Sailing and squalls to Money Bay

February 10th 2008; 6:58pm;
We left Little Harbour, Jost Van Dyke, late morning after a leisurely tea and cinnamon streusel muffin (our newest favorite muffin) in the cockpit.



We were sailing for the “back side” of Peter Island…with the winds we tacked a few times and went to Road Harbour instead to anchor for the night…but there really was no place to anchor. We saw hundreds of charter cats waiting in the marina harbour to be chartered.




…then through the rain squalls sailed back over to Norman Island to where we are tonight. Paul did a few boat chores…I tried to catch some sun and read…yes, The Caribbean by Michener. Deep anchorage but very beautiful water…also means that only cruisers are anchored here…no charter boats. Tomorrow I hope to get Paul over to the shallows so we can do some snorkeling around the rocks before we head out to where ever the winds takes us to next! So here we are, anchored in Money Bay, Norman Island.

Birthday Dinner

Sunday Feb 10 7:47 am Well we are up to a beautiful sunny AM…little or no wind..swinging real close to the big cat next door. Last night was a hoot. We went in about 6pm. Group off one of the big cats was already at the bar.

Same guy that bought Joyce the “Friggin in the Riggin” the night before . He was to only sailor..oh yea…same guy that tried to pick up the mooring on the down wind run… They were all from Boston…had 1 democrat…we had to agree not to discuss politics after a heated exchange.

Fun was had by all. I made it back to the boat with out testing the water depth at the dink dock. Put a Jag on the computer and missed the ending. An ending to a happy birthday.

Little Harbour

Sat Feb 9 2:24 pm…Yes it’s my birthday, I’m now an official “old fart”. We moved over to Little Harbour from Great Harbour on Jost Van Dyke. I was here 28 yrs ago…now these guys have an operation going. We anchored among the moorings…($25 for those who do not know how to anchor…better spent at happy hour…so we are ahead. We dinked in..met at the dock by an Island Lady…welcomed us…what can she do for us…asked what’s for dinner…everything…led us to the Lobster Pot. 40-50 buggers in there…25-35-45$ depending on size…Pig Roast. .fish ribs…they have it all. This place has a self service bar…all top shelf stuff…$6 a drink..$3 at Happy hour…Well how can someone pass this up…so at 12:05 pm I go behind the bar and make a powerful rum punch…Joyce goes shopping…I meet this stink potter Charter dude…intrigued by our lifestyle ..Joyce not finished shopping…rum punch # 2…boats starting to come in early ..need to get their mooring so they don’t have to anchor. We go back to the boat…some sun and rest…decide to do 2 loads of laundry and make water….batteries happy…full charge… we throw in the cabbage and have corned beef and cabbage for lunch…hmmmm.. We get ready to relax.. Joyce still trying to get some sun. .me down here blogging you guys…Joyce yells down…big cat coming in…I grab a beer and assume my relaxed cruising position with beer in hand to watch this 48’ cat attempt to grab a mooring. This guy tries to grab it on the run down wind…definite indication of a typical dumb ass charterer…they have 5 -6 up on the bow .We call this Grab a mooring by committee…they miss…spin around and try with the wind at their beam..another no-no…I take a few pics and off they go for easier ..so I’m, now finished with this and back up to watch the parade……Well Joyce has decided to treat me to dinner at Sydney’s. I decide on the Pig roast, Joyce goes for the LARGE lobster….my guess I’ll get some leftovers… I’m sure I will have fun playing bartender for us…I did find a bottle of Sambucca …dessert for the both of us…we will try and keep Joyce out of the Pain Killers…and..well its my birthday…so now we can kick back and relax till 7pm..we still have 4 hrs left of afternoon entertainment…

Happy Birthday to Paul

Saturday February 9th 2008…8:20am…Happy Birthday to you…Happy Birthday to you….All join in here…Happy Birthday to Paul…Happy Birthday to you!!!! So, yes, I found out that painkillers at Foxy’s on Jost Van Dyke are a bit much for me…but I was able to keep my shawl on at all times (so far…I have won that battle and have not started wearing “real cruiser” coats like windbreakers when we go ashore for a “fancy” time) AND I did not go for a swim. Now to be honest, Paul did mention to me this morning while I was laughing at his evening swim (which thankfully turned out to be an evening stand in the water at the dingy dock) that I had pulled on the dingy line while he was holding on to the dock. This turned out to be what caused him to loose his balance and repeat three times…”I’m going in…I’m going in…I’m going in” and then once “I’m in”. To his credit…he didn’t get mad at me…or tell me it was my fault until this morning….to my credit…I did not start laughing about it until this morning when I knew he was just fine and I was feeling better! I do think I need to be on guard now…I always have fun testing my balance skills while getting into or out of the dingy and Paul has mentioned many many times that it is only a matter of time before I go for a swim…perhaps now…sooner than later!!! Anyway, so now we are having corn beef and hash for breakfast. There is a lot of left over corn beef that was suppose to be our dinner…another of Paul’s recipes…oh, so good! This picture is off the boats anchored from Foxy's.....

Tis the Charterboat Season

Fri Feb 8 8:55 PM Jost Van Dyke. Well an interesting afternoon. We were in here early…checked in before noon. Had a hassle with the gun…customs guy not sure what to do…first had to surrender it till we left…then seal the gun case…then call the local cops….went to the boat got the gun…customs guy…just had to see and hold it…don’t think he ever held a gun before….cop arrives…says we have to give it to them…I say…no problem last year…well then he calls Tortola…maybe seal the gun…do we have a safe…yes..then make sure the gun is safe…..no way the shotgun will fit in the 24”x24” safe…but he did ask if we had a safe…not that the gun would fit in the safe….”no problem..mon”…gun now back on the boat with a customs seal. Back to the boat….now I have been telling Joyce about the “Charter Boats “ here..as I have said before I was one for many yrs…seems as the economy goes south the charter companies will give a boat to anyone who can say boat. I had warned Joyce about “afternoon entertainment” This usually starts about 3-4 pm as the charter boats make a mad dash for their nights stay. I have been here before…not the best holding and in spaces DEEP. Well we had our PREMO spot in about 15’ of water.with correct amount of rode. Joyce was on the computer…”get up here the show has begun…” for the next 2 hours we watched 10- 12 charter boats attempt to anchor ….


some 7-10 times…sometimes on top of the next boats anchor….I even made popcorn….








There was a small cluster of cruisers around us….anchored properly with proper spacing….several tried but could not break into our anchorage field. We went ashore to Foxy’s…. Joyce had never had a painkiller… Was Joyce’s 1st ,2nd and ..why I don’t know 3 rd “Pain Killer” While I was getting the 3 rd some cruiser buys her a “Friggin in the Riggin” Now we have to get back to the boat…remember..no dinner at this point….well. I decide to see how deep the water is at the dinky dock…gee…I can stand…so I only have to climb into the dink…well back at the boat…Joyce not well…a hot shower and she is gone…me up for this blog..and with this..a good night……………