9-11-11

Incase you haven't figured it out yet, we're back in the states for a visit... taking a hiatus from hurricane season in the islands.

We enjoyed an especially warm and sunny afternoon at Van Buren Beach & Dunes with our children and grandchildren.  Aslan (standing next to Dan) got the prize for swimming in the chilly water for the longest time.  Genna (sitting wearing hat) dug and rolled around in the sand with much enthusiasm.  Lyla (sitting next to Genna) didn't get quite as wet as her brother Aslan, but was in the water more than the adults.  Maya (standing behind Lyla) waded in an out while collecting rocks.

They all loved trekking through the tall grass along worn paths and climbing the dunes only to run down again! 

FIRST CLOSE CALL

      We were having a splendid time socializing with the cruisers and boozers in and around Honeymoon Beach, Water Island-USVI when the weather approaching off of the African coast turned ugly.  Twenty-four hours passed and the outlook got worse, ominous actually, which resulted in the thickening of the camaraderie and imbibing.  Everyone made plans to high tail their boat to a safer location.  Some friends with shallow drafts went to the nearby pond at Flamingo Bay, others headed for the mangroves around Culebra or Vieques to tie up and hunker down. We headed for the docks at Nanny Cay on Tortola, BVI where we had previously arranged with Horizon Charter to secure Exit Strategy under their tutelage and to satisfy our vessel's insurance policy demands.
       Today the boat looks a little naked.  Any item on deck that may blow loose or create lift during a strong blow has been removed or tied down. For the time being, the cockpit bimini has been left up to provide shelter from the still sunny skies.  It will be removed quickly when absolutely necessary. 
      To make things more nerve racking for me personally, is the fact that I have had a flight booked to go home leaving out of St. Thomas for a few weeks. That’s why we were hanging around Honeymoon Bay in the first place. (Well, that and the fun people.) My flight is tomorrow…when the worst of the storm is supposed to hit this area of the Lesser Antilles.  IF the airport is still open, I’ll have to taxi to the ferry  (IF the ferry is still operating) that will take me to St. Thomas and then taxi to the airport.
      My departure at this time leaves me with mixed feelings. The boat is somewhat dismantled, although it can still motor easily away from the dock should the Captain decide to go elsewhere. But all the things we took off the deck are loosely stowed in the aft cabins and the wind generator is currently tentatively balanced on one cushion of the settee in the salon. So the motion of the vessel may create shifting that could damage things...expensive things.

    Wait a minute- the meteorologist on the radio just predicted that Emily will only be a “minimal tropical storm.”  YES! Our prayers are answered!

BLESSING OF THE BOATS

      It was drizzling lightly when we arrived at Frenchtown’s fishing dock at the designated time for the annual “Blessing of the Boats”.  A lone yellow haired grandma sat on a wooden bench with her grandson, also waiting for the event to begin.  We waited and chit chatted with her for fifteen minutes or so, and then walked beneath the protection of the fish market’s awning to peer up the narrow street only to find no one processing down the steep hill upon which St. Anne’s Chapel is perched.   The rain dwindled and Dan and I decided that we’d better start our ascent (about a quarter of a mile) to be in time for Mass.  We got there just as everyone was coming out of the chapel to begin the procession down to the dock, as they had waited for the rain to subside!

     Three altar servers carrying the cross, holy water, and incense lead the congregation at a steady, solemn pace.  There were four men (of mismatched heights) carrying what looked to be a heavy statue of St. Anne on their shoulders and another four balancing a replica of a sailboat on theirs.  We filed into line amid a group of elderly ladies who lead the people in reciting the rosary.  All the holy men in full vestments (the bishop, priest, monsignor, and a couple of deacons) brought up the rear. 

     At the dock, the yellow haired grandma was smoothing out a richly adorned white table cloth on which the statue of St. Anne and the sailboat were placed. Large palm tree fronds with sprays of fiery orange colored flowers completed the decorations. The bishop prayed over and blessed the statue, the boats, and us with holy water and incense. After a familiar hymn was sung in French, the whole group rearranged themselves to begin the arduous procession back up the hill for the celebration of Mass.

    

    I’d like to believe that God will give us extra credit- extra blessings for Exit Strategy this hurricane season because we went the extra half-mile today.    

CHARLOTTE AMALIE HARBOR

A "pirate ship" dashing to the dock to pick up booty or boody (or boobies?).

      Although we have sailed around St. Thomas on many occasions, this is the first time that we’ve anchored in the harbor here at Charlotte Amalie.  We’ve learned that there are quite a few conveniences accessible from our vessel or just beyond the dinghy dock. The harbor is flanked on the west by a cruise ship dock that can accommodate three ships at once.  By Captain Dan’s count, there are 101 restaurants (each boasting the most authentic island foods) and about 202 duty free shops that will gladly take your tourism dollars.  And let’s not forget those daytrip excursion vessels that routinely whisk away whole boatloads of seemingly sober people and return after a few hours with a lot of hooting and hollering rising from their decks. 
On a positive note, most afternoons we've enjoyed listening to The Rising Stars Steel Pan Band practice somewhere along the shore.

(Google Image)

      More importantly for us as cruisers, this location is walking distance to quaint and historical downtown Charlotte Amalie, a few good groceries, a K-Mart, a Laundromat, and a public bus route that will take us around the island for $1/person.
     MOST IMPORTANTLY, we’ve been getting pretty clear free internet connections on board Exit Strategy!

Happiest of BIRTHDAYS to Jim Bush today!

Red sky at night, sailors delight!

SPROUTS!

    Those who know me well wondered how I would cope without a garden to tend while sailing.  I jokingly said that I was going to walk around the islands wearing a placard that read “WILL GARDEN FOR FRESH FRUIT & VEGGIES”.  It hasn’t come to that yet, but the truth is my gardening urges have torn at me often ashore when I see fruit or vegetables dangling on a vine inside someone’s fence, a weedy area, or an unkempt tropical plant.
     My Dad once told me that our family name, GLISTA, meant “worm”.  Afterward, my aunt (who made multiple trips to Poland) and a number of polite Polski acquaintances offered “of the earth” as a translation.  No matter how you look at it, the GLISTA name suits my immediate family well, as virtually everyone is totally into nurturing and growing. 
     I cleaned and saved a pickle jar recently and finally made a first attempt at cultivating some fresh sprouts on board Exit Strategy.  The captain kept looking at me and the jar sideways.  I could tell he was thinking, What is she gonna make me eat now…

Voila! Crispy, crunchy mung bean sprouts in 36 hours.

PS:  Happy 60^th Birthday to Captain Dan!
(Don’t feel too sorry for him.  He wasn’t served the sprouts today, but did enjoy homemade full milkfatted, buttered, sugared banana cream pie.)

Another Crossing

It was time to sail on.  Dan let me take the helm for the first hour.  He even complimented me on how well I had kept the vessel into the wind when he raised the main and let out the headsail.  He was impressed that I was able to hold the course of 15’ pretty solidly.  I thought, “Has he forgotten that I know how to do this?  I know how to take orders.  I’m learning when to question the captain’s decisions and when to shut up.”  Then he took the helm and never let me have it back.

The passage to St. John from St. Croix is usually about a 5 hour beam reach.  This trip was just that except we had fully reefed both sails in anticipation of a rougher go than usual due to the constant 20-25 knot winds.  We’ve done this crossing a number of times and they were all sunny and pleasant, allowing time to nap, troll for dinner, or sun.  This time was very different.  We didn’t experience any rain, but the winds and waves made it necessary to hold on constantly.  It’s a good thing that the water was warm because every so often a huge wave breached the cockpit and drenched us.  All I could do was laugh and hold on tighter.  (I have no pictures to offer because I couldn’t risk ruining another camera.)

OUT OF AFRICA

6-30-11

A rusty colored residue was found settled in the grooves on deck this morning as we swayed on a mooring ball off of Christiansted, St. Croix.  We clean and polish Exit Strategy’s rigging on a regular basis, so it was odd to find so many rusty traces about the topsides.  Astute “First & Last Mate” that I am- I immediately alerted the Captain.  He merely tsk-tsked at my report and said that had I been up early enough, I would have heard the radio news reporter explain that an immense African dust storm loomed over the Sahara Desert last week and the dust was carried here and deposited throughout the Caribbean Islands over the past few days. 

So, we have seen the sands of the Sahara without stepping one foot on the great continent of Africa.  (AND the cleaning of the rigging can be stalled for another time.)