So we finally got back into the water but ended up staying dockside for the weekend while waiting for our bow roller to be straightened. Unbelievably it arrived back looking like new and P happily paid the modest fee for correcting his blunder of letting the boat get a bit sideways while anchoring. The good news is we know the new anchor is very strong and P now knows all about taking bow rollers on and off. So Monday with the new roller installed, we both found our selves eager to go somewhere else – now. So we thought Norman Island would be a joy to revisit. Unfortunately the prevailing NE trade winds decided to be SE trade winds (in our face) blowing at 25 to 30kts, so we had another bash into the wind to get to Norman. I guess we are getting a bit salty, literally and figuratively. Literally because on a bash like that, the boat, you and everything else ends us nicely salted – so much so you are happy to greet the next rain cloud. But we were (figuratively) happy to be underway rather than fighting mosquitoes and lots of dirt during our sojourn ashore. What’s a little salt? Besides the sunset was worth the trip in and of itself.
Then there is all the stuff we enjoy at Norman – snorkeling, the caves, critters on shore. Stuff that puts a smile on your face and helps you forget about the bad weather and stuff that breaks.
The Indians and Tortola from the Bight on Norman IslandNorman Island snorkeling areaP and Charlie sneaking up on a cave in the kayakG headed toward the Caves on Norman
As I write this, the last bits of painting are being done to the boat. New antifoul paint is important to keep the growth of barnicles, etc. from taking over. This annual paint along with weekly bottom scrubs by us while we are in the water will keep Blue Sky happy when under way.
While the boat was being painted, Paul installed the new folding props. He needed some help getting the old props off. These we”ll keep for spares. When he removed one of the props, he discovered some old fishing line tangled around the shaft. Who knows how long it’s been there as it was not visible until the prop was removed. Again we feel blessed that it didn’t cause any issues.
I spent time walking the dog and making a batch of Ginger Snap granola (a new favorite breakfast). This morning Charlie and I cleared the accumulated 6-8″ of rain from the dinghy which we left tied to the dock during the haul out. I can’t believe the amount of rain that has fallen in the last 48 hours. They call them Christmas rains. Paul was talking with the painter who said he’s lived here 15 years, and this is the first time he’s seen this much rain in November and December. I guess we can count ourselves lucky to have been here to see it. It’s not so bad. You can give your hair a rainwater rinse. Even shower in it if you are so inclined and it’s still warm, so not complaining.
On this morning’s walk, Charlie and I were greeted by 5 goats at the entrance to the boat yard. They stood their ground while we sidelined them to get to the sidewalk. They seem friendly enough, but you never know, so we kept our distance. They, like most animals on the island, have the freedom to roam where they want. One of them wagged it’s tail at Charlie. I think he was curious about our little pup.
Blue Sky heading back to the water with new paint and propsSo how do you roll around a 30,000 pound cat? Easy with one of these toys.Moving from the hard to the soft, water that is
Charlie loves paddle board or kayak and hops on and off readily
Monday was one of those perfect blue sky days. Charlie and I were on the paddleboard before 9 am. We headed to the beach. While I combed the beach, Charlie managed to get himself into a patch of burrs. His fur is like velcro and the burrs were sharp little things. I managed to pull them out one by one. We were met at the beach by Paul, who kayaked over. After heading back to the boat we decided to go snorkeling again. This time I put Charlie on the paddleboard while I snorkeled. I was able to tie him to a dinghy mooring line which kept him near me. The snorkeling was great. So many fish to wander with. After snorkeling, we put up the sails and had a pleasant drift sail from Norman island, back to Soper’s Hole on Tortola. The skies were clear all day and evening, which has been rare. Most days we see rain showers.
New Flexofold in open positionFlexofold doing what it supposed to – fold
Tuesday we woke early to ready the boat for it’s haul out. We are having the bottom painted as well as installing new folding props. We’ll be living on the hard for a few days. For the first few hours, we both felt like we were moving. The motion of the ocean really gets under your skin. No sooner was the boat out of the water, and the rain came down in sheets. This has happened three times so far. You can’t paint a wet boat, so the prep work is done and we wait for the clouds to clear again. The plan was a few days on the hard, but my guess is it will double at least.
Fishing line wrapped in starboard prop – luckily didn’t break the saildrive sealOur old fixed pitch prop
Meanwhile, Charlie is enjoying the extra walks and we are doing other tasks on board while we have shore power. I’ll try to get some photos uploaded to the blog soon.
Quick wiring job so we could get our anchor down/upNew Rocna held too well! That piece of metal to the right of the roller should go straight like on the left. It is heavy steel.
Yesterday we sailed from Road Town Tortola over to Jost Van Dyke. Prior to departing we put sail tape on a tear we discovered in the sail. Hoping it will hold enough until we can locate some sail fabric for a proper repair. Upon arrival to Jost, as we prepared to anchor we discovered that our remote for the anchor windlass would not work. So I idled the boat in a circle while P investigated. It seems that corrosion took place on the connector. After fiddling to fix it to no avail, P decided to remove the connector and hard wire it. Was no fun in 25 gusting to 35 knot winds with 4 foot swell and wind chop – but it worked.
An hour or so later, we were ready to try anchoring again. Now the problem was where, given that all the best spots were now taken and the wind decided to perk up to 25-35 knots. We found a spot, let the anchor down and had a wind gust turn the boat sideways just as the anchor took hold. This caused the anchor roller to bend. We’re talking about a heavy duty piece of steel. With that being the third issue of the day, and stormy weather all around we reversed course and headed to Soper’s Hole to pick up a mooring ball for the night. Next thing we know is large party cat moors behind us and proceeds to play loud party music from dusk until dawn. We are ready for some quiet. Tomorrow we will head to another island for a few days. We do have to be back at Soper’s Hole on Tuesday morning to be hauled for a bottom paint job and to install our new props.
Soper’s hole – one of many rainbows = rain
It’s not all fun and games, but it is warm and that beats winter.
Salty Dawg Coffee Mug courtesy of Bamboushay Pottery, Tortola BVI
P installed a WiFi extender the other day. It took a bit of listening to his grumbling through poor instructions and trying things, but he finally got it working. This means we now have access to the free WiFi on shore, while moored. So I’ve been trying to catch up on emails, etc. from the comforts of home. Bad news is, Charlie isn’t getting ashore as often.
I haven’t yet shared with you about the benefits and bonuses we’ve experienced as being a part of the Salty Dawg Rally. We have free mooring at the Bitter End Yacht Club on Virgin Gorda from our arrival through December 20th. They also gave us a free night on the dock, which we took advantage of the other night. We did have to pay for power and water, but it was worth it to get everything fully charged, do laundry, and fill up the water tanks. We try to give back to the BEYC by filling our fuel tanks and enjoying happy hours at their restaurants. Oh, we also have free access to their pool, which I used once so far. I have yet to attend the free yoga classes on dock at 7:45am, 3 times per week, and we have yet to use our free 2 hour watersport rental. Not too shabby for a free rally. This is making it hard for us to leave this lovely little location, but we do need to leave one of these fine days as we have run out of fresh greens. I’m down to 1 potato, 4 onions, and a bulb of garlic, plus a few apples and grapefruits. In the freezer there are peas, mango chunks and a bit of ginger.
Another bonus of the rally, was an event night last Thursday. It did cost a nominal amount, but it included a meal and a cash bar. We got to share our tales of the trip with fellow cruisers, meeting those we’d heard on the radio along the way. The Bamboushay Pottery store provided each boat with a souvenir hand made coffee mug. We also received a discount card from the Rite Way grocery store, plus other discounts from various other retailers/providers on the islands. I can tell you this has certainly made us happy that we joined this rally. We do know that the rally has grown so much in the past few years that they will be requiring memberships to join in the future just to offset some of the overhead costs. Given the bonuses, we’ll be joining.
Tomorrow is US thanksgiving. Some of the boats are planning a potluck at the beach in the afternoon. We are undecided if we’ll go. At this point I believe we’ll be heading over to Road Town, Tortola to get some groceries. That said, we were planning to leave yesterday to do that and we’re still here. We said we’d plan very little, and that’s why we will go when we go. Life is treating us well so why stress about what’s next.
