Soper’s Hole was our next all-night stop but there was much fun to be had before we stopped for the night. Problem is, I can’t remember what we did. Was it the wine? We bought 9 big bottles of wine and 3 small bottles and it’s Thursday and there are only a few left. OMG.
Besides drinking, we snorkeled and drank and cooked and ate and napped and drank and laughed…
Yesterday the captain gave us sailing lessons. We lifted the main sail and tried to sail but there wasn’t any wind. No wind means no big waves so secretly that was okay with moi. But disappointment did rule the day with some of the others.
This boat is big but it also very small. It’s easy to trip over each other. I’ll be illustrating this thru adventures at sea. The dinghy is even smaller. It barely holds 8 along with it’s motor. A good place not to sit is next to Tom who flails away while starting the motor. I know. I got punched once. Anyway there are rules for dinghy use. Don’t step on the rounded part of the dinghy. You are supposed to step into the dinghy which on several occasions resulted in passengers falling into the dinghy. On one occasion, Pat fell but the drink in her hand was saved. Quite a feat. This is also a sign of priorities!! So, the dinghy is a hoot. Yesterday, we had a training exercise to see if we could each individually, get into the dinghy from the water. This is a lot harder than it sounds. There is a rope ladder on the side of the dinghy. You need a boost so that means that the last person in has to be really, really strong…and he hurt his back this a.m. so I’m not sure what will happen this p.m. when we go ashore to have a drink. There is no dinghy dock so we have to get in the hard way. Oh, well, time will tell.
We went snorkeling today at Sandy Spit. Ray and I were told to stay by each other which was fine until we got close to the coral. At this point Ray gets a big cramp and and starts panicking. I said, “Ray, stand up… the water is about 3 feet deep.” Well, standing up is fine until the wave comes in and pushes us over and knocks us into the coral. Bumping and grinding takes on a whole new meaning…and it doesn’t feel good either. We managed to get on the sand on the spit and I told Ray he should only snorkel with his life vest on. He took great exception. I did a reenactment of From Here to Eternity.
Tom didn’t snorkel because he hurt his back bending over. And Richard cut himself, Ruth’s heels were rubbed raw yesterday when we hiked to Bubbly Hole and back at K. Van Dyke Bay. This meant about 50% of everyone on board was injured in some fashion. What a group. Below are pictures of one of the places we snorkeled (The Caves), the dinghy dock, all of us at the Bubbly Hole, sign of Foxey’s Taboo bar, us playing at the Bubbly Hole and a drink that was ordered by moi.
OMG. I can’t believe it’s Friday, May 27th today. Well is the time going? I’m getting behind on my stories too. The picture at the top of this entry is a picture of Pat and Richard choosing a dessert. One of the cleverest ever menu ideas. They brought us these vu-finders and on it was pictures of the various desserts available. So much more interesting than just a plain old menu. We got key lime pie. That’s a standard item on everyone’s menu in these parts. Yummy!!
So far, we have eaten out in a restaurant twice since setting sail. And both meals have been very good. I am quite surprised as you really are a sitting duck in a way.
Okay, the quote “I stubbed my toe on the ceiling” hails from Ruthie. She announced that over coffee one morning. Richard went below to see if that was possible. He came back and said it was impossible. Ruth begged to differ and the subject was dropped. Does make you wonder though, doesn’t it?
So, yesterday we were in need of a drink on shore at the Soggy Dollar Bar, a place our friends have been coming to for years. There were a lot of young people there having quite a time. Turns out they were MIT grads from Boston and on a graduation trip before getting on with careers. Some serious IQ’s were all around us.
Michel spotted one guy sitting at a table by himself. She asked if the other seats were taken. He said no, please come and sit. Ends up it was the owner, Jerry. Quite a guy, that Jerry. A lawyer, turned land developer from D.C. Bought the place several years back, lives on St. John, so commutes 5 miles to work. And he had the stories about celebrities and rum. We had such a good time visiting with him and his wife, Tish. We spent the entire afternoon there drinking and swapping stories. And I was so happy to be on shore as we had moored in a shallow harbor and it was a bit windy and the ocean was rocking and rolling.
In these parts every bar offers a Painkiller. Well, Jerry explained that the painkiller name was derived from the painkiller bush. He picked a leaf and fruit from the bush. We brought it back and broke up the leaf and applied it to Tom’s back. Alleve works better. But…hey, you never know!! Below is a picture of the painkiller stuff and owner’s Jerry and Tish!!
We finally managed to get back to the boat and it was time for dinner. Tonight was hamburgers and chili and all the trimmings which meant it was time to fire up the barbecue. Very cool to barbecue on-board. While we were waiting for the fire to start, we discussed the meaning of the confederate flag which was flying on the boat next to us. This resulted in the captain moving to the bow (the pointy end) because he doesn’t like yelling.
The other thing about sailing is that there aren’t many places to go to get away from the other people. Or flies. When the wind doesn’t blow, the flies and mosquitos become noticeably pesky. When the sun is shining, it becomes extremely hot. When the wind blows to hard, the waves get big causing the boat to rock and roll. The only thing that is perfect is when there is a cloud cover with a breeze and that combination is hard to come by. And when you don’t like yelling, there aren’t too many places to escape!! So, if you ever do this sort of thing, make sure you are compatible…which we are and so it works and is fun. However, if you weren’t compatible…life on a boat would be “le miserable”.
Pictures above are Pat cooking dinner and Tom guarding the barbecue!!
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