Feb 2 06’ 8:45 am Charlotte Amalie USVI Well we have been here for 3 nights now. Both Joyce and I are catching up on that lost sleep. Thursday our job list included getting a replacement hose for the watermaker, take the dollar bus to TuTu Park (the Mall) to get some bread and buy a replacement wifi antenna so we can get online. My old antenna has seen its better days.
An interesting aspect of cruising life is how even the simplest of chores can take all day. On Wed. we stopped in a dive shop so Joyce could get some info on diving. We asked where we might get a new hose made up. Guy suggests this other guy across the harbor, So we jump in the dink and motor over...nope he can’t but the watermaker guy upstairs can…so I go upstairs…door locked…I’m sure this guy is a 1 man band,, goes to the office in the AM then out to work on boats during the day…We will get up early dink over and catch him early. Fast forward to Thur AM. 9 am . Nope…office door still locked, guy says he might be down at his shack…walk down there...ask another guy…don’t know where he is...so I ask where I might be able to get a hose made up…guys gives me directions….other side other side of the harbor...he gives me directions for driving…can I walk it? Guy says loooong walk...well I have a dink…oh ok..go over to the rigging shop…I think I know there that is…we motor back over to the other side...up a rickety dock and to the rigging shop….yep we can do, but you must go to our other office…and he rolls off the directions...can I walk...yea...a fair walk…what about from the Marina…oh yes then you….and so on.. I go back to the dink and get Joyce...I do need a walk…so we start walking….30 min later we double back ask some guy..yep see that blue building way down there..yes..well turn right…. !5 min later we are just passing a building and a guy sticks his head out of a building and asked us “looking for a hose?” Well we would have walked right by. ½ hr later and $63 bucks later we head back to the dink and back to the boat…now 11:45. So we change, jump back in the dink ..to the dingy dock downtown and wait for a Safari Bus. This is a tourist town. The taxi lobby is the strongest on the Island. Half the population on the Island owns a F350 Ford pickup ..top shelf trucks….they then put a top and bench seats in the back of the truck and you now have a Taxi. For all the “Cattleboat” people, it’s $5 to go to town form the ship and $5 bucks back.
And for those that know, if you find one of these “taxi’s” with black people on it it’s a “Safari” bus that will take you across the Island for a dollar. Seems there is an agreement with the union that there has to be X number of Safari buses even when there are cruise ships in. Do the math…. drive across the island with 10 people paying you 1 $ or driving 2 miles with 10 for 5$ each…Well we hop a Safari buss and off we are to the Mall. We jump out to stop at Office Depot..give the guy his 2 bucks only to be informed that its now $2 bucks per person…I did say that this is a strong lobby…but still a deal…a regular taxi to TUTU park would be 18$ per person..
So we get our wifi antenna and head up to the food store…I had told Joyce that this was a fact finding mission…find out who has the best stuff at the best prices….you see certain stores have better produce ..some better meats,..others better booze prices… Since one has to carry all this stuff back to the boat it’s best to buy in small batches. So we found some gin on sale…$12 …Bombay for martini’s ,some special spice packets for cooking lamb or chicken., a 12 pack of Fresca…Joyce has now converted to Gin and Fresca for the afternoon happy hour.. We are back at the boat by 5 pm.. So what did we accomplish on this day…damn not much. We start Happy Hour and hook up our new antenna….damn…had better reception on my old one..so we plan to return the new one… So no internet… Grilled 2 big steaks and salad for dinner…crash early.
Yesterday we went in at 9am ..list was long ..won’t bore you with the details..Joyce plays cattle boat person and proceeds to buy up ½ the Island. At the internet café, try to get online…damn whole island has a virus….talk with guy that runs the place… tell him my wifi problem…says he will bring in 1 of his to try. To cover our bases we dink and walk up to the Radio Shack…hmmm the have one…so I buy that…then up to the 2 other markets for who’s got what…by this time I’m on my last legs… fatigue has set in big time…1 more stop…on the way my knee decided it’s tired of hauling my ass around and buckles…bam…down I go…what a scene…some old fart crashes on the side of the road and almost rolls out into the street…nothing more than my pride hurt….so we cut the shopping short and head back…
Hmmmm … lets see….. what did we get done today…
So now its Saturday….and the list is longer….another day in the life of Paul and Joyces adventure cruising the Caribbean.
Sat 4:45 Well we have spent a day now trying to get online interent on the boat. Seems our wireless card has died ...we have bought 3 different one..all don't do the job. So we came into the Internet cafe to post the blog and gather email...$$$$$ so we ordered a new super duty antenna ...now we have to wait for it...but Joyce is going diving to learn how to catch lobster...then we will go over to the BVI's and Anagada...where the buggers are plentyful....so it may be a few days before we update. All is well here...hope the same there...Paul and Joyce
Wed Jan 1-30 5:45 Land Ho !! I was able to make out St Thomas thru the early morning squall. If the wind holds we should have the anchor down by 11:30. Was a fast night, I actually got some decent sleep for the 1st time since we left. That’s the way it is on longer passages. It takes a few days to get into the rhythm. Just as I adapted…damn we are here. We have only run the main engine about 30 hrs since we left Marathon in the Keys. A new record for me.. I think we can make Margarita on this tank of go juice.. We are into the trade winds now and should not be using as much fuel. For the 1st time in my sailing career I have been waiting for wind and wind from the right direction. Time to slow down and enjoy ….. And now…
Joyce’s Fishy Story
Will add pics later...we are having technical difficulties
For sure the cleaning of the fish is a” pink” job. Joyce and her “Ginzo” Knife had her fish all filetted out in no time with little mess. I know when I have been bettered at a task
Not bad in a bouncing cockpit sailing along at 8.5 kts in 20+ kts of wind. I decided to stay clean and supervise like a good Captain should. No reason for both of us to get covered in fish blood and guts. Notice below the fillets bumps where Joyce surgically removed all the meat around the fish”s vertebrae
I think she missed her calling as a fish cleaner
“Houston, we have a problem” The additional fish from Joyce’s catch has caused a storage problem. Now we have been at sea for 5 going on 6 days. The rule on the boat is no hard liquor till the hook (anchor) is down. We have limited freezer space, including the all important space for the “happy Hour “ ice. With this additional fish there is little room left for the ice. So we decided to take out some steaks and the last of my soup to make room for the fish. Looks like we will be eating from the freezer for a few days. I know Joyce will tell her side of the story, but now the cockpit alarms are beeping…another wind change….Later
Okay, I know Paul is always so good about telling you the date, the day, and the time…but truthfully I don’t know what the date is, what the day is….and we had to put the clock down because this passage has had lots of sideways “tips” well pretty consistent and continual “tips”….ah yes, I just remembered…computers are so cool…it’s 2:52pm….it says so in the right hand corner…I’m just a little tired. Neither of us has had the best sleep for the five nights on this passage. The sailing has been terrific…minimal engine time…and up to 11 knots boat speed…but the waves have been sideways to the boat, up to 12 feet and at short intervals…I do believe I may walk funny for a while when we get to dry land again…
So now on to Fishy Story number two:
I asked Paul this morning if we were going to be able to fish more as we get further down the islands. He said yes, but the Mahi Mahi fishing was best out in the Atlantic…so while he was writing his fishy story on the computer down below…I let the lure out…thinking…. fresh Mahi Mahi for dinner again and a little more in the freezer wouldn’t hurt…and perhaps we wouldn’t catch anything anyway. I came back down below. We were sailing along at around 7 to 9 knots depending on gusts…Paul finished his blog…and we were just about ready to watch another NCIS episode, when….zingggggggggggggggg….and once again we both rushed up to the pole. Sails in, engine started, auto pilot off…into reverse…turning left…and forward….no the other left (opps)…starboard anyway…. Then Paul gave me the pole…
she too did not want to come aboard and put up a valiant effort…a few ups and “runs”…not nearly as good as the monster from yesterday…perhaps a half an hour…after all she was female and not nearly as cantankerous as the monster male of yesterday. While Paul held the leader I did get her gaffed at her gill and Paul got her on board and into the cockpit.
Another beautiful fish…and, I contend because she was female, she did not make nearly the mess that yesterday’s fish did…she was 47 inches long…
AND the best news is that I am getting better with sharp knives (at filleting)…even with the boat going 8 knots and side waves every ten or so. If I stop to think about it, perhaps it is more because I don’t want to waste any of the precious meat that we took from these beautiful fish…and while it may sound corny to some…I did thank them both for coming aboard and sharing with us. Freezers are full…we are done fishing for awhile.
Tue Jan 29th 9:38. 184 miles or about 24 hrs out of St Thomas. Yesterday was the best sailing yet. We had the starboard pole up in 15-28 knts of wind from the NNW to NE. Very unusual this time of the yr for the winds to be W of north for any length of time. Great if you are sailing SE to St Thomas. This was the weather we saw last Friday the 25th when we decided to make the run down. That weather report (yes it was from the MaxSea people…and yes they are a Frenchie organization) but the weather was right on for over 1 week. When Joyce came forward yesterday AM we set the pole and bam we were off..for the next 6-7 hrs were looking at that magic 200 mile day (Like a 4 min mile for a runner) At one point we hit 11.1 knots surfing down the waves. Average speeds were 8.5 to 10 for several hrs. By lunchtime we became bored with all the speed and went below to watch some NCIS. By 2 pm the winds had dropped and our speeds were down into the 7’s and 8’s..there went the 200 mile day.
A Fish Story
This is the 1st fish we caught to date. He was up on deck when we went forward to set the pole this AM .One sees hundreds of these skipping wave tops as they sometimes glide up to 100 yds. From time to time they crash land onto the deck.
We decided not to have him for breakfast but add him to our lure. Like most cruisers we drag a fishing lure over the side while under way. A sailboat under sail is the best speed to troll for fish.
I’m not a lover of the oily dark meated fish.. BUT will not turn down Mahi Mahi. I buy lures specific to them. Joyce had bought this one at the Boat Show back in Oct. To date all we had caught was Sargasso weed (a seaweed common in this area, sometime in clumps of 100 ft across). The Mahi Mahi like to sit under patches of this seaweed waiting for some food to swim by. About 2:30pm a big Dolphin (not the Flipper variety - but Atlantic coast dolphin which to others are Mahi Mahi) sees our special and not cheap lure go zipping and bubbling by…during a NCIS episode…. zizzz out goes the line off the reel. We both hustle up top, rolling up the sails to stop the boat. By the time I get to the reel there is about 100ft of line left on the spool. The boat is still moving so I have Joyce start the engine and put the boat in reverse. Once stopped I start to pull him in…well I would gain a 100 ft then he would take that 100 and more back. He started to go around to the other side of the boat. We scramble around passing the rod around stays and shrouds to the port side. We would get him within 20 yds of the boat…..then off for a few hundred feet he would run. We kept this up for almost 1 hr. For those that have never seen a Mahi Mahi in the wild, they are awesome…incredible yellows, greens, blues and golds. Once in the boat all this disappears within 5 minutes.
. I finally get him close enough for Joyce to grab the leader. At 120 lb test we could control this monster. This was one BIG fish..and strong.
I gaffed him but he was above my lifting limit, so my 1st Mate hauled him aboard and into the cockpit. Joyce was in awe….so beautiful and HUGE, I’m trying to squirt alcohol into his gills to put him out. There was blood splattered all over us and cockpit.
This is where most fish stories head south. We both rested a few minutes then I was down to sharpen the fillet knife. This was ONE BIG FISH. So we got out the tape measure.. yep 60 inches from teeth to the end of his tale. We guess his weight well over 30 lbs…I know over my lifting limit, but how often does one catch a monster like this?
Talking about having a big head…not me…the fish
.
It’s now time to fillet him out and get dinner ready. Joyce and I take turns cutting out these huge fillets.
Now this is a big fillet. We flipped him over and Joyce did the other side…yes her’s was bigger with more meat. From now on, fish cleaning is a “pink” job. When Joyce came aboard she quizzed me on what were the “pink” (girlie) chores and what were the “blue” (guy) jobs. Of course as the Capt.. course setting, passage planning, weather reporting, docking, cooking when I want to and when “Happy Hour” commences are all “blue” jobs…everything else is of course “pink” Many of you probably don’t know Joyce’s last name is Pink. So one can see why there are so many “Pink” jobs on this boat.
So with her new “pink” task safely finished, she went below to bag and freeze what was left over from dinner. Now those 2 big fillets in the pan were enough for dinner and tomorrows left over fish sandwich.
Those all are 1 gallon zippie bags. Most would feed 4 for dinner, or the 2 of us with leftovers.
This AM We put the fishing pole back out, not sure where in the freezers we will put more….especially if we get this guys brother.
