Maybe this will help with some DIF - has helped mine - pictures to follow next week --

Another wonderful trip, and the next one seems so long away that I’ve promised myself I won’t start counting until the end of July. As I was writing this, I was also thinking about Sharon’s question of “How long is too long?”, but it was fun to put it all down. Just stop reading if it’s too much…

April 21 –
The trip didn’t have an auspicious beginning - just as I was stepping out of the shower at 3:45 am, Delta called. My flight was going to be delayed to the point where I’d miss my connection, so they rebooked me on American. Looking on the bright side, it was wonderful that they called, so I wasn’t struggling with some flight conundrum at the airport at 4:30 in the morning. But the odd ticketing made me eligible for a patdown at every security checkpoint for the remainder of the trip. (Fun at first, but it gets old...)

Flew from Denver to Dallas to San Juan on American, then switched over to Cape Air. What a wonderful little airline! The pilots and staff were right on top of things and kept us informed during the wait. There were riotous rainstorms in San Juan, so the airport kept opening and closing, but we slipped out in our little 10-seater about an hour late, and flew among the lightning bolts. Ironically, it was the only leg of the trip that I slept on – a true testament to the pilot’s skill.

Chartering through Sunsail, my Cohort-Captain had arrived slightly earlier, so the nice Sunsail lady was on the lookout for me at the airport. Dumped my stuff on the boat, Olympe a Jeanneau35 – the same as recently chartered by TTOLers John and Darcy (sunsearcher). Went for a late snack of conch fritters and rum at Calamaya before collapsing. Slept aboard that night – it was hot and buggy, and with the newness of my surroundings and slapping at biting things, I didn’t sleep well, but didn’t care, because I was home again.

April 22 –
Up early, and it was wonderful, listening to the roosters call to each other. Strolled around the docks, getting reacquainted with a slice of Tortola, and the sky and the colors, taking some pictures. Beautiful day. The Sunsail facilities are very nice, with showers that border on elegant. Had breakfast at Calamaya – calalloo omelet and johnnycake were excellent. Julian did our boat briefing – he was wonderful, very thorough. Provisioning from Bobby’s was about an hour late, but I had it all stowed away by the time Captain returned from the chart briefing. We were underway by 11:00, and since this was my first time, and a complete learning experience, we took it easy. Suffering from a little seasickness, I’d taken a Bonine and a Dramamine, which had me sleepy, but tunes and the breeze and a Caribe were helpful. [I learned after Day 1 to take the Bonine/Dramamine combo when I went to bed, and if the queasys started up again during the day, a Caribe would take care of them nicely.]

Motor-sailed to Cooper, and got a mooring ball in Manchioneel Bay. It took two passes for me to hook the ball, but not bad for a first time. Went ashore for lunch at Cooper and had tuna melt and French fries (the best French Fries!). The beach wasn’t quite what I had expected – beautiful, of course, how could it not be – but not the powdery white sand beach I was imagining. Clearly, we did not find the right spot in Manchioneel Bay for snorkeling, as we saw very few fish, and not much coral. My mask was letting water in at a fairly steady rate, and I couldn’t seem to get it tight enough (maybe it was my hair), which kept freaking me out, so it wasn’t a successful outing. Hung out on the boat in the afternoon, sunning and sipping cocktails - my favorite personal creation: the Yellow Pirate - grapefruit juice, ginger ale, and rum (preferably Arundel’s White Rum). I believe this was the first time that the word “decompression” came to mind - it doesn’t take me long. The storms were kicking up again, with lightning all around the islands. We didn’t feel like cooking, so we went back ashore for dinner – excellent penne pasta with chicken - the food at Cooper was some of the best of the trip – back to the boat for a pretty rocky night. The hatch in the fore cabin was leaking, so it was a little like Chinese Water Torture on my back, but I shifted until it worked.

April 23 –
Very grey and drizzly at first light. Breakfast aboard as we decided on a game plan for the day. We discovered that we were missing coffee which was a definite requirement for Captain Cohort (believe me, that first morning wasn’t pretty), so we decided to head to Soper’s to pick some up. We motored over, putting me at the helm, as the winds were about 30 knots and the channel was really rough- BIG swells. That first moment of taking the helm was exhilarating, the feeling of having a modicum of control over this vessel in the sea. I got a little spooked a few times with how much we were getting pushed in all directions. Soper’s Hole was packed. After several laps (I got good at doing laps) trying to find a mooring ball, we decided to head to Cane Garden Bay and visit Bobby’s Market instead. This pleased me immensely. We had originally decided to skip CGB, due to the potential swells there since it had been a bit stormy, and I was sorry about that since it is one of my favorite spots. The seas were calmer than in the channel, and the water coming into the bay was that amazing blue that I’ve never seen anywhere else. CGB was also pretty packed – in fact, there was only one ball there, that a boat was pulling away from. We soon found out why, as what followed was the infamous mooring ball fiasco, otherwise referred to “How many people does it take to hook a mooring ball?” In this case, it took 7 people. I wished I’d been watching it from the shore, as it must have been highly entertaining.

Walked up the beach to Bobby’s and picked up coffee and chocolate and a few other necessities. After a drink at Myetts, we strolled the beach checking the menus. Dinner at Cooper had been pricier than we had expected, so we wanted to eat on the cheap if we could. What we really really wanted was a cheeseburger, which did not appear on any dinner menu! But the wonderful folks at Rhymers were kind enough to make us a couple upon request. And we finished the meal with the BEST Key Lime Pie – this judgment stood the test of the trip, as we sampled Key Lime Pie and compared it to Rhymers everywhere else we went. A final drink at Quito’s and a short lounge on the beach, and it was back to the boat. The remodel at Quito’s is beautiful, very open and airy. Quito started playing just as we got settled aboard, and tired as I was, I regretted that we weren’t there for dancing, but it was great just hearing the music coming over the water – nothing like having Quito serenade you to sleep.

April 24 –
Cane Garden Bay was beautiful at dawn, the water is a deep green and the pattern of light and ripples matches the clouds. PB & J and Zucaritas for breakfast – Captain Cohort is happier now with coffee on board. Sailed back to Soper’s to get some water. We decide to head off to Jost, as it is both of our favorite island. This is a sailing day, and I am getting good at manning the helm (autohelm is awfully helpful at times though) and reading charts/navigating. Stopped at Sandy Cay and had lunch on the boat, then dinghied ashore for snorkeling. The water there was an amazing Caribbean green, so clear that the underbellies of the gulls reflected the green of the water. Walked the curve of the beach as far as the sand would allow and snorkeled near the dinghy landing spot. This was the trip’s best snorkeling for me. My mask didn’t leak this time – there were lots of fish, and the reef around the edge of the island has wonderful arches and tunnel formations. A boatload of families were over from Tortola with dogs and babies floating around and it was fun to watch everyone have a wonderful time.

Back to the boat and motored on to Diamond Cay (where Foxy’s Taboo is) and snagged a ball. Took a quick swim. Captain decided to take the dinghy to explore the coastline, and I used the time to take a shower and wash my hair and dry it in the sun, dancing to tunes with a cocktail and pondering life’ listening to sea birds and the crash of the Atlantic. Taboo was lively – I could hear the fun from the boat, but being dinghyless, couldn’t get there. (It’s an interesting perspective, being, really, a non-sailor, on the boat without a dinghy.) We had been planning on going there for dinner, but when the gentleman came to collect the mooring fee, he said they’d be closed for dinner. Just as I was thinking it would be fun to go, Captain shows up with the dinghy – he had never gotten past exploring Taboo, and had come back thinking I might enjoy the party! We went back and played with 8 folks from Boston for a while until they kicked us all out. Dinner of Spanish Olive Burgers on the boat was yummy and the full moon rising over Tortola was awesome.

April 25 –
Up early, to a beautiful calm morning, with the water still as glass. Headed off for the Bubbly Pool. I was pleased to be able to make it there without the dogs, and the markers on the tree branches were helpful. It wasn’t particularly bubbly, but it was nice and refreshing and quiet. There were a lot of new stone stacks since my last visit, and I left one of my own on an upper crevice before we headed back to the boat. Our friends from Boston were amazed that we hailed them with Caribes as we left – they were keen on the Diet Coke and coffee that morning. Since our plan was to head to Great Harbor, a very short sail, we decided to just put the sails up and wander around the water for a while, with no particular destination. It was wonderful.

We anchored with no problem in Great Harbor, though there was quite a lot of swing among the other boats, we were holding fast after the first attempt. (We saw several others make Cecile B. DeMille productions out of anchoring.) Went ashore for a few provisions (I know how to refine my provisioning list next time), had a few drinks at Foxy’s and got reacquainted with bartender Debby, who we met last fall at Soggy Dollar, and who does double duty at Soggy Dollar and Foxy’s. We were fortunate to hear Foxy play a set that afternoon, then we returned to the boat for lunch and reading and napping and cocktails. After a sunset snack, we headed back to Foxy’s for drinks and dancing. Captain found a fellow Chicagoan and his girlfriend to chat with. I was a little restless and wandered through town – it was nice at night, and everyone was very friendly. (Monkeyfeet’s hat is hanging in there at Foxy’s!)

April 26 –
Off to Soper’s Hole in the morning for water – one of the tanks seemed to be leaking. Weather was temperamental on the sail across – we heard the Coast Guard talking about waterspouts off St. Thomas, and a vessel in distress at Beef Island. Had lunch at Pusser’s – I think last night’s cocktails caught up with us! Pretty good burgers and wonderful fries. The gourmet market by the water dock was wonderful. Then we headed off to Norman Island to pick up a ball for the night. Seas were a bit rough, but I rode on the bow, and felt like I was having a mystical experience, becoming one with the sea, the crests and troughs, getting covered with spray. It was one of the best parts of the trip.

Picked up a ball in Norman with no trouble and took a dip to cool off. We radioed Pirate’s to make dinner reservations. Pearline came by in her dinghy with wonderful things for sale, so my shopping was mostly taken care of. We took a short dinghy tour around the Bight, so I could say I saw the Willy T, then headed ashore for dinner. Dinner was amazing, shrimp caeser salad, grilled mahi with mashed potatoes for me, and Captain’s Baby Back Ribs were good as well. The Key Lime Pie was good, but I was almost asleep by the time it arrived. Back to the boat for an early night. A huge, loud provisioning boat with incredibly bright lights had pulled up to the concrete dock just as we were finishing dinner, so it made sitting topside under the stars less than ideal.

April 27 –
Dinghied over to the Caves for snorkeling. More fish there than anywhere else we’d snorkeled, but my mask was leaking again, which was most disconcerting. The Caves were cool, particularly the one which went back aways. Swam through what appeared to be swarms of tiny harmless jellies. Captain saw a barracuda heading for my toes, which I missed, much to my disappointment, as I’ve always wanted to see one. Paddled the dinghy into one of the caves we’d missed (very cool), then dinghied a bit farther down, and I snorkeled the little reef in the cove. Stopped off at Pirate’s for a final drink, and a chat with April and Jen – Jen was formerly a bartender at one of Captain’s hometown hangouts. Had my first painkiller of the trip (it had taken me 5 months to recover from a major painkiller night in November) – yummy! Back to the boat. Since we would be land-based at Sandcastle from Thursday afternoon through Sunday morning, we decided to head for White Bay and dump what gear we wouldn’t need in Sandcastle’s shed until the next day, to avoid lugging it from Sunsail to Jost. A great idea on the Captain’s part. I got some more experience with trimming the sails, and realized I much prefer it with sails up than motor on.

We got a ball at White Bay, though it was very shallow, enough to make us a little nervous. Donated some provisions that we knew we wouldn’t need to Ivan – a couple bottles of wine, some Carib, cooking oil, TP, etc. Hopefully, someone will put it all to good use. Had a drink at Ivan’s and chatted with some folks from California and Colorado who happened to be anchored next to us – always fun to meet people from your neck of the woods in faraway places. Dinghied over to Sandcastle to make sure it was okay for us to leave our stuff overnight – Tina was most accommodating, as always. So back in the dinghy, back to the boat, packed up, and back to Sandcastle, back to the boat, and had hot dogs for dinner. We’re sure we saw the Southern Cross low over St. John, even though we were told it wasn’t possible. (I checked it out in the star charts at Sandcastle a few days later.) Hung out on the deck, playing tunes and watching falling stars. You could hear the folks on the beach at Ivan’s “oooh” and “aaah” as if they were watching fireworks. White Bay is my favorite place on earth. Very rolly night, and somehow the mooring ball had caught on some piece of stray line (we discovered the next morning) and was bumping hard against the boat all night.

April 28 –
After a breakfast of bacon, brie and mimosas, we started back to Hodges Creek. Since we’d spent so much time around the channel, we decided to go the north route around Beef Island. There were so many places we wanted to see, but didn’t get to, that two weeks would not have been enough - I’m making my list for the next trip. It was a wonderful day for sailing, had the main up and made fair time. Watching other boats head out to open water and Anegada made me want to do the same. I wanted to experience that feeling of looking around and not seeing any land – I could only achieve it in spots by turning my back on Tortola and pretending. Another thing for next time. The north coast was beautiful and rocky, with the occasional pristine sand beach. Only tricky part was determining the course around Beef Island. Just as we figured out which way not to go, there was a huge cloud of black smoke and flame from near the airport – later discovered it was someone burning something, but we thought it was a plane crash, from the looks of it. Sailed alongside the same folks we’d met at Ivan’s the day before for a bit, then located (with a little difficulty though) Hodges Creek Marina – we kept looking for the red roofs, but there were red roofs one bay over as well. We were about 45 minutes late, and Sunsail had to do a quick turn on the boat. Fortunately we had done most of the cleanup after breakfast, and were off the boat in record time – just trash to dump and backpacks to take ashore.

Long cab ride to West End, where we missed the 1:00 ferry, and so went to Jolly Roger for lunch – burger and flying fish sandwich. Traded some books, and walked back to the ferry and waited what seemed an eternity for the 4:00, which was piled high with provisions for Foxy’s. One of the school kids missed the ferry, so the pilot reversed a bit to retrieve her, and we headed off. Chatted with some nice couples, one staying at Ivan’s and one staying at White Bay Villas. The ferry stopped first in Little Harbor to let off one of the kids, and then onto Great Harbor, where Bun appeared with the taxi. Sandy met us upon arrival at Sandcastle. She and husband Roger are the new managers, and are very nice. Our bags were already in our rooms and dinner was imminent, so we cleaned up, had a cocktail, then sat down to one of Oliver’s wonderful meals. Without fail, some of the best food I’ve had – the fried grouper was awesome, chicken in creole sauce, minestrone. The Key Lime Pie though, left something to be desired – we’d now become connoisseurs. Again, I almost fell asleep over dessert, so it was an early evening. Good to see Bruce (and of course Trixie) again.

April 29
Up early, before the coffee was on. This is always my favorite time on White Bay, when it is quiet and before all the boats and people come in, and you get just get a flavor of what the day may be like. Strolled on the beach, took some pictures, read a bit. Took coffee to the Captain once it was ready. Breakfast was a bagel – I think I was still full from dinner. Wandered the beach some more, looking for shells to put into an empty rum bottle. Huge schools of tiny fish were forming shapes in the clear water at the edge of the sand. Then it was time to stake out chairs for some serious limin’. And that was it for the daylight hours. Read, swam, drank, flying fish sandwich (Wisconsin style) for lunch, walked on the beach, dozed, dried my hair in the breeze, played with Seddy’s Isaac and his temporary babysitter Pat, who I’d met at Foxy’s a few nights ago, sat on the beach, listened to Kenny Chesney music drifting out of Gertrude’s and watched the water.. Trixie made little nests in the sand and curled up, – she’s scheduled to have knee surgery on May 2. Met up with two nice couples from the DC area who invited us to join them for dinner at Corsairs, which we did. Finally met Vinny, and had a huge and wonderful lobster, and of course, Key Lime Pie. Walked down to Foxy’s for a few more drinks and dancing, then a cab back to Sandcastle. A midnight swim was a nice way to cool off and watch the stars.

April 30
An early walk on the beach, with Lily waving at me from the shade of Seddy’s. Banana pancakes for breakfast. Another day of limin’ – there were things I wanted to do, like hike and snorkel, but somehow couldn’t get the energy up for it. It felt too good just to bask. A very busy day at the Soggy Dollar – tons of people. Jerry, the new owner was there, but I didn’t have a chance to meet him personally. So it was swimming, reading, napping, chatting and cocktailing. We had to pack – ick. We were disappointed to learn that it was Oliver’s night off, so we would not have the privilege of another of his dinners. But we all piled into the back of the truck and went off to Foxy’s BBQ, which I hadn’t had before. I love places where I don’t even need to bring my shoes. Dinner was excellent – especially the grilled mahi. Captain and I took a cab back to the hotel – our last night, we were both a little sad and not feeling as social as usual. A final late night stroll for stargazing – got to last me until November. I dug my toes so deep in the soft White Bay sand that I could still feel the warmth from the day’s sun.

May 1 –
Bun came to get us for the 8:00 ferry, but not before I lined up a few more days in November. The ferry ride over was wonderful – kind of wet and it felt great! Took an open air cab to the airport. Captain was able to jump on an earlier flight to San Juan, so I took some time to have brunch at the Cybercafe – the best flying fish sandwich of the trip – the bread was amazing, and I had the company of three cats and a duck. Poked around Aragorn’s Studio and walked over to Da Loose Mongoose and to check out the Beef Island Guest House. All very nice and Trellis Bay is quite pretty. Got to be the best airport waiting room in the world – all they need is a little system to announce your flight when you’re hanging out at the café/beach/bar. Cape Air back to SJU with no trouble – absolutely awesome views of Anegada and all the BVI. I watched White Bay until I couldn’t see it anymore. Our pilot escorted us through the service elevator straight to Immigration (no line), and a Cape Air employee had our bags handy at the luggage carousel, and there was no line at Customs either. After the usual patdown at security, it was onto the flights home with no worries.

General Meditations
It’s interesting being accustomed to land-based trips and having some time on the water. When I’m landbased, I feel more plugged into the rhythm of the island and the people. I watch people from boats come and go, and feel like a hostess. On my last trips, people have asked me how long I have lived on the island after just a couple of days. But coming from the boat, I felt more like a visitor, like I’m just stopping by, and not so connected to the islands. However, I was more plugged in to the water and reveled in the freedom of being able to go wherever we wanted. Island time felt the same, long days that seemed longer than the same day would seem anywhere else. Traveling with a companion was also a new experience for me, and while it couldn’t have worked out better, I didn’t find the same level of peace and solitude (obviously) as when I travel alone. But we laughed a lot and had a lot of fun, and I had alone time whenever I needed it.

It seems also that, when sailing, there’s always something to do, or something you’re going to need to do, which is very different from being land-based. You can’t just have cocktails and dance and fall into bed. You have to make sure you can find your dinghy and drive it back to YOUR boat, and tie it up properly and get in and out of it. There are hatches to be closed and anchors to be monitored and bumps in the night to be investigated. Also, I was one big human bruise from running into/stepping on/stumbling over absolutely everything. The only thing I was glad about in dropping off the boat was in realizing that I wasn’t going to have to say “ouch” every time I tried to walk someplace. (We decided at the end of the trip that we should have kept a tally of the number of times I said it.) The concept of sea legs is also an interesting one – it takes a bit to learn to balance on the boat, and it takes a bit to stop the rocking when you’re done. I also have a new appreciation for the strength of people who sail a lot – it can be a lot of work, as well as a lot of fun.

The Boat
Olympe’s dinghy was somewhat temperamental in starting for most of the trip. Olympe didn’t get up much speed when sailing, which was a little disappointing, as we had good wind. Her motor held up while and we used it probably more than the Captain would have liked, but such is life. The salon was snug, the aft cabin more spacious than the fore cabin, but not as well ventilated. A good size boat for a couple, but two couples would definitely be pushing it.

Next trip resolutions:

Bring only fluff to read, nothing serious.
Fewer clothes
Refine that provisioning list
Bring an extra pair of sunglasses (lost mine at Taboo)
Buy three bottles of White Rum to mark the time until I get back (this time it was just two, one for the halfway point in the countdown, and one for the week before)