Hi, whew! Another overnight for Ilene the sailor. We left Roadtown, Tortola at 3 PM on Sunday which is a day earlier than planned. The forecast called for mild winds from the northeast and the Captain predicted a more comfortable sail for his crew (me). As it turned out the wind was mild but from the east south east and so since it was on our nose and light, we motored the whole way. As we left the BVIs, passing between ginger Island and Round Rock, we entered the Caribbean at last. The line of islands from Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and the Virgins mark the border between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic to the north, and the Caribbean to the south. Roger was so excited to be going where he had never sailed before.
It turned darkish by 6 PM and Roger and I...as is our new custom, showered in the cockpit. It is one of my favorite activities as it keeps the cabin cleaner and an out door shower is something I've always enjoyed.
We had the auto pilot on the whole way and we arrived in Marigot Bay on St. Martin at about 7:30 the following morning. It is really dark out in the ocean at night, particularly after the moon set at about midnight. Our watch schedule was pretty haphazard. Roger tried to sleep after dinner (pan fried steak & onions with toasted cheese bread all cooked by moi on a gimbled stove and oven) at about 8 but I woke him up for some reason at about 10:30. He then continued to take cat naps of an hour or so every so often and I kept watch in those intervals. I tried not to let my mind freak me out by thoughts of how little we are in this vast ocean and how if something went wrong I would die. I don't understand the morbidity of those thoughts and the good news is that I was able to comfort myself by remembering how confident Roger is in his abilities and how much I trust him and how safe he makes me feel. I played music in the cockpit during my watches and it really makes the time go faster for me. No-one can hear me sing, not even Roger as the noise of the engine muffles any sound I make.!
Shortly before dawn as we were within 10-15 miles of our destination, the traffic picked up. Before that time we saw the lights of only 3 other ships throughout the many dark hours. But in that last couple of hours we saw the very bright and large lit silhouette of what were obviously cruise ships very slowly making their way to the same island. One of the ships, Ventura, was so close to us that Roger got on the VHF and said "Cruiseship heading for Marigot Bay this is the sailing vessel Ilene two miles off your bow, over." At two miles off, at night, all lighted up, he looked even bigger than he was. He identified himself and said he was actually on his way to the Dutch- side port of Philipsburg, and turned to the right to pass behind us. Roger thanked him.
So, after anchoring in the bay outside town we ate a hearty breakfast and napped. The breakfast was good but the nap delicious. Roger and I then headed by dink at about 2:30 to check into immigration...we bought a new sim card for local phone, and we walked around Marigot getting a bit familiar with the town. We investigated a luxury marina called Port Louis and then walked to Simpson Lagoon and found Port Royale Marina where we moved to today. We are on a fore and aft mooring and have showers, laundry and internet access for 40 euros for the week. Pretty cheap!
I should mention that this overnight was a first for Whitty & Alpha Girl. They love it at night! All they wanted was to be out of the cabin and moving about the ship. I understand that they see better at night, but I don't! They would sit at the top of the companionway and either meow or, their new and destructive trick: scratch at the screen on the cafe doors and have so far ruined one of the four panels. Why do I think they are so damn cute! We had on life jackets, harnesses and tethers which were attached to a line secured in the cockpit and could yell if we fell over. They did not have such gear on and so in the end I relented, put on their collars and leashes and gave them rein of the cockpit, but not the rest of the boat. To say they don't like leashes would be an understatement. We have to go now but we are really getting closer to posting photos. Come back tomorrow and you will see!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Of f to St. Martin This Afternoon
The weather report suggests that we make the 95 mile overnight passage today, while the winds are light and from the northeast. If we leave this afternoon, after checking out in customs, in daylight, we should get in tomorrow, also in daylight. The night passage will make viewing other boats (the only "obstacles" we should see between here and there) easier than by day and the NE winds will let us go straight SE, rather than have to tack back and forth, which would add at least another 1/3 to the mileage required. The light winds will mean motoring, but that will be more pleasant for Lene than beating into big waves.
Friday I had a glorious solo sail from the Bight on Norman Island to North Cove on Virgin Gorda, to pick up Ilene from the hotel there. The wind was strong but from the SE so I was able to do the whole passage under small jib and reefed mainsail on a starboard tack, with no tacking, at speeds of up to 8.1 knots, and averaging about 6.5. I saw a squall coming, so hauled in the jib until it passed and then flew it again. On our trip to North Cove together we had passed west of the dogs, a group of islands in the middle, and this time I passed to the east of them.
I picked up the mooring in North Cove on the fourth try, cleaned up the boat a bit for Lene's benefit and then dinked in to get her and her luggage. The wifi signal from the hotel reached the moored boat so I wrote a book report to my Book Group on Edward Said's Out of Place, before leaving for the night's destination: Marina Cay. On the way we passed between The Dogs, on a single port tack, making for the trifecta of every way to get around or through these craggy islands. Marina Cay is a tiny island with a small hotel and Pussers' restaurant, which has a long reef protruding west on its south side. The reef does not cut the wind but keeps waves out of the anchorage where we joined September Song and About Time for another overpriced dinner out. The mooring field was less than 1/2 filled in contrast to other years when it would have been hard to find an emty one at that time of day. So business here is suffering along with the rest of the world.
Saturday the Harlem boys all came over for cinnamon sauteed apple filled pancakes, coffee and juice, and they brought their leftover foodstuffs so we have a lot less food to buy for a while.
We sailed to The Baths, an unusual rock formation of huge boulders at waters edge on the west (sheltered) side of the south tip of Virgin Gorda. We took a mooring for an hour, snorkeled, I went ashore to rock scramble through the boulders, showered, and then set sail for Road Town. So obviously, I am very pleased to report, Lene's sun poisoning is much better; her remaining pimples are smaller and less itchy. On the sail over I found a corner of the cockpit sheltered from the sun by the bimini cover and used a big towel for her legs.
On the sail back, the winds got so light, an unusual occurence for these parts, that we motored, filled up with diesel for the passage to St. Martin, took a Conch Charter mooring, and dined with the six Harlem guys at the Dove, an expensive restaurant, but worth it, with fine dining in an unusual setting. During our walk back to Conch we said our goodbyes to them until our return in May.
Friday I had a glorious solo sail from the Bight on Norman Island to North Cove on Virgin Gorda, to pick up Ilene from the hotel there. The wind was strong but from the SE so I was able to do the whole passage under small jib and reefed mainsail on a starboard tack, with no tacking, at speeds of up to 8.1 knots, and averaging about 6.5. I saw a squall coming, so hauled in the jib until it passed and then flew it again. On our trip to North Cove together we had passed west of the dogs, a group of islands in the middle, and this time I passed to the east of them.
I picked up the mooring in North Cove on the fourth try, cleaned up the boat a bit for Lene's benefit and then dinked in to get her and her luggage. The wifi signal from the hotel reached the moored boat so I wrote a book report to my Book Group on Edward Said's Out of Place, before leaving for the night's destination: Marina Cay. On the way we passed between The Dogs, on a single port tack, making for the trifecta of every way to get around or through these craggy islands. Marina Cay is a tiny island with a small hotel and Pussers' restaurant, which has a long reef protruding west on its south side. The reef does not cut the wind but keeps waves out of the anchorage where we joined September Song and About Time for another overpriced dinner out. The mooring field was less than 1/2 filled in contrast to other years when it would have been hard to find an emty one at that time of day. So business here is suffering along with the rest of the world.
Saturday the Harlem boys all came over for cinnamon sauteed apple filled pancakes, coffee and juice, and they brought their leftover foodstuffs so we have a lot less food to buy for a while.
We sailed to The Baths, an unusual rock formation of huge boulders at waters edge on the west (sheltered) side of the south tip of Virgin Gorda. We took a mooring for an hour, snorkeled, I went ashore to rock scramble through the boulders, showered, and then set sail for Road Town. So obviously, I am very pleased to report, Lene's sun poisoning is much better; her remaining pimples are smaller and less itchy. On the sail over I found a corner of the cockpit sheltered from the sun by the bimini cover and used a big towel for her legs.
On the sail back, the winds got so light, an unusual occurence for these parts, that we motored, filled up with diesel for the passage to St. Martin, took a Conch Charter mooring, and dined with the six Harlem guys at the Dove, an expensive restaurant, but worth it, with fine dining in an unusual setting. During our walk back to Conch we said our goodbyes to them until our return in May.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Catch Up
Here I sit in a lovely room at the Saba Rock Resort on Virgin Gorda while Roger is off sailing with his buddies from the Harlem Yacht Club. I thought about coming home to recuperate from this sun poisoning but checking into a hotel seemed a lot easier. The rash is definitely getting better and I am less itchy. Roger will come for me on Friday or Saturday and hopefully the rash will be mostly gone and won't come back. In 1993 I spent a week in the Bahamas and this same thing happened. I need to make sure I stay very protected from the sun because this has not been fun!
So, where were we? I have the computer here in the hotel room and Roger asked me to post about our activities during the last few days IN HIS STYLE which means in great detail. I'm afraid I have neither the talent nor inclination. Sorry, honey. I'll do my best to at least give you a summary.
On Thursday of last week we were still sailing around St. John, USVI. To be anywhere on St. John is to love the island. It is truly gorgeous. We spent Thursday night on a mooring in Leinster Bay. We went for a hike and snorkeled and ate dinner on board. A beautiful and tranquil day, and I am still feeling fine!
Friday had us sailing just a few miles before we turned into Maho Bay. Roger brought me a tee shirt from here when he last sailed these islands. There is a resort here unlike any I have ever known or seen. Maho Bay is large and, again, plenty of moorings for which you pay $15 through an honor system by dropping your cash or credit card special form in a lock box located on a raft in the middle of the bay. You find a wooden staircase in the middle of the beach and you climb and you climb and you climb. I think it is about 200 steps up to the communal restaurant. Friday night is Prime Rib night and the food was excellent. You go up to the bar, place your order and pay. They call your name when the food is ready and you go and get it. While you are waiting for your name to be called, you help yourself to the fresh salad bar. The views are beautiful as they are all over St. John. We met a woman who was vacationing by herself and she joined us. There are lean-to's all over the mountain with screened in walls, a small refrigerator, a bed or two and a small terrace. We learned from our table mate that price to stay in this paradise is $60 per night for a single and $80 for a double. Amazing! If you love the beach and hanging out this is a great place to go.
We left Maho early on Saturday and we went back to Sopers Hole to check back into the BVI. I did a laundry and Roger did some blogging. We then sailed to Roadtown to meet up with the HYC contingent. On Sunday we all sailed to Cooper Island. This is yet another pristine island where all one has to do is pick up a mooring and don a bathing suit and jump in...which I did. We all ate together (there are 14 of us now!) at the restaurant on shore. This place was elegant and the food was really good! I had had a very bad night on Saturday night with the itching on my legs. Sunday night was even worse so when we awoke on Monday, Roger and I sailed back to Roadtown and I went to a clinic. The local doctor told me I should get off of the boat for two weeks and give myself a chance to heal from this rash. He gave me a strong cortisone cream and some benedryl. We took a taxi back to where we had left the boat and sailed to North Cove (right where I am now) to meet up with the rest of the crew. I felt rather hopeless and didn't know what to do. Tuesday AM dawned and I told Roger I thought I should head home and give myself a chance to heal. We looked into what that would take....sailing back to Roadtown, taxis, ferries and planes. It all felt overwhelming! An alternative plan is what we are trying and that is me staying at this hotel and it seems to be working. The rash is much less inflamed...fainter and less itchy. We both slept in the hotel room on Tuesday night and he left with his buddies (Bennett, a HYC member down here with the charter crew sailed with him).
Here I wait for Rojay to come and get me either tomorrow or Saturday. I am grateful that he is having fun sailing with his friends. frankly, it would not be fun to be cooped up in this room (which is lovely with beautiful views of the Bay. My room is one of the windows on the upper floor on the right side of the hotel) with anyone!
So, friends, that is the story so far. The one thing I forgot to take with me for this sojourn at the hotel is the camera as I could have uploaded some photos. Sorry, and thanks for reading and following our adventure.
So, where were we? I have the computer here in the hotel room and Roger asked me to post about our activities during the last few days IN HIS STYLE which means in great detail. I'm afraid I have neither the talent nor inclination. Sorry, honey. I'll do my best to at least give you a summary.
On Thursday of last week we were still sailing around St. John, USVI. To be anywhere on St. John is to love the island. It is truly gorgeous. We spent Thursday night on a mooring in Leinster Bay. We went for a hike and snorkeled and ate dinner on board. A beautiful and tranquil day, and I am still feeling fine!
Friday had us sailing just a few miles before we turned into Maho Bay. Roger brought me a tee shirt from here when he last sailed these islands. There is a resort here unlike any I have ever known or seen. Maho Bay is large and, again, plenty of moorings for which you pay $15 through an honor system by dropping your cash or credit card special form in a lock box located on a raft in the middle of the bay. You find a wooden staircase in the middle of the beach and you climb and you climb and you climb. I think it is about 200 steps up to the communal restaurant. Friday night is Prime Rib night and the food was excellent. You go up to the bar, place your order and pay. They call your name when the food is ready and you go and get it. While you are waiting for your name to be called, you help yourself to the fresh salad bar. The views are beautiful as they are all over St. John. We met a woman who was vacationing by herself and she joined us. There are lean-to's all over the mountain with screened in walls, a small refrigerator, a bed or two and a small terrace. We learned from our table mate that price to stay in this paradise is $60 per night for a single and $80 for a double. Amazing! If you love the beach and hanging out this is a great place to go.
We left Maho early on Saturday and we went back to Sopers Hole to check back into the BVI. I did a laundry and Roger did some blogging. We then sailed to Roadtown to meet up with the HYC contingent. On Sunday we all sailed to Cooper Island. This is yet another pristine island where all one has to do is pick up a mooring and don a bathing suit and jump in...which I did. We all ate together (there are 14 of us now!) at the restaurant on shore. This place was elegant and the food was really good! I had had a very bad night on Saturday night with the itching on my legs. Sunday night was even worse so when we awoke on Monday, Roger and I sailed back to Roadtown and I went to a clinic. The local doctor told me I should get off of the boat for two weeks and give myself a chance to heal from this rash. He gave me a strong cortisone cream and some benedryl. We took a taxi back to where we had left the boat and sailed to North Cove (right where I am now) to meet up with the rest of the crew. I felt rather hopeless and didn't know what to do. Tuesday AM dawned and I told Roger I thought I should head home and give myself a chance to heal. We looked into what that would take....sailing back to Roadtown, taxis, ferries and planes. It all felt overwhelming! An alternative plan is what we are trying and that is me staying at this hotel and it seems to be working. The rash is much less inflamed...fainter and less itchy. We both slept in the hotel room on Tuesday night and he left with his buddies (Bennett, a HYC member down here with the charter crew sailed with him).
Here I wait for Rojay to come and get me either tomorrow or Saturday. I am grateful that he is having fun sailing with his friends. frankly, it would not be fun to be cooped up in this room (which is lovely with beautiful views of the Bay. My room is one of the windows on the upper floor on the right side of the hotel) with anyone!
So, friends, that is the story so far. The one thing I forgot to take with me for this sojourn at the hotel is the camera as I could have uploaded some photos. Sorry, and thanks for reading and following our adventure.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Photos and Observations
Roger here. with some photos. I'm not sure whether when published, the arrangement of text and photos will change. The photo of the two instruments, each saying Raytheon in the upper left, shows the following: In the top instrument the arrow pointing from the center, downward shows the direction of the wind -- from straight behind us. The little window in the lower part of that instrument shows that at the moment the wind was 19.5 knots (a knot is about 1.2 miles per hour). there is a little black square dot in the lower right corner of the 19.5 which shows this is true wind, rather than relative wind. In other words, the computer detects apparent wind and factors in the boat's speed and direction to give us the true wind speed and direction. The bottom instrument says "SOG KTS 9.9". This means that as measured by the GPS, the boat's speed over the surface of the earth (or in this case the water) was 9.9 knots. With 20 knots of wind pushing us but the boat going away from the wind at effectively 10 knots, the apparent wind was only about ten knots of force. The engine that created this factual scenario is the sail configuration, shown below.
Before we get there, however, the video, which I got to load, but not to play, shows the waves pushing at the back of our boat propelling us forward. These were not the biggest we had but pretty big. the camera was held stationary on the back of the boat. I hope you can get the video to play because as a still photo it shows nothing.
The photo of the two headsails shows how we achieved such speeds. The jib is shown flying off to the left in the picture, the starboard side of the boat. The other sail is the partially furled genoa, a much bigger jib which is mounted forward of the first sail, on its own roller, and in this photo is shown partially furled. Both sails front edges, their "luffs" to sailors, are in the middle of the photo, the vertical line. these luffs are about six inches one behind the other at the top of the mast and about 18 inches apart at the deck. so there is a slot between them, through which some of the air escapes. The boom is the aluminum pole that runs from the mast at the bottom of the picture, aft to the right side of the picture, and atop it is the stack pack -- the bag that holds the main sail when it is not in use as shown in the photo.
Some observations about what was unexpected or unusual to me about the ocean passage:
From New York to Tortola we were underway 260 hours; this is considerably more hours than we usually sail in an entire summer, and the hours especially in big seas and big winds, take their toll on the boat's equipment -- lines chafed, pins coming undone, blocks breaking, etc. Also, a knot of wind in the ocean is "stronger" than a knot of wind in Long Island Sound. Why? Because the wind is measured by instruments at the top of the mast, which measure the force of the wind up there, but often there is much less force against the lower part of the sails, where they are biggest; but in the ocean, the wind is just as strong at the bottom as at the top.
Following winds and big seas cause the boat to roll back and forth from leaning to one side to leaning to the other side. This is much more uncomfortable than heeling, which is what I was used to. In heeling, the boat leans one way, maybe a big more and then a bit less, but one way. We slept with "lee cloths"; canvas strips perhaps two feet high, that are screwed into the base upon which one's bed lies, and tied to the top of the cabin by ropes. They keep a person from rolling out of bed when the boat heels. I added a lee cloth to the big pullman berth that Lene and I usually sleep in. It worked great for heeling, but in rolling, I found that the whole mattress with me on it, slid about six inches back and forth when the boat rolled from side to side. Another thing about lee cloths: The beds are also the seats we sit on when in the cabin -- but with lee cloths up, these seats were unavailable; there was no indoor seating but rather one had the choice to stand or to lie down.
My prior ocean voyage had been from Bermuda to New York in July. There were rough days but no one got seasick and we had nice meals with wine each night. But this trip was in November and the seas were a lot rougher and so a lot of the food and drink remained unconsumed at voyage end. Summer is calmer, punctuated by violent hurricanes; winter is hurricane free but stormier overall.
We saw other boats much better at night than by day. At night the boats had red, green and white lights mounted at their mast heads. These we looked for to be aware of other boats in the vicinity.
Virgin Gorda (or fat virgin as a literal translation)
Hi all,
I am sitting in the restaurant at the Bitter End Yacht Club on this island of the BVI's. The view, as all views from almost anywhere on these islands, is spectacular. I am sorely disappointed we haven't been posting any photos and I really, really hope to correct that very soon. Rogers buddies from the HYC came down on Saturday and we met up with them in Roadtown, Tortola on Saturday night. Then on Sunday we (now there are 4 boats...ours and three charters) we left for a short sail to Cooper Island. Each place is a postcard but I'm going to try and not talk so much about the beauty of the islands since I can't show you what I'm seeing. I can tell you that I am seriously disappointed by my health right now. A few days ago I noticed a few red dots on and under my skin, particularly on my legs and though I was being bitten by mosquitoes and these other tiny nuisance flying insects called "noseeums". But it has become apparent that I have developed sun poisoning and have been very, very uncomfortable for the past 3 days and nights, with the nights being absolutely the worst!
I went to a local doctor yesterday who gave me a strong topical cortisone cream and strong benedryl and told me to get off the boat for a couple of weeks.
Sailing around with other boats and hiking and snorkeling and eating together could be so much fun but I am not capable of having any real fun because I am either terribly itchy or groggy from the benedryl. Being unable to participate in these activities makes me feel really sad.
So, today I'll be checking into the hotel and staying until Friday or Saturday. I will rest and write and read and wait for Roger and the kittens to come back and get me on Friday or Saturday or Sunday and I am very hopeful that by then I will be better.
They told me the tropical sun is different from the sun up north and I used sunblock all the time but if given another chance to feel healthy and stay down here, I will be super vigilant about protecting myself from the sun.
I am sitting in the restaurant at the Bitter End Yacht Club on this island of the BVI's. The view, as all views from almost anywhere on these islands, is spectacular. I am sorely disappointed we haven't been posting any photos and I really, really hope to correct that very soon. Rogers buddies from the HYC came down on Saturday and we met up with them in Roadtown, Tortola on Saturday night. Then on Sunday we (now there are 4 boats...ours and three charters) we left for a short sail to Cooper Island. Each place is a postcard but I'm going to try and not talk so much about the beauty of the islands since I can't show you what I'm seeing. I can tell you that I am seriously disappointed by my health right now. A few days ago I noticed a few red dots on and under my skin, particularly on my legs and though I was being bitten by mosquitoes and these other tiny nuisance flying insects called "noseeums". But it has become apparent that I have developed sun poisoning and have been very, very uncomfortable for the past 3 days and nights, with the nights being absolutely the worst!
I went to a local doctor yesterday who gave me a strong topical cortisone cream and strong benedryl and told me to get off the boat for a couple of weeks.
Sailing around with other boats and hiking and snorkeling and eating together could be so much fun but I am not capable of having any real fun because I am either terribly itchy or groggy from the benedryl. Being unable to participate in these activities makes me feel really sad.
So, today I'll be checking into the hotel and staying until Friday or Saturday. I will rest and write and read and wait for Roger and the kittens to come back and get me on Friday or Saturday or Sunday and I am very hopeful that by then I will be better.
They told me the tropical sun is different from the sun up north and I used sunblock all the time but if given another chance to feel healthy and stay down here, I will be super vigilant about protecting myself from the sun.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
New Friends and Goodby to St. John
It is Saturday morning, and we are back in Sopers Hole BVI, having cleared in through customs. Lene is at a laundromat 10 minutes walk away, so we will have all clean clothing, sheets, etc.
When last I left you, dear readers, it was on Wednesday, to get the bus back from Cruz Bay to Coral Bay where ILENE was on anchor. But the bus was more than two hours late and during that time we made a new friend, a nice lady who asked if she could share my shady park bench. Her name is Judita Hruza. She and her husband live in West Milford N.J. in the summer and built a house here 18 years ago. She is a holocaust survivor who participated in the death march from the Hungarian border to Mauthausen concentration camp and witnessed the incident in which the guards suddenly shot several hundred of the marchers (in addition to anyone who was to tired, cold, underfed, and sick to keep up the pace. She has written several published articles about the holocaust. We bonded. She is a retired psychiatrist and pediatricia and her husband a retired pathologist. I invited them for a sail, which meant we spent another night in Coral Bay.
They were early at the dinghy dock and we headed southeast to south of Norman Island before returning on the reciprocal course, a sail of about two hours. The only problem was difficulty in getting the anchor up; it tripped and I reset the circuit breaker twice under too heavy a load because it had become caught. I told Lene to go into forward gear and give the boat some fuel, which broke the anchor's hold on the bottom after which the windlass had no trouble pulling it up. When we got back into the bay the Hruska's served us a delicious lunch in the cockpit and took our garbage with them in a big black plastic bag. Then the difficulty at the end of this sail occured: Dzenek, Judita's husband, stumbled on the wobbly floating wooden dinghy dock after alighting from the dinghy and fell into the water. It was not deep and I rigged a foot strap and got him out. He lost a sandal but it was an old one and he was fortunately not hurt. We hope to get the Adult Education Committee of our Temple to invite Judita to speak, but thats not till the spring.
We next completed the circumnavigation of St. John, heading for Maho Bay, which I had visited during my first charter in these enchanted islands. But when Lene saw Leinster Bay, with 21 Natl. Park Svc. moorings and room for 100 other boats to anchor, and only two of them in use, we stopped in Leinster instead of Maho. There are zero services here and we ate the delicious food that Lene cooked and had our most peaceful (no rocking) night on St. John. In the morning we hiked on NPS trails, up hill half way back to Coral where we got some good photos of Cacti and jungle plants growing together, ruins, and trails, and of our boat from above (by this time the two other boats had left leaving the entire bay to us.) Returning to the beach where our dinghy was, we walked the other way, along the coast of the bay to the former Annaberg sugar plantation, now a NPS site. We saw pelicans diving nearby on the way. The mill was atop a hill close to the bay because the windmill (now ruins) drove the rollers that crushed the cane to release its juice. When the wind did not blow horses walked in endless circles to crush the cane. the juice was concentrated into molasses and then either brown sugar or rum, on site. On the way out we met a NPS employee who showed and explained to us the NPS garden containing cane, bananas, bay leaves, cotton, yucca, and several other plants. He gave us some twigs of bay leaves, the odor much more intense than the dried ones in bottles in stores.
After lunch and snorkeling for an hour we motored the two miles to Maho Bay and took another NPS mooring. During our walk I had learned that the senior citizen rate is half of the $15/night we had been paying (a slip with credit card info in an envelope stuffed into a metal box floating on a platform) so we did not pay in Maho. We did dine at the Maho Bay Camp, which is a series of canvas covered cabins, open to the air via screens on all sides.
Ilene here...one day soon we WILL publish pictures to go along with the words. I have been acclimating better than I expected. We are having a lovely time. Weather and surroundings more beautiful than I could have imagined.
Love you!
When last I left you, dear readers, it was on Wednesday, to get the bus back from Cruz Bay to Coral Bay where ILENE was on anchor. But the bus was more than two hours late and during that time we made a new friend, a nice lady who asked if she could share my shady park bench. Her name is Judita Hruza. She and her husband live in West Milford N.J. in the summer and built a house here 18 years ago. She is a holocaust survivor who participated in the death march from the Hungarian border to Mauthausen concentration camp and witnessed the incident in which the guards suddenly shot several hundred of the marchers (in addition to anyone who was to tired, cold, underfed, and sick to keep up the pace. She has written several published articles about the holocaust. We bonded. She is a retired psychiatrist and pediatricia and her husband a retired pathologist. I invited them for a sail, which meant we spent another night in Coral Bay.
They were early at the dinghy dock and we headed southeast to south of Norman Island before returning on the reciprocal course, a sail of about two hours. The only problem was difficulty in getting the anchor up; it tripped and I reset the circuit breaker twice under too heavy a load because it had become caught. I told Lene to go into forward gear and give the boat some fuel, which broke the anchor's hold on the bottom after which the windlass had no trouble pulling it up. When we got back into the bay the Hruska's served us a delicious lunch in the cockpit and took our garbage with them in a big black plastic bag. Then the difficulty at the end of this sail occured: Dzenek, Judita's husband, stumbled on the wobbly floating wooden dinghy dock after alighting from the dinghy and fell into the water. It was not deep and I rigged a foot strap and got him out. He lost a sandal but it was an old one and he was fortunately not hurt. We hope to get the Adult Education Committee of our Temple to invite Judita to speak, but thats not till the spring.
We next completed the circumnavigation of St. John, heading for Maho Bay, which I had visited during my first charter in these enchanted islands. But when Lene saw Leinster Bay, with 21 Natl. Park Svc. moorings and room for 100 other boats to anchor, and only two of them in use, we stopped in Leinster instead of Maho. There are zero services here and we ate the delicious food that Lene cooked and had our most peaceful (no rocking) night on St. John. In the morning we hiked on NPS trails, up hill half way back to Coral where we got some good photos of Cacti and jungle plants growing together, ruins, and trails, and of our boat from above (by this time the two other boats had left leaving the entire bay to us.) Returning to the beach where our dinghy was, we walked the other way, along the coast of the bay to the former Annaberg sugar plantation, now a NPS site. We saw pelicans diving nearby on the way. The mill was atop a hill close to the bay because the windmill (now ruins) drove the rollers that crushed the cane to release its juice. When the wind did not blow horses walked in endless circles to crush the cane. the juice was concentrated into molasses and then either brown sugar or rum, on site. On the way out we met a NPS employee who showed and explained to us the NPS garden containing cane, bananas, bay leaves, cotton, yucca, and several other plants. He gave us some twigs of bay leaves, the odor much more intense than the dried ones in bottles in stores.
After lunch and snorkeling for an hour we motored the two miles to Maho Bay and took another NPS mooring. During our walk I had learned that the senior citizen rate is half of the $15/night we had been paying (a slip with credit card info in an envelope stuffed into a metal box floating on a platform) so we did not pay in Maho. We did dine at the Maho Bay Camp, which is a series of canvas covered cabins, open to the air via screens on all sides.
Ilene here...one day soon we WILL publish pictures to go along with the words. I have been acclimating better than I expected. We are having a lovely time. Weather and surroundings more beautiful than I could have imagined.
Love you!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Cruz Bay to Coral Bay
Roger here; Lene shopping (for provisions)! I'm at the same internet cafe; our communications back to the US have not been as good as we had hoped/expected.
We tried to take a round trip public bus tour to Coral Bay and back, yesterday, but we heard three different opinions as to schedule and missed the bus, which frustrated Lene (see I'm puting her emotions in for her!). So we hiked back to the beach, with a detour to the scenic lookout (climbing) and found our dinghy, talked to tourists, got back aboard ate lunch and sailed half way around the island, counterclockwise, eastbound along the south shore, to Coral Bay. On the south side we were indeed in the Caribbean Sea at last. It was a beat and we had up the small jib and single reefed main. The big ocean swells slowed us to about 5 knots on the eastern tacks but we made over seven when we headed north and put the swells at our side. We passed inside a charted but unmarked reef (I would not do this without chart plotter) and then tacked outside an island. Coral Bay is supposed to be a artists and hippies center, though we have seen little of that. It is a big beautiful bay with many boats anchored, all at safe distances from each other. We are anchored in about 25 feet of water with snubber and during the night some breeze came up which gave us some roll, but it was smoother than at Caneel Bay. This is because the winds are not due east yet, but more northeast, providing better shelter in the south facing bays. And our rent last night was free. We dinked ashore and met some former US people and expats who meet at a Moravian church and then went for the famous burgers at Skinny Legs, a bar with lots of caribbean character, but the burgers were not as good as advertized.
This morning we took the public bus ride from Coral to Cruz and will go back soon. Some breathtaking views on the water facing side, but much view obscured by brush. This island is steep, I don't think the bus gets out of second gear. The bus stopped at a further point which is a snorkeling favorite and at the hospital on the way here to Cruz Bay. We see tropical vegetation and cacti; I need a botanist to explauin that one. and goats roam free many places.
When we get back to Coral, we hope to complete the circumnavigation of St. John, stopping in Maho Bay for the next couple of nights I have been there before and want lene to experience it. There is a point for the pickup of volunteers who want to help the Natl. Park Svc. maintain the hiking trails (which we hope was identified accurately for us) then the next day, snorkeling and hiking. We expect to have no internet access until Saturday or Sunday.
We tried to take a round trip public bus tour to Coral Bay and back, yesterday, but we heard three different opinions as to schedule and missed the bus, which frustrated Lene (see I'm puting her emotions in for her!). So we hiked back to the beach, with a detour to the scenic lookout (climbing) and found our dinghy, talked to tourists, got back aboard ate lunch and sailed half way around the island, counterclockwise, eastbound along the south shore, to Coral Bay. On the south side we were indeed in the Caribbean Sea at last. It was a beat and we had up the small jib and single reefed main. The big ocean swells slowed us to about 5 knots on the eastern tacks but we made over seven when we headed north and put the swells at our side. We passed inside a charted but unmarked reef (I would not do this without chart plotter) and then tacked outside an island. Coral Bay is supposed to be a artists and hippies center, though we have seen little of that. It is a big beautiful bay with many boats anchored, all at safe distances from each other. We are anchored in about 25 feet of water with snubber and during the night some breeze came up which gave us some roll, but it was smoother than at Caneel Bay. This is because the winds are not due east yet, but more northeast, providing better shelter in the south facing bays. And our rent last night was free. We dinked ashore and met some former US people and expats who meet at a Moravian church and then went for the famous burgers at Skinny Legs, a bar with lots of caribbean character, but the burgers were not as good as advertized.
This morning we took the public bus ride from Coral to Cruz and will go back soon. Some breathtaking views on the water facing side, but much view obscured by brush. This island is steep, I don't think the bus gets out of second gear. The bus stopped at a further point which is a snorkeling favorite and at the hospital on the way here to Cruz Bay. We see tropical vegetation and cacti; I need a botanist to explauin that one. and goats roam free many places.
When we get back to Coral, we hope to complete the circumnavigation of St. John, stopping in Maho Bay for the next couple of nights I have been there before and want lene to experience it. There is a point for the pickup of volunteers who want to help the Natl. Park Svc. maintain the hiking trails (which we hope was identified accurately for us) then the next day, snorkeling and hiking. We expect to have no internet access until Saturday or Sunday.
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