BVI… We Made It!

Folk’s,

Today we awoke in Francis Bay on the north shore of St John’s, USVI.  We played with the main a little at the mooring ball then dropped the ball and headed up the channel just under 4 miles to Soper’s Hole, BVI.  After we checked in we replaced the Q-flag with the last one in Robin’s bag and it was pretty triumphant.  So we did what all good sailors do and went ashore to Pusser’s for the celebration!

Tomorrow we’ll head out to Jost Van Dyke and probably stop at lovely Sandy Cay along the way.  So the rest of our time around here we’ll be sailing during the day and savor sunsets in the evening…

Best regards

Chris and Robin, two of the most fortunate people in the world

Lucky Snorkeling

Folks,

After I wiped the bottom of the boat down today we went snorkeling along some rocks on the far east side of Francis Bay.  It was pretty good but not really spectacular.  After we had our fill we began the swim back to the dingy anchored about 200 yards away.  Half way back we looked down to see very large ray buried in the sand as they often do.  All you can see is the outline and the ridge leading to its eyes.  It was at least 5′ long and we were lucky enough to get two photos.  Lucky snorkeling happens every now and then today was one of those days.

Regards,

Chris

Virgin Beauty

Folks,

We spent almost a week in St Thomas and got to visit some Manta friends on their boat at the real fancy marina close to the main cruise ship dock.  We also finally had time to fix all the stuff on the mast and boom that had been tie-wired to work but needed permanent repairs.  Our friends Bill and Charlene were in Crown Bay Marina at the west end of the harbor close to their new dinghy supplier and a pretty good marine supply store so we used their boat as a dinghy dock for little parts needed to finish repairs.  This was real handy for us since tying up to their boat was WAAAY easier than using the very crowded dinghy dock.  Also we’d often time the trip so we could meet for lunch at the great little outdoor restaurant and bar.  We were anchored in the middle of the harbor so a dinghy ride to the marine store was about a mile and a ride over to the other marina was a little less.  “Tourist town” was right straight ahead only a couple of hundred yards.  The last couple of days in St Thomas we were really waiting on the rain to quit more than anything else.  We got 3 days of almost continuous rain, the most since we left the US back in November!  So we’d time our short trips in the dingy to scoot across to the dinghy dock and get to shelter before the next rain.  Sometimes we made it, sometimes we got a little rain by keeping the dinghy just on the edge, and sometimes we got completely drenched!

Two days ago the rain subsided and we headed out East Gregory Chanel to sail a short 7 miles to Christmas Cove.  We’d heard this was a nice little stop on the way to famous St John’s and we weren’t disappointed.  It was stunningly beautiful and there are about 20 free mooring balls installed by some nature foundation.  This really works well since many sailors damage the ecosystem terribly with careless anchoring and often don’t seem to understand how to stay a safe distance from other boats.  The moorings are safely spaced and installed in such a way that minimizes damage.  We couldn’t wait to explore the area so we dropped Tookie II (our dinghy) and motored around.  The water was so gorgeous that we went back to the boat, tied up the dink, and hopped in for a swim.  It was perfect temperature and I took the opportunity to inspect our new bottom job.  It really looked good but in some areas had a whitish film of slime so we got the sponge out to see if it would come off easily.  Luckily it did and Chris now has another chore to knock out of wiping the bottom down.

Soon sun was setting and I got the conch horn out to celebrate the successful end of another day in paradise.

Next morning we retraced our path about 2 miles back toward St Thomas to Benner Bay where we hoped to find a few parts for the faucets at a nice marine store and check out the grocery store Robin had heard good things about.  The  marine store was great and the grocery was very good so we now have a good supply place without having to go all the way back to St Thomas.  The only minor problem was when Chris tried to get too close in at the shallow bay.  As we approached the depth alarm  went off and the bow dipped as Robin looked at him with that “Did you go aground again?” look with eyebrows fluttering.  I gave her the “pathetic yes” look back.  So we back out and anchored further out in about 10′ of water.  People often remark how nice it must be to only draw 4′ of water but I usually respond “that’s what we thought but for us it just means we go aground  in shallower water”.  Soon we were on our way out and headed through current cut to St John’s.  Robin had the helm through the cut which had current opposed to the wind so it was nasty looking but not too difficult.  I gave Robin the high-five as she made it through and we turned off toward Cruz Bay and then around the NW end of St John’s passed all the famous sand beach anchorages.  We decided to head toward the most famous, Francis Bay but stopped just short at Maho Bay.  Grabbing a mooring ball has gotten a lot easier with the new bow cleats and our normal drill worked well.  I approach the ball and Robin grabs the mooring line with the boat hook and gets a line through and tied to one of our cleats.  Then I go up to help deploy the bridle that has two independent lines for added safety.  The whole process only takes a few minutes now and either of us could do either role but Robin prefers I take the helm for the approach.

Once tied up we dinghied ashore to walk the beach and the road behind it to look around.  There were a whole lot of people that had descended down from the camp grounds that are dotted around in the ornate hills that surround the 1/2 mile of beach in this beautiful cove.  We met one couple from Maine that said the camps are little platforms with a great view and mosquito net surround.  “It’s a beautiful view and we get soaked when it rains but it’s a great way to see this place at a great price for couples like us”.  We couldn’t help but admire the couple for getting here with their young family to enjoy this spectacular place.  We wished them well as we started the dink and headed to the Fee Platform to drop off our mooring fee to help pay for moorings, and maintenance… only a lot prouder than usual that we were doing our part to make this place possible.

Next it was time for another swim to wipe the bottom scum off.  Every now and then I had to watch the fish watch me.  They seemed to wonder what I was doing and enjoy nibbling the almost invisible growth that was falling down to them as I wiped.  Soon a conch with it’s huge nasty shell wandered by and there were several other fish and turtles that all seemed to come by investigating what this strange looking animal was doing on the boat that was dropping food to any normal fish that wanted some.

A talented writer could describe exactly how this place looks but all I can tell you is it looks gorgeous, smells gorgeous, and even sounds gorgeous.  We’re so lucky to be here and I’ll leave you with a few more photos.

Best regards,

Chris and Robin

St Thomas!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Folks,

When we departed the US we had a goal of reaching BVI this year and playing there ’till we put the boat in a storage yard then start again later after hurricane season.  So Robin bought courtesy flags for every country between the US and BVI.  We now have only one flag left!  St Thomas is a busy place with huge anchorages and lots of boats.  We had several friends that were already here on other boats and they’ve figured out all the logistics for the area so we don’t have to learn everything the hard way.  We’re anchored off one of the main shopping areas near the center of town in Long Bay.  Our buddy boat RSVP was here ahead of us in Crown Bay Marina since they had their dinghy stolen two nights ago at Vieques.  We had a blast there but were very aware petty theft is rampant and we were sad to hear they were one of the latest victims.  Word travels like fire about these things in the cruising world and when Bill entered the dingy store the dealer’s first words were “you must be the guy that had the dinghy stolen in Vieques”.  After we got anchored up we dinghied over to their marina about a mile away and met Bill and Charlene, their friends from back home Kirk and Gale, and our mutual friends John and Susan on Le Garza Verde we had met in the South Caicos at Southside Marina.  It was another one of those fun cruiser reunions that happen often out here.  We caught up on each others experiences, had a good meal and then walked around to browse the shops.  We departed shortly after as we were both tired and wanted a relaxing evening at the boat.

So here we sit looking across at the building with the big Rolex sign on it with a very gentle, comfortable rock  in this sheltered anchorage.  We’ve kind of got St Thomas in a fish tank off our starboard side and as night falls we can see the street lights lining the roads that run parallel to the coast all the way up the high hills that surround us.  Cars are still bustling along the wharf road and there’s a lot for us do do around here before we move on.  We’ve started to realize the hard part of the journey that started last November 14th is almost over.  Our dream has almost come true and it’s a very good feeling.

Best regards,

Chris

Tradewinds Celebration in Vieques

After two days of swimming off the back of the boat in Sun Bay we decided to have a reunion dinner with MV Kaos and MV Lamb Chop in Espiranza.  Susan picked out the perfect place and we all had an absolute blast!  We “over-celebrated” a little but even when paying the price this morning I remember thinking it was worth it!  Thanks Susan, Alan, Tim, Jan, Mike, and Trudy for the memorable evening:

Our mainsail problem

Folks,

I’m not sure why I’m adding this post but maybe it’s closure or something.  If you look closely at our sail you’ll see the top isn’t connected to the bottom.  Pretty sad.  About a month ago we were on our way down the east coast of Dominican Republic.  It was an overnight sail from Samana and as usual the wind was close to our bow and stronger than forecast so we had the main reefed (which means it was partially dropped because the winds were too strong for us to have the full sail up).  So after a long night along the coast and a lot of dodging unlit fishing vessels we were finally through hour-glass shoals and approaching luxurious Cap Cana Marina.  We pointed up to drop the sail and it only dropped a foot.  This is usually a simple process that had never failed us so I raised it all the way to the top and dropped again… no good!  One of the cars was stuck close to the top and wouldn’t drop.  The mainsail has this fancy slide system that’s kind of like a curtain rod only vertical and there are “cars” attached to the sail that ride up and down a grooved track on the mast.  Heavy winds were forecast and I had to get this sail down to go through the fairly narrow channel into the marina with a big swell right behind the boat.  The sail had to come down.  My only two options were to go up the mast and unblock the cars or to pull harder and risk tearing the sail.  It was very rolly and we were both pretty exhausted so going up the mast didn’t seem too smart.  So pull harder it was and I tried pulling it down harder with the reefing lines.  I figured if I got the car unstuck with this everything else would work.  Well it sort of worked as the car popped over the obstruction but the next car above stuck as well.  I tried to pull it down too but just when I thought it would drop I heard a loud awful rip.  I had just ripped the sail from luff to leach!  Now we had the sail significantly de-powered but it still was grabbing a lot of wind with the luff and leach lines still in tact.  These are lines that run up and down the edge of the sail inside pockets to help control sail shape.  I cut the leach line as high up as I could reach and it dropped completely depowering the sail.  We limped in looking like a pretty sad sailboat and got a good night’s sleep.  Next morning I was able to go up the mast in a very protected harbor and drop the main.  The problem was simple.  A screw that held the track in place had backed out and was creating an obstruction that blocked the cars from dropping.  I was able to hammer the car over the screw and in the process knock the head off the screw which allowed all the rest of the cars to drop freely.  After this we motored across to Mona island and then Boqueron PR we rented a car and got the sail to a loft that did a superb repair.  I highly recommend Ponce Sailing Center for sail repairs or sail purchases.  Effrin is the owner and is a very accomplished sailor and a valuable resource for sailors in Puerto Rico.  Thanks so much Effrin for what you did to help us!

We ended up getting Effrin to also repair some minor wear and tear on our jib several weeks later and were able to fix our water maker with parts that we had delivered to his sail loft in Ponce.  We were elated to find out that he came in 1st place in the big sailing regatta about a week later in a class similar to J 24′s back in the US.

So what originally seemed like a bad situation turned out to introduce us to a great sailor and great friend to the cruising community.  We’re slowly but surely learning everything that happens to us happens for a reason and we’re some of the most fortunate people on this planet.

Best regards,

Chris and Robin

Vieques, Spanish Virgins… Fantastic!

Folks,

If you follow our Spot satellite tracker you already know we’re now about 20 miles east of Puerto Rico at Sun Bay near Espiranza.  Fantastic!  Anchored in great protection from the trades and we can swim ashore or dinghy to the beach and wade around in total laziness with a floating supply of beverages.  We plan to hang here another day so we’ll get to have dinner ashore with MV Kaos and MV Lamb Chop who we haven’t seen since Rum Cay in the Bahamas.  They’ve been here before and know the places in town very well.

First light tomorrow we’re heading east to St Thomas.  It’s about 35 miles and if the easterlies hold up we should be motor sailing in a little bit of a bumpy sea but we’ll be there before lunch if all goes well.  We plan to scope out the area and find a nice marina with a good restaurant to celebrate our 6th anniversary… and there may be a little shopping for jewelry also!

Several have wondered about our water maker so here’s the update on that.  We have a 6 year old Spectra Newport 400 that has a Clark pump to make it super efficient instead of the traditional plunger pump.  We have over 1600 hours on it and have made close to 30,000 gallons of great tasting water on two different boats.  Soon after we arrived at Ocean World Marina in Dominican Republic the salt content of our water increased dramatically from 280 ppm to over 700 ppm and the water production dropped from 15.5 gal per hour to 12.  I had believed the Clark pump was in need of a rebuild and did this special flow test Spectra recommends which my unit failed.  It didn’t make sense this was the cause since the problem happened so suddenly but I thought maybe a part inside had broken so I had a rebuilt unit shipped in from Spectra to Ponce, Puerto Rico.  The sail shop we used to repair the main graciously allowed us to ship the parts to them.  Installing the new Clark pump solved  the volume problems but the salt content was still very high and totally unacceptable to Robin.  So the only thing left to cause this was a membrane failure.  I ordered one online and had it shipped to Ponce.  We got it in 3 days over the weekend for only $60 shipping!  When I removed the old one I could tell immediately it was fouled with transmission oil.  Somehow on the trip across from the Turks and Caicos at night we must have gotten a blob of oil in the intake.  The intake is about 3′ 6″ below the surface but some of the time we were in very rough seas so that’s when it must have happened.  I did notice some black stuff in the filters but that happens sometimes and I normally just throw them out.  I should have realized that rarely happens down here since all we ever normally trap in the filters is very fine silty white sand that washes off very easily… another lesson learned the hard way!

Vieques and Puerto Rico east coast are great and we’ll be back often!

Best regards,
Chris and Robin

Update… all the way from Christmas

Wow!  How time flies when you’re having fun.  We secured the boat on moorings under the watchful eye of Cavelli House.  This is a perfect hurricane hole with professionally installed moorings and Bob the owner checks the boat every day in his rounds and boards once per week to air her out and check batteries.  All this for $350/Mo or $200 for two weeks.  Not bad and far better than leaving Tookie on the exposed dock at the marina.

Flights home from George Town were great.  AA to Miami and then direct to DFW about 10 miles south of Flower Mound.  We had a great time at Bruce and Kathy’s house (my brother and sister-in-law).  They were kind enough to let all the relatives converge there for the reunion and we had 3 generations assembled as well as brothers and cousins by marriage that is now a pretty large group including 4 boys and one grandson from Robin and I plus 3 girls of Bruce and Kathy plus boyfriends and girlfriends it was a regular Walton-style Blair family reunion.  Christmas dinner was Kathy’s usual huge fantastic feast that lasted for days after Christmas and we all ate way more than we should.  Christmas at this home also always includes lots of radio controlled toys and model rocketry.  It’s been a tradition for years and this was no exception so there were a lot of radio controlled helicopters hovering around inside driving the dogs nuts and entertaining the kids continuously.  Then a few days after Christmas it was time to launch rockets.  This was one of Isaiah’s (our grandson) favorite times and I have to say he did an excellent job of launch coordinator with the count down and in the retrieval.

As they say all good things come to an end and all too soon it was time to head back to the airport for the return to George Town.  We arrived the 29th and then moved the boat to a different mooring that allows live aboards for a couple of days.  New Years Eve we got a water taxi across  the harbor to stay at our favorite boutique hotel the Peace and Plenty.  A beautiful place with spectacular harbor views.  The rooms are somewhat basic but clean and comfortable but the splendor of this place are the staff and amenities.  There are two bars and the main bartender is a great guy named Lerrman.  He’s been there for over 30 years and is a fixture in George Town.  There’s also a lovely pool with an outside bar where the band set up with a nice area for a dance floor.  There are lot’s of photos in the album section at www.svtoucandream.com.

We ended up in GT for a lot longer than plan as we had to wait for some parts to arrive for Chris and RSVP’s sat phone had to be sent in to Ft Lauderdale before Christmas and was delayed in getting shipped back.  Also while we were there the water maker feed pump went out so Chris had a fairly big job to install the replacement.  The water maker is one of those critical items that can force us to the nearest marina ’till it works again.  Otherwise we’re on water rationing and that’s no fun.  Finally we got the repairs got the deliveries and headed out to Long Is January 18.  Winds were extremely light so it was a motor over to Salt Pond.

Salt Pond is a nice little area with a small store, the main fuel dock, and a resort.  There are a couple of little islands nestled around in Thompson Bay on the north side of the area and the south part is where most of the cruisers anchor.  It’s a great stop in east wind but very exposed in the west.  We spent a day walking around and called about getting some fuel but were advised to wait till morning since tide was very low.  So next morning we fueled up and headed back out to the more northern end of the Island.  Here we found our way into a little area protected to the east by the island and the west by a reef.  It was still kind of rolly with the north sea swell but we had a good nights sleep.  Next morning we went back south to explore Stella Maris.  A resort and marina a little south of our anchorage and a good place to take cover for the up coming westerlies.  Entrance was pretty easy but a little daunting as we had to go a long way east onto the shallow reef until we found the small markers, right where they were  supposed to be on the charts but a long way in.  A call to the marina was answered by the resort and soon we were tying up in a very small marina.  It was pretty basic and smelled like fuel from a leak in their refueling system.  So we weren’t expecting too much at the resort.  After we got settled in they sent a car for us and we took a 10 minute ride to the check in counter.  The resort was very nice!  Good restaurant, bars, and clean pretty grounds with good wifi.  This was a second generation operation by a German immigrant family.

We stayed here several days and rented a car for an all day trip to the northern most tip of the island at Columbus Monument to pretty far down at Clearance Town.  Along the way there were some interesting sites including the ruins of a several hundred year old church and a settlement named Buckley’s.

The west wind finally abated and we were headed out for an anchorage closer to the north tip of the island near Santa Maria, another fancier resort owned and operated by a Canadian that specializes in luxury fishing resorts.  This place was extremely nice with a bar/restaurant right on the beach.  We tucked up in the northern end of  the anchorage to avoid the wind chop and swell but it was still pretty bumpy.  Robin and I decided to take the long dinghy ride in to have dinner but Bill and Charlene stayed aboard their boat since it was pretty choppy and they seemed to get wetter in this kind of dingy ride than we do.  Dinner was fabulous and there were a lot of interesting people to pass the time but soon we had to head back to the beach and make our way across the choppy bay in pitch black.  When we got to the dink it had sort of angled itself sideways in the surf and half filled with water.  Luckily we had a hand pump and Robin held the dink into the surf while I pumped.  Soon we were on our way with our and RSVP’s anchor lights as our guide through the pitch black night for another good night’s sleep.

Next morning we had a window back to Rum Cay that should be much lighter winds becoming light and variable around noon.  It looked much improved as we pulled anchor and headed out toward Santa Maria Point to avoid the shallow reef and coral heads.  As we approached the point I could see confused and fairly large seas and told Robin it looked like this might be a little bumpy.  That turned out to be the understatement of the day.  As we rounded the point seas were 8-10′ and very short period coming from several directions.  The water right around here is usually a little choppy due to the effect of the pointed island on the prevailing current’s interaction with the sea swell.  Fortunately it was better with mostly 6′ and less the rest of the way but still pretty choppy and not one of my better weather calls.

Rum Cay was a welcome sight that afternoon and we could see Rastus on the dock a long ways off.  Rastus is a huge black man that we’d met on our previous visit.  He has the kindest huge smile and a deep voice that booms when he speaks.  It was good to see him and we stopped to top off with fuel and took a slip for the night.  We got the opportunity to visit Delores again while Bill and Charlene explored the marina area and did boat chores.  We ended up staying another night waiting for weather to improve and had a fantastic feast with the marina’s owner who is also an exceptional cook.  He decided to have Bahamian Pizza Rum Cay style.  Rum Cay style is more about how the food is cooked than the recipe.  It’s a huge social event where everybody gathers in the kitchen to meet and greet.  Those that want to jump in and help.  Charlene is almost a Cordon Bleu chef and couldn’t resist.  Before we knew it she was right in the thick of the action.  Several were helping to make the crusts and others were preparing various different pots of pre-cooked ingredients.  Before we knew it there was a buffet spread with fried pizza dough slices piled high and plates of hot chicken, lobster, vegetable stir fry, cheese, and pizza sauce.  Everybody got in line and made a few slices.  Soon we were stuffed.

Finally it was time to depart for the Turks and Caicos.  Weather looked good as wind was to decline for another motor sail and then become light and variable as we approached Mayaguanna an overnight from here with a good protected bay for a rest.  The plan was to arrive here sometime around noon the next day, then rest a couple of hours to time our arrival at Sandbore Channel entrance in the morning.  According to our guides and charts Sandbore Channel is the entrance to the Caicos banks and is littered with coral heads that you have to be able to see in morning sun and make your way up the channel before the easterlies kick up steep uncomfortable waves.  Soon Rum Cay disappeared off our stern and we settled in to a motor sail with barely enough wind to make it worth keeping up the mainsail.  Motor sails aren’t my favorite but are way better than getting beat up in an unexpected chop.  After a while the water was like light blue glass an I was admiring it when we heard this air popping around us.  Dolphins were everywhere!  They were playing with us and taking turns running up in front of the bow and criss-crossing in front of us.  Robin had her camera close by and I was fortunate to be able to record the whole thing.  So enjoy about 4 minutes of playing with the dolphins by clicking here.  That really made our day!  Eventually they disappeared as quickly as they had arrived but we talked about them off and on for hours.  A great way to spend the time as we Volvo’d our way down to Mayaguanna.

A few hours after dark wind picked up again and was right on our bow.  So we dropped sails and gave it a little more throttle.  Around midnight I called RSVP and Charlene was at the helm.  “Getting a little bumpy” she said.  I tried to make it sound like I hadn’t noticed but she saw right through that little ploy.  So a bumpy ride it was all night and most of the way to Mayaguanna.  Once in the lee of the island wind was dropping as turned towards Abraham’s Bay.  This was the protected reef where we’d get some well needed rest.  I’d entered the coordinates for the entrance and to our anchorage so it was pretty easy as we slipped right in through large channel in the reef to another beautiful reef anchorage.  Several boats were already there and we passed a small fishing boat on the way in that was loaded with chonch and lobster.  I was sure we could find a few ourselves but at this point we really just wanted to get a little rest.  Soon we and RSVP were anchored and enjoying the well protected anchorage.

Mayaguanna was a brief resting place for us since we’d be leaving again that evening to time our arrival at Sandbore Channel for our approach to the Caicos Banks.  Soon the sun was setting and we planned departure.  This would be a little different for us since there was no moon and we had to be careful to “ride the line” on our way out off the reef then raise sails an set a course for Sandbore.  This is kind of like playing a video game since you’re really just looking at the chart plotter and depth gauge.  But the chart plotter has some delay in getting your position and heading calculated and doesn’t really give good information until a few minutes have elapsed.  So just as you raise the anchor and for the next few minutes  you do it the old fashioned way and use the compass.  For a few minutes we’re doing it just like Christopher Columbus did… well almost anyway.  We had instantaneous depth readings to let us know the coral heads were well below and he didn’t even have that.  It’s amazing they were able to explore at all!  As we eased out through the opening in the reef depth increased quickly to 60′ and we pointed up to raise the sails.  We were well away from RSVP since it was pitch black but could see them on radar and soon we were both on our way.  As the night progressed it was clear we had picked up some current and were going to be way too early to Sandbore so we cut the engines and still arrived about an hour before sun up.

Cruising guides seem to always make things sound more difficult than they are.  I guess it’s the safe way to be but entry into Sandbore was a snap and soon we were talking to Simon at Southside Marina.  His custom way points worked like a charm and we were docked and relaxed at our floating dock a little after 1 pm.  So we’d made it to the next step after the Bahamas.  It felt pretty good to have this step behind us and yet we still had a long way to go so there was a little of a feeling that we’d stuck our toe in the water and it was way to early to be celebrating too much.

I’ll add the rest of the catchup details later but now we’re starting new posts as we go so I can quit doing it by email and get all the updates recorded here.

Chris