Apr 11
It occurred to me that I forgot to write about a milestone in our journey. On our way to St. Maarten we passed the 10,000 mile mark since leaving TX four years ago. The majority of that was done in the first two years, but it's a milestone no less. 10,000 miles is nothing to some sailors who have gone around the world, or across an ocean several times, but then again it's more than most sailboats and sailors will see if their lifetimes.
One of the daily events in Simpson Bay is the opening of the bridge. This time of year it opens three times a day for outbound traffic and three time a day for inbound traffic. Each time it opens it may be for a couple of minutes and sometimes as long as fifteen minutes if several big boats are coming or going. When we are around we watch to see who is leaving and who is arriving. This morning we noticed something unusual on the inbound opening. Four personal sized (like us) sailboats came in but the bridge didn't close after them. We can't see what is coming from the boat, so I assumed there was another boat, but it was taking a long time. Usually the bridge does not wait long, even for a mega yacht. After waiting five minutes or more with no traffic, we finally saw why they waited. A large Coast Guard boat came through and docked at the Coast Guard station just inside the bridge. I guess they get special treatment. I bet they don't pay the bridge fee either.
In the afternoon I joined Mike & Lynn for a beach trip. Barb is still not feeling too well, so she stayed on the boat. We dinghied over to Simpson Bay Marina and then walked to the beach just south of the lagoon entrance. There weren't many people on the beach, and it was kind of crummy due to algae. The stuff is a kind of sea moss stuff that floats in big clumps right at the edge of the water. It also washes ashore and dries to a tough hair-like substance that mixes with the sand right at the water's edge and isn't attractive. But, the water was refreshing and the beer from the nearby beach bar was cold, so who's to complain? We spent a couple of hours and then started to walk back. Along the way we stopped at another small beach bar for another beer. Here we were "entertained" by a two year old girl that has a lot of attitude for her age. When Lynn went to pet the cute dog tied to the bar, the little girl screamed "No touch" at her. Later she was making patterns in the sand with a stick and then yelled at me to not walk on them, even though I wasn't near her at the time. She'll be fun when she gets older.
In the evening we tried to reproduce our GPS/autopilot problem. We turned on all the lights as if we were underway, and all the instruments. First we tried wiggling wires. Nothing I wiggled made anything fail. Sitting at anchor, the boat swings back and forth with the wind, so with the autopilot on, it is always turning the rudder to try and keep the point straight. Eventually, we found that when it got far from it's original direction and tried to correct, the GPS would lose it's fix. Then we started manually turning the wheel away from the course and turning the autopilot back on. This would make the GPS lose the fix every time. We were excited that we had reproduced the problem since we thought it was fairly unpredictable. What we have proven is that when the drive unit actually drives, the voltage drops and causes the GPS to fail. This could be a wiring problem or the drive unit itself. But at least we can reproduce the problem to do more research with the voltage.
While we were in the cockpit playing with the autopilot we saw the bridge opening. Normally the last opening is at 17:30 and it was about 19:00 now. A large mega yacht came in and went to one of the big marinas. Rumor has it that it costs at least $1000 to get a special bridge opening. I guess that's not much in a mega yacht budget.
GPS N 18-02.429 W 063-05.610 Nautical miles traveled today 0. Total miles 10023.
Apr 12
Today is Easter Sunday. Easter here is done about the same as it was in Grenada. Good Friday is a holiday and many things are closed. Then on Easter Sunday most everything is closed including restaurants, although some of them open for dinner. Then Monday is a holiday too for all the stores. We have found that the Yacht Club has been open throughout, so we went there for lunch and to use the internet. Barb is feeling much better today, so she went with me around noon. We started using the internet, including upload the website update. Mike & Lynn joined us about 13:00 and we ordered lunch. This is when the holiday schedule got us. They are open and serving food, but the staff is not the regular people. The bartender is a girl who's first day was Friday and she is still learning. The guy cooking food was not the regular cook, and the other girl waiting tables and helping in the kitchen was not someone I had seen before either. I got a burger that was fine, but Barb ordered a Philly cheese sandwich, which she has had here before, and what she got was totally unlike what she got last week. When she told the waitress that it was not a Philly cheese, the waitress insisted it was. Barb asked her why the meat was red and why it had lettuce and tomato on it and the waitress said it was paprika making it red, and that a Philly cheese should have lettuce and tomato. Well, the one she had last week wasn't red nor did it have lettuce and tomato. Barb ate most of the sandwich and we decided that the meat was beef with barbeque sauce. Overall the experience was quite different from our previous ones. I ran out of battery in my computer before the website upload was done, and they don't have plugs for computers here, so we decided to go somewhere else.
We got in the dinghies and went to Ric's where we had been the other day. Their internet wasn't great, but they have plugs available for a $1/hr. They were closed for the holiday. Ditto with the Soggy Dollar Bar a little further down. We went around the corner to Simpson Bay Marina to see if Jimbo's was open. It wasn't, but since it is an open air place, we found people using the wireless and there were plugs available. We sat down and continued our computer use. About 16:00, staff started showing up to open at 17:00. We were done with our computer stuff at 16:30 and walked to a little ice cream store in the same complex. We each had a cup of ice cream that was pretty good. At 17:00 we walked back to Jimbo's for a drink. It's only fair that we patronize the place since we used their power and internet, and besides, they have a two-for-one happy hour. We sat at the bar and ordered our drinks. While there we asked the bartender if she knew our friend Ernie. In years previous, Ernie spent the whole winter in Simpson Bay Marina and this was his regular bar. This year he is anchored out in the lagoon but I know he still comes here. I asked one bartender if she knew Ernie and she laughed and said yes. I explained that we had waited on Ernie in Grenada for two hurricane seasons. I said I bet he orders "a lovely Bacardi and Diet", and she laughed and added "without fruit", meaning no lime. We didn't know the "no fruit" part because we didn't routinely have limes at our bar. When the other bartender overheard the drink order, she turned and asked if we were talking about Ernie. I guess they do know him. While we at the marina, we picked up a rate sheet because we may stay here the week my brother is here.
GPS N 18-02.429 W 063-05.610 Nautical miles traveled today 0. Total miles 10023.
Apr 13
This morning I got an e-mail from a friend at BMC where we used to work. A guy that I had been good friends with there passed away. I had first met Larry back in the 80's when he worked for BMC and I was a customer. When I moved to Houston in 1997 to work for BMC, Larry and I hung out quite a bit together for the first couple of years. Larry was always a bit of a loner and as the years went by my contact with him dropped off. He seemed more and more unhappy at work and after I left in 2005 I had no further contact with him despite numerous e-mails to see how he was doing. In March 2008 when I visited Houston, I heard that Larry had quit BMC after getting upset when BMC had sent someone to his house to see why he had not come to work in a week nor answered the phone or e-mails. Nobody at BMC had heard from him since he quit despite a few attempts by old friends to contact him. Last week the folks at BMC learned totally by accident that Larry died last June. He apparently went to the hospital and died of something heart related. The only way any old friends found out was that a BMC employee went to buy a used motorcycle and was told to make the check to Larry's estate. While we all knew Larry was a little different, it's sad to know that he withdrew from those friends he had and died alone. His only family was a brother and sister, and they apparently didn't find out he was sick until the end either.
I did some more work on diagnosing the GPS problem today. One thing that we noticed when we had the problem underway was that it only happened after dark. When the sun came up it didn't happen anymore. The other day when we reproduced the problem it was dark, and we had all the running lights on. Today we tried to reproduce it and couldn't, even with all the lights on. It makes no sense to me why it would matter but it bugged me that now we can't reproduce it. I pulled the bed apart so I could measure the voltage at various points. The batteries have 12.6 volts and I measure only 12.0 where the main power wires get to the back of the boat. There is a terminal block there, and then another few feet to the course computer where the voltage measured 11.95. Barb made the autopilot drive the rudder, and the voltage dropped to 10.5 at the course computer when the drive unit works. I looked at the wire sizes and then looked up in the installation manual what the wire sizes should be. The wire from the main panel to the terminal block is 10 AWG and the short wire from the terminal block to the course computer are 12 AWG. The book says it should all be 6 AWG. For the non-electrically inclined readers, the smaller the number, the bigger the wire. The bigger the wire, the less voltage drop from end to end. So, I still don't know if the drive unit is drawing more than it should, but the wiring is definitely too small. I'll have to think about if I want to fix that now or put it on the list for when we return.
On the mid-day bridge opening a big sailboat named Atlanta came in. Atlanta was, at one time, owned by Ted Turner. I don't know if it still is or not. Our connection to it was in the Charleston City Marina a couple of years ago when it was docked right behind us. It's bow hung over our stern.
We went out at lunch time to see what was open. We originally planned to eat at Lagoonies and then walk to the big Ace Hardware store that is nearby. However, we found Lagoonies closed. We went further in the lagoon to Budget Marine and found them closed too. When they are closed you can't land your dinghy there because the gate to the street is closed too. So, assuming the Ace was probably closed too we continued our search for lunch. We went to Simpson Bay Marina and found Jimbo's open. Barb had a grilled chicken breast sandwich that was huge, and I had a chicken chimichanga. Jimbo's bills itself as a Tex-Mex restaurant. My meal was fine, but it wouldn't win any awards back in the States. It's a good atmosphere though and you get Jimbo bucks when you eat there. Five Jimbo bucks are redeemable for a drink and you get one for each $10 spent on food.
In the evening we went to Cheetah II for dinner. Dick & Jane were among the group of boats that came south with us in 2007. We enjoyed dinner with them and then played Sequence. Sequence is a card/board game. We have the standard version of the games where the board is about eighteen inches square. Dick & Jane have a cool large edition. The board is like a soft foam placemat and it is at least two feet square. This makes it possible for old farts like us to play without all having to put our reading glasses on. The highlight of the evening was the secret desert Jane promised. First she got out about eight bottles of different liqueurs. There was Kahlua, Bailey's, Godiva chocolate, Sheridan's black and white chocolate, and several more. Then she gave us each one of those little individual serving pudding cups. The pudding was chocolate. We removed the lids and licked the inside and then took one spoonful of pudding from the middle and ate it, leaving a hole in the middle of the remaining pudding. Then you fill the hole with the liqueur of your choice. As you take spoonfuls, you keep refilling the cup with whatever suits your fancy. It was indeed a simple but neat desert. And now it's not a secret anymore.
GPS N 18-02.429 W 063-05.610 Nautical miles traveled today 0. Total miles 10023.
Apr 14
After the nets this morning, we hopped a bus to Philipsburg with Mike & Lynn. We were standing on the side of the road watching for a bus coming from the correct direction when we heard beeping behind us. Usually that means it is an alert taxi driver who sees a group waiting for a bus and tries to get them to use the more expensive taxi option. We finally turned and looked, and it was a bus going the other way. But he didn't have any passengers, so he turned around and picked us up. Hope nobody further down the line was waiting.
We found Philipsburg pretty crowded. There were four large cruise ships in port. The bus drops you right by the market where lots of ladies have booths selling t-shirts and other souvenir crap. We actually did pay a little attention as we walked through because I was looking for a new ankle bracelet. The one I had for two years broke back in Bequia. We got a new one there but it is a little larger than I like so it rides too low on my ankle. We found a lady here who has bracelets and necklaces that she hasn't put the ends on yet. That way, she can customize the size if necessary. I found two that I liked and she made sure they fit and put the ends on. Two for $20. Now I'll have a spare next time I break one.
The next thing we did was go to the jewelry repair shop where I got my ear pierced two years ago. Not for another piercing, but to get several thing cleaned and Barb's necklace repaired. They fixed her necklace and cleaned her necklace, my necklace, and a ring of hers for $12. Not bad.
From the jewelry repair shop, we stopped at one of the dozens of jewelry stores. Lynn was looking to buy something new. While the ladies looked, and Mike stood guard to watch his financial interests, I walked down the street looking for a place that sells sunglasses. I bought to spare pairs in Puerto Rico two years ago, and I was on the last pair, which broke this morning. I found a shop that had a rack of polarized cheap glasses for $15 each. I got two pairs and had the guy throw away the broken ones. My tasks are done.
I hooked back up with the rest of the gang after they left the jewelry store with no deal yet. We walked the short block from the main street where all the stores are to the beach front where the bars and restaurants are. The first place we saw was One Eyed Jack's where we got beers. One Eyed Jack's had a nice look to it, but the workers seemed a little hostile towards each other, so we declined to stay for lunch. We walked a little more than halfway down the beach checking out lunch options. Given how many people were in town everything was pretty full. The ladies decided to do some more shopping, so Mike & I found stools at a sidewalk bar and turned them loose. We visited with a young couple off one of the ships at the bar. Their cruise was out of Miami, had stopped in Puerto Rico, here, and then was going to the cruise line's private island off Haiti. They weren't interested in tours or anything, just visiting beach bars in various ports. It was about noon when we got there and in an hour that we sat by them, they had four beers and three shots each. They had been there before us, and they were still there two hours later when we left town. The funny thing is that she is somebody's fourth grade teacher.
The ladies finally came back from shopping and remarkably nothing had been purchased. We decided to eat, but all the places were still pretty full. We walked further down the beach front and found a place with a couple of open tables. That could be a bad sign, but we took our chances. A big guy who might have been the owner or manager was very friendly and took our orders. The food turned out to be just fine and the service was good. They put the wrong kind of cheese on my burger, but it was ok.
After lunch a return visit to the original jewelry store was desired by Lynn. So, while Mike & Lynn went in the jewelry store, Barb and I ducked in one of the casinos a few doors down. Last time we were here we broke even and got a couple of free drinks. Barb took $20 to a video poker machine, while I went to a Red, White, and Blue dollar slot machine. Given we are running out of money, I am not quite as comfortable gambling some of it away as I used to be. I started with $20 and played slow. A waitress immediately asked if I wanted a drink and I ordered a rum and coke. I ran out of my $20 credit before she came back, so I had to break out another $20 of course. My drink came as I slowly played my credits. I was down to $8 left when I hit mixed 7's which paid $160. I immediately cashed out my winnings. The machine ran out of coins while paying me, so I had to wait for an attendant to come refill it. While waiting, I saw a shower of sparks coming from the ceiling against the wall nearby. Several people saw it, including a couple of employees, but nobody seemed worried. I kept a close eye on it the rest of the time we were there. I figured with my luck, the place would catch fire and I'd run out into the street with my tokens that were worthless until I changed them for real money at the cashiers window. The attendant came and filled the machine and I finished gathering my coins and went to cash them in. Barb eventually lost her $20, so our net take was $108 and a free drink. That covers my bracelets, sunglasses, and lunch. Not bad.
We grabbed a bus back to Simpson Bay about 16:45. The traffic was quite heavy, so it was 17:20 when we got to the bridge. We got out at the bridge and went in the Yacht Club for a drink and to watch the inbound bridge traffic at 17:30. There were no big boats coming in, just a few personal sailboats. After a couple of drinks, we walked down the street to where we left the dinghies. We stopped at the Gourmet Marche for a few things before going back to the boat.
GPS N 18-02.429 W 063-05.610 Nautical miles traveled today 0. Total miles 10023.
Apr 15
Overnight we had the first rain we have seen in a couple of weeks. I know, I complained about having rain almost everyday since we left Grenada. It's nice not to have it everyday, but we needed a shower to wash the salt off the boat from our trip here over a week ago. Now we've gotten it.
On the Coconut Telegraph this morning we heard a report of a boat getting robbed in Grenada. Apparently the wife was aboard alone when a guy came out to the boat and boarded it. He tied her up and stole a computer and some other electronics. The woman was apparently not physically injured, but I'm sure terrified. The disheartening thing about this is that this is the first incident of this nature in Grenada in years. It can happen anywhere I suppose, but Grenada has always been considered amongst the safest places. At least the police there do take these things seriously, and hopefully the bad guy will be caught.
At the morning bridge opening, two mega sailboats came in. One of them was Perseus. It was Drew Gollan, the captain of Perseus, that was murdered in Antigua back in January. We have read several accounts of increased police presence in the English Harbor and Falmouth Harbor areas since the murder, and in fact did see some of that when we were there a few weeks ago.
At lunchtime Mike & Lynn met us at Lagoonies for lunch. While we were there I checked on the marina rates as a possibility of a place to stay the week my brother is here. Lagoon Marina is a tiny marina. The appeal is that it is small and casual, but I think we may go for the larger Simpson Bay marina since they have more amenities and are closer to more stuff.
Right next to Lagoon Marina is a dock for a rigging company. Here we found our friends Peter & Wendy from Keejse II. We learned that they had a collision in St. Barths last week and sustained quite a bit of damage. What happened was that they were off the boat when their anchor broke loose. Their boat started drifting sideways to the wind and smashed into the front of an anchored catamaran. As their boat slowly made it's way across the front of the cat, all the stanchions on the port side got bent over, and the rigging on that side scraped hard enough against something to break wires. Remarkably the cat didn't sustain much if any damage. After Keejse II had cleared the cat it was headed for the rocks on shore. Some other cruisers got aboard and started it up and got it attached to a mooring where Peter & Wendy found it later when they returned. Not a fun story, but they have had a great response from their insurance company and are getting things fixed.
After we ate, we walked to Ace Hardware. The ACE store here is a brand new two-story mega-store. I know it must seem odd to folks in the States, but wandering around a huge well stocked American style store is entertainment for us. None of us had anything we had to get, although we found a few things while browsing. As we walked back from the ACE, we passed the St. Maarten Harley Davidson dealer. They have a real full sized dealer here, the only in the Caribbean that I know of. There is a dealer in St. Thomas, but it is tiny. I had to buy a t-shirt of course. I have worn out many of my Harley shirts from before we left, and who knows if I'll ever have a bike again, but what the heck.
At 17:00 we met at Turtle Pier for the weekly cruisers happy hour. The crowd was way smaller than last week, probably an indication of how many people are moving on south this time of year. We left just before dark so we could go fast back to the big boat. Barb made us pizza for dinner.
GPS N 18-02.429 W 063-05.610 Nautical miles traveled today 0. Total miles 10023.
Apr 16
After the nets, I picked up Lynn at Seabbatical and took her and Barb to shore to shop. They were specifically going to a bathing suit shop and then wherever. I took my empty SCUBA tank with me and docked at the Palapa Marina where there is a dive shop. It's also conveniently across the street from the bathing suit store. The ladies took off and I went in the dive shop to ask for a tank fill. My experience with tank fills is that usually you have to leave the tank and they fill a bunch at once. But here, there was no hassle. I did have to show that I was a certified diver. That was the first time I have been asked for my card to fill my tank in the Caribbean. The guy came outside and filled the tank in a few minutes. I went back to the boat and played on the computer until a little after noon when Mike returned Barb to the boat.
We spent the afternoon reading and then went to Seabbatical for dinner at 17:30. We had a nice dinner and then played Rummikub while listening to the first Jimmy Buffett concert of the summer on Radio Margaritaville on Sirius.
GPS N 18-02.429 W 063-05.610 Nautical miles traveled today 0. Total miles 10023.
Apr 17
It was brought to my attention by one of the website's loyal readers, that I started a story in the last update and never finished it. I would like to claim that it was a test to see who really reads the logs, but in fact it was just that I forgot. I told the story about the guy in the restaurant in Grand Case who stripped down and jumped in the water to capture a dinghy that was drifting away from the dock. I mentioned that we learned more about the story the next day, but I forgot to relate that in the log the next day. So here it is. We were at the Wednesday evening cruiser's happy hour at The Turtle Pier and we noticed the same couple from the night before. We struck up a conversation and mentioned seeing him rescue his dinghy. It turns out it wasn't his dinghy at all. He was just being a good samaritan and not letting it go out to sea. He assured us that his dinghy was not nearly as big or as valuable as the one he rescued, which was a large center console type usually found on very large charter boats. As is often the case, he never saw the owner or got thanked for his efforts, but that's what cruisers do for each other.
This morning we met Mike & Lynn ashore for breakfast. There is a place in the Simpson Bay Marina complex called Zee Best Breakfast, that we have heard about. It was crowded, but we got the last table for four available. The first thing that impressed me was the basket of pastries they set in front of us. There were probably six various danishes, and croissants and the deal is you pay for however many you eat. Talk about temptation. Barb had eggs Benedict, I had a omelet with lots of stuff in it, and Mike & Lynn had scrambled eggs and ham. It was all very good and we were stuffed at the end. And yes, I had a chocolate croissant from the basket.
After breakfast we went across the parking lot to Jimbo's to do some internet stuff. Everything was working fine until the power to the whole area went off. We waited about an hour to see if it would come back, but it didn't, so we gave up and went back to the boats.
In the evening, Mike & Lynn came over to MoonSail for dinner. Barb made excellent chicken enchiladas and a rice and corn dish which we all enjoyed. Mike & Lynn stayed and visited for a couple of hours.
GPS N 18-02.429 W 063-05.610 Nautical miles traveled today 0. Total miles 10023.
Apr 18
Happy Birthday to one of my granddaughters, Jacelyn! She claims to be seven, but I know it hasn't been that long since she was born. If it was I'd be getting old.
Today is one of my days to host the Coconut Telegraph net, and I had a lot of trouble hearing anything. The radio interference in Simpson Bay Lagoon is always bad, but today was worse than most. I was having trouble hearing anybody, even those who were trying to relay for me. But, with a lot of help from others, we got it done.
We went to shore and dropped off garbage and laundry. We had thirty-five pounds of laundry to be done. After the drop off, we dinghied up to Marigot with Mike & Lynn. We got up there about 10:30 and walked to the market. The ladies were going to shop a while, so Mike and I arranged to meet them at a restaurant by the marina for lunch at 12:15. The ladies went about their shopping and Mike and I got beers from one of the little local vendors in the market and sat down to watch people. We migrated from the market through the downtown area where the street had been closed off for an end-of-season sale by all the shops. We picked up another beer from a street vendor and strolled through the crowd. As expected, we ran into the ladies, but we didn't disturb their shopping. I should point out again, Lynn shops and Barb keeps her company. Mike and I ended up at the marina where we are going to eat, and got another beer. While we were strolling around the marina, we witnessed a scary event that probably takes place every day there. We watched as a group of eight loaded beer and themselves into a twenty some foot rental powerboat. The rental person gave them a thirty second lesson in how to start the boat, and off they went. None of these people had apparently driven a boat before, and now they have been turned loose on the world with five hundred horsepower. No wonder there are boating accidents.
The ladies showed up about 12:20 for lunch. The pizzas were only twelve inchers and very thin crusts, so we each got our own. They were pretty good. I got one with shrimp and garlic, while Barb got one with fresh tomatoes and basil. That one reminded us of a great place in Scottsdale that had the same kind of pizza.
After lunch we went back to the boats for a couple hours before reconvening at the Yacht Club at 16:30 to watch the bridge openings. There were a few big boats going out at 16:30, but our real interest was in seeing our friends on Liquid Courage come in at 17:30. We had considered arranging for a water cannon to welcome them, but that plan fell through. They were the second boat in and we hollered and waved to them and told them to hurry up and anchor and come join us. There was one big motor yacht coming in behind Liquid Courage, and from a distance I referred to it as a "starter yacht". Once it got closer, it obviously wasn't quite a starter yacht, because it had a helicopter on deck and a hot tub at the rear. Within half an hour, Liquid Courage got to the Yacht Club and we caught up with what they have been up to for the past month or more since we last saw them. We ended up having dinner at the Yacht Club with Don & Devin and Mike & Lynn.
GPS N 18-02.429 W 063-05.610 Nautical miles traveled today 0. Total miles 10023.
Apr 19
This morning I hosted the Coconut Telegraph again and had better luck than yesterday. I still needed help from several relays, but at least today I could hear the relays. After the net we took our computer up to Jimbo's again to finish what we started the other day when the power failed. I made Skype calls to my kids and grandkids, and caught up on some news. One particular article I was interested in reading had to do with Rush Limbaugh's comments about the Somalian pirates. I have always thought Rush Limbaugh was an arrogant buffoon, but I couldn't believe he really said what I had heard about the pirates. But there on his own website was the transcript of his show where he said the pirates were really just kids trying to make a living and more of a volunteer coast guard. Of course the point of him saying anything was to tie it back to criticizing President Obama for ordering the "murder" of three black Muslim teenagers. Well guess what Rush? The fact that they were black or Muslim is only important to idiots like you who always want to bury the real facts in more inflammatory ones. The fact is they were pirates who hijacked a commercial vessel hundreds of miles away from their shores and kidnapped one of it's crew. Their religion or color doesn't change that. In my opinion, the ships should start carrying heavily armed and well trained guards who shoot first and ask questions later. Maybe that would send the message to the pirates that this isn't a good profession. There is no good reason a small boat approaches a freighter or cruise ship hundreds of miles out at sea. So I hope that President Obama takes an even more aggressive role in stopping the piracy and doesn't worry about criticism about how many bad guys end up dead. That's my editorial for the week.
About 13:00 we were all getting hungry. Jimbo's doesn't open until 17:00 on Sundays, so eating there wasn't an option. We all took our computers back to the boats and then met at the Buccaneer Bar on the beach outside the lagoon for lunch. Barb and I got there first and realized that when I changed from my regular shorts to my bathing suit, I forgot to get my money from the pocket. Barb had a credit card with her, but when we asked at the bar they told us they only took cash. So we ordered beers on the faith that when the rest of the gang got there, somebody would lend us money. It worked, and we enjoyed a nice lunch with Mike & Lynn and Don & Devin.
We left the gang at the Buccaneer about 16:00 and headed back to the boat because we have been invited over to another boat for sundowners. Keejse II is a boat we originally met in Grenada and have seen off and on several times this year. Peter and Wendy came here last week after they had an accident on St. Barths which caused considerable damage to their boat. They had been anchored in St. Barths, and left the boat in the morning for a day ashore. When they came back they found Keejse II on a mooring ball instead of anchored. Somebody came and explained that Keejse II had drug anchor and hit another anchored boat which caused significant damage to Keejse II. Remarkably, there was no fiberglass damage anywhere. This all happened on the Saturday before Easter, and remarkably they got an instant response from their insurance company over the holiday weekend and were authorized to make repairs by Monday. When they got here and looked closer, they found yellow marks on their bow roller that were inconsistent with the cat they hit. They surmise now that perhaps another boat had hit them first causing their anchor to dislodge. Of course with no witnesses or someone to fess up, they can only speculate. We enjoyed visiting with them for several hours before returning to MoonSail.
GPS N 18-02.429 W 063-05.610 Nautical miles traveled today 0. Total miles 10023.
Apr 20
This morning, we did the regular radio stuff. The interference here was less than normal. Too bad that couldn't have happened yesterday. After the nets, we met Mike & Lynn ashore to fetch out laundry from the service we left it at Saturday. Normally, we wouldn't have had to do this together, but we lost our ticket. You know the old saying "No tiki no washy". Well, true to the saying, Lynn got hers, and when I said we lost our ticket, the lady looked at me like that was the end of the world. I quickly said that "our ticket was one number higher than the last one you got". She gave me an exasperated look and went in back. She came back with our two bags of laundry. We also were dropping off some more stuff. We had our bedspread and the towels and blanket that we cover all the settees with. Turns out they have a flat rate of $8 for a bedspread and then the rest of the stuff wasn't but a couple of pounds. Apparently there is a minimum for a load because the whole mess cost us $15. When we got back to the boat and unpacked the laundry we picked up, it was barely folded and Barb had to redo it all. Now we feel really pissed about giving them more business and paying the exorbitant amount.
Back at the boat, I finished reading the book I have been working on for the past few days. A Thousand Splendid Suns is by the same author as The Kite Runner. It is a novel about the same period in Afghanistan's history as The Kite Runner, but more about women's plight of living there and in that time. As was The Kite Runner, it is an excellent book, but not a particularly happy book. It left me again thankful that I was born in America.
For lunch, Barb warmed up our leftover enchiladas from the other night. It was a big meal and was perfect as our only real meal of the day. At 16:00, we met Don & Devin and Mike & Lynn at Jimbo's for happy hour. There was only one girl on duty playing bartender and waitress to a couple of tables. This was the same girl who waited on us when we had lunch here last week. She is not a local girl. It took her a bit to get to making our drinks, but since she was by herself, we didn't complain. While we were there, she was relived by several other girls for the dinner business. After the original girl was gone, the others complained about the fact that she hadn't done all the dishes or stocked the bar. All the evening workers were local girls who move slower and don't care much about the service you get. While at the bar, we met Richard & Sylvia, a couple from the States who were here to look at a boat that is for sale. The boat they are looking at is probably for sale for a few million dollars. Richard was the type of guy who likes to throw his money around to impress people, and he insisted on buying us all several rounds of drinks. So our happy hour was quite reasonably priced and we left about 19:00.
GPS N 18-02.429 W 063-05.610 Nautical miles traveled today 0. Total miles 10023.