Culebra

On Monday we had a brisk sail from Red Hook, St. Thomas to Ensenada Honda, Culebra and anchored off the town of Dewey.  We were supposed to have a substantial north swell which would have hit us slightly aft of the beam making for a rolly ride.  The wind was supposed to be around 10 to 15 knots, almost not enough to have a good sail and from the NE.  What we got was 15 to 20 in the lee of St. Thomas from the NE and 10 to 15 in the passage between St. Thomas and Culebra from the ESE, which was a surprise as well as no noticeable north swell and instead a SE swell that was on our stern so just pushed us along.  Ya nevah know!  We really enjoyed this sail.

It’s nice to be coming to familiar anchorages, or more accurately, familiar harbor entrances, especially where reefs are nearby.  The well-bouyed entrance to Ensenada Honda is flanked by reefs on either side, and the bay extends for a couple of miles into the island of Culebra so makes for a calm anchorage even when it is gusty.  The dingy dock is nearby, so it’s easy to get into town.  

We’ve been to the vegetable market that has local and imported vegetables and fruit.  This morning we were walking down the road and an American guy pulled up and asked if we were going to the beach.  We weren't but, on a whim, said, “OK,” and hopped in.  From Buffalo, NY, Jimro is a retired bartender who now lives full time on Culebra.  We drove past his house, a lovely two story yellow home surrounded by plants and palms, as he drove us three miles to the north side of the island to Flamenco Beach, popular for locals and tourists.  Mr. Curmudgeon didn’t want to take off his socks and shoes, so I enjoyed a barefoot beach walk by myself.  All of the beach-goers looked so happy especially this father and son. 

 

 

St. Thomas

We are now in the USVI.  We left St. Martin at 3:00 pm with our new friends, Pam and Nick from Tennessee aboard Not Yet.  It was a good downwind sail although our jib could not decide on which side to stay so flopped a bit.  The seas were about five feet but aft of our beam so gently pushed us along as we rode up and down on the swells.  Right before sunset, Dave caught and cleaned a not too big but chubby black fin tuna.  Several cruise ships and freighters and a couple of sailboats and luxury yachts passed by us in the night.  I radioed one freighter captain just to be sure he saw us, which he did.  I thanked him and told him to have a nice night.  He closed by saying, “OK.  Ciao.” 
 


Beautiful Great Lameshur Bay

Around 8:00 in the morning we arrived in Great Lameshur Bay on the south side of St. John, my favorite in the USVI so far.  What’s so great about Great Lameshur Bay and its surroundings?  Nothing.  That’s right, other than a small environmental station and dinghy dock and some hillside ruins, there is no evidence of humans within sight – just lush green hills, rocky shores, small beaches and reefs.  And the only sounds you hear are the waves lapping against the shore and the frogs chirping -- yes, chirping -- at night.  The bay has about a dozen mooring balls with only six occupied at most.  After we settled in, we napped and then had Pam and Nick over for a sundowner and  to share our stories.  The nice thing about this spot is that you can actually watch the sun go down over the Caribbean Sea.  Beautiful. 



Hi Turtle!

Pam and Nick left the next morning to continue to Puerto Rico.  We stayed three more nights in part to wait for weather but mostly because it is so peaceful there.  I read Dreams of My Father by Barack Obama, which I thoroughly enjoyed.  Such an interesting look at someone of Kenyan and American descent who was born and grew up in Hawaii.  Not easy to find an identity.  It made me respect his quest for insight and admire him more.  Anyway Great Lameshur was the perfect place to read such a work. 



Little Lameshur Bay, just over the point from Great Lameshur Bay

 

On Monday morning we telephoned Customs from the boat, but they would not allow us to check in by phone (as they had when we entered Puerto Rico) and insisted that we come in.  We thought about going around in WW to Cruz Bay on the other side of the island, but I really wanted to stay longer in this restful retreat.  I asked the Customs woman if there was a bus from this side of the island to which she said yes.  So off we set, walking about a mile over the dirt road to the paved road.  We happened to meet a young American guy walking from his driveway to work at the nearby eco-resort where he is a chef.  He showed us the bus stop, labeled “The Last Chance” where we could wait for the bus.  He also said we could continue walking and point our finger in the direction we were going as people are friendly and are happy to give a ride.  We chose to walk farther.  The road, however, became really narrow and windy, not conducive for a bus to stop.  We passed a café that was closed, but saw the owner in back who said that the buses weren’t running because it was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  Uh oh.  We decided to continue walking and try out the finger pointing hitching technique.  We ended up getting three different rides to a camping resort where we caught a taxi bus to Cruz Bay.  We cleared customs but, as it was a holiday, had to pay $35 for overtime fees.  Grrr.

The town of Cruz Bay is a compact and funky tourist town but easy to negotiate on foot.  We walked over to the beautiful National Park Center, which I rhapsodized in a previous post, and bought Dave a Golden Age Passport.  Yep, the old man is 62, which means half price on the National Park moorings and other discounts.  One very cute thing we saw at the center was a soft puppet of an iguana made by Folkmanis of Emeryville where my friend Colleen’s brother works. 

Virgin Islands National Park Visitor Center

Feeling hungry, we spotted a Mexican restaurant but nixed the idea of paying $17 for a burrito.  Instead we ate $8 sandwiches at the only reasonably priced restaurant, a deli.  I may be repeating myself, but somewhere I saw a poster that said, “Paradise isn’t cheap.”  True here.  Speaking of which, as it was getting late, we decided to take a taxi truck along with another couple back to the southeast side of the island to the tune of $25 each.  It was about a thirty minute trip over the twisty high backbone of the island so had great views.  I told Dave to think of it as a tour.  I also reminded him that we were saving $7.50 a night on the mooring.  Mr. Thrifty had a hard time swallowing this day’s expenses, but by the next morning, he was over it.

The other couple was dropped off at the eco-resort called Concordia.  It looked pretty nice and had beautiful views.

For the next two days, we hung out on the boat, went swimming, did some maintenance, read, and did a little hiking.  We enjoyed the tuna for several meals.  It was a wonderfully relaxing respite.

Hello Bird!

On our last morning, a friendly neighbor visited our boat for a very long time.  He or she didn’t seem to mind when we walked around the cockpit.  We considered it a good omen.


Beautiful Bird

St. Martin by Land

In saving this blog entry, I noticed I’d saved an entry one year ago today.  Back then we’d been in the Abacos for five days and I was enjoying a cup of Roastaroma tea.  We’d left Charleston on January 7, 2012 at 4:00pm and after three nights and two days, arrived in Marsh Harbour at 8:30am on January 10.  On so many levels, we’ve come a long way from there.

 

Roxy and her people on Alibi

 

Marigot Bay waterfront

On December 8, 2012, we arrived in St. Martin along with Celtic Rover and Alibi.  We were glad that we’d arrived in the protected lagoon when we did as the wind and wave really picked up for the next several days.  We worked on boat projects, most notably the galley faucet (Note to self - add “basic plumbing” to the resume) and readied the boat to leave it at the dock for the two weeks we’d be in California.  Our dear friends on Alibi and Celtic Rover continued north to St. Croix and then to Culebra for the holidays.  Right before they left, Jan, Ann and I had a gals’ afternoon at a Marigot café to raise a glass of wine and try not to cry as I would not be seeing them for a month or more.  This may not seem like a long time, but when you become so closely entwined in one another’s lives, saying good-bye is tough.  But say good-bye, we did, and off they cruised.  Just to cut through some of the romanticism, my parting “gift” to Jan and to Ann was a roach hotel.  Not only does reality suck, as some of my high-schoolers would say, it sometimes crawls. 

My gals, Jan and Ann

Fair winds, Celtic Rover and Alibi!  See you up-island.

 

We moved the boat to the dock at Island Water World on December 18 and hooked up to shore power for the night as we’d be leaving the island for two weeks for a California visit.  Kim and Scott on Bella Blue had just arrived in St. Martin, so we got together for a visit aboard WW and caught up on our adventures of the past two months.  In the morning, we arranged for Tony, a local boat broker, to keep an eye on WW, particularly watching the voltage on the batteries to see that they were staying charged.  Dave and I flew out that afternoon.

Marin hills with a lone modest ranch with travel trailer



Jessica and Nick hiking the hills and gathering greenery for the weddin'

 

Dad and dot

 

Despite the chilly weather, we were warmed by seeing our family and friends in California where we attended Dave’s daughter’s wedding in Mill Valley.  It was charming and rustic and laced with lots of greenery and love befitting Jessica and Nick.  Dave enjoyed speaking on the phone with son Cody who lives and works in Montana.  It had been two years since Dave had seen his close friends, so he really enjoyed himself.  On my side, we had a family gathering at Mom’s house including cousins Jon and Ron.  We feasted on our local Napa favorite – malfatti from Lawler’s Liquor Store.  The weather cooperated nicely, and we were able to take a couple of beautiful hikes in Marin County.  Hiking the hills on sunny winter days with rain washed air made for fantastic views of our beloved North Bay, Golden Gate and Pacific Coast. 

The three bears...Lester, Dave, Willie

Dave visited Leo, his mentee of Mentor Me Petaluma

 

The only hitch is that three days after our arrival, we got a call from Tony who said that there was a problem with the battery charger and batteries.  For a few days we had anxious emails back and forth and I considered flying back.  Fortunately he was able to stabilize the situation so that we could finally relax and enjoy the wedding and the rest of our visit.  He is an angel, to be sure.  We flew back to St. Martin and stayed at the dock another week during which time two super electricians solved our issue with the battery charger and installed two new batteries.  Now all is charging smoothly. 

Cute town of Grand Case

Turquoise wall mirrors turquoise waters of Grand Case

 

A few days ago we came back out to the lagoon and anchored not too far from Bella Blue.  Yesterday the four of us rented a car for a little land excursion.  We circumnavigated the 39 square mile island, checking out the small bays on the north and east sides.  We had a too expensive though delicious meal at a beach café called The Bikini Beach Bar, but the view and ambiance was pretty nice. 

Yummy lunch and The "World Famous" Bikini Beach Bar

We tried to go to the butterfly farm but it closed early.  Darn.  That seems to happen a lot around here. -  sign says “Open till 3:30” which means 3:00.  We were surprised at how dry the north side of the island is – Mediterranean, sort of.  Most locals live in modest dwellings made of cinder block smoothed over and painted in pastels or white. 

 



Orient Bay view

Not too fancy resort and fan palm trees

Kim found a favorite...donkey!

 

 

On the north and east sides, life is more laid back.  Even the resorts are subdued and smallish, unlike the west side where “glitz” is the operative word and casinos and fancy shops and restaurants abound.  We liked the small town of Grand Case, and Orient Bay had the most beautiful shades of turquoise because it is a shallow bay with white sand below.   Again we are glad to be in the protected lagoon as the swells were coming from the north at eleven feet.  The few boats anchored out were rolling quite a bit.  We ended our travels at the spot that thrills cruisers – the BIG grocery store!  Aptly named Grand Marche is on the French side.  It is nice to have a car so as not to have to schlep our goods several blocks.  Back aboard Bella Blue, we raised our rum punch-filled glasses to the setting sun and to good times with good friends. 

Four friends

 

Now on January 15, 2013, after much consideration we have a new plan that is quite different than what we thought a year ago in the Abacos.  Though we’ve had many wonderful times aboard Wayward Wind, for personal reasons, the time has come to put her on the market and move on to other adventures.  We will head north to the Chesapeake, roughly following the route that we took getting here.  Who knows how long it will take to sell her, and we don’t know exactly where we’ll end up afterward -- perhaps back in the North Bay Area.  For now we’ll continue exploring and planning as we head north and get her in ship shape for the market.  She is a wonderful vessel both for living aboard and for cruising.  Any takers? 

 

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