Background information first. Somehow a decision was made that the crew all needed some type of pirate nick-name. I started out as Captain Skunkbeard (because the beard doesn’t come in dark any more), my lovely wife, who is very good in the kitchen, Galley Wench, our male crew started as Hookfoot Bill (a great story, but a little long for here), but decided that he had had some boating experience and wanted to be a Captain, so we both received instant promotions, I to Admiral Skunkbeard and he to Captain Hookfoot. Lastly the Captains Wench, who is handy behind the bar, the Serving Wench. Although the Captain and Serving Wench have been to St.Thomas via cruise ship, they are virgins to this type of trip.

About two weeks before we were scheduled to head down, we received a call from the airline who had cancelled our original flight and rescheduled us to a later time. This just would not work because we had to catch a ferry to Tortola, so we pushed a little harder with the airline and got a flight on the previous day. This would be the first time that we took a day ahead of time to chill before heading to the boat. We booked a room in the Bunker Hill Hotel, just a couple blocks off of Veterans Drive in Charlotte Amalie and we will never travel to the boat on the first day again. What a great way to unwind and get into Ilon time! We met the Captain and the Serving Wench and went for a couple of welcome to the Ilons drinks. They had missed a connection in San Juan and came in a little later than expected and really needed a relaxer. If you haven’t been there, check out the Fat Turtle in Yacht Haven, great drinks, atmosphere and entertainment. We were a bit disappointed that none of the shops were open as no cruise ships were in town, but later on we enjoyed the Green House and a two for one drink special!

Day 2 started with a leisurely stroll to the ferry dock where we got our tickets and enjoyed a nice breakfast and a couple of mimosas at the Petite Pump Room. Our charter was with TMM in Roadtown, but we decided to ferry to West End because we wanted to stop at Harbor market on the way in. Customs at West End was a breeze and harbor market had what we wanted. We called TMM and they sent a van for us. I tipped the Driver upon our arrival and was surprised (but not upset) to find that I also had to pay for the taxi ride. We would have simply taken a taxi that was near the Market rather than to wait for one to arrive from TMM. None the less, west End will most likely be our point of entry again.

Check out and the briefing went well and things seemed to progress faster than we had anticipated. The fishing gear and permits supplied by Island surf and sail were already aboard and Bobbies delivered shortly after our arrival. Everything was in order except for one item which was adequately substituted. I guess the fact that we went in expecting a slow pace paid off when the pace was quicker than we had anticipated. The Captain and his Wench arrived toward the end of the briefing and we were ready to leave the dock by about 1:30 after one more trip to Rite-way to top off our liquid supplies.

I knew as soon as we backed the Island Kandi off of the dock that I could never again survive without a bow-thruster. I swear you could turn that baby on a dime! This came in handy at the mooring fields (we never missed a ball) and docks throughout the trip. A quick trip over to the Bight found an almost empty mooring field that stayed that way all night. The Willy-T was quiet and we stayed for dinner and a couple of cocktails, but an early night was in store for us after our travels down.

Day 3 was a good morning to visit the caves and introduce the crew to the beauties of the Ilons. After a couple of hours of exploration (finding no hidden gold) we moved on to Cooper where we had made reservations for dinner. The Galley Wench and I went in search of some superior snorkeling but turned back early because of some dingy motor trouble. I, being a mechanic in the real world, diagnosed and repaired a faulty needle valve at the tank. We chilled with a couple of rum punches aboard Kandi and went in for dinner. Despite some not so complimentary comments on traveltalk this spring, dinner was excellent and the service was very good. Do make the trip to Cooper, but definitely make reservations. Several people who had not made reservations were turned away.

On day 4 we rose early and were off the ball soon after sunrise. We made a quick trip up to the baths, picked up a ball and had breakfast. Hookfoot and I fished on the way over and I managed to lose one of my new Mann lures when the knot that I had not checked let loose. We were the second boat in and the first looked as if it had spent the night. Now here is where it gets a little questionable. How long can you stay on a ball at the Baths? I originally thought it was a 2 hour time limit, but as we read through the books I could find nothing to support this. We spent about half the day. This was the first time I had gone all the way through to Devils Bay and we found the snorkeling remarkable. We hiked up the back trail to the Top of The Baths and enjoyed the pool, a few cocktails and an early lunch and came back down the front trail.

Back to Island Kandi for the trip to Marina Cay and a little more fishing on the way. This time the captain hooks a windsurfer and I made him throw him back, only for the two of us to catch some catamaran who could not decide on a course to avoid us. First he was headed across my bow and I was OK with that, then he decided to take us from behind, then in front… you get the picture. My second Mann lure was attached to the port hull of ME AND THE SEA (also a TMM boat), not to mention quite a bit of line before we cut him loose. We spent the night at Marina Cay. I lose the bucket when attempting to clean up a bit and it is in about 30 feet of water. I managed to grab hold of it once but it was full of water and I couldn’t empty it out, so it stays there. We were a bit disappointed here, probably because this is the start of the off season. Hookfoot did buy some grog because he read somewhere that the royal navy used it to prevent scurvy and he was merely concerned with our health. Who wants a scurvy crew? We all decide that the Navy used grog to keep the men from drinking at all! I guess it’s an acquired taste.

Day5 brings a trip to Jost and on the way… fishing. Hookfoot hooks one and it turns out to be a nice Bonito, or maybe a Little Tunny (according to the book). In all the excitement we forget to give the fish a swig of rum to end the flopping and we end up making quite the mess of the aft-deck (and us with no bucket). We arrive at White Bay and find no mooring balls, so we attempt to anchor. The first hook was too close to the channel (my opinion), the next too close to another boat, but as we pull in the hook a ball opens up and we get ourselves set up for the night.

The Soggy Dollar was a lot busier than we had been observing on the web-cam, but it is our duty to show our virgins the birthplace of the Painkiller and since we are duty-bound… The Galley Wench and I end up going back later on and closing the place down. We met up with the Captain of Catatonic and we ended up taking a tour and enjoying his drink specialty (the catatonic monkey) which consists of alcohol added to alcohol (the exact combination of which I am not sure Captain Dirk would want released). Needless to say, it was tasty.

Day 6 is the day of the much anticipated luau at Corsairs. The Wench and I Dingy over to Great Harbor to check things out and have breakfast at A&B. The egg sandwiches were good, but not really worth $26. Back at the boat, we see Jeanius come in so we decide to go over and introduce ourselves. Mike and Jean were wonderful hosts and great people; it was truly wonderful to meet them. The Luau was great. We left our cameras at the boat because we were a bit worried about the dingy ride to (but mostly) from Great Harbor because we were staying in White Bay. In hind-site it was a big mistake; I would have enjoyed having some of our own pictures of the event. We had a blast. The Hula band and dancers were fabulous. The folks at Corsairs did a great job, thanks for hosting. I think I would have won the hula contest if my chi-chis hadn’t been so saggy. We ended the night at Foxys and dingied back to White Bay where the Captain and I finished off the first ½ of a bottle of Jose, just doing shots and admiring the beauty of where we were.

Day 7 began with a stop at Sandy Spit where we enjoyed some great snorkeling and saw an octopus hiding among the rocks. As the crowd builds, we depart for Leverick and drop the lines back in. This time I catch a Bonito (or Tunny) and we let him sample the rum. This kills him dead and we store him in the cooler for later use. David puts us in the slip (I am lovin’ the bow-thruster) and I end up donating the fish to David and family, who I hope enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed catching it. A couple of drinks at Jumbies with Adia, a couple of pizzas for dinner and a dip in the pool and we turn in early. The AC gives up and I make a quick diagnosis of a bad pump. We gave TMM a call and they send Alfred out the next morning because he was out on another call tonight.

Day 8 brings Alfred on board early who confirms the bad pump diagnosis and finds one on Ilon. A quick pump swap and we are cool again. Now I know some of the purists would never use AC, but it sure gets hot in the aft berth of a trawler. The wench and I decide to go check out SABA rock and BEYC while the captain and wench decide to chill at Leverick. What can I say but what a great day we had. SABA is beautiful. We spot the sophisticated Lady at BEYC and decide to go on over to see if we can meet up with Captain Rick. There is, after all the matter of settling up a wager involving a bottle of rum. We find the good Captain who is on a charter discussing things with his guests and leave him to his business while we go and check out the pub for a while. We were at the pub a couple of years ago and my stepson was quite taken by a barkeep who worked there and was a budding musician. We wanted to see if he was still there and if we could bring back some tunes for the lad. Well, Elwin is now a police officer on Tortola but still plays music (guess we’ll have to coma again to search him out). Back in search of Capt. Rick. This time he is alone and we pay up with the rum, to which Rick invites us to the Lady to consume some of the booty. It was truly a treat to meet Capt. Rick and Lucky (who only speaks when the camera is off) and we enjoyed a great rum punch aboard the Lady. Back to BEYC and we catch the ride over to Leverick via Biras Creek. Another Pizza at the bar and the wife and I are off to an appointment at the Spa (my first massage). It was truly a new experience and I spent the next day or so trying to wash all that oil off. While the wench and I are out, the Captain and his wench somehow loose all the photos from their camera. So we plan a return to the Baths to recapture some of the magic.

Day 9, yup up early for the trip to the baths. We manage to get in plenty early enough to get a ball. We decide to have breakfast at the Top of the Baths and we are not disappointed. Another great time at the baths, more great snorkeling at Devil’s bay and more great photos. We pack it in and head down to Fat Hog’s Bay where we had decided to spend the final night. On the way in we check out the house on Buck with the 3 car garage and no road access (go figure). We later found the house for sale for a meager 50 mill. Any way, we top off the fuel tanks at ProValor Charters (still a little confused with provalor and Provalor Charters), and we were pleasantly surprised to find we used only 51 gallons. Dinner was a treat at Emiles and we retire to the boat for a final evening of cocktails and some recollections of the past week.

Day 10 and we are back at TMM by 8am so we can get the boat taken care of early. The check in and clean up goes smooth and we catch a 9:30 taxi to the ferry terminal. Our driver asks which ferry we want and he tells us who to talk to in order to catch the fast ferry to Charlotte Amalie. I am glad he did because the other guys were really pushy. The ferry gets us in to St. Thomas at 11 and we decided to walk about a bit before heading to the airport. We have lunch at Gladys’s and do a very precious little shopping and catch the cab to the airport. The trip home was uneventful and the Wife and I are in bed by 1 am (Captain and wife by about 2 am) so we can go to work the next day (sigh), but we’ll be back….