternoon, the engine shows no sign of life. The good news is that it does have spark and good compression, so tomorrow I'm probably going to have to tear into the carburetor. Anyways, I'll keep you posted.

But, the weather and the views are great, and this evening I shared happy hour with a couple whom Judy and I met at Benures Bay in the BVI a couple of months ago. This is the cruising life, warts and all ;-)

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.