Below is the next-to-last chapter of the saga of Adonis and her crew in the BVI's during early June 2011. I will upload photos to this forum soon . . .


Day 9: Are Those Eskimos Under That Blanket?

Our final morning aboard Adonis found us rousing early and eating the remaining fresh fruits, cereals, yogurt, leftover bacon, and anything else we thought we should consume for breakfast without tossing anything out. We didn’t want to waste anything and we did our best to polish off what we could. Boy, it’s amazing the things a person eats while on vacation; good thing I suspended my diet years ago! Following our breakfast buffet, we finished packing as we dropped the ball and made the bittersweet way from Cooper Island to Wickham’s Cay in Roadtown and finally to the Sunsail docks.

Captain Bart wanted to set the sails for one last hurrah, but Mother Nature was not cooperating with any wind so we ended up motoring to Roadtown in a gentle breeze. It was nice to grab a cool, malted beverage as we slipped along the Drake. The trip only took an hour-and-a-half as we finished straightening, cleaning, packing, and prepping for our departure from this big kitty. After arriving in the harbor and waiting our turn, Captain Bart backed Adonis into the slip like a pro and we tied off, shut down, plugged in, and began stacking our bags and belongings on the stern. That Sunsail Marina was HOT! Not much wind in that bowl and we all began sweating like a pig in a rain storm.

The leftover food items we had began to disappear as we offered them to other travelers who were preparing for their own BVI adventures. Much of what we had went to an Australian family. Their teenage boys were pleased at most of the items and their father was happy to have a few cold Red Stripes ready for their voyage. Gave away about 90% of our leftovers—probably a couple of grocery bags worth. The skipper who jumped aboard Adonis during our wind-blown Saba Rock fiasco on day 3 was standing one slip over helping some other folks. We greeted him and rewarded him with two bottles of chilled Pinot Grigio for his assistance on that day. He gratefully accepted. Lesson learned: It’s always nice to give to others—especially those who help you.

We hauled out our trash, emptied the boat of our belongings, and Captain Bart conducted the pre-disembarkation brief with the Sunsail folks. He sat down with them and had a looooooong talk about some of our issues. The Sunsail rep wrote lots of notes; took about 45 minutes. Matt and I trotted over to the French bakery outside the Sunsail complex to pursue some fresh-baked goodies. The bakery was closed when we arrived the previous week and I was looking forward to a little fresh bread or a “tasty pastry.” We arrived to find the shop dark and a sign in the window: “Closed- Sovereign’s Birthday.” Hmmmm. I guess The Queen gets her day too; croissants will have to wait. Back to Adonis to load gear and depart for lunch down the dock at “Charlie’s” open-air restaurant.

We ended our relationship with Adonis, bidding her adieu with one last, long look and pushed our loaded, red cart down the dock parking it outside Charlie’s while Captain Bart made his way around the Moorings docks and looked over a few vessels like the PC374 and PC474 for potential future charters. We had a fine, delicious, satisfying lunch at Charlie’s, topped off with a few cold beers and a couple of frosty drinks. The admiral never looked so relaxed. We all felt good at completing our adventure and looked forward to a final night in St. Thomas before boarding our flights for home. It was a sentimental moment as we reflected on our travels and absorbed the busy happenings around us on the docks, watching others prepare for their own adventures. It was almost as much fun as Norman Island on day 7. I could do this again.

At the entrance to Sunsail, we waited for our taxi to the ferry—obviously operating on “ilon time”—but managed to arrive at the Customs and Immigration dock with no worries to catch our water taxi. After a short wait, we were aboard the Roadtown Fast Ferry and pushing toward St. Thomas. I have to admit I have never been in the tropics and been able to see the misty vapor of condensation emit from my mouth as I breathe out, but the upper cabin of this ferry was chilly! I puffed a few “smoke rings” as we played a few hands of “Kings-in-a-Corner.” I even thought I saw a polar bear and two Eskimos huddling beneath a blanket in the back row—hey, you two mind if I cuddle? After about 30-minutes of the intense chill aboard the ferry, my legs got colder than a side of beef in a meat locker and I excused myself to stand outside on the upper deck of the ferry with some other chatty patrons. I have to admit, this ferry was NOT the Bomba Charger! We found it clean, neat, comfortable, and fast. No diesel fumes or bus seats like our old friend ‘the Charger.’ We enjoyed the ride, wondering about St. Johns as we rode past it on the water. We spoke with other satisfied sailors departing with us. The weather remained hot. It was good to talk with so many people who enjoyed themselves in the BVI’s like we had done and to hear of their adventures too. Lesson learned: Others can teach you things as well—just listen.

We arrived in St. Thomas and went through Customs again. Took a taxi to our hotel, the Best Western Caribe, next to the airport. Hmmmm. NEXT to the airport? Greeeeeeeeeeeeat. Not sure this is a good thing. Upon arriving at the hotel, we were told our rooms were not yet ready and we would have to wait. We waited, but we were NOT happy about it—we were hot, tired, sweaty, and REALLY needed a good shower. After 30 or 40 minutes, my first-mate and I received our room key and shot out of the front door, down the steps, through a veritable jungle of tropical plants—including banana trees—to our cottage-style room overlooking the bay. SWEET! Our room wasn’t especially huge, but the view was grand and the room was clean and comfortable; the big shower was calling our names and we were grateful to jump in and hose off. We had heard grumblings from one C&I officer we spoke with that the BW Caribe was a “roach nest,” and “not to even open your suitcase because they [roaches] will get in and you will take them home;” disconcerting to hear these types of comments when one is anticipating a comfortable and clean room to rest for the evening. However, when we arrived, we did not find his description to be the case at all—quite the opposite and his comments groundless. Maybe he has relatives at another hotel? Lesson learned: don’t believe everything you hear.

We each grabbed a much-needed shower, put on some clean clothes, and wandered back through the lush, tropical gardens down to the open-air bar next to the pool overlooking the bay. This is where we met Daniel, our bartender. Daniel took good care of us and kept us well watered as we relaxed. It was nearly an hour later before Captain Bart and the admiral got their room and they found a coffee carafe and television remote missing from their room when they entered. Needless to say, they were a bit miffed. The front desk accommodated them and they soon met us at the bar with Matt and Ashley, who found us as well. We all sat around the huge, rectangular bar chatting with the other folks, knocking back a few delicious and well-deserved beverages, and talking about our hometowns and our purpose in STT. Before we knew it, some ‘tummy rumblin’ began and dinner became the concern of the moment. Daniel recommended several places in STT and my first-mate and I decided to try The Green House. Daniel said to expect about a $12 cab ride each way from the BW Caribe hotel to Frenchtown, where The Green House was located. Before we left, we grabbed another quick shower. Lesson learned: when given a chance to take a shower—take a shower.

Off we went to The Green House, just a few miles down the road and only a short distance from the STT ferry docks. We found the open-air style restaurant busy, festive, and alive with patrons—but not too alive. This was a diverse crowd that included the young, the old, and families with small children. The place was well-decorated, colorful, and housed many seats for patrons. The Green House provided an ample menu with LOTS of choices suitable for a wide variety of palates. We were met by our waitress, Nicole—who hails from Canada—and learned a lot about her and her family throughout the evening. She was bubbly, bright, and beautiful. Nicole was knowledgeable about the menu items and proved to be a real asset in helping us narrow down our dinner choices. Lesson learned: just because someone’s from Canada doesn’t mean they don’t know about Caribbean food.

As an appetizer, we ordered a bucket of beer . . . oh, and some calamari. My first-mate had the fish tacos and I tried the Caribbean jerk BBQ dinner. Neither of us complained about ANYTHING we were served; all was tasty, filling, and appealing to the eye. We would certainly return to The Green House for another fun, casual dining experience. Following dinner, we taxied back to the Best Western Caribe, popped down to the open-air bar and had a few night-caps with Daniel before we took another shower . . . just because we could! The rest of our crew showed up for a few drinks as well. Tomorrow we depart STT and head back to the States via American Airlines and JFK. By the way, the STT airport is silent at night—perfect for getting a good night’s sleep!

Our BVI adventure was successful and allowed my first-mate and I to experience the Caribbean in a way we had not done before—sailing on a bareboat with friends. We thoroughly enjoyed our trip, the people, the many anchorages we visited, as well as the scenery and waters. TTOL-ers provided a WEALTH of detailed information for our many months of planning and helped our entire crew experience the BVI’s in a more satisfying way. Thank you for sharing your experience and wisdom for those of us who lie ignorant—but eager—to learn, improve, and enjoy. While our adventure was not perfect—the weather didn’t always cooperate, the boat was not 100%, and there were lapses of our own, we always made the best of what we had and made sure we savored the moments. Life is made of ups-and-downs; you can’t have highs without having lows. If all one remembers are the bad times, then one will only remember times as bad. I will post some photos soon for others to view our exploits and as one intrepid person once said, “It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey,”—we had a wonderful journey. My first-mate and I plan to return to the BVI’s . . . as long as the lionfish and lemurs aren’t in charge!

There were journal entries to make, photos to sort, and a host of other tasks to accomplish before our BVI adventure truly ended. There IS a Day 10 in my final trip report involving a state-side JFK airline debacle, Brooklyn Beer, and a night in Queens that I cannot post here. Needless to say, the captain and crew of Adonis continued our wacky BVI travel adventure in New York almost as soon as we landed; and no one went to jail! But that’s another story . . .