We are actually in Dominica (simply gorgeous!) and on our way to Martinique. Yes…our blog is woefully behind!

03/25/11 We are off to West End, Tortola in the BVIs. We need to go to this specific location because it is where the Department of Agriculture has agreed to meet us to clear in Chula. Let us explain. We have yet to have an issue with the dog(s) however most of the islands advertise very strict restrictions. We have taken pains to make sure all vaccinations are up to date and that we have valid health certs as well. It was suggested to us that we contact Mr. Devieux, in the Department of Agriculture, before our arrival. By sending copies of all of Chula’s paperwork we were told he would issue us an import documentation. The best laid plans…. In spite of having all of the necessary paperwork we made the mistake of telling him that “our vet” told us we had all the proper documentation. For an $80 fee he informed us that what we should have said was, “We subscribe to the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) and have met all of its requirements and here are the papers”. This verbiage would have cleared Chula right on through. We had to meet him at the dock and pay the fee (unnecessary and unofficial, we can see why some folks believe bribes run rampant through the islands). From here on in we go back to asking for forgiveness rather than permission. Once cleared in, we drop the mooring at West End, Tortola and beeline for Jost Van Dyke and Foxy’s.
World renowned Foxy’s is a BVI institution. As we dropped our anchor (no mooring ball for us, we’re cheap) we had to negotiate the masses of charter boats. The good news is that the charter boats were on moorings, so we had a good idea of how the boats would move in wind and wave. We’ll speak more of charter boats, however let us say that most of the folks aboard charters are conscientious and knowledgeable boaters, of course some are not. For some, they simply park the boat dropping a hundred or so feet of chain attached to the anchor in a pile on the seabed and then off to the bars. Sometimes the boat stays where they left it, sometimes it doesn’t. Fun times!
Anyone visiting Foxy’s should try and do so on Friday’s as it is the night of the all you can eat (within reason) BBQ. With two heaping plates the crew of Boto (Chula included) were able to make several leftover meals. That’s good eatin’.
While the USVI are wonderful and beautiful the allure of the BVI’s is that several islands are in very close proximity of one another, hence the multitude of charter boats. Everyday is a new beach, on a new island, with new bars. The other reason to take care with charter boats, alcohol plus sun plus water plus big boats equal smash(ed) sometimes in more ways than one. So, we are off to Norman Island to visit the other world renown den of iniquity, the Willie T.

We opted to avoid the mooring field and anchored in Privateer Bay in 30 feet of water where we could snorkel off the stern along wonderful reefs. As Chula had enjoyed her time ashore at Foxy’s she insisted on joining us on our visit to the Willie T, so off we went. We enjoyed afternoon cocktails with the early bird crowd and as usual Chula was the center of attention. She really enjoyed watching the wild crowd do shots off the surfboard!

03/27/11 We’re off for Peter Island (which was almost the sight of our nuptials, until San Diego won out) only to find no room at the inn, so we hang a left and head to Roadtown, Tortola. Remember, the islands are really close together. For those that have never been, pay a visit to Roadtown, for everyone else you already know there isn’t much there. Of course there are the cute shops for the cruise ships! After a rocky, rainy night with little sleep we are off for Cooper Island, all of 10nm, a big day.

Cooper’s is a prime example of BVI anchorages, very deep and very crowded. We dropped the hook in sixty feet of water. As this will be another diatribe directed at charter boats. Allow me to digress and discuss the act of anchoring. The rule of thumb is that when anchoring us a 7:1 ratio for the amount of scope (the length of chain/rode, rope for landlubbers) you deploy. So if in ten feet of water, deploy 70 feet. If in tight quarters use somewhat less, say 5:1, if in bad weather or have a lot of space use somewhat more. The thing about the rule of thumb is that it gives everyone else an idea of what to expect from other boats. So we find ourselves in 60 feet of water, according to the thumb we would deploy 420 feet, Boto has two anchors; our primary is a 45lb Danforth with 150 feet of 3/8” chain attached to 250 feet of 5/8” five strand rode, the backup is a 45lb Bruce with 50 feet of 3/8” chain attached to 250 feet of 5/8” five strand rode. Strong and hearty stuff, not enough length however, so what else is new, right? In an area with a clear bottom the anchor will hold a boat to a certain extent after that it is the weight of the chain which holds us in place. We opted to modify the rule and go with the primary anchor, all the chain and another 200 feet of rode, which would have worked great if the wind hadn’t died and left us and all other boats to the whim of the current.

Here comes the fun part, after a period of time we decided we were secure and we could relax and relax we did, until the catamaran arrived. Two couples aboard a charter cat arrived off our port quarter and dropped the anchor and a bundle of chain and prepared to take the dinghy ashore. We decided for our own safety and sanity to inform them that we had over 300 feet of rode out and should the wind pick up they would be inside our scope and we would go bump in the night. With a shrug and a smile off they went to shore. The good news is that the wind didn’t pick up the bad news is that during the course of the evening we hauled in 150 feet of rode leaving with 200 feet out in order to avoid bumping as the boats swung hither and yon. At one point during the wee hours of the morning we awoke to find our stern stepping distance from the stern of the cat. We hauled anchor the next morning and headed to Thomas Bay on Virgin Gorda and the BATHS.

The Baths are a wonderful sight to behold. The rock formations carved by the sea are enormous, the caves that have been created are remarkable and the water is beautiful. If you find yourself in the BVI’s be certain to put the Baths on your to do list.

A wonderful morning and afternoon at the Baths and we are off to Leverick Bay and Happy ARRRRH with Michael Beans. He puts on a great show and part of it is a conch-blowing contest to see how long you can blow before running out of air. Ed courageously joined the competition and was literally ‘blow out of the water!” The winner blew for 59 seconds and Ed blew for….well, generously 8 seconds!

When in Leverick Bay take a mooring courtesy of the Leverick Bay Marina. The cost is $25 and includes 200 gallons of water; we took very long showers while in Leverick Bay. Gorda Sound is home to a number of fun anchorages, Leverick being but one. Taking a Happy Hour dinghy ride one afternoon of the Sound we stopped off at Bitter End, home to the Bitter End Yacht Club and at Saba Rock. Bitter End is somewhat upscale but very nice. We didn’t like Saba Rock, only because they didn’t like Chula. Let me correct that, everyone at the Saba Rock Bar/Restaurant loved Chula, one very uptight fellow did not. As the sourpuss turned out to be the manager we left, with coldies from the bartender, hehe. On our return to Boto, as has become common place, we ran into an old acquaintance. The folks aboard ULTRA were anchored off Saba Rock. After visiting for a bit we returned home for the evening and another wonderful sunset and of course a long shower (that is 3 gallons of water VS 1 gallon!).

Off to Trellis Bay/Marina Cay to take care of checking out of the BVI’s as well as to catch Eric Stone at Marina Cay. For those sailing the BVI’s a word of warning, do not try to clear in or out at the airport at Trellis Bay. Although equipped with Customs and Immigration offices, the airport offices only handle avian travelers, all aquatic travelers must head into Roadtown on Tortola to check in and out. Apparently the paperwork and training are different. We should have known after all, Aquaman couldn’t fly, Hawkman couldn’t swim. Once again, I digress. We cleared out in Roadtown.

Yes, as some may say we are living the dream, however that doesn’t excuse us from death and taxes. At least death is nowhere near, we hope. As for taxes we had a great internet connect at Marina Cay so we finalized everything with our CPA, Anne Boatman, thanks Anne! We got money from Uncle Sam, thanks Uncle. If on a boat head to Lee Bay off Great Camanoe island just around the corner from Marina Cay. Excellent anchorage and beautiful spot with clear clean water.

Time to bid farewell to the Virgin Islands, for anyone thinking of a Caribbean getaway any and all of the Virgins are a great destination. If planning a boat trip, pick up a charter in St. Thomas or Tortola and visit as many of the islands as you can. If you have the extra time our suggestion would be to grab a boat in St. Thomas and cross the 20nm to Culebra (Spanish Virgins and part of Puerto Rico and the US) then jump back to anyone of the USVI’s, then pop on over to the BVI’s. While visiting each of the islands be sure to enjoy as much of the local cooking as you can and of course sample each islands rum, they are all somewhat unique.

We bid adieu to our Canon camera in Virgin Gorda. She has been a good camera but in attempting to get the lens to open I’m afraid we man-handled her and her springs sprung. It will be iphone photos until John and Peggy come to visit and can bring us a new one!

St. John with the Rickseckers

It is St. Patrick’s Day and the Rickseckers (Irish by the way!) are due to arrive today in St. John. They will be camping on the north side of the island in Cinnamon Bay. Usually the north swell would keep you from anchoring there this time of year but we are in luck…little to no swell for the next 3-4 days! We went to meet the ferry but found out later that they took an earlier shuttle so just missed them. So, tomorrow we will make the 5 mile trip around to the north side of the island.

We decided to anchor in Maho Bay which is just next to Cinnamon Bay which really doesn’t have a good anchorage. In the afternoon, while on the beach with Chula, we saw a motley crew hiking down the road and I quickly recognized Jim. We met the rest of the family, Molly (Jim’s wife), Maureen (daughter), Dan (son), Melissa (daughter) and her friend Casey. While we were talking, we heard Chula yelp and start chasing her behind. Ed quickly threw her in the water thinking she sat in some ants until he saw a large furry thing floating in the water. It was a spider so he recovered it with a cup so we could ask the locals the type of spider. The campsite office is open late so we Ed took the spider, now deceased and stored in alcohol (rubbing, not drinking) up to see if anyone could identify. For the record, there are 187 steps from the beach to the office, WHEW. Anyway, no one in the office could identify it, however they suggested Ed talk with George. After looking at the spider and some minor translation issues George identified the spider as a tarantula, a baby and that we had no worries. Back on Boto Ed informed Vicky that George said, “No worries, mon your puppy be ok”. Asking who is George, Ed replied, the bus driver man, no worries. Per George’s insights Chula was fine, however we now keep an eye out for ‘hairy legs’.
The next day the Rickseckers plan to go to the St. Patrick’s Day parade (belated) in Cruz Bay. We were told it is all of 5-10 minutes long so not to be late. That was indeed the case but the Rickseckers made it a bit longer by dancing in the parade. Maureen had danced for years with The River Dance company and the rest of the family has taken lessons and danced in local Wisconsin events so we know they were great entertainment. We missed the parade as we decided to snorkel the underwater trail in Trunk Bay.

Following a long day and even longer night, the Rickseckers showed up on the beach and we shuttled them to the boat for a day of sailing. The kids had gone to a Jazz concert that night and didn’t get home until the wee hours so a couple of the crew weren’t quite up to the task. Even so, all declined the Dramamine! We had some pretty good wind with some chop between St. Johns and Yost Van Dyke. We quickly realized it was time to make it to Watermelon Bay for some calm weather and snorkeling when we saw the ‘blue bucket’ at the stern being used by Molly and Melissa.

We took a day mooring ball at Watermelon where we were just 30 feet from shore, the bow was in 26 feet of water and the stern was just off a wall that rose up to 6 feet. The reef, across the bay is where everyone snorkels but all agreed the scenery just behind the boat was the best. After some beers and Ed’s special rum punch we headed back to Maho Bay. Once on the mooring it was time to bid adieu to the gang and get them ashore before dark. It took two dinghy trips and the north swell was beginning to set in again. Thinking that the youngsters could hop out just before the beach Ed had them all jump out and things were looking good until a nice roller came in and soaked everyone, oops. Taking a lesson from that Ed told Jim and Molly to wait in the dink as he turned the bow into the swell so that they would get wet, all was looking good until the double set came rolling in and swamped the dink, they were soaked. A soggy walk back to camp was the order of the day. At least everyone was laughing.

Tomorrow we head back to St. Thomas to update a few of Chula’s shots and then we are headed for the BVIs (British Virgin Islands). We arrived at our anchorage 03/21 (Lindbergh Bay) and who should hail us while coming in right on our tail but Willow (Jenny and Nancy). Yeah, we will get to see them one last time before we head south and they go back to California.

The next day was our vet appointment in Red Hook, St. Thomas. The most economical way to get there would be by bus vs taxi however we aren’t sure if Chula will be allowed to ride. So, we packed her portable crate, picked up Jenny and Nancy, and then headed to the bus stand. It turns out she is allowed on the bus in a crate even though the taxi drivers aren’t too keen on the time it takes to get this accomplished!

We walked around a bit, visited the vet and then went with Jenny and Nancy to scope out a marina where they are considering hauling out Willow for the season. We started to walk but quickly took another bus to the marina. It is nicely nestled in the mangroves with a cute outdoor restaurant so we stopped for lunch. Then it was the bus ride home which was actually a lot of fun and the scenery along the way was great.

After a full day of work, we decided to take a day off to play a bit at the beach and Jenny took out her windsurfer, Vicky gave it a try but true to form she can only go one way and can’t get it turned around. Luckily Nancy noticed the dilemma and brought the dinghy around for a tow back to Boto! That afternoon “Loose Change” came into Lindbergh Bay as well so an impromptu happy hour was had on Boto that evening. Based on the evenings events Vicky believes Ed and Nancy will not be allowed to play together without proper adult supervision.

03/25/11 It is bright and early… we are up and on our way to the BVI’s.

St. Thomas and St. Croix

03/09/11 We have beautiful weather forecasted for a nice sail to St. Thomas so we are finally leaving the lovely Spanish Virgin Islands which have been so wonderful. We got an early start and guess what? The weather forecast was correct! Wind speed, wind direction, swell, all as predicted. We sailed the entire 20 miles and anchored off Honeymoon Beach for the first night. Wow…lots of boats here around Charlotte Amalie. I guess we are in the Virgin Islands during the height of cruising season so we had better brace ourselves for the scrambling to get to a good anchorage before the other boats!

The next day we moved to Lindberg Bay which was just a mile or so away to get out of the channel, swell and general mayhem surrounding the Honeymoon Bay area. This was a fantastic decision as there is a beautiful beach and a resort with only a handful of boats here. We relaxed, did a few boat projects, laundry, grocery shopping and of course we picked up the duty-free Cruzan rum which is a delicious bargain (be sure to pick up the Blackstrap when the opportunity presents itself). A tour of the island is very easy, simply stick out your index finger and flag down a bus. The word bus is somewhat generous, as the ride is a heavy duty pickup with the bed replaced by an open air flatbed with several benches bolted on. For a few bucks one can ride around the entire island jumping on and off whenever you wish.

Downtown Charlotte Amalie is mainly geared to the cruise ship crowd with many jewelry stores, sunglass shops and of course Cuban cigars! The shops are all in restored buildings which makes the meandering a visual delight. After browsing (only the architecture!) we took the 99 steps up from the plaza to the Hotel 1829 for a mid-afternoon pick-me-up….that is to say a ‘rum drink’! Yes, Ed counted every step! The bartender mixes his specialty drink called Black Beard’s Revenge but it is mainly 5 different rums with little if any mix! We sipped our drinks on the 19th century terrace with a spectacular view of the harbor and a view of the bar that is made from ships’ ballast and a floor crafted from 200 year-old Moroccan tiles.

From here we made our way further up the hillside to Blackbeard’s Castle…that was closed! The view was fantastic and we saw the most beautiful green Iguana that we have seen so far.

03/14/11 The weather was perfect for a sail down to St. Croix. Again we sailed almost the entire way! Granted it was a SE sail instead of heading directly into the east trade winds but we started getting excited at the prospect of making headway without our engine as we start nearing the Leeward Islands! As days in the Caribbean go this is definitely in our top ten.

Croix has two larger cities, Christiansted and Frederiksted. Anchoring at either can be ‘swelly’ at this time of the year so we decided to anchor in Christiansted. For you Scandinavians out there, ya, the island has Danish roots (as well as St. Thomas).

You can take the local bus for a reasonable fare to Frederiksted but we decided it was too bumpy to leave Chula on the boat alone so we opted to rent a car and tour the island in grand style! That morning we stopped by the waterfront for a hearty breakfast…and they had RYE bread! It isn’t easy finding anything other than wheat or white bread so it was a big treat!
As we began our tour of the north coast we stopped by a small marina and dive shop. We have a dive belt but need the weights so we keep checking to see if we can pick some up. They are hard to come by because the shipping costs are prohibitive to getting them to the islands. No luck here but Chula got to romp and play with Raul, a 3 month old puppy.

We really wanted to see the lighthouse on the NW corner of the island. We had it in sight and with a sketchy map we continued following the coast. It was a good thing that we had a 4 wheel SUV because the paved road on the map wasn’t paved. Next it started to fork into other roads. We kept bearing right to stay along the coast figuring we couldn’t go wrong. Well, we saw a lot of beautiful countryside but we came out on a road on the west coast instead! OK…it looks like you can get to the lighthouse from this road by going north. We finally asked a local how to get to the lighthouse and we were told there is no longer a road up to it! No lighthouse this trip but we saw a lot of sugar plantation ruins along the way which were spectacular!

Frederiksted was our next stop. This is where the cruise ships come in and it has some nicely restored buildings along the waterfront with a fairly new promenade so we enjoyed a stroll through town. On our way out of town we cruised by the Cruzan Rum Distillery, thinking score. However, the freebies we had heard of were not to be had and the price of a bottle fresh from the still was as much or more than in the duty free, so back to town for us.
We meandered through the countryside back to Christiansted where we took in sights at the end of the day. Really, St. Croix probably has the most restored historical buildings of any of the islands that we have visited. Many of the shops are in restored buildings which is fantastic. We are so use to seeing the ‘cruise ship’ new buildings along the waterfront that try to look like they fit in the islands but usually they just don’t! Happy hour at the waterfront was a nice way to end the day.

We were tired after two very rolly nights so we weighed anchor the following morning to set off to St. John. Our friend, Jim Ricksecker (Stan’s brother) and his family will be there on vacation the week of 3/18 and we want to meet up with them. It has been years since I have seen them and we want to take them for a sail!

03/16/11 We arrived at St. John’s (USVI) and took a mooring ball just north of Cruz Bay. The really neat thing about all of this traveling is that we haven’t had to check in since Puerto Rico since it is all part of the USA. A short dinghy ride brought us to Cruz Bay which is the main ferry entrance from St. Thomas. Most visitors fly to St. Thomas and ferry over to Cruz Bay so there are a lot of shops for the tourist crowd. Tomorrow the Rickseckers will be arriving in the late afternoon so for tonight we will rest up from the last two bumpy nights in St. Croix.