We arrived in Antigua at 0700 on January 30th after an easy close reaching night sail. Having been here before we were much more relaxed arriving at Jolly Harbor and clearing in. Dr Edwards remembered Charlie and was happy to welcome him back to the island. We spent only one night at Jolly Harbor before heading over to Pigeon Beach at Falmouth Harbour for a few days.
Anchored next to us at Pigeon Beach were fellow Salty Dawgs from last year, ‘Want To’(Peggy, John). We had them over to Blue Sky to watch the sunset one evening and heard all about their sailing back up island from Grenada where they left their boat during the last hurricane season. Nice couple who shared some travel information collected while in Guadaloupe after we mentioned this was our next stop.
Beautiful ships outside Falmouth
Falmouth is a place where all the mega Sailing Yachts gather for various regattas including the Caribbean 600. We enjoy Pigeon Beach, but it can be crowded on weekends (P – and a bit rolly, especially for monohulls) and we tired of the noise quickly so we stayed only 2 nights and headed around Antigua to the east to Nonsuch Bay. There are free mooring balls at Nonsuch and lucky for us we got the one nearest the beach of Green Island. Charlie loves that beach and it made it easy to SUP or kayak him ashore a few times each day.
Beautiful yacht among a flotilla of wet bottom sailors at Falmouth, Antigua
And a few more:
Beautiful classic lines
A more modern “classic”. The height of the mast is scary.
Cruise ship with classic lines
Looking out to the point in Falmouth with a typical morning rainbow
We spent a full 10 days in Nonsuch Bay simply enjoying the beauty of the place with its barrier reef (which we snorkeled – beautiful coral). You look east across the reef and realize there is only the Atlantic Ocean between you and Africa (P – Mauritania!), amazing. It’s a kite-surfers paradise as the bay is huge and well protected by the reef, but the wind with nothing to stop it, so it always seems to be perfect conditions for that sport. P – This year we tried a hike on Green Island. Ended up being very prickly and challenging so it was not a long hike.
Tough going hiking Green Island – too many prickly things
It is a bit easier bushwhacking when you are short – if it wasn’t for those darn burrs in the paws
Finally, back at the beach
Happiness is chasing a ball in the ocean after
Friends on Rum Runner, Kalunamoo, and Judith Arlene showed up a few days into our time here. We joined them and went to Harmony Hall and had drinks on a Sunday afternoon, while the duo Steel and Keys played steel drum music. Judy and Phil on Rum Runner had us all over for drinks and a game of Farkel, a dice game that is super simple yet highly competitive. Maureen won, but she was also the score keeper so we teased her that she cheated (she totally didn’t, her skill and experience won out).
The following evening we had a musical Jam session with Rum Runner (Judy, Phil), Kalunamoo (Maureen, Bill), Judith Arlene (Judy, Ed) on board Blue Sky. We managed to have 2 guitars, two harmonicas (P – Phil who did Dylan proud), and a roll up keyboard (P – which Bill made sound better than I’ve ever heard). The girls mainly sang or acted as groupies while the guys created the music. I must thank Judy on Judith Arlene for organizing everyone for such a fun and entertaining evening (P – and spouse Ed for bringing along excellent guitar accompaniment and tabs for some fun music. He has motivated P to get back to playing a bit).
Charlie had his first dog guest on board, Nigel of Judith Arlene braved it and came aboard a few times. Charlie was mostly calm about it and Nigel is so laid back he didn’t seem bothered at all by Charlie’s few snarls. We’re working on him when we can to be around other dogs to not be so afraid of them. He’s such a people dog. We broke them in by taking them ashore in the same dinghy (Nigel’s).
The only thing we hadn’t done was have a game of Mexican Train (dominoes), so we arranged to do so again on Blue Sky since we have the largest table. We had 10 on board that night as we were joined by Folie a Deux (Ann, John). Another fun evening.
We spent a few evenings with Ann and John after the other Dawgs left (P – and enjoyed a snorkel on Bird Island reef with them – good coral, okay fish). This is how 10 days can pass in one place and you feel like you’ve been so busy. I had to get creative with my appetizers as I was running low of fresh produce. It’s standard to take an appetizer and your own drinks along to these events. We really didn’t need dinner most nights with the variety of appetizers that were available each night.
Full moon peeking out of the cloud after sunset at Nonsuch Bay
So we are now in Jolly Harbor again after a lovely sail from Nonsuch Bay on February 14th. When we arrived our aft stanchion broke at the base where the bolt had rusted and snapped. After taking it apart we discovered we need to go to the welding shop to get the old bolt remains removed and a new bolt welded on (thanks to Dr. Carl in Jolly Harbor). Meanwhile, we are busy re-provisioning and planning for our next destination, Guadeloupe (P – not to mention trying to brush up on a little French).
The wind is usually on the nose when going from BVI to St Maarten, so while we were waiting for a wind free night we sailed over to North Sound on Virgin Gorda and anchored off the beach of Prickly Pear island. Charlie enjoyed his usual romps on the beach and we enjoyed swimming off the boat. We joined friends Dan and Jackie onboard ‘Chill’ one evening to watch the movie 27 Dresses and made our usual visit to Saba Rock for happy hour. The perfect weather window was only a few days away.
We scheduled Charlie in to the vet for his export papers on January 19th. I took him in the taxi while Paul got the propane tank filled and picked up a few provisions. We all went over to clear customs and then we went for lunch at a restaurant to celebrate my birthday, since we’d be sailing overnight.
We headed out about 1430h to begin our motor to the Dutch side of the island of St Maarten. The seas were perfectly calm as we watched the islands of BVI slowly disappear behind us as night fell. It was a simple motor and no fussing with sails. What I found most fascinating about the trip was the traffic. Yes, traffic – boats going in both directions. We must have seen at least 30 other boats pass us through the night, not to mention the ones that filed in behind us upon arrival. We anchored on the Dutch side of the island by 0700h. Paul went ashore to clear us in. He mentioned the customs and immigration officers on this island to be the nicest he’s met so far.
Rugged Round Rock
A reminder that the sea is unforgiving as we head out Round Rock passage
Unbelievably flat and magical ocean as we head to St Maarten
Sunrise as we arrive in St Maarten
Once we were cleared in we enjoyed mimosas to celebrate our arrival to a new island and my birthday. P gave me a nice surprise gift of the first 4 seasons of Downton Abbey (at the time of this writing we are starting Season 3).
In St Maarten we ran into fellow Salty Dawg boats: Kalani, Kalunamoo , Judith Arlene and Chasseur. After our first explore of the island and a walk for Charlie, we joined everyone at Lagoonies in the lagoon for happy hour. It was fun to reminisce and hear everyone’s adventures so far.
Salty Dawgs enjoying happy hour at Lagoonies in the St Maarten lagoon
Charlie keeping an eye on the snorkelers at the reef at Simpson Bay
Sunset from Simpson Bay, St Maarten
We recovered our sleep over the next few days, discovered a few good pastry places, and spent lots of money at the Budget Marine (the biggest in the Caribbean). Since we were anchored in Simpson bay, we had a good snorkel over to the reef (swimming distance) discovering only so-so coral and fish – but surprise, an old auto graveyard with pieces scattered about. Curious about what boat sunk there and when.
We also had a few more events at Lagoonies with our friends while we waited for a Fed Ex package to arrive. Oddly enough the package ended up being sent via UPS so the Fed Ex office wouldn’t accept it. Lucky for us we happened to be having a pastry at the café next to the Fed Ex office when the UPS guy called. So P went out to the street and was able to get the package directly from the UPS driver.
We were happy to finally get the package so we could plan to continue down island on the BVI export permit for Charlie before it expired. We left Sint Maarten on January 29th and sailed directly to Antigua. A little rain over St Kitts on the way to Antigua
Sun setting over St Kitts and Nevis on the way to Antigua
We enjoyed these truffles with friends on Rum Runner one night while in Nonsuch Bay, Antigua. I loved that Judy said, ‘Let’s start with dessert’ and everyone raved at the taste. So easy to make as well.
INGREDIENTS
1 (8 oz) package of pitted dates (approx. 1 ¾ cups)
1 (6 oz) package of pecans, soaked 2-4 hours and drained (approx. 1 ½ cups)
1 TBSP organic cacao powder
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
½ cups dried, shredded coconut (divided)
DIRECTIONS
-Partially chop dates
-Add all ingredients (except ½ the coconut) into a blender or food processor and blend until the mixture forms a ball
-Roll mixture into bite size balls and roll each one in remaining shredded coconut for coating
-Refrigerate until ready to serve
In follow-up to our recent guest blogger’s blog, I thought I should add my take on the experience of having a mystery guest aboard. I’ll begin with the night of Leslie’s arrival, New Year’s Eve. I was excited to have a guest on board, even someone I’d never met, but felt at ease with through the Women Who Sail site and our Facebook chats and emails. We rarely have guests, and I was feeling a little melancholy when hearing our cruising friends boast about their numerous guests scheduled to visit during the season. Knowing the chances of family coming for a visit this season was unlikely, it was this nagging need of mine that inspired me to ask Paul if we could say yes to Leslie’s request for a sailing adventure during her break from daily mothering. I responded to her on Facebook and the following morning she’d booked her flight.
With that we cleaned up the guest room. Paul removed all his tools and I readied the bed, cleaned the head and put out our new guest towels. I love the look of our guest room when it is ready and awaiting a guest.
Leslie arrived on New Year’s Eve around 7pm. I had made chili and rice, knowing that she’d be hungry after her travels. We then enjoyed a few cocktails as we got to know each other better. Fast forward a few hours and Leslie is asking, “can we swim?” I’m thinking, it’s dark, we don’t swim in the dark. But anyone who knows Leslie, knows she can be convincing and she got both Paul and I to swim with her. Yes, I was nervous stepping into that dark water, and I only swam to the bow of the boat and back, but I did it. I stepped away from my fear and went for it. Would I do it again, probably not, but I’ve done it and it was exhilarating.
Shortly after our swim, Leslie retired for a rest in the hopes she’d wake back up for midnight. Travel has a way of wearing you out. She slept straight through to the next morning. Paul and I enjoyed the movie ‘Almost Famous’ on the computer, which Leslie kindly brought along with her. We made it to midnight and then also retired for the night.
Speaking of bringing things, you’ll find if you are ever visiting a cruiser, you’ll likely be asked to bring something with you from the mainland. I asked her to bring a few movies along and some onion powder. Yes, I have trouble finding certain spices and this was one I didn’t think I’d run out of so didn’t have a second one on hand when I ran out.
Since Leslie explained in her blog the places we went, I’ll focus on my joy in having a guest on board. First, I’ve found since cruising that I really do enjoy cooking and have found many recipes that I like making and sharing. Leslie did tell me she wasn’t a fan of curry so she missed out on 2 of my very favorite recipes, but I had plenty of other recipes to cook up. She asked for a few recipes, and rather than write them out for her and for others who’ve asked in the past, I have since had Paul set up a recipe tab on the blog, so I can now share these as I go along. So for Leslie, fellow cruisers, and friends on shore who want to try a few new recipes, feel free to try some of those I post and let me know what you think.
Back to the joy of having Leslie aboard, it’s like I’ve known her all my life. Strange as that sounds, she was a lot of fun. Her enthusiasm for sailing and being here was pure joy. It made us feel good, but it also reminded us of how lucky we are, to be floating about, exploring places, and experiencing things like night sailing. Leslie showed us our life through her eyes and that was a gift.
That night sail was one of the best sails we’d ever experienced on this boat. I remember back to the days when this was just a dream and night sailing was a fear of mine. That last night sail was so far from being fearful and I now wonder what all my fussing and fear was about. Just another of those tricks my mind plays with me.
We went places we normally wouldn’t have gone (Soggy Dollar Bar), did things we normally wouldn’t have done (swim at night, swim ashore), and made a new friend out of pure faith. From the bottom of my heart, I’m so grateful for the Women Who Sail site, for Margaret who invited me to join the site about 1 year ago, and for Leslie for putting it out there and asking if anyone would be willing, for my wonderful husband who said sure, let’s go for it, and lastly for Leslie, bravely coming into unknown waters with us and inspiring us to step out of our norm and see this wonderful life through her eyes.
After spending 5 days doing as much as possible for our guest, P and I needed some down time. This means, let’s go somewhere, drop the hook and not move for a bit. We headed to Beneurs Bay on Norman Island. Here we sat for 8 days and nights. We got ourselves into some yoga, snorkeling, swimming, making water, reading, taking Charlie ashore, taking hikes over the island to the Bight, and star gazing. This is how our days are when we are just us.
The hike from Benures Bay to the Bight:
Blue Sky in Benures with Peter Island in the background
Many butterflies on the hike to the Bight on Norman
Many butterflies on our hike
Stopping for a breather on the ridge between Benures and the Bight
Beautiful south side bay on Norman just before we got to the Bight on the North Side
At last, coming down the bill into the Bight. St John’s in the background
Hiking the ridge between Benures and the Bight
Coming down the switchback nearing the end of the hike
Charlie after a gecko. What he can’t see is it is on this side of the tree laughing. Can you spot it?
[Paul] And some fish from the snorkeling. What is missing is an amazing encounter with a peacock flounder. I didn’t have my camera but pictures on the internet are great. I was watching some fish on the bottom when suddenly the flounder appeared out of nowhere and grabbed something, startling me. It turned a brilliant purple, swam along for a little ways then settled into the sand and if by magic turned into a textured version of the sand barely visible – purple gone. And once you turn your head away, you couldn’t find it again. Who knows how many flounders I have seen while thinking I was looking at sand and this was in about 12 feet of water.
Fish convention in Benures
Hiding in the coral
Crab Gwyn spotted about 30 feet down in Benures
[Gwyn] We also spend time trying to get on the internet and update the blog. This can be a long slog in the islands when the internet seems best only in the very early morning hours or the very late evening hours. Everything in between is a slog that we’ve resigned ourselves to. Our friends from Chill joined us in the bay after their return from Christmas in the US. We’ve since followed them back over to North Sound where we are now as I write this.
It’s been a wonderful start to 2015. I look forward to stepping onto new islands this season and having more visitors. For now we are readying ourselves to make a passage to St Martin/Sint Maarten, weather permitting, we hope to leave the afternoon of Monday the 19th of January.
[Paul] Just recently received some more photos from Leslie that had gotten missed in the first post. As Leslie explained in her post, on Jan 3 she and Gwyn took a hike from Bitter End to Byras creek and back after which we sailed from North Sound through Trellis bay to Cane Garden Bay then explored ashore that evening and the next AM before sailing to Jost (photos are in chronological order). Be sure to click the photo for a larger lightbox presentation that you can then cycle through.
A view from Byras Creek Resort (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Leslie at Byras Creek (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Enjoying the view of the windward Atlantic at Byras Creek (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Peekaboo look into North Sound from the Byras Creek resort (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Beautiful walk at the Byras Creek resort (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Quaint cafe at Byras Creek end of hike (Virgin Gorda means fat virgin) (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Who needs a stairmaster! Part of the hike from Bitter End to Byras creek (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Gwyn waiting for P in the dinghy to get back to Blue Sky after the hike (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Passing by Marina Cay and its protective reef as we head into Trellis Bay (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
A little maintenance on a unique boat in Trellis Bay (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Small house on the hill in Cane Garden Bay (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Brilliantly colored homes hanging on the hill in Cane Garden Bay (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Sun heading down in Cane Garden Bay (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Running free at Cane Garden Bay – happy boy (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Sunset from Cane Garden Bay after a very busy day (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Small homes on the hill in Cane Garden Bay (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Moonrise over Cane Garden Bay (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Some “greenery” by GreenVI glass studio (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Stunning Christmas tree created from Heineken bottles by GreenVI Glass Studio (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Having fun grinding in the genny (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Just before Christmas, Gwyn responded to a post on Women Who Sail from Leslie, a single mom who had a short window without her son at the beginning of January and was looking for a Caribbean sailing experience. We invited her to experience the BVI on Blue Sky if she could get her passport or the USVI otherwise. Inviting a total stranger aboard is not something we would normally do but our Christmas spirit and empathy developed from both of us having been single parents during part of our lives pushed us to take the leap. After Leslie arrived at Soper’s Hole and we established that none of us were ax murderers, we had a wonderful 5 days together. We invited Leslie to write a blog entry of the experience and have included some of her photos courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com. So here it is, starting in Soper’s Hole (or West End of Tortola):
Soper’s Hole welcome kitty (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Pusser’s Landing in Soper’s Hole (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Tug that has seen better days in Soper’s Hole (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
(Leslie) Sailing aboard sv Blue Sky in the BVI over the New Year holiday, with gracious hosts Gwyn and Paul, was a dream come true for a newly-single mom with a mere, but rare, 5 days child-free to recharge my batteries. My hosts took better care of me than I often do myself. Gwyn miraculously whipped up savory dishes each day that stretched my taste buds to new levels with her vegan cuisine. She is a magician in the galley – making preparing meals look easy – even under sail. Each dish was simple, but elegant with delightful textures and flavors. She claims that they often eat from bowls these days. But, that certainly did not diminish anything about our meals in any capacity. In particular, I enjoyed her vegan Jambalaya, black bean burgers, Dal, cole slaw, and home made granola. With the use of a pressure cooker, she also whipped together a potato salad that rivaled most that I had ever tasted. I told her that she needs to publish a cook book for sailors.
Our days began with a cup or three of flavorful coffees, which changed daily, from Paul’s collection of tasty beans, freshly ground each morning and served from a french press carafe. Not a breakfast person, I tended to have my breakfast late, after a dip in the warm, turquoise waters of the BVI. Next I was offered my options of the day: long sail or short sail? Snorkeling, hiking, beach? While my time aboard was relatively short, in island time – as there is so very much to see and do – I felt like we squeezed so much into my 5 days there.
Fish at the Caves
Fish at the Caves
Fish at the Caves
Fish at the Caves
Great find at the caves – a spotted eagle ray
Tell me they don’t have personality! This guy decided to take a close look at Paul with a Sergeant Major in the background
We snorkeled at the caves at Norman Island, “stern-tied” at Peter Island, enjoyed mimosas, paddle boarded, kayaked, and had a spectacular 5 hour sail, tacking against the wind all the way to Virgin Gorda’s North Sound.
West Dog island – great snorkeling which we skipped on the way to North Sound Virgin Gorda
Mosquito island in North Sound seen outside the barrier reef entering the sound (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
New accommodations (private, Sir Richard Branson) on Mosquito Island with Virgin Gorda in the background (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Bitter End suites at the Bitter end yacht club. Triangular roofs are more resistant to hurricanes (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Gwyn counting down distance to mooring ball where we stayed overnight in front of Saba Rock (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Ferry headed off to Saba Rock from Bitter End Resort (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Mimosa time! Celebrating the new year (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
We then dinghied to Saba Rock, where we enjoyed a couple of their signature “Painkiller” cocktails topped with fresh nutmeg in the setting sun. There we also witnessed the nightly feeding of the tarpons.
Gwyn and Leslie relaxing at Saba Rock (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Paul & Gwyn relaxing at Saba Rock (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Leslie feeling no pain at Saba Rock after a long sail and a Painkiller (or two)
Feeding the tarpon at Saba Rock (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Feeding the tarpon at Saba Rock (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Feeding the tarpon at Saba Rock (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Feeding the tarpon at Saba Rock (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Feeding the tarpon at Saba Rock (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
We also watched some crazy para-sail boarders doing tricks in and out of the water (not sure what that is really called [P – kiteboarding or kitesurfing if in waves]- but it was a sight to behold.) I captured quite a few action shots on my Canon. One, in particular that really blew my sock off was when a boarder jumped over a dinghy with two passengers, who looked as amazed as we did, from the looks captured on their faces as they also photographed the stunt overhead.
Kiteboarder at Saba getting up some speed and going to windward (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Kiteboarder taking a jump off Saba Rock (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Amazing leap over a dinghy at Saba Rock (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
We hiked the trails at Virgin Gorda which offered amazing views of the ocean from the exclusive resort at the top of the island. (The resort name escapes me [P – Biras Creek Resort]) [P – and there were also many beautiful ships in North Sound]
Beautiful walk at the Bitter End with a hidey hole for the occasional rain shower (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Viewing the somewhat wilder ocean exposed SE part of Virgin Gorda from Byras Creek resort (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
A gorgeous sloop in North Sound (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
A beautiful old sloop sailing in North Sound Virgin Gorda (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Beautiful restored steamer (now diesel electric) Nahlin in North Sound. Built in 1930 (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
The only damper to my trip was a severe allergy attack that swelled my face and eyes almost closed. Surely a result of all of the blooming flowers that I stopped to enjoy along our hike in Virgin Gorda. Their sweet pup, Charlie, took a shine to me, and to prove it provided many kisses, some of which landed inside my nose! Which, along with the allergies, snorkeling and sun, probably didn’t help my sinus condition. But, I was not about to let any of that ruin my fun – so a little allergy medicine (that Paul happened to have on board) and some ice packs to reduce my puffy eyes, and we were off to the next destination – Cane Garden Bay on the North side of Tortola.
We took our time one day, bopping around the shops in Cane Garden to pick up more gifts to bring home to family and friends, visited a glass artist who recycles bottles from the island for his art, and had a little quiet time on the beach, before heading back to the boat for our next adventure. When we returned to the boat, there was a rather large fish that had taken a liking to our hulls and didn’t want to leave. We captured a few photos of it – unsure exactly what it was – but we thought that it might have been a barracuda. I was hot and dusty from being ashore and desperately needed a dip in the water, but stayed on the ladder – to be ‘safe’. Later, upon inspection of the photos, Paul identified it as a barracuda, based on it’s front fins – top and bottom, one above the other. So, yes, I swam – sort of – with a barracuda. Crazy.
Yet another barracuda adopted our boat in Cane Garden Bay. Leslie had a short dip with him/her before we figured out the species
Stand up paddleboarding, Leslie style
The only way to go! Kayak paddle and a little refreshment aboard in Cane Garden Bay
Paul came through on his promise to let me sail the boat to our next destination, Jost Van Dyke, which was an adventure in itself. I learned to read, follow and use his various digital instruments and navigation system and now – after seeing how heavy the boat was, I appreciate the need for autopilot! A Lagoon 420 does NOT respond as quickly as other boats that I have sailed, and man those sails are heavy! I insisted I try to haul them up by hand – poopooing the electric winches. Silly me! Pretty much impossible. Anyway, we made it without my sailing the boat into an island or a reef, much to Gwyn’s relief, and we carefully squeezed our way into the cozy harbor on Jost Van Dyke and dropped anchor. This particular cove/harbor is home to the famous “Soggy Dollar Bar”, where one must swim ashore for one’s drinks.
Charlie sitting at the helm under sail (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Paul happily sailing Blue Sky (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Leslie hands on trimming the genoa under sail (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Trimming that genoa can be a real challenge. Focus! (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
VIew from our salon of the Sunday party at Jost’s White Bay. Leslie, Paul, Gwyn and Charlie swam ashore to join the fun (with our soggy dollars, of course) (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Two beautiful women at the Soggy Dollar Bar
The Soggy Dollar was a new destination for my hosts as well. I brought them out of their usual routine with my request to go there based on recommendations from friends, and they also seemed to enjoy the people watching at this crazy place. Little Charlie, suited up with his life preserver, also made the swim safely ashore with us, with only one stop at a neighboring boat where he did a straight shot to their swim ladder and was hauled out of the water for a quick breather before swimming the rest of the way ashore. Later that evening, after yet another tasty and nutritious meal and a cocktail, I twisted Paul’s arm to join me ashore for one last drink at the bar for my last night while Gwyn kept the boat safe and watched the rest of the movie “Sideways” which I had brought for them. Upon arrival at the bar, much to my surprise, the bar keep plopped two large cups of ice, a giant jug of rum and a giant jug of mixer in front of us when we ordered our Painkillers. “You make them. That way they are not too weak, and not too strong.” Next came the fresh nutmeg and grinder to top it off. Wow! Best 19 bucks I have ever spent!
Birds were always beautiful (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Birds are always beautiful (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Birds are always beautiful (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Birds are always beautiful (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Sunset from Jost (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Sunset from Jost almost down (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
Sunset from Jost on last day! (courtesy of www.fraserrustics.com)
The final joy of my stay was yet to come. Upon returning to the boat, Gwyn informed us that the anchor had dragged a considerable distance and the neighboring yacht owners had been coming on deck regularly to inspect the possibility of disaster. A decision was discussed. Re-anchor and head out early, or moonlight sail? Well…. a full moon sail [P – close hauled in 20 kts wind], only ones on the water, full wind in both sails, no engine, sitting on the bow with a glass of tasty red in my hand was the cherry atop the most marvelous journey that I can remember. Tears poured down my checks, and my throat tightened with joy as I drank in the beauty of the moonlight on the waves, the feel of the boat dipping and rising with the swell, and the spay of the ocean upon my face. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. For surely, this live-aboard life IS heaven upon our earth.
Thus came the end to my travels, with gracious and kind hosts, Gwyn, Paul and Charlie, with promises to reconnect when they sail to my usual sailing destination of Maine. I feel I have made friends for life, and will cherish the memories, laughs, shared stories and photos of my trip for a lifetime. My enormous leap of faith paid off. Dreams do come true, if you only ask.
Leslie off to Charlotte Amalie and home. It was great having you!
