April 4th, 5th, 6th, 2012

 

We left Marina Cay early in the am and headed over to Cam Bay on Great Cameno which is across the island ( a very thin part of Great  Cameno island) from Lee Bay.  We had seen an anchor light and wanted to check it out.  We inched our way in around coral and reefs and decided that it would be an ok anchorage.

 

Out into the sea once again it was rough and we could not sail, bummer, heading towards North Sound on Virgin Gorda.  This used to be my favorite place, but is now more developed and the water is not as beautiful as it once was.  Still lovely but I am now stuck on Benure Bay as it had the best water.  Lee Bay was pretty nice also.  We anchored (a first for us in North Sound ) right behind the reef and it was very pretty.   You looked at Necker Island (Richard Branson's) and there was Necker Bell either anchored or on a mooring ball right in front.  Behind us was Mosquito Island that he just bought also. The excitement was an Oyster rendezvous  in North  Sound. Oyster is a brand of boat Kirk always wanted and there were a ton of Oyster boats to watch parade right in front of us since they had to skirt the reef to get into the harbor.  The highlight was the 120 foot oyster with 5 spreaders on the mast.  Whew was it big.  Then kirk read that it demasted in calm conditions.  Ok  move on from that one.

 

 

We picked up a mooring ball at Leverck Bay Marine the next day and did laundry and ate lunch out (last time for that) the prices were out of reality.  Laundry was cheap though.  Went in that night for the "show" and happy hour and met a couple that were cruising back north.  They were interesting. 

 

Following morning was chores.  Kirk cleaned the track in the mast to get rid of salt and dirt.  I helped but only to fill soapy water bottles, get the hose, pick up metal filings.  I was the support.  While it was drying, I worked on the never ending stainless that was rusting like a champ from our stay in ocean world.  I was climbing all over the arch on the back of the boat and wakes would come roll the boat even while on the mooring ball. 

 

We moved to the anchor (cheaper) in the afternoon after going to the store for last minute provisions, I did some more cleaning and then got ready to head to anegada.

 

We did have one booboo.  Kirk got a little fish hook (actually two and both had barbs on them) in his hand last night and it was awful so now we have a new rule.  No hooks left on fishing poles.

 

We are sailing YES THAT WOULD BE SAILING to Anegada, I am fishing, not catching.  Just threw the last banana over.  Durn I wish I had remembered it earlier.  The only thing I have caught is seaweed.  

culebrita continued

Culbrita pics.  this was a special place with special people.

View looking towards St. Thomas.  You can faintly see it below the cloud.

Nathan also known as Mr Daredevil himself.  Always has been

Sarah.  Need I say more?

. Cactus growing out the side of rocks.  There were trees, various kinds of cactus, scrubs, tall grasses all growing on this one little rock peninsula.   Way cool.  There were green slate slabs and other colors in the rocks.  

L to R little people:  Sarah, Donna and Nathan. Kirk was standing up on a ledge on other side. (I wonder where Nathan gets it???)

Notice the little pools that have filled when the water crashed in.  This pic was a wave going out.  It got rougher as the morning progressed and more water was coming in further.

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April 3, 2012

So this morning we got a lesson on fishing from the locals.  There were 3 guys in a maybe 15 foot boat.  Two elderly gents and one younger one.   They came into the anchorage and the one older one got in the water while the other older one showed the younger one how to hold the nets, set the nets, bring in the nets.  It was fascinating to watch.  I said to kirk I bet they have fished this way for hundreds of years. 

 

We picked up anchor cause it was going to be a scorcher hot today with not much breeze and we SAILED  yes we SAILED around Norman island.  Out in the ocean which was flat calm.  We did have to motor some but we did get to sail.  Actually kirk sailed and I fished.  And I fished and I fished.  But I did not catch.  Bummer   we were hoping for fish for dinner.  So when the wind completely died. We fired up the engines, pulled in the fishing lines and headed for cooper island.  Went ashore there and they were as snotty as the last time we went there 8 years ago.  So up and away we went across Sir Francis Drake Channel to Marina Cay.

 

Now the fun begins.   We went ashore to check the menu which agreed with us both and then went to the bar and ordered  birthday bushwackers.   They were huge in these big tall fancy curvy glasses.  If you drank two I think you would not be walking very well out of there.  We sat in the outside corner of the bar looking out over the reef, feeling the breeze.

 

Two recent quotes from kirk

 

The other day  -  blackbeards ale, cheezits and a good breeze   as good as it gets

 

Todays sitting in the bar was  -  Now this really does not suck

 

He is happy.

 

Once again the fish are jumping all around me but not on my bait!

 

Where is uncle jay when you need him?  Or paw paw for that matter.

April 1 and 2

We woke up to a beautiful morning in Trellis bay.  I can't get over how much cleaner and clearer the water is.  I wonder if it is because they now is the guide books say to empty hour holding takes when your are at least 1000 yards off shore, whereas in prior years here they did not use the holding tanks.  Anyway it is much clearer and cleaner.  You could see the reefs plain as day and yet some people just drove their dingys over the reefs and would bump.  It kinda got funny to watch.  Kirk would try to warn them but no one paid much attention until their engine had hit bottom and they were stuck. (that is until they pulled their engines up.

 

We hauled out of there and made our way to Road Town Tortolla to get provisions, a national park permit (to use their mooring balls) and to get a fishing license.  Was a long hot morning but when we got underway I was fishing (no luck) as we crossed the Sir Francis Drake channel and headed to a little anchorage called Lee Bay where we had been before.  Fortunately, it already had 4 boats in it so we headed down to an anchorage called Benures Bay.   Oh my gosh.  This place is fabulous.   We are in sand about 20 feet deep and you can see the bottom as clear as can be. We fished last night and  I have been fishing this morning and you can watch the fish snub your bait.  Is hysterical.  We can see our anchor chain.  It has done loops.  I do not think I have ever seen water this clear.  So our not getting into Lee Bay was a great blessing.   This anchorage filled up and so that was entertaining to watch all the boats vie for position.  There is a big reef a bit away and if we feel energetic we way go over this morning.  No need to snorkel, you can just look out the side of the dingy and see it all, just like standing looking down from the boat.  Amazing.

 

Since we have been here we have seen turtles, some big fat fish about 2 ½ feet long, tons of the little blue fish, a big ray, a little skate, schools of little white fish.  Just no takers on our bait!

 

Last night kirk was lamenting that no one was here to experience what he was feeling.   Is really nice, peaceful, beautiful place

 

from culebra to usvi to bvi's

We left Culebra on the 25^th of March the day after Nathan and Sarah left.    We arrived in St Thomas.  It was exciting to see a place that we had not seen since our honeymoon some 32 years ago.  We went to anchor in honeymoon bay (we had anchored there on our honeymoon) but it was too crowded, so we ended up in Crown Bay Marina and got lots of chores accomplished.  Fueled up the boat, did 7 loads of laundry, 2 runs to the grocery store, to the gourmet store at the marina, picked up much needed virgin island guide book and other supplies at the marine supply store.  We went out to dinner which was nice.

 

The next day we went to Christmas cove on great St James Island, stayed the night on a nice mooring ball, next morning to St John island Coral Bay, where there are wild donkeys and goats all over the place.  We ate lunch at a restaurant called Skinny Legs, where they had a sign up that said, "please do not feed the chickens, they cannot tell the difference between food and fingers".  Kirk took my picture with the sign and with some of the donkeys, and the goats.

 

Then to a beautiful little anchorage we saw on our way to Coral Bay.  We had planned on staying in Coral Bay but the water was dirty.  The next morning we went into Cruz bay and had an awful experience with some guy yelling and cussing and telling us to leave about a private mooring ball.  Really bad experience.    Needed to check with the national park service in Cruz bay for permits etc.  was a bummer.

 

We traveled around St John and it was a beautiful island, not developed as is a national park.  Lots of mooring balls.  In Waho bay we hiked up a goat trail with knarly roots and rocks to get to the store and saw an iguana about 3 feet long.  There were deer in the woods also.  It was a wild experience that I will not soon forget.  Reminded me of Fangorn Forest in Lord of the Rings.  Kirk took pictures but they are on his phone and will be in another post.  Kirk ended up hiking down the goat trail to the boat and I carried a bag and a block of ice down 150 steps to the shore and kirk picked me up in the dingy.

 

The next day we went ashore and hiked around the island to a restored sugar plantation that was really interesting and also the remains of a school house.  That was a good hike.  Only problem was I "mash up my foot on the rock stone"  (I have heel spurs)  so I am gimping around. 

 

The sad part of all the islands we have visited, starting in bahamas is that they were all taken over by European countries (Spain was a big player) the locals run off or killed or made into slaves and then slaves brought in from Africa for labor for the sugar cane and other profitable ventures.  The conditions awful.  No different from the usa with the slaves just prior to. Or with the slaughter of the American indian What makes man think he is superior to another and can take over by force is something I will never understand. 

 

After our hike we headed towards the bvi's   yeah     we tried to clear in at Sopers Hole but was packed so we had to head over to the island Yost Van Dyke.  Of course that felt like you were coming home.  I do so love these bvi's.  After partial clearing in (immigration was out of forms) we went to foxy's and kirk had a bananawacker.  It was delicious.  We were going to go back in that evening but there were boats anchoring and dragging near us so we stayed and watched the activities in the anchorage instead.

 

The next morning after going into see foxy and taboo (his black lab) and get wifi, we went to the end of Yost Van Dyke by Sandy Spit and Sandy Cay. Gosh they are beautiful.  Just like the post cards.   It was so rough and swelly that we ended up back across the channel to Cane Garden Bay.  Kirk took video of the breakers.  It was a swelly night but not choppy so much more comfortable than over at Yost Van Dyke.

 

The seas and winds have been extremely high here.  We saw winds yesterday of up to 27 knots and seas that were very confused and swellly.  Needless to say, we had a rough ride. To rough to sail in the direction we were headed.   We went to Lee Bay which was fabulous.  The pelicans were diving acrobats, the fish were abundant, you could see and hear the goats.   We were joined by 3 sport fishers two of which were a sight to watch.  They went stern to the shore and then rafted together.  Kirk said he thought they might be from Puerto Rico, that he read they come over for holidays and Easter is next weekend.

 

I had a lovely morning this morning watching the sun come up over the mountain, the pelicans swooping down to the water, the goats bleating and of course the roosters morning song.  Most of the bvi's have wild goats and chickens.

 

We are now in Trellis Bay which has wifi and so I am going to post this with no pictures so I can at least get up to date.  Kirk has downloaded a bunch of pics and I think he is going to put them on the blog the next time we get strong wifi.  The bandwidth just cannot handle pictures.

 

I also will try to get the rest of the cubralita pics up from when Nathan and sarah were with us