We hope this blog finds you all happy and healthy. We hope that you enjoy this blog entry!
Cheers!
Bill, JoAnne, and Sailor Kitty : )
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| THIS IS A WONDERFUL SURPRISE THAT BRANDON AND CARRYN OF SOL MATE MADE FOR ALL OF US WITH THEIR IPHONE |
February 3, 2011
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| JOANNE PADDLEBOARDING FOR THE FIRST TIME WITH CARRYN'S BOARD SO FUN! |
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| CONNOR PADDLEBOARDING FOR THE FIRST TIME WITH BELLA ONBOARD |
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| BILL VARNISHING THE TEAK. WHAT A ROCK STAR! YOU CAN NOW SEE YOUR REFLECTION |
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| BILL CRACKING OPEN THE COCONUTS THAT BRANDON AND CARRYN BROUGHT TO THE PARTY |
WITH A MACHETE
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| BRANDON CRACKED OPEN ANOTHER COCONUT |
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| PAINKILLER COCKTAIL SERVED IN A COCONUT |
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| DENA AND HER PAINKILLER |
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| BILL AND JOANNE NIGHT SWIMMING IN THE BIOLUMINESCENT BAY |
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| HOPING FOR ANOTHER GREEN FLASH |
Today we took it easy and swam, paddleboarded, and kayaked. We had a great Happy Hour aboard Sabbaticus and then headed for the Bioluminescent Bay. Since there is no moon, it is perfect to see this. The last time we saw this we were just outside of Fajardo, PR at Bio Bay. There are thousands of tiny diamonds in the water.
February 4, 2011
Gilligan's Island, P.R. - 17.56.669N, 66.52.451W
GROUP PHOTO: LEFT TO RIGHT: KEVIN, DENA, CONNOR, JOANNE,
RICH, MARGARET, BILL
Today we departed for Gilligan's Island. This would be a great place for Dena to spend her birthday tomorrow. We arrived and dropped the hook.
February 5, 2011
February 6, 2011
The weather has been so very windy and the water so choppy. We are all waiting for the next weather window. We dinked over to the resort to check out the sites and walk around.
February 7, 2011
Sabbaticus departed today and is headed for Salinas. They will then drive up to San Juan and spend the night tomorrow night and then pick up Mike at the airport on the 9th.
February 8, 2011
WONDERFUL DINNER AT THE RESORT WITH DANCE AWEIGH AND SOL MATE
February 9, 2011
Anchored Ponce, Puerto Rico
17.57.952N, 66.37.110W
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| BREAKFAST ABOARD SOL MATE AFTER OUR OVERNIGHT TO PONCE, P.R. |
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| BRANDON AND CARRYN PREPARING A GREAT BREAKFAST |
Today Kevin's Dad, Mike, flew in from British Columbia.
We arrived in Ponce and headed for the Ponce Fishing and Yacht Club for fuel. They have clean fuel at a great price. We washed the boats down and Sol Mate made breakfast for us and Dance Aweigh. Complete with pancakes, apple bread, fresh oranges and orange juice. WOW! What a treat after sailing all night long. We had a bit of a lumpy ride to Ponce and the wind and waves were on our nose the whole time. We dropped the hook and then had a nap and then headed to shore to do some grocery shopping. They have another version of Sam's called, Santiago Brothers. We stocked up and then caught a cheap cab home. When Brandon and Bill unloaded the provision at the big boats , Carryn and JoAnne had a cold Medalla at the beer hut. The guys returned and Dance Aweigh came over , too. We had a $2.00 empandadilla for dinner and another beer and then off to bed for our early morning departure at 3:00 a.m. Around 12:45 a.m., Brandon called on the VHF and said he had been watching the wind and it died down alot and maybe we should go now. That is why we travel at night, because the wind pipes up during the day and it can get quite nasty out there. We pulled up the hooks and headed for Salinas.
February 10, 2011
Anchored in Salinas 17.57.155N, 066.17.519W
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| EXCELLENT HAMBURGER AND SALMON BURGER LUNCH ABOARD SOL MATE |
We arrived in Salinas before light, so we decided to drop the hook outside of the harbour until light. Around 9:00 a.m, we headed into the harbour. It was quite crowded, so we dropped the hook just outside of the harbour. Sabbaticus and Southern Bella were already here. They had left 2 days earlier. Kevin's Dad, Mike was flying in from British Columbia into San Juan. That is about a 3 hour drive through all of the crazy traffic from here. They spent the night in San Juan to be sure e there early at the airport and not have any delays. The flights and layovers for Mike, mean that he had been on the go for almost 24 hours. After the picked him up, they headed to the Costco in San Juan. We kidded him later, just what he needed after that long ordeal, was a crowded and very loud supermarket. We headed to town to check it out. Cute town and nice people. On the way, we stopped by Sabbaticus to say Hi and to welcome Mike to the Caribbean. Wow! We then had a fabulous lunch aboard Sol Mate with Dance Aweigh. They are definitely spoiling us.
February 11, 2011
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| DINNER AT EL JIBARITO RESTAURANT IN OLD SAN JUAN, P.R. |
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| GREAT ENTERTAINMENT AT THE RESTAURANT |
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| EL SAN JUAN RESORT AND CASINO |
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| EL SAN JUAN RESORT AND CASINO GRAND STAIRCASE |
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| WOWIE! ANYONE UP FOR SOME MANSCAPING! |
Today we rented a van from Sidney for only $35.00. WOW! Sol Mate and us loaded up and headed for Costco in Caguas. It is about 30 minutes from here, unless the GPS decides not to cooperate. We finally made it. Interesting thing is, the Sam's Club and Costco are in the same shopping center and Walmart, Office Depot and Pep Boys are just across the street. What a shocker to be back in the hustle and bustle of a metropolitan area. We provisioned and then decided to go to San Juan which was about an hour from here. Since Brandon used to be an executive for Home Depot and this was part of his territory, he knew San Juan like the back of his hand. He took us to a great place in Old San Juan to eat and have drinks. We walked the adorable cobble stone streets and then took a drive through Old San Juan and then off to the famous El San Juan Hotel and Casino. WOW! It is Las Vegas style all the way! We were definitely under dressed in our flip flips, shorts and tennis skirts. Oh well, we got to watch some great salsa dancing and live music. After seeing all of the sites, we got home that night at 1:00 a.m.
February 12, 2011
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| FUNNY VIDEO, YOU WILL LAUGH AND LAUGH AND LAUGH! |
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| BEAUTIFUL SALMON CRESTED COCKATOO NAMED CLOE. SO FUN! |
Today we unloaded the non-refrigerated items from the van and then worked on boat projects and did last minute errands before our early departure tomorrow morning.
February 13, 2011
Anchored Boca De Infierno 18.06.595N, 34.615W
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| DENA AND JOANNE SWIMMING IN THE MANGROVE RIVER BY BOCO DE INFIERNO |
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| BILL AND CONNOR IN THE MANGROVE RIVER |
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| CARRYN AND BELLA PADDLEBOARDING |
Today we departed Salinas for Boca De Infierno. This will be the staging point for us to depart to Vieques. We loaded up in the dinghies with Sabbaticus and Sol Mate and headed to the reef for some fishing and conching. The water was a bit stirred up so we do not want to be mistaken for a lunch for a barracuda or a shark, so we opted for Plan B. We went to explore the beaches. We spotted a group of boats, affectionately known as the Puerto Rican Navy, in a mangrove river. We anchored and had a great swim and enjoyed jumping out the high mangroves into the water. Tonight at 10:00 p.m. we departed for Vieques.
February 14, 2011
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| VALENTINE'S DAY SUNDOWNER ON GREEN BEACH |
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| THE GUYS BUILT A GREAT BONFIRE |
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, EVERYONE!! We are so sleep-deprived these days from waking up for our watches and then getting a few hours sleep before waking up again for our next watch. We arrived in the early morning to the sight of the beautiful island of Vieques. We were so exhausted that we stayed aboard and slept on and off all day. We had put together some Valentine's surprises for our group and hand delivered them before going to scope out a great place for a sundowner party, since we definitely cannot host a party aboard our boat. It is a bit of a clutter after a crossing.
February 15, 2011
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| SPOTTED EAGLE RAY |
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| VIEQUES WAS USED BY THE U.S. MILITARY FOR BOMBING EXERCISES FOR SEVERAL YEARS |
We relaxed a bit today and JoAnne and Dena took a great kayak ride and Carryn paddleboarded beside us and then went for a snorkel. Great exercise. We all then went for happy hour aboard Dance Aweigh.
FEBRUARY 16, 2011
Anchored Sun Bay 18.05.457N, 65.27.419W
We departed Vieques for Sun Bay. We were looking for a great beach and some snorkeling. We met a boat at the beach named Boto, Ed, Vicky and Vicky's 87 years young mother that was visiting from Minnesota named, Jean. They are from Kemah, Texas. What a small world. They invited us aboard for a Mahi Mahi dinner that they had just caught a few days ago. We had a great time.
February 17, 2011
Anchored Isla Chiva. This was a fun day and we had a beach day and then had dinner aboard Sabbaticus.
February 18, 2011
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| ULTRA CRUISING IN THE BACKGROUND UNDER RAINBOW ON THE WAY TO CULEBRA |
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| A BAR JACK WE CAUGHT ON THE WAY TO CULEBRA |
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| A BEAUTIFUL CULEBRA LOCAL |
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| KEVIN AND HIS DAD, MIKE |
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| STANDING ON THE CULEBRA BRIDGE |
Chris and Jackie from High-Heeled came over to visit. We were told about a great pizza place called, Heather's. Wow! We all hiked it over to Heather's for great pizza.
February 19, 2011
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| MAMASITA'S MASCOT |
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| BEACH DAY AT FLAMENCO BEACH |
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| OLD TANK LEFT ON THE BEACH AFTER PRACTICE MANEUVERS |
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| BILL AND JOANNE WITH ARMY TANK |
 RICH, MARGARET, JOANNE, BILL, BRANDON, KEVIN, CONNOR |
AFTER PLAYING IN THE WAVES THAT WERE ABOUT 7-10 FEET HIGH. GREAT FOR SURFING WITH A BOARD, BUT WAY DIFFERENT BODY SURFING.  |
February 20, 2011
Today we took the dinghy to explore a bit and then worked on boat projects.
February 21, 2011
Today we hiked around town for exercise and then worked on boat projects.
February 22, 2011
Today we headed to the reef to check it out. We were looking around and we spotted the biggest lobster that we have ever seen. It was the length of your shoulder to your knee. CRAZY! He was not even afraid of us. We used the tickler to coax him out the hole so that we could really see how big he was and took a great photo. The great thing is there were several other lobsters around that area that were almost that large. Since this is a particular area is a protected land and sea park, no fishing is allowed.
February 23, 2011
SNOWFLAKE LOBSTER VIDEO
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| KEVIN'S BIRTHDAY PARTY |
Today is Kevin's birthday. We made ceviche out of the snapper that we caught the other day and Chocolate Malibu Rum Cake. Dena made homemade Gnocchi and cupcakes. Margaret made Tres Leches again, but this time with guava. What a great party. Before, the party we headed to the reef with Connor and Brandon and then Bill and Kevin came to join in. We were outside the park and helped out the sea creatures by spearing a few lionfish. We have mentioned before that they are destroying the reef life. We read an article that stated that the females lay 3,000 eggs every 4 days and eat up to 30,000 juvenile fish per year. We then headed to the park, to see the beautiful lobsters that we had earlier so Kevin could see them. The photos do not do them justice. The one that we saw that was the big daddy of them all, was measured at 6 inches across. WOW! THAT IS BIG! Since he is in the park, he was looking right at us and was unafraid. So great to see that.
FEBRUARY 24, 2011
BRANDON SUITED FOR DIVING |
| JOANNE SUITED UP FOR DIVING AND BILL IS NEXT |
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| CARRYN AT THE TOP OF THE ABANDONED LIGHTHOUSE |
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| JOANNE, CONNOR AND DENA AT THE TOP OF THE LIGHTHOUSE |
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| WHAT A VIEW |
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| A SIGN PRINTED BY THE U.S. GOVERNMENT, NOTICE THE MISSPELLING |
Today we departed Tamarindo Beach and headed for Culebrita. We picked up a mooring ball and got geared up for a dive. Bill, JoAnne, & Brandon dove and Sabbaticus snorkeled. Since Connor can free dive 30 ft. and is familiar with dive gear, he came down and buddy breathed with JoAnne and Bill. We saw lots of sea turtles, conch, starfish and beautiful fish. We all then headed to hike up to the abandoned lighthouse. WOW! What a wonderful building and a spectacular view from up there. It was early night to prepare for an early morning 6:00 a.m. departure for St. Thomas.
February 25, 2011
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| THE CHARTER BOAT "KON TIKI" THAT BILL CAPTAINED OVER 35 YEARS AGO. THIS IS THE BOAT THAT GAVE HIM THE IDEA TO BUILD ULTRA AND BE IN THE CHARTER BOAT BUSINESS. |
Today we departed Culebrita for St. Thomas, USVI at 6:00 a.m. It was quite a bumpy ride for the first few hours. The winds were about 20 - 25 knots on the nose and seas were about 4-5 ft. About 3 hours later, things smoothed out a bit and we arrived a few hours later at St. Thomas. We were so ready to explore. We have been here several times before, but it was nice to be back again. We jumped in the dink and headed to shore with Sabbaticus. We walked to the market and then onto the duty-free shops. We hiked up to Bluebeard's Castle and then Blackbeard's Castle and the Government House. We had a happy hour drink at the Green House and then back to the boat. Not before, buying some barbecue from a local street vendor. Nearby, some guys were chewing on fresh sugarcane. Bill told them that Connor had never seen this before. They offered he and JoAnne each a piece to try. Very, very sweet to chew on, what a coincidence that it is called sugarcane.
February 26, 2011
Today we headed to shore and jumped on the Safari, which is the local transportation of an open air bus with bench seats. For $2.00 per person, you can ride one way along the island and then for another $2.00 you can ride back. Great deal! It was a great way to see the island versus a taxi which was quoted as $10.00 per person one way. YIKES!! We toured around and then headed back for dinner aboard Ultra of salmon, bowtie pasta and salad. We then followed with drinks and a couple of games of Fact or Crap.
February 27, 2011
We are still in St. Thomas, and are running errands and also seeing the sites.
February 28, 2011
We are still in St. Thomas, and are running errands and also seeing the sites.
March 1, 2011
Today we headed over to Crown Bay Marina to pick up some gas and water. To our surprise to see the harbourmaster was our friend Carol Ann from S/V Sanctuary that helped us when we organized the Haitian Rescue in Little Farmer's Cay, Bahamas last year.
March 2, 2011
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| CHARTER BOAT FROM THE RITZ CARLTON |
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| RAINBOW OVER ST. THOMAS |
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| RITZ CARLTON ST. THOMAS |
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| ST. THOMAS YACHT CLUB |
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| ULTRA ANCHORED IN CHRISTMAS COVE, ST. THOMAS |
March 3, 2011
Today we departed Charlotte Amalie for Crown Bay Marina to pick up fuel and water and then off to Christmas Cove.
March 4, 2011
Today, Bill cleaned the bottom of the boat and JoAnne polished all of the stainless rails. We then snorkeled in the harbour at Christmas Cove and then headed to the St. Thomas Yacht Club to pick up our mail. Dance Aweigh and Sol Mate arrived in the anchorage.
March 5, 2011
Anchored: 18.18.978N, 64.47.120W
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| CRUZ BAY, ST. JOHN DOCK |
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| ANOTHER TYPO ON A GOVERNMENT SIGN... |
Departed Christmas Cove for St. John. We tried for Cruz Bay, but it was way too crowded. We settled for Lindt Point and picked up a mooring ball. We dinked over to Cruz Bay and toured the town. So cute. We have been here several times before, and it is so great that it does see to change much and keeps its' quaintness. We departed Lindt Point for Chocolate Hole. This is a protected anchorage. Dance Aweigh rafted up to us and Sol Mate anchored near by. We invited Dance Aweigh and Sol Mate aboard for dinner.
March 6, 2011
Anchored Maho Bay, St. John 18.27.997N, 064.43.115W
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| SUNSET OVER MAHO BAY |
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| ONE ROOM OPEN AIR CANVAS COVERED COTTAGES THAT RENT FOR $150-$200 PER NIGHT |
This is a great spot and we headed out to snorkel. We were going to dive the point, but it had rained alot on the way over, and that makes for poor visibility in the water. It is a waste of a dive tank filled with air. Sol Mate had us over for Happy Hour after the snorkel. Great fun! We got ready and hiked it up to the hill to the campground and then up to the restaurant. It is quite pricey so we were definitely not eating there. The campground is dotted with canvas-covered cottages that seem to be hanging off the face of the mountains with spectacular views.
March 7, 2011
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| RICH AND MARGARET DINKING AROUND AT. JOHN |
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| ULTRA ANCHORED IN MAHO BAY |
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| RICH, MARGARET AND JOANNE |
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| B & J AT ST. JOHN WITH ULTRA ANCHORED IN THE BACKGROUND |
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| BILL CLOWNING AROUND WHILE HIKING AROUND ON ST. JOHN |
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| BELLA AND HER WOOBIE THAT IS A MONKEY THAT MAKES GREAT SOUNDS |
Today we went snorkeling again and then headed to the beach for a hike around. Sol Mate invited Dance Aweigh and Ultra over for Happy Hour.
March 8, 2011
Anchored: 18.26.997N, 64.43.129W
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| SAILING FROM THE USVIS TO THE BVIS |
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| CLUB MED SAILING SHIP "WIND STAR" |
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| CLEARED CUSTOMS AT JOST VAN DYKE |
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| THE WORLD FAMOUS FOXY'S |
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| ABANDONED BOAT THAT HAS BEEN TURNED INTO SOMEWHAT OF A HOUSE AT LITTLE JOST VAN DYKE |
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| WE PLANTED A COCONUT |
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| BILL ON THE BEACH AT SANDY CAY |
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| BOYS AND THEIR TOYS |
Today we departed St. John for Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands. We checked in at immigration and customs. We then walked to Foxey's and then back to the boat. We departed for another safe anchorage. We ended up anchoring at Little Jost Van Dyke. This was a great spot. It is right by Sandy Cay and Green Cay. Two very beautiful islands.
Today we also learned the news that Bella broke her leg while jumping off of Sol Mate into the water. Poor baby. They went to the vet in St. John for a cast, but the x-rays show that the break is worse than expected and Bella will have to have surgery in Puerto Rico, so Sol Mate will sail back to Fajardo and have the surgery performed and hang out there for follow up visits. We look forward to seeing the 3 of them in St. Martin.
Today we also learned the news that Bella broke her leg while jumping off of Sol Mate into the water. Poor baby. They went to the vet in St. John for a cast, but the x-rays show that the break is worse than expected and Bella will have to have surgery in Puerto Rico, so Sol Mate will sail back to Fajardo and have the surgery performed and hang out there for follow up visits. We look forward to seeing the 3 of them in St. Martin.
March 9, 2011
Anchored Trellis Bay, BVI 18.26.969N, 64.31.869W
We departed Jost Van Dyke for Tortola.
March 10, 2011
Anchored Bitter End, BVI
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| NECKER BELLE OWEND BY SIR RICHARD BRANSON |
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| BITTER END YACHT CLUB AND RESORT |
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| LAST TIME WE SAW "S/V TABASCO" WAS IN ISLE OF HOPE, GEORGIA |
We departed Trellis Bay to drop off our outboard for repair behind Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour in Spanish Town. Sabbaticus was anchored at Trellis Bay and we are all now traveling together again.
March 11, 2011
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| WALKING AROUND BITTER END YACHT CLUB & RESORT |
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| STOOL MADE OUT OF A PALM TREE |
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| S/V CATSY THAT WE SAW LAST TIME IN THE EXUMAS |
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| AN ARAWAK INDIAN GIRL SCULPTURE |
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| FREE MOVIE NIGHT AT THE BITTER END YACHT CLUB |
We headed to shore to explore the Bitter End by dinghies. We snorkeled the reef and then headed back to the boat to change our clothes and pop popcorn to take with us and be ready for the outdoor movie theater at Bitter End Yacht Club. Dena and Connor came with us. We have been before and have loved it every time we came to visit. Good and free family fun!
March 12, 2011
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| BILL SNORKELING AT THE BITTER END |
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| BRAIN CORAL |
We headed for a snorkel and then back to the boat for dinner and a movie aboard Ultra with Sabbaticus.
March 13, 2011
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| DENA PREPARED A GREAT PICNIC LUNCH ON THE BEACH |
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| LEVERICK BAY |
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| WE ARE NOW TEMPORARY JUMBIES |
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| JUMBIES BAR LEVERICK BAY |
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| CONNOR TAKING A SHOWER IN A BRITISH TELEPHONE BOOTH |
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| WE LOVE THE ROUND HOUSE CONCEPT, SUCH GREAT VIEWS |
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| PINK FLAMINGOS AT THE BITTER END OFF OF OUR PORT |
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| BITTER END RESORT |
We dinked to the beach and had a great picnic on the beach that Dena prepared and then off to Leverick Bay Resort. We walked around Leverick Bay and then back to the boat for dinner aboard Ultra.
March 14, 2011
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| BEAUTIFUL TALLSHIP AT THE BITTER END |
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| S/Y "TWIZZLE" |
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| 189 FT. SAILING YACHT "TWIZZLE" |
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| FLYING OUR MERMAID ON THE WAY TO THE BATHS |
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| HIKING THE BATHS |
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| WHAT A VIEW |
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| BILL'S MASTERPIECE |
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| BILL BUILDING A CAIRNS (ROCK SCULPTURE) |
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| SABBATICUS ANCHORED OUT AT THE BATHS |
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| ULTRA ANCHORED OUT AT THE BATHS |
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| L-R: KEVIN, DENA, ERIC STONE, JOANNE, BILL |
Departed Bitter End Yacht Club for The Baths. We picked up a mooring ball at The Baths and then dinked to dink line that everyone ties, too, and then swims to shore. We hiked all over the rocks and swam in the pools. What a site. The photos do not do it justice. We departed The Baths for Marina Cay. We heard the great music ashore, but arrived to late and Happy Hour was over. We had the great opportunity of meeting a local Texan by the name of Eric Stone. he is originally from Beaumont, Texas, but it now living hear and in Florida. he and his girlfriend, Kim, have been living here for quite some time and Eric performs 5 nights a week and Kim is a bartender at Pusser's. We helped Eric store his equipment and then headed down stairs to the Pusser's Restaurant. We have eaten here before and it outstanding, but we are on a different budget these days, so we are not eating here. Eric did buy us drinks here and we had a great conversation. We know alot of the same people. It is a small world for sure. Eric invited us to go snorkeling with him tomorrow. We are definitely up for that.
March 15, 2011
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| SAILING YACHT "LADY B" |
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| ULTRA ANCHORED AT MARINA CAY, SCRUB ISLAND IN THE BACKGROUND |
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| BILL AND MARINA CAY |
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| ERIC STONE |
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| DENA AND JOANNE JOIN IN THE FUN ON STAGE WITH ERIC |
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| FRITZ SEYFORTH MEMORIAL SIGN BILL MET FRITZ OVER 30 YEARS AGO AND BECAME GOOD FRIENDS WITH HIM WHEN FRITZ PASSED AWAY A MEMORIAL WAS PLACED HERE FOR HIM IN THE LIBRARY |
This morning we were ready to go snorkeling, but things aboard sometimes change your plans. We had a light break that had to be fixed and another project that required Bill being sent up the mast. Connor also had to come over and assist in diving for one of our dinner forks we got for our wedding, that went overboard last night while we were eating dinner in the bownets. We headed to snorkel the point in the afternoon and then to shore to watch Eric perform. We apologized for not making the snorkeling trip. We had a great time and Eric has great music. He does the music for the Lattitudes and Attitudes (The magazine that we were published in) TV Show and is always in the Latts and Atts magazine as well. You may purchase his cds online.
March 16, 2011
We are still here at Marina Cay. The first thing on the list was to help a Moorings charter boat. JoAnne was making breakfast and noticed that the boat seemed to be having trouble with their anchor. Bill went over to check on them and they answered yes, that their anchor was hung up. Bill told them he would dive it for them to see if he cold untangle it. With JoAnne in the dink and Bill in the water, in 5 minutes Bill had it unfouled. They were ready and off for the rest of their vacation. We are working on boat projects and then JoAnne scuba dove the harbour for lost treasures to use up the rest of the air in the dive tank to get a full fill at the dive shop. We found lots of snorkels and a snorkel and mask combo.
March 17, 2010
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| LEN AND HIS BOATMATES ABOARD THEIR MOORINGS CHARTER |
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| FULL MOON OVER MARINA CAY |
Today we headed for SpanishTown to pick up our outboard that is ready. Dena and Connor sailed over with us. Dena made Caesars for us. It is the same as a Bloody Mary, except you use Clamato juice and then celery salt and a little cayenne pepper the rim of the glass. They went to the grocery store, while we went to get the motor. On the way to meet Bill with the outboard, JoAnne heard them yell out to her, "Hello, Texas!." It was the people that Bill freed the anchor for yesterday and they were having a cocktail in the local Tiki Bar. Such nice people, they are from Philadelphia. We sailed back to Marina Cay, flying our mermaid Spinnaker the whole way. JoAnne and Dena were getting the anchor ready and JoAnne heard someone yell her name. It was Len from Clear Lake, Texas, with his mates that he does a 10 day charter with every year with Moorings. WOW! How great. We headed over to visit and have a drink and catch up. So Fun! We have not seen him in 2 years. We told them about Eric performing at the bar at the top of the hill and then to have dinner at the restaurant at the botttom of the hill. We then had a great dinner aboard Sabbaticus tonight and then took the dessert Dena made to Ultra and we all watched a movie on the big screen.
March 18, 2011
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| EGG SACK |
Len and his mates departed this morning and we played our Steel Drums "When You Wish Upon A Star" for them. Dena and JoAnne kayaked, while Bill and Kevin changed the oil in their outboards. We then departed Marina Cay for Monkey Point. we dropped the hook and headed to snorkel. This area is great and it is like snorkeling in an aquarium. We then had Happy Hour aboard Sabbaticus. We headed back to Ultra for dinner aboard in the bownet and then relaxed and watched the full moon and stars. At 11:30 p.m., we awoke to a clunk and Bill walked to the stern and discovered that the dink was gone. He spotlighted it and it was headed for the rocks. We radioed Sabbaticus to ask them to come and rescue our dink. We were anchored about a mile away across the harbour, due to the poor holding closer to the beach. Bill jumped in with a tow line and they were off for rescue. They came back with an unscathed dink. YEA!!
March 19, 2011
We dove today off of the point and then headed to the beach for a picnic that Ultra prepared. We moved the boats back to Marina Cay for a dive tank fill and then off to explore the great dive sites such as: Wreck of the Rhone, The Indians, The Dogs, The Chimneys, Salt Island, and The Caves.
March 20, 2011
Anchored off of Cooper Island at Carvel Point. We headed out to dive the point. Spectacular. We saw lots of giant sea fans, cowfish, giant puffers, groupers, turtles, and neon blue fish schooling with a trumpetfish that were glowing so bright that the trumpetfish was blue too. We headed over to Cooper Island Beach Club to get the tanks filled, but they were closed. Hung out on the beach and enjoyed the view.
MARCH 21, 2011
Anchored at Great Harbour, Peter Island. 18.21.583N, 64.34.003W
We took the tanks in to get them filled. One tank is due to inspection, so we will pick it up in Norman Island. Diver Dan had to clear someone's anchor that was near us, so he made a quick $50, and then we delivered him back to the Beach Club. We headed out to dive the Wreck of the Rhone. This is definitely one of our favorite dives of all time. It is a 310 foot long Royal Steam Packet that carried mail and passengers from England to the Caribbean and South America with 253 first class cabins, 30 second and 30 third. It met its fate on October 29, 1867 when the captain and crew mistaken a category 5 hurricane for an early winter storm warning. The residents of nearby Salt Island took care of saving and caring for the survivors and for that the Queen of England granted the family ownership of Salt Island, and in return she asked for a pound of salt every year. We have not dove The Rhone in a few years, and it has really changed. Teaming with even more sea life than we remember. Giant lobsters, goliath groupers, lots of huge conch, and of course the wonderful swim throughs where you pass through doors and hatches from room to room of the ship.
MARCH 22, 2011
Anchored at Norman Island: 18.18.947N, 64.37.130W
We dinked into Peter Island to get gas for the dink. Unfortunately, we forgot to do it in Marina Cay, and are paying a premium, since this is on the list of one of the most exclusive resorts in the world. We went the dive shop to see what it cost for a dive tank fill. Randy was full of information about the dive sites and also gave us some markers to use to mark the areas where we see the lion fish. In the BVI, they are not yet asking people to spear them like they do in the Bahamas, they have not seen as many as they have there. The day is coming, just not yet. They just are observing them now. Hmmm.. while each lion fish eats 3000 fish every year and lays 30,000 eggs every 3 days. On our way back, we were ready to pay for the fuel and a dink full of guys was coming to the dock. It was Len Bird and the rest of the crew. How fun to see them again. Twice in 10 days. They were coming to have lunch at the resort and asked to treat us to lunch. We declined, they insisted, so we went to have a spectacular lunch. However, not before they offered all of their leftover provisions to us. They are turning in their boat to Moorings today, and so we rafted up to their sailboat and offloaded all of the wonderful provisions. We ran it back to Ultra and then back to the resort for lunch. So fun. We thanked everyone for lunch and then headed to Norman Island. Sabbaticus is also headed that way tonight, too. They have Bud (Dena's brother) and Patty (sister-in-law) with them. After a couple of sleepless nights with the anchor alarm going off in the middle of the night, we decided to pick up a mooring ball, but it is a great location next to Willie T's famous Norman Island establishment. We headed ashore to pick up our dive tanks and check out the beach and Pirate's Bight Bar. A storm was brewing so we hid out in the hammock undercover until the rain passed. We headed back to the boat and saw that Sabbaticus had arrived in the harbour. We wanted to say a quick hello and a special welcome to Bud and Patty. We had not seen them, since this time last year. They had just flown in from Vancouver to St. Thomas and then hopped the ferry to RoadTown, BVI. They all invited us aboard for a fresh batch of PainKillers. So fun. Then dinner aboard, wow, what a wonderful bonus. While having dinner aboard Sabbaticus, Yolo (You Only Live Once) called us on the VHF. They were already at Willie T's and wondered when we were all coming over. We cleaned up the dishes and headed over to the famous or is it infamous Willie T's. So fun. Lots of dancing and catching up. Unfortunately we heard the news that Yolo's trip is about to end. Bummer. Andy and Lance were both pilots for Continental and got laid off. They had saved up for 2 years to be gone for 6 months of cruising. They bought a 30 ft. Bristol in Minnesota and fixed it up and sailed it here. Since they had to be clean cut for being a pilot, they decided to not shave their beards for 6 months to celebrate their temporary indendence WOW! They both just turned 27 years old. They are thinking of leaving their boat in St. Thomas and having someone take care of it for them, while they go back to work and save up money to headed out cruising again. They told us a great story that they were invited aboard a megayacht for a St. Patrick's Day party and had the wonderful opportunity of meeting Sir Richard Branson. Maybe they can be pilots for him one day in the near future! What a great story!
March 24, 2011
Anchored White Bay, Peter Island: 18.20887N, 64.34.500W
March 24, 2011
Anchored White Bay, Peter Island: 18.20887N, 64.34.500W
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| M/Y GALLANT LADY |
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| THE CAVES |
We headed out to dive Angelfish Reef just off of Norman Island. We were ready to dive and then discovered Bill's tank was empty. Good thing is our friend Dale that we had met yesterday when we picked up the bottle, was there with his divers and lent us a tank to use for the dive and we woud return it when we dropped off the other tanks to be filled. Isn't it great to see that a man's word is a man's word. Trusted with a $250 tank. As he was departing, Bill discovered he needed more weights, no problem, Dale's crew passed off some weights from the stern of their boat. We had a great dive and lots of caverns and caves to swim through and lots of sea life. Of course, BIll always wants to go into the dark caves and wants JoAnne to go to, much to just wanting to say "NO", but she always goes. We were on our way back and bumped into Sabbaticus and Yolo at The Caves. They had just snorkeled there. We have snorkeled The Caves several times before and were a little chilly from our dive, so we passed this time. We headed back to have the bottles filled and then back to the boat. We loaded up and us and Sabbaticus headed for White Bay, Peter Island. We invited Sabbaticus for a Happy Hour Dinner on the beach. We made quesadillas and rice and beans. So fun. Great walk on the beach to stretch our legs. All of the megayachts are anchored here for free with their guests: Scott Free, Black Jack, VF-15, Lions Share, and Happy.
March 24, 2011
Today we moved Ultra to The Indians divesite. Great dive. We moved back to Cooper Island to get the tanks filled.
March 25, 2011
YEA! Today is Bill's birthday! We did a 3 tank dive today. We dove Wreck Alley which is a combination of 4 boats that have been sunk which you are able to swim through the hatches and doorways into all levels of the boats. We then did 2 shallow dive to see the sea fans and corals. For Bill's birthday party, Dena made Bill's favorites of homemade gravy and beef ribs and JoAnne made Bill's favorites of hearts of palm salad, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, and Chocolate Malibu Rum Cupcakes. So fun!
March 26, 2011
We slept in and then went to get the dive tanks filled and hike "Haulover" Beach on Cooper Island. Bill was truly lucky and found a message in a bottle. We are saving it to have a message in a bottle party when we get to Bitter End. We will anchor at Trellis Bay tonight. We are going to THE LAST RESORT. WE have not been here since3 1999 so it has changed since then. Tony Snell is now retired and a new group has taken over. They are great, too. Dena and played Tamborines and JoAnne volunteered to play the Aborigine Horn. She played it more like a conch horn. Not so good... tThe theme was Burlesque/Moulin Rouge. Well, as you can see from the photo, some men also participated in those costumes.
THE LEGENDARY WILLIE T'S IN THE BACKGROUND
March 24, 2011
Today we moved Ultra to The Indians divesite. Great dive. We moved back to Cooper Island to get the tanks filled.
March 25, 2011
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| BILL BIRTHDAY SCUBA DIVING : ) |
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| BILL'S BIRTHDAY PARTY |
YEA! Today is Bill's birthday! We did a 3 tank dive today. We dove Wreck Alley which is a combination of 4 boats that have been sunk which you are able to swim through the hatches and doorways into all levels of the boats. We then did 2 shallow dive to see the sea fans and corals. For Bill's birthday party, Dena made Bill's favorites of homemade gravy and beef ribs and JoAnne made Bill's favorites of hearts of palm salad, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, and Chocolate Malibu Rum Cupcakes. So fun!
March 26, 2011
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| COOPER ISLAND BEACH CLUB |
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| BILL'S MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE THAT HE FOUND |
We slept in and then went to get the dive tanks filled and hike "Haulover" Beach on Cooper Island. Bill was truly lucky and found a message in a bottle. We are saving it to have a message in a bottle party when we get to Bitter End. We will anchor at Trellis Bay tonight. We are going to THE LAST RESORT. WE have not been here since3 1999 so it has changed since then. Tony Snell is now retired and a new group has taken over. They are great, too. Dena and played Tamborines and JoAnne volunteered to play the Aborigine Horn. She played it more like a conch horn. Not so good... tThe theme was Burlesque/Moulin Rouge. Well, as you can see from the photo, some men also participated in those costumes.
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| LEN WITH ANOTHER BIN OF PROVISIONS FOR US |
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| PETER ISLAND RESORT |
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| THE RESTAURANT WHERE EVERYONE TREATED US TO LUNCH |
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| BILL GIVING SAILOR A GREAT DINK RIDE |
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| DENA, KEVIN, BUD, PATTY, LANCE, JOANNE |
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| BILL, JOANNE, ANDY, DENA, LANCE |
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| THE RULES HAVE CHANGED SINCE THE LAST TIME WE WER HERE: NO JUMPING OR DIVING OFF THE BOAT TOPLESS FOR A FREE T-SHIRT |
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| BEACH PICNIC ON PETER ISLAND |
March 27, 2011
Today we worked on boat projects and did laundry.
March 28, 2011
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| WE PARKED OUR BIKES AT THE BEEF ISLAND AIRPORT TO ASK CUSTOMS A QUESTION LOOK WHO IS EXITING THE AIRPORT IN DEPARTURES, MR. ROOSTER. ONLY IN THE ISLANDS. : ) |
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| DICK AND BILL ON THE DECK OF DICK'S HOME WHAT A VIEW |
Today we headed to shore with the bikes to get some exercise and ended up at the home of Dick, that owns S/V trimaran Wanderlust. He had a garage sale sign out front. He recently retired and has all of the items from the Wanderlust Charter business for sale. Wanderlust is who ULTRA was partly designed after. Bill and Dick have not seen each other in over 35 years. Wanderlust was the S/Y that had the Who's Who of charter guests. Sir Paul McCartney was among one of his favorite guests and he still has his photo of the two of them aboard Wanderlust above his desk in his study and Sir Paul McCartney signed the dining table in the main salon of Wanderlust and he also wrote a song about Wanderlust.
We hope that you enjoyed this Blog entry. We sincerely appreciate all of your support and well wishes while we are chasing our sailing dreams!
Sincerely and Cheers!
Bill, JoAnne, and Sailor Kitty : )
