BURGERS IN PARIDISE

Sat Feb 14 th 12:50 PM AST We are here in Coral Bay on St John getting our Skinny Legs burger fix. We came into get internet then back around the point for a peaceful night before sailing to Nevis. The wind has not been cooperating with us....we need another 15-20 degrees of north to sail. Our internet will be spotty at best for the next 4-5 days.
We dove on the bottom yesterday....we had our own nature park on the bottom of the boat...did the best we could....need to get to Trindiad next month and get hauled, cleaned and new bottom paint...till then SLOW going.

A few words from the "Old Fart"

Monday Feb 9 2:35 pm AST
Yep, I'm 62 today...spent yesterday swapping out pumps so we could get the water maker up and running. Joyce had brought back a pump with her from Ft Lauderdale. Seems most companies in the US don't consider the Virgin Islands are part of the US. We have been stuck here waiting for Joyce's computer parts and a few other last chance items before we go down island . I had tried to get the right pump, but the company would not ship to the VI's. If they only knew how many of our tax dollars end up down here the would be opening a branch office. I had to use a 24 volt pump instead of a 220 volt pump. Our fresh water pump works fine as a booster pump for the water maker. So I bought a high pressure deck wash pump thinking that would work. Well it had the pressure but not the volume needed. So I hooked the fresh water pump and made 150 gallons. We had met this couple from a cat and dinked over after making the water. When we got back I swapped the pump back to the fresh water so we could have dinner and take showers. We had started to watch some TV when Joyce asked what is that. Well the fresh water pump was still running. I went below to see a few water hoses with big bubbles in the hose. Pressure was over 80 psi. Damn.....so now the deck wash pump is our water pump...and I will use the old fresh water pump as the booster pump. I will have to swap out some hose when I get time....it never ends...today..I'm taking the day off....Made a huge pot of Gumbo...where we are going to put it I don't know... The winds tomorrow will be out of the NE...just what we need to sail to Nevis...but we will not be ready...Double Damn...

St Thomas and HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAUL

Today is Paul's 62 birthday!!!! And, I just got a dirty look!!! Ha ha ha!!!

Some thoughts on St Thomas as we prepare to leave. Last year they had the BEST ice cream in the WORLD here...this year there is no ice cream worth the calories...the place was closed (as were a lot of other stores). For Paul they have the cheapest gin...and that still holds true, although it is now Gilby's gin ($5.99 for a 1.75 liter bottle), not Gordon's gin. It does seem that this year for us (versus last year), this island received "the memo"...the friendly memo. As I was flying out to go to Fort Lauderdale there were young ladies at the airport taking surveys...a lot of the questions alluded to the friendlyness of the locals...I found that interesting based on our experiences of last year. So anyway...a positive note...we both noticed a marked difference in the pleasant and friendly manner of most everyone in St Thomas - real or staged! And, then, a sad truth...we had almost forgotten (from last year) that in the Charlotte Amalie Harbor the on shore police car sirens can be heard very loudly and are almost non-stop...okay probably a bit of an overstatement...but...it gets to be too much to hear the sirens so very often all day AND all night long! Perhaps not unlike any downtown area...but we were ready for a "sound" break. We came over to a small bay - Lindbergh Bay - away from the downtown area...and the quiet is so wonderful! That is until a plane takes off! Yes, this Bay is right at the end of the airport runnway. The good news is that there are no flights out of St Thomas later than 8:00pm or so...and they don't start operation until 7:30am or so. So our nights were truly peaceful!! Part of this Bay runs parallel to the road to the airport...and we found out that on the rocky part right next to the road (not on the beachs where there were hotels and condos) there was a group of homeless men living among the rocks under the bushes and trees. We heard them talking after dark under the shelter of the trees and this morning saw them taking their baths in the Bay. Which reminds me...when we went up to Cost-u-Less we ran into a woman that use to be a "cruiser" (back in 1998) and still lives on a boat in Long Bay (Charlotte Amalie). She is now participating in the local St Thomas Habitat for Humanity. So many more good stories that could be told....So, anyway, still of all of the U.S.V.I.'s, St Croix, picture below....with it's known problems and all, is still our favorite! It just might be awhile before we are back!! And...one other last note of...well, perhaps interest...it RAINS here!!! Every day a squall or two. It is an unusual day when it does NOT rain at least once during the day or night. And, when it rains it POURS! For a Seattle native to be saying that...well... believe that it is true!!! Yesterday we had to pump the rain water out of "Little Bit", our dingy, three times and this morning while Little Bit is still afloat...we will not be going anywhere until it is pumped out again...the bottom is completely full!
We left the above "quiet" Bay and motored over to Crown Bay for fuel. Note to Dennis: we still don't have a bow thruster...I was nervous...but Paul put her in gently and backed her out (proper throttle "touch"), well, no muss, no fuss. We anchored beside Water Island (without "setting" the anchor as we were only going to be there long enough to make some water after the pump was put in). Paul then went into the engine room and installed a new watermaker pump (one that I brought back from Fort Lauderdale with me)...and well...after hours of being in the engine room...drifting into the channel...motoring back over to Lindbergh Bay...and another hour in the engine room...we took a break and went over to visit some cruisers on their 45 foot cat. When we got back as we were watching "our" T.V., the pump came on and would not turn off...once again this time in the dark...Paul was back down into the engine room...so you see..."If it were easy anyone would do it". I used that once during my IDC as well...and I think it is Paul's turn!! I'm sure he will be blogging on boat repairs later...but, hopefull today he will be making a big pot of gumbo! And we moved back over to Long Bay...this is the local Coast Guard office.We have invited Phil and Joanna over for gumbo dinner...she has been under the weather. Phil and Joanna's boat...When I was feeling poorly last week...we got the last of some of Paul's gumbo out of the freezer and it sure helped me get over my cold! View of Charlotte Amalie from anchorage.We have a few last errands to run at Cost-u-Less and Red Hook, St Thomas...and then off to St John's...Cruz Bay to pick up Paul's Golden Oldie Pass (and who says is it bad to get old...ha ha ha)...Lameshur Bay to enjoy that quiet Bay - it is a park area...no one lives around there, so it truly is a quiet Bay. Because it is a park there (in fact a lot of St John is a dedicated park area) we are required to pick up a mooring. We plan to clean the bottom of the boat...and maybe if time and air permit...dive a bit for fun/pictures...and/or lobster. Then to Coral Bay...this is where Paul says all of the hippies that got tired of Key West went many years ago...yes, MANY years ago...back when it was affordable. Now, St John is a VERY expensive place to have a place. But....Skinny Legs is a must stop...the BEST hamburgers in the islands - I can't say the world here because the Zocolo hamburgers in Zihuatanejo...well...they just might be the best. There (Coral Bay) is where we will be waiting for the right wind for an overnight sail to Nevis (if we have to wait two nights for wind...it just might mean we might have to have two hamburgers??? ha ha ha). At Nevis we will meet back up with Phil and Joanna for some sightseeing and diving in Saba and St Kitts as well! Internet has not been and may continue to be spotty for another week or so until we get further down island, but we will try to update as we can and with pictures! Last note that may be of interest...last year Paul forgot Valentines Day...this year he saw me fawning (not hard to do) all over some stuffed fishs at the Cost-u-Less (my youngest daughter and I truly have a "soft" spot for stuffed things)...so now besides Sootie too (thanks mom)...we now have Finny (Happy early Valentine's Day to me...thanks Paul)...which by the way will be the Watertimes.org mascot name...Finny...more on that later too (the website is up but under construction...watertimes.org...take a look)!!! So I guess a little "fluff" is okay on a boat after all!!!

St Croix, U.S.V.I.

We both really like St Croix...the water is very clear in the anchorage...and downtown Christensted is a nice quiet low key place. When they do play loud music at nights in the bars it is something that is very listenable if you know what I mean. This was Paul's watchdog while waiting for me every day! Anyway, these were thoughts we had of St Croix last year when we stopped for a few days. Perhaps that is why when I decided to find someone to teach me to be an Instructor...I looked there. As luck (sometimes) would have it...I chose well. My IDC was a tough ten days...but very good and it Amost certainly prepared me for the IE in Fort Lauderdale. The IDC was taught at Cane BayA beautiful Bay with a large reef that had to be negotiated over before dropping down to a wall...the first dive over the wall we saw two sharks...no pictures of them because it was ALL business at that point... Cane Bay is about a half hour drive from Christensted. It is called Cane Bay after the sugar cane plantation that use to be there. The Course Director picked me up at 7:30 every morning and up the hill we would go to the main house and start the day full of working... Cane Bay sugar mill ruins in the distance... I got dropped off every night between 5 and 6 to have a quick dinner and "hit the books" for the next day. These are re-furbished living quarters that Instructors now live in. Obviously this building has not been re-furbished. What I learned about St Croix from the locals that worked there...well...there were a few things of noteworthyness and I will try to keep this brief as truly I was able to get some diving pictures (from the old camera) that I would like to share. So...some can continue to stick their heads in the sand...whether you want to hear this or not...things I learned about St Croix: don't go out of about a four block radius of downtown at night...racism is rampant (Crusian discriminating against anyone else)...customer service at any of the stores (with required Crusian employment ratios) is non-existent...other locally owned store (Caucasian/Asian/Muslem) have the best customer service and are the stores with the most business (there is a difference between service and servitude - perhaps that should be taught in school)...crime and drugs are - well, per capita - alarming...as is the school drop out rate...the majority Crusian politicians are corrupt...welfare among the Crusians is about 70%... So my thoughts are...how long are we going to allow ourselves (taxpaying individuals) to be "slaves" to their existence?? What year was welfare established...how many years has it been...have we not paid our debt for some to live in "paradise"? Is it not like "throwing good money after bad"??? Give the island back to the taxpayers...or go off welfare...tough choices...tough love...not racism. Also a note...there are a minority of Crusians that are the "exception" and how wonderful it is to meet them! After all i t is a beautiful island...and with just a vacation there you are not likely to see or know (maybe thankfully so as everyone needs a "break" from the real world on their vacation...to believe what they want) what truly a shame it is...and so...now...enough...I will stick my head under-the-water...to the underwater beauty.... Yellow line arrow crabs with Brittle Stars on sponge. Octopus eyes... Wreck ladder...Spotted Cleaner Shrimp on Corkscrew Sea Anemone.Peacock FlounderFrench Angelfish IntermediateMagnificant Sea UrchinMaculated Flounder.Longsnout SeahorseOctopus keeping one eye out...Honeycomb CowfishSt Croix wreck. So to summarize...we still really like St Croix..given the choice of the U.S.V.I.'s (St Thomas, St John's, St Croix) even with the now known issues/limitations...everywhere in the world has them...St Croix is no different. Interestingly enough I sat in front of a couple of the plane back to the boat from Fort Lauderdale who were telling a young gal how St Thomas has been "ruined"...interesting to listen in on others conversations...they were going immediately to St John. St John is expensive and obviously their favorite. And so to close...many, many thanks to all that I won't name (but you know who you are - kids, mom, family, friends) who emotionally supported me through this adventure...and also to Paul for everything he helped me with...most of all for putting up with my stress for weeks on end so that I could say that I am now...A PADI Certified Open Water Scuba Diver Instructor. We will be provisioning in St Thomas for a few days and waiting for a few parts to come in...then we will be off to St John...for a relaxing few days. LET'S GO DIVING!!!

PADI Certified Open Water Scuba Diver Instructor

Good Morning all...just a quick note this morning from Fort Lauderdale and when I get back to the boat in St Thomas, Paul and I will try to post some pictures to share as well.

How about that...as I've always thought...if I can do it anyone can. And, a big thank you to all who kept me in their thoughts and prayers as I went through the tough learning process. I am as the title says...a PADI certified Open Water Scuba Diver Instructor...so...anyone want to learn to scuba dive with me??