MUTUAL FUN - A SAILING ODYSSEY

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FIRST MATE'S LOG - December 2000

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December 1, 2000

I'm starting to get rested and fall in love with this place. Our last day in Jost Van Dyke, we decided to hike up the mountain, 1000 ft., for the view. We met "Wind Shepherd" at Sydney's Peace and Love bar and this little puppy, like the taco commercial dog, decided to join us and I'll be darned if he didn't hike up the whole mountain with us. When he found a little puddle, he would slurp the brown, muddy water and sometimes even roll around in it. If we had gone 10 minutes without a puddle, one of us would pour some water into our hand and give him a drink. It was a long hike and very hot but the view was pretty. I was a little tired because the night before we had a downpour. I have a hatch right over my bed and I know the exact minute it starts raining. We have to get up and close all of the windows and then I have trouble getting back to sleep. I promised to take digital pictures of "Wind Shepherd" under sail so we got underway, John and Ginny got all of their sails up and I clicked away while Bob motored our boat beside them. I got about 25 pictures so I'm sure they will find one they can use to make their boat cards.

We headed over to Soper's Hole, Tortolla while they decided to sail to the other side, Road Town, and provision up. Soper's Hope is a delightful little spot. There is real live civilization there with laundry facilities, shops, a grocery and a hairdresser. While still at the fuel dock, I packed up the laundry and made a hair appointment. I hadn't had a haircut since Newport and looked like a swabbing mop encrusted with salt water. It was disgusting. We are now freshly laundered, freshly clipped and even more rested with a big steak dinner under our belts. We met up with Lori and Bob on "Pride", whom we met in Essex, Conn. and had drinks and dinner with them.

December 2, 2000
Today we moved to Francis Bay, St. John's. Back to the ole US of A.. This is a quiet little harbour with beautiful beaches and free mooring balls. "Pride" is here as is "Joss", whom we met in Bermuda. We had a nice saltwater bath with a fresh water rinse; dinner in and we're going to turn in early. This life is too good. I'm really starting to unwind from the trip and enjoy myself.

December 7, 2000
I guess we spent 4 days at Francis Bay. We just couldn't get the motivation to move; it was so pretty. We took a jitney to Cruz Bay where there are shops and restaurants. We did the tourist thing for a day and really enjoyed it but were happy to get back to peace, quiet, serenity and beauty. We dinghied over to world famous Trunk Bay, one of the loveliest beaches in the world, for a swim and snorkel. We did manage to get a little boat work done. Bob and I attacked the stainless steel with a vengeance, and Never Dull. It took us 2 mornings of rubbing, wiping, waxing and wiping and it looks as pretty as it can. We motored over to St. Thomas and motored next to all of the cruise ships in Charlotte Amalie. I mean, right next to them. We were dwarfed by them. We waved to the people 10 stories up and they all happily waved back. We then puttered down to Crown Bay, where we sit now. It's not a very pretty bay but we need to get some work done and Crown Bay Maritime, right across the bay is scheduled to work on us tomorrow. "Wind Shepherd" is here having their engine worked on and "Tallah"; a German boat that we sailed down from Bermuda with is here as well. We had dinner with them all last night. They are both staying at the marina and we are anchored out. They gave us the key to the showers, though and we had a wonderful, fresh water shower for the first time since entering the islands. I'm so squeaky clean I don't want to do anything that will make me sweat. Well, that's too bad because my day begins soon. First, we will dinghy into the marina where I will hook up to the Internet and send this off to Dave, along with some pictures. Then, we will pick up Ginny and go grocery shopping. Aah, fresh food. We'll bring that back and then taxi into Charlotte Amalie to "do" the shops. If the bay isn't pretty enough to swim, there's more than one thing to keep us happy!

December 9, 2000
Our generator problem turned out to be a bad battery. We're thrilled! What an inexpensive discovery. So, we're all fixed up and once again we're making amps instead of just using them. Our fridge is cooling nicely and we don't have to worry about turning on a light or using the SSB radio. Next problem is finding a sailmaker. We have to have our UV coverings replaced and we may also cut down our jib. We also tore out part of the dodger on the Bermuda leg. Bob tried to hunt some down today but it's Saturday and apparently they don't work today. We'll just stay here until Monday and see what we can find. In the meantime, we finally purchased a new propane grill and tested it out with hot dogs for lunch. We haven't ever been able to get our grill to work and while everyone around us was making steaks or fish or chicken on their grill, we were envious. So we bit the bullet and bought a new one. Now I have to catch some fish to make it worth it. "Wind Shepherd" is still here and looks like they will be for the rest of the month. John is going home for Christmas and Ginny will stay with the boat at the dock. I can't wait to get on our way as this isn't a very pretty place and we can't swim here. Also, I want to get started on our teak work and we want to do that in a non-rocky anchorage where we can reward ourselves with a swim after a couple hours of work in the morning. We haven't quite decided what to do for New Year's Eve or Christmas yet. It probably doesn't make a whole lot of difference because we're almost always asleep by 10:00pm. I am missing our friends very much. I keep thinking Eric and Susan on "Elysia" are going to pull into one of these anchorages and surprise us. I know it's not going to happen but it's wishful thinking. They are talking about going down to Belize with "Shamal" and "Zaftra" and that means they may go to Trinidad for hurricane season and we'll also be in that neck of the ocean. I can't wait to see them all. I hope it's soon. Bob says he's going in to watch some game on TV at 9:00pm. Any bets? He might actually make it this time because he had a long nap. We'll see.

December 12, 2000
Well, no way Bob made it to watch football but it was only because he realized that 9:00pm is really 10:00pm our time. By that time, all good cruisers are halfway to slumberland. We had a nice day yesterday, biding our time while awaiting an appointment with the sailmaker. We ran some errands in the morning, which included cleaning out our big closet, sorting the clothes we never wear, packing them up and shipping them home. We tried to get money from an ATM but they didn't want to play with us and we made a run to the grocery. After Bob set up a time to meet with the sailmaker, 9:00am this morning, (it's 9:42 and he's still not here) we sat on "Wind Shepherd" and decided to go to the bar and play dominoes. We had a very nice afternoon slapping those cubes down and pretending like we were natives with not a care in the world. We then went back to our boat in the anchorage and prepared our evening meal. We had bought a couple of pork chops that Bob grilled and had them with cabbage and noodles and applesauce. I have to tell you those were the best pork chops ever. They tasted like filet mignon. I suppose being out here cruising might seem a bit off the beaten path and we do come across some "firsts" maybe a little more often than at home. Not a "first" like this is the first time I have ever hiccuped while watching Seinfeld with my cat on my lap but a "first" like, this is the first time Bob has ever brushed his own hair into a ponytail. He would kill me if he saw this but he usually doesn't read the web page so I can write anything I want and get away with it. I'm sorry, Florence (Bob's mom), just skip over this ponytail part. But, it really does look good.

December 17, 2000
Aah, the sweetness of a secluded harbour. We motored back to St. John's yesterday in 20-30k winds and seas on our nose. Yuk! It was quite rolly and uncomfortable but it was only 4 hours and we survived. Here we sit in a little bay called Little Lamshur We met up with "Joss" here yesterday and had a nice dinner together but they took off this morning. We were excited at the thought we would have the whole bay to ourselves but another boat pulled in late in the afternoon. There's room for 2, I suppose. We are surrounded on 3 sides by hills and pretty protected from these huge winds that roar through here. They're called the Christmas winds and are quite gusty. It's been fairly squally, meaning that in-between sunny periods of almost 90 degrees and a nice breeze, big, dark rain clouds fly by and bring 30+k winds and sideways rain. We are constantly opening and closing the windows and hatches. It gets to be pretty humorous. The mechanic came back out on Friday and finally found our amperage problem. Our batteries are fine but our generator needed a tweak to run at a higher speed. We are now in good shape and once again making amps faster than we can spend them. We couldn't get out of that busy anchorage fast enough. Every night a couple new cruise ships and a few new freighters came in. Watching them brought some entertainment but we were getting quite tired of the entire hullabaloo. It's so nice to be here where we can enjoy nature. We read for most of the morning and then took our dinghy by some rocks onshore where "Joss" told us the snorkeling was good. We dropped the dinghy anchor in about 15ft. of water and donned our equipment and in we went. The water felt great and I'll bet we saw at least a dozen different kinds of fish. When I checked our dinghy anchor, I saw this beautiful turtle just lazing by near the bottom. By the time Bob got in, he was gone. We haven't seen any sharks since we've been here and I can't say I'm too upset. Bob thinks if he can't see them, they don't exist. I think that's pretty funny but I keep it to myself because he's more apt to go swimming this way. We then took a nice long walk, way out to the point of land. There was a rough path strewn with rocks, cactus, butterflies and goat dung. We saw one small black goat and earlier in the day Bob spotted 3 or 4 small deer on shore. It felt good to exercise the legs. I went for a dip and we came back to the boat. When we realized the sun was shining hot and it was getting late and we were dirty, we threw the ladder over, grabbed the Joy and jumped in. One of us jumps in then stands on the ladder while the other washes his hair. I don't know why this is so funny but we always wind up laughing. Bob's usually complaining that it's cold and I'm laughing at him because it's 90 degrees and when he washes my hair, he ends up washing my whole face and he thinks that's hilarious, which makes me laugh. We then have a fresh-water rinse. I don't know if I mentioned that we finally bought a grill in St. Thomas? Anyway, we had hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill and we're all tuckered out. Spoiled, you say? Who,us? My brother thinks he may come for a visit and my mom's coming next month. I'm very excited about both.

December 18, 2000
We set about moving to Coral Bay at about 10:00am. It seemed like an all right day inside the anchorage so off we went. We were only going 5 miles or so and we decided just to motor. About � hour out, we realized this wasn't going to be a quick hour motor. The sky turned almost completely dark and the wind picked up to 35k. The rain started slamming into us, luckily just after I asked Bob for my foul weather jacket. We were pelted for nearly half-hour and being the obedient first mate that I am trained to be, I stayed on the helm. The waves kicked up to 6-8ft, with the occasional 12- footer hitting us dead on the bow. The boat was rockin' and rollin' and we just asked, "why us?" In any case, our speed dropped down to mostly 2-3 knots so it just took us a little longer to get here. We are now anchored inside a very packed anchorage called Coral Bay. We went exploring and for the life of us can't figure out why it's so crowded here. There is a good restaurant which we shall go check out for dinner. There are a few shops and good grocery stores. I did my duty and bought a leather necklace and some earrings. I'm sure the gal that made them up for me will have a steak dinner because of it. Actually, she was really nice and friendly. Tomorrow, we'll make another move to ???

December 21, 2000
We've just been all over the place. Norman Island, then Road Town, Tortola, then St. John's then back to Tortola and now we're back in Francis Bay, St. John again. This is our favorite place so far, I think. It is surrounded by beaches, good snorkeling and a well- protected anchorage. It's a great place to sand and stain and then go for a swim. That's what we'll be starting tomorrow. We're actually looking forward to it because it's such a shame to have a pretty boat look so in need of a facelift. Also, we'll be spending Christmas here with a bunch of other boats that we know. The winds have died down some and the squalls are more like 3-4 a day instead of every hour. All in all, we're pretty happy sailors!

December 22, 2000
It's beginning to feel a little like Christmas. The boats are strung up with lights and there is caroling and lots of good cheer. We went to visit another boat today, knowing that we were avoiding boat chores, and ended up staying into cocktail hour. There is going to be a big dinghy raft-up on Christmas Eve. One dinghy starts out and picks up another and those two go get a third until everyone in the anchorage (about 50 boats) are all tied together and start drifting out towards wherever the wind is blowing. We bring appetizers and drinks and we all Christmas carol along the way. It should be a blast! Then, Christmas day we will go up to the campsite where they are serving a holiday buffet. Ginny on "Windshepherd" is still alone at the dock in St. Thomas where they are having an awful time getting their engine repaired. I invited her over and she'll take the ferry here on the 24th to get here in time for the raft-up. She'll stay with us for 2 nights and then ferry back to her kitty, Slater, who will spend a solo Christmas. Her husband, John, will be home on the 29th. All going great here. The winds have died down but it's still squally part of the days.

December 23, 2000, 8:22pm
I am so tired I can barely keep my eyes open. It feels good to have not been lazy today. We were bound and determined to get some work done and have a productive day after goofing off, again, yesterday. I slept in late until 8:30am got up and had my toast and tea. Actually, it was a bagel. I did my morning chores, sweeping out the boat, making the bed, cleaning the galley. We then started on the teak work. My problem is, once I get started on a project I don't want to stop until it's done. Well that's totally unrealistic when it comes to the woodwork. Bob did some sanding with the power sander while I hand sanded the wood boxes, handrails, rub rails and the outside trim. When Bob was finished with the part of the caprail that he intended to complete today, I then stained all of the above. My back was killing me (I'm getting so OLD) but it looks pretty good. This is but a small dent but we shall continue. We then rewarded ourselves with a dinghy visit with some friends and took our princess seats to the beach. We no sooner sat down than I was begging Bob to go for a swim with me. There was a lonely looking Frisbee lying on the beach (now in our possession) so we had a fun time tossing it around in the water. I stayed in and swam for a bit while Bob went up into the shade and proceeded to get bitten by those little sand fleas and gnats. I met two ladies on the beach that I know and talked one of them into cutting my hair. We dropped the other lady off at her boat, dropped Bob at our boat and I proceeded to "Pride" where Lori gave me a very cute little trim. Back to the boat I went with the intention of a nice, fresh-water shower. Well, who can take a shower when they know the shower needs a good cleaning? That task completed, I got my shower just in time to think up something for dinner. Yesterday morning's chore was to completely redo our food inventory. And that was a real chore. I found we have enough canned goods to last at least a year so I thought I would make a complete canned meal. Well, almost. We had rotinni with fresh shataki mushrooms, corn, peas, roasted red peppers and chicken. Topped off with some gravy. Hey, it was pretty good! And now, I will listen to the net on SSB radio, sign off and take my good suspense novel to bed on my nice, clean sheets.

December 24, 2000
Twas the night before Christmas and all through the boat Not a creature was stirring, but their home was afloat. For this they gave thanks and lifted their glass With all the other cruisers, they did it in class. All the dinghies gathered at the shore they did meet To carol and sing and float out as a fleet. Their voices were sweet and they ate and they drank They partied till dark and then they broke rank. Back in their boats as nighttime grew near They were happy to be here but missed those who are dear. For those we left home to follow our dream We miss you the most, so it would seem. Happy holidays to you all and may the world appear right Even though we are here, wishing you all a goodnight.

December 30, 2000
Christmas came and went. We had a nice day with a bunch of boats gathering for the gourmet buffet at the campgrounds. I know that sounds like an oxymoron but there is a really good chef here and it was quite tasty. Bob topped off his meal with 3 or 4 pieces of assorted pie and a few glasses of eggnog, laced with something naughty. Ginny ferried in to spend the night and by the time we all came back to the boat, we could barely move. We stayed up and watched the stars for awhile and then crashed. Bob's ear infection is getting much better but he's still not able to swim. At least he's feeling well enough that he can do some sanding. And speaking of which, just in case you think we're doing nothing but eating bon bons and lounging in the sun, check out the pictures of the before and after of the caprails.

This process has taken 2 weeks so far and only a small part is done. I have redone the entire cockpit including doors, table, drink holder and�why did we buy a boat with so much wood? "Wind Shepherd" just hailed us on the radio. They have finally been released from their dock, engine repairs fixed and heading our way to join us for New Year's Eve. Hope you all have a great one and remember my motto: Don't drink and eat. No, don't drink and sleep. No, don't eat and drive. Got it, don't eat and sleep. Oh, whatever have a Happy New Year!