Getting ready....

So today we are getting the boat ready for the passage. The big news is that Bill sold the dinghy. We have had lots of problems with it this season and it has been a constant thorn in our side. So... instead of hauling and mounting the motor on board, getting the dinghy out of the water and cleaning the bottom, deflating it, and then stuffing it in a bag to strap onto the aft deck - we found someone to buy it. We will get something in the States when we are back (a lighter motor so it is easy when we have to beach the dinghy, a hard bottom so it is easy to clean, etc.)

We also went to Cash - and - Carry (another Costco/Sam's/BJ's - like place) and got a lot of water, diet coke, paper towels, and wine. We got a case and a half of Santa Margarita pinot grigio (our favorite) to bring back with us because it is about 50% cheaper here! I also got my ferry ticket from Road Town to St. Thomas for Saturday. We still have a few more things to do before the rally party tonight.

There are 21 boats that are doing the trip from Tortola to Bermuda. Just like the Caribbean 1500, each boat will have a tracking device so we will be able to see exactly where Bill, Cindy, and Al are each day. Pretty cool.

The link to the site (for tracking, pictures, etc.) is: http://www.carib1500.com/ac/index.htm

Village Cay

Well, we had our last sail today... it is an absolutely beautiful day, and we did a leisurely 4 knots or so from Trellis Bay to Village Cay. We are in the marina until Saturday when Bill, Cindy, and Al will take off for Cape Cod via Bermuda (there were no slips and no moorings in Newport so the boat is going directly to the Cape instead.)

Last night we had Bill from Crazy Horse and Rick from Sophisticated Lady over for happy hour and dinner at Trellis Bay. We began and ended our journey in the Virgin Islands at Trellis Bay....

We are really excited about our decision to go north this summer. It will be so nice to see all of our friends and family in VA, MD, and Mass. And Dave and Molly will be in the Chesapeake this summer. We also found out today that our friends Amy and Juan are on a new boat that will be based out of Florida and Annapolis -- so we will hopefully see them soon as well.

We are looking forward to the next stage of our adventure!!!!

For the birds....

We have noticed that in the past week or so, there has been an influx of sandpiper birds. They seem to be everywhere. We both have gotten a workout just running from the bow to the stern to shoo them away and have been woken up at least one morning by their calls to each other to “come party on the blue hulled boat.” They are taunting us….

Cane Garden, Soper's, Marina Cay

We have been having a great couple of days. On Wednesday we dropped Patrick and Jason off at Soper’s Hole so they could catch the ferry back to St. Thomas. Bill and I went back to White Bay and tried to get a mooring again -- and again, no such luck. We spent the rest of the day and the night at Little Harbor, Jost Van Dyke and enjoyed the great weather. We watched the last of the movies in the Godfather trilogy, and ate dinner on board. It has been really hot and since there has been a lack of breeze, we are really feeling it. We have also had to run the generator more than usual because we aren’t getting any charge off of the wind generator. We have started to discuss the possibility of solar panels. As Miles and Ann said – it is either always sunny or always windy – but not necessarily both at the same time.

On Thursday morning we got up early and gave it a last ditch effort to get a mooring at White Bay. We have found that at least 90% of the boats here in the BVI are charters. People come down to the islands for a week, rent a boat, and island hop. Most boats vacate the mooring field by 9 am so they can see as much as they can in a week. Since we aren’t on the same time table, we usually stay in each place for at least two days. We thought we could get a mooring at White Bay if we got there by 9:00 – the old boats would be gone, the new boats just coming in. Well….White Bay is a popular place… and we were unable to get a mooring again. And we weren’t the only ones. At 9:00 am there were 4 or 5 other boats with the same idea all vying for a mooring. But enough is enough… In November Bill and I had a fabulous four days at White Bay, and we were lucky to have been able to experience the Soggy Dollar, Ivan’s, and the beautiful beach and water then, so we decided this was our last try….

So, we went to the Bight at Norman Island. We got an outside mooring so we could snorkel from the boat and hung out. The water has been so clear (the lack of wind makes the waters calm and the visibility has been great). We saw a huge and very beautiful Leopard Ray swim right by us – which was absolutely amazing. There were a ton of fish, and the coral formations were different from any other place we have snorkeled so far. It was really nice.

On Thursday night we ate dinner on board and watched a movie. We have been using the George Forman grill that my mother gave us for Christmas a lot. We brought it to the boat with us the last time we were in DC, and have been using it ever since. It is easy to use and clean up – especially when we don’t feel like messing with the propane grill.

Friday we had a lazy start and spent the morning reading. We decided to get lunch at the Willie T’s – the floating bar that is in the Bight. We had a nice lunch and decided to hang out there for a few hours. Bill met a retired F-4 pilot who now owns a flight school and a P-51 (Bill was excited to say the least). Willie T’s is known for plenty of shenanigans and we weren’t disappointed. We saw several people jump off the roof of the boat/bar (a few with no clothes on) and lots of people getting the most out of the last few days of their vacation. We called it an early night and came back to the boat.

Our tank indicator has been broken for about two weeks. It is functioning, but not displaying, making it virtually useless – except for the high/low warning, which is still working. So we have been able to tell if we are either are high (holding tank) or low (starboard, port, and head water supplies) by the alarm – but we can’t tell which one. Saturday we realized that we are very low on water (even though we topped all of the water tanks off when we left Nanny Cay a few weeks ago). The boat is equipped with a water maker, but it takes a lot of energy to run. Since the batteries have been low (no wind = no charge), and the tanks are fairly big (300 water [port and starboard combined] + 65 head water supply [the head flushes with fresh water, which requires a separate water tank]) we thought it would be easier / better to fill at a marina. We tried to go to Nanny Cay to get fuel (Bill wants to have a full fuel tank for the passage) and water but the fuel dock was full and other boats were waiting. Since Nanny Cay is such a tight fit, we decided to try somewhere else. Currently we are enroute to Marina Cay, where we will most likely spend the night.

Island Packet did send us a new tank indicator, but we haven’t installed it yet because it is fairly tricky to do. First all the tanks have to be empty so an initial reading can be done. Then all the tanks have to be full so a “full” reading can be taken. This is hard to do when we are using the boat (we need water and don’t want a full holding tank!) and we are not entirely sure how we will tell that the holding tank is “full.” Right now we have been emptying the tank every other day or so to ensure we aren’t full. So right now we are still trying to figure out the logistics….

We have been mixing up the games (Texas Hold’em and Spades with Jason and Patrick, Mancala, Scrabble, Yahtzee) and laying off the backgammon because ever since we switched to the new board (dice and stones went down the scupper on the old board) Bill has been on a losing streak – although he is still winning by a mile….(currently the running tally is Bill = 89, Lauren 74).

The plan to do the Atlantic Cup on May 3rd still stands. Al and Cindy will be flying in next week sometime and we’ll be in Village Cay Marina in Road Town starting Wednesday to prepare the boat for the offshore passage. Until then, Bill and I are enjoying our last few days on the water in the BVI.

So we are here at Cain Garden Bay again. Don't get me wrong.... We really like this place - there are plenty of moorings, there is always live music, and it is a beautiful view (and sunset). It's just that we always end up here because we can't get into White Bay (which is my FAVORITE) on Jost! Literally the past five times we have tried to get into White Bay it has been full (i.e. the moorings are all taken; there is no where to anchor because there is a big reef) and we have had to go to either Little Harbour or here to Cain Garden. Hopefully we'll get a mooring at White Bay in the next ten days.... :)

So tonight we have Patrick and Jason on board. We played a little Texas hold'em (Patrick won!) and had a delicious pork tenderloin dinner on the new grill. The boys went to shore to check out the nightlife; I am calling it an early night.

Tomorrow looks like it is going to be another great day for weather. It has been unusually calm and very light wind (not that we are complaining). Jason and Patrick will take the ferry back on Wednesday; Bill and I will hang in the BVI until the 3rd of May when Mary Elizabeth takes off for Bermuda.

Magen's Bay

We decided to stay at Yacht Haven for a few extra days. On Friday we rented a car so we could do a lot of errands without having to walk and carry a bunch of stuff. So we used the car to pick up our laundry, go to KMart, and go to Cost-U-Less (which is like a BJs or Costco or Sam's Club). We had a little jeep and it was full of food and stuff for the boat. Cost-U-Less actually had the best fruits and vegetables that we have found on St. Thomas so far. We found places to stow all of the food and everything.

On Saturday we decided to explore the island. It sounds funny since we have spent so much time on St. Thomas, but we have never really been very far from the marina each time we are here. Thankfully Bill said he would drive because they drive on the left side of the road here. It sounds like it would be easy, but it is really strange. Plus there are crazy taxis and lots of traffic. So... we decided to drive, not really knowing where we were going, and explore. Pretty quickly we found Magen's Bay, which has been named one of the top ten beaches in the world by National Geographic Magazine. We spent a few hours hanging out, walking the beach, and swimming. It was a really beautiful day and we enjoyed ourselves.

After we left the beach, we continued driving and exploring. We went to the more secluded West End, the East End, saw the University of the Virgin Islands, went by the airport, etc. The roads are very, very hilly and narrow.

Sunday we did some more errands and chores. Bill returned the car and cleaned the cockpit cushions. We attempted to finally clean the grill (it hadn't been cleaned in a LONG time) but Bill accidentally dropped a piece of the grill in the water so.... we ended up having to get a new one.

Today we are leaving St. Thomas. Our plans are to do the BVI for a few days and end up in Village Cay Marina, Road Town on the 30th. We decided that we are going to bring the boat back to the states for the summer.

Here's why.... Venezuela, our original plan, is out of the question after talking to several other boaters. Our other options are Trinidad, the southern part of Grenada, or Aruba. Everything else in the Caribbean is too far north and is in the hurricane belt. We are getting a late start to go south, and we are worried that six months in one place that we don't know all that much about (and is far away!) might not be the best idea. We had the idea of doing Puerto Rico, DR, Bahamas, Florida - but the insurance quote we received was out of this world expensive (almost 8 times what we are paying now!) and cruising in the hurricane region isn't the greatest idea anyway.

So... Bill, Cindy, and Al are going to do the Atlantic Cup which will go from Tortola to Bermuda and leaves May 3rd. From Bermuda, they are going to take Mary Elizabeth to Newport, RI. We'll stay in Newport for a few days, and then make our way to the Cape for Al's retirement party then on to Boston for our party on the 14th!

I am not going to do the passage. I will go to St. Croix to visit Kerry for a few days, fly to DC to take care of a few things, and then fly to Boston. Andrea and I will drive to Newport to meet up with the boat the second week of May.

We are very excited with our decision. We will be close to family and friends, stay out of the hurricane belt, and get to explore the East Coast (we will go north to Maine and then make our way south).

So, we'll be out of email range for about a week. Until then....

YHG

We spent Sunday night at Cain Garden Bay. There was a beautiful sunset that night, and the boat next to us took this picture of Mary Elizabeth. They actually took a series of shots that all came out stunning and were nice enough to get our email address so they could send us the pictures.

The boat was fixed (again) at Nanny Cay on Monday. We actually got to the marina late on Sunday night and were out of there by 12 noon on Monday thanks to Ann and Miles who always make things quick.

We left Nanny Cay and decided to go to Peter Island, a short 45 minute sail. Well we were about five minutes into our "trip" when it began to rain, rain, rain. The winds picked up (we saw 30 knots for a little while) and the visibility was literally nonexistent! Poor Bill got soaked (even though he had his foul weather gear on) since the rain was coming in sideways. It let up a little as we got to the anchorage and we successfully got on a mooring. Then it started again....

It literally poured all day. It was very strange! We played a few games of scrabble, hung out, cleaned the boat, etc. and stayed out of the rain. Monday night we experienced our first HUGE thunderstorm. There was lightning, thunder, pounding rain, LOTS of wind - for about three hours!

Tuesday morning was beautiful. The seas had calmed down and we had a nice ride out of the BVI. We had the easiest experience with customs and immigration EVER and the dinghy started with one pull on two different occasions! What was going on? :) We got to St. Thomas around 3:00.

Yesterday we spent hanging out, doing our standard errands (laundry, email, food shopping, etc.). There were four cruise ships in town - so everything was crowded and took twice as long. We also cleaned out and rearranged the "office." I actually found storage for things that we had stowed in there that we never use that were taking up valuable real estate - i.e. spare part kits, lots of off shore emergency stuff, linens for the beds, etc. I think we were both amazed at how much storage Mary Elizabeth has when we really started looking. So now the things that we do use regularly are easily accessible and there is actually room for Bill when he needs to use his tools.

I also did an inventory (the librarian in me) of where everything is so when we do need to find the sleeping bags or bimini connector or extra water filters we will both know exactly where to look.

We watched the Red Sox v Yankees game last night and today we are hanging out. It's really hot today and very sunny - beautiful as always. So that's about it. Our reservation at Yacht Haven is through Saturday morning. Not 100% sure where we are going from here.

Nice bottom!

Well the boat went back in the water on Friday afternoon. It was too late in the day for us to go anywhere, so we stayed in the marina until Saturday. The boat looks great. The bottom was painted, the stainless polished, the freezer fixed, and the stuffing box was repacked. Mary Elizabeth got some serious TLC.

Bill and I enjoyed ourselves as well - it was a break from the norm staying in a hotel. We actually got to lounge by the pool one afternoon. And of course we had a really special day on Friday!

On Saturday morning we got up early and finished some chores before sailing to White Bay, Jost Van Dyke. There was no "room at the inn" so we continued on to Cain Garden Bay - which was virtually empty. It has been pretty rolly in the mooring field, but it is sunny and beautiful.

Unfortunately we have to go back to Nanny Cay either tonight (Sunday) or tomorrow morning to have the stuffing box checked again (it is dripping too fast and is really hot). We have to be out of the BVI by Tuesday since that is when our "visas" run out.

The general plan (right now!) is we are going to spend a few days in St. Thomas before heading to the Spanish Virgin Islands and / or Puerto Rico. We are thinking that we are going to go NORTH for the summer instead of going south to Trinidad. So we would hopscotch from Puerto Rico to the Dominican Republic to the Bahamas to Florida. Nothing is set in stone yet, but that is the tentative plan....




Before and after shots of the prop / rudder.

The big haul

So the boat was hauled at Nanny Cay Marina (Tortola, BVI) on Monday. To be honest, it looks so strange to see it out of the water. And big. The growth on the bottom was incredible. And everyone was surprised how fast and easy the paint came off. But...it will be good as new by the end of the week.

Since we can't stay on the boat while it is in the boatyard, we have been staying at the marina hotel. On Monday we went to dinner with Miles and Ann Poor, who Bill knows from the 1500 and who are overseeing all of the work that is being done on the boat. Yesterday we spent the morning in Road Town doing a few errands downtown. We were also able to catch part of the Red Sox game at a little outside bar that had satellite TV - which was great because it was opening day and they won! Today we spent the day exploring the marina.

So that's about it. We are told that everything will be done by Friday so we should be on our way this weekend. We do have to go to St. Thomas at some point to get our mail, but other than that....

.

(view of Peter Island from Nanny Cay)

Heading to Nanny Cay....

A few months ago we lost a dinghy oar. We were unable to find a replacement down here, so a trip to West Marine was on our "to do" list last week. Fortunately, Bill was able to order a replacement oar and have it rush shipped to VA so we could bring it back with us. The oar didn't come in until the day that we left, and since our bags were already packed (and full) Bill simply strapped it to his backpack (it comes apart into two pieces) and thought nothing of it. Well apparently an oar is on the "things that are banned from carry on luggage" list. Supposedly an oar is considered a dangerous weapon and Bill was quickly stopped by security. Thankfully we had plenty of time and were able to return to the ticket counter to have the oar checked as luggage. The airline staff very generously helped us construct a container out of cardboard and lots of tape. And it worked. Everything arrived in one piece. Who would have thought?

Besides the oar mini drama, the rest of the trip was pretty uneventful. Both of our flights were on time, which was nice.

And we have enjoyed the past few days in St. Thomas seeing everyone and basically saying goodbye. It is the time of year when everyone either heads south or north to avoid the hurricane season which starts June 1st. We are still not entirely positive which direction we will be going.... but we'll of course keep everyone posted.

On Friday we left Yacht Haven with our friends Patrick and Ariel, who took us to the other end of St. Thomas to some of their local hangouts. Here's a picture of Bill, Patrick, Ariel, and their friends playing pool.

We spent Saturday just hanging around. Bill put the "collapsible" exercise bike together, and we realized that it isn't as collapsible as we thought. It'll work though. It will be a nice way to keep up with some exercise while we are on the boat....

This morning we met our friends Juan and Amy for breakfast at the Buddha, our favorite coffee place. They head to Puerto Rico tomorrow as they begin making their way to Ft. Lauderdale for the summer.

So, that's about it. In a few minutes we will be leaving Yacht Haven (hopefully for the last time) and heading to Nanny Cay. The boat will be hauled out of the water tomorrow so the bottom can be painted and other work can be done. We'll actually be staying on the boat tonight, but we'll be in a hotel for the rest of the week.

Cheers.