Feb 10

We are returning to the marina at Nanny Cay today to have the dripless propeller shaft seal adjusted.  Hopefully that is all it needs to stop the intake of water when we are underway.  I had considered "sneaking" in and out of the BVI for the one day without formally checking in with Customs & Immigration.  We have always wondered how many boats do just that, since there seems to be nobody ever prowling around checking your papers.  But, with my luck, I'd be the one to get caught, so we motored the four miles from Francis Bay, St. John, to Soper's Hole, a.k.a. West End, Tortola to check in.  Even though I do not like towing the dinghy in much of a seaway, it wasn't too rough between the islands, so we towed it rather than raise and lower it twice.  When we got to Soper's Hole, I dinghied over to Customs and checked in.  I was going to check in and out at the same time, but we figured since we were going to the trouble of checking in, we'd stay in the BVI a few days.  The check in process was quick and painless, and I was back to MoonSail in ten minutes. This time, we raised the dinghy on the davits, because we want it up there while in the marina.

The trip between Soper's Hole and Nanny Cay is directly into the wind, so of course we motored.  It was also into an opposing current, so it took about an hour and a half to make the five miles.  That put us there just after noon, which hopefully will be perfect since boats departing the marina should be gone by noon.  I hailed the marina on the VHF, and found out we were assigned the same slip we were in last week.  They are apparently still booked solid, because another boat, without a reservation, was standing off the entrance talking to them on the radio, and they got turned away.  We were met at the slip by the marina manager who took our lines.

As soon as we were settled, I walked up to the place that was going to do the work to tell them we were here.  I found the owner, whom I had spoken to via e-mail last week and setup the day we were coming in, and he acted like he had no clue we were coming.  Of course all the workers were at lunch, but he said he'd see if he could get somebody to the boat soon.  This didn't give me a warm feeling.  I told him we were going to get a bite to eat, and that the boat would be open.  We went to the Beach Bar and got lunch and a couple beers.  When we retuned to the boat, I was pleasantly surprised to find a tool cart on the dock.  The worker guy had been there, but was gone at the moment.  He came back a few minutes later and had already made the adjustment.  He had me start the motor and put it in gear (we had the docklines quite tight so we could do this).  There seemed to be no water coming in, so I guess it was as easy as they said.  The guy explained that we should have called them to do this when we first launched.  I pointed out to him, as I had to his boss, that we would have been glad to if they had just told us that.  Anyway, problem solved, and the worker guy was pleasant to work with.  He told me he had been the one who installed the shaft seal and the new motor mounts over the summer.  He also took note of my Kobalt Xtreme Access socket set that I had just brought down here last year.  It is a new type of socket that is very slim line and give access through the middle while the socket is on the nut, eliminating the need to ever have deep sockets.  This can be handy.  He explained that he couldn't ever get something like that here, and wondered if I would be willing to sell it to him.  I told him I would contact him at the end of the season and maybe we could make a deal.

My main bilge pump has still not been working automatically.  I have tested the float switch and it seems OK, but the pump doesn't run when the switch is held up.  I thought maybe it's not really good, so while here in the marina I went to the store and bought a new one.  I installed the new switch, and still no joy.  So, I started testing voltages.  I found that the wire to the float switch has 13v at the panel end, and only 3v at the end where in the bilge where it connects to the float switch.  Guess I should have checked that first.  I didn't have time to pull a new wire properly to replace this wire, so I ran a new wire outside the cabinetry to the float.  That resolved the problem.  I'll deal with routing the wire properly later.

We showered and went to Captain Mulligan's for dinner.  Captain Mulligan's is just off the marina premises.  It's a longer walk than Peg Leg's, but we are getting tired of the selection at Peg Leg's.  We found that Captain Mulligan's has been spiffed up a bit since last year.  There were nicer tables and chairs, and now instead of placing your order for food at the bar and then picking it up yourself from the kitchen window, they actually bring it to you.  The menu looked the same though.  Barb had fish fingers (who knew fish had fingers?) and I had a chicken quesadilla. 

GPS N 18-23.906 W 064-38.145  Nautical miles traveled today 10.  Total miles 10506.

Feb 11

When we first got to Tortola, the taxi driver who brought us from the ferry to the marina was Danny.  He gave me a card that said "Danny's Reliable Taxi".  He emphasized the reliable part when he said to call him if we needed a taxi.  So yesterday afternoon, I called him and arranged for him to pick us up at 9:00 AM to take us to Roadtown to the large grocery store and ATM.  (The ATM at Nanny Cay has been empty for several days.)  We were in the parking lot at 09:00, but there was  no Danny.  At 9:20 I called him again.  Seems he isn't so reliable after all.  So we hoofed it over to the taxi stand at the marina and grabbed the only taxi there.  It was a nicer vehicle with A/C, so I guess the few extra bucks he was charging over what Danny quoted me are worth it.  We went to the Rite Way grocery in Roadtown, which is a nice modern supermarket like you'd find in the States.  There was an ATM at the store, so we killed both birds with one stone.  The taxi driver was waiting for us, so we hustled our way through the store.  It took us just about half an hour to get everything on our list and check out.  We were back at the marina by about 11:00, which was perfect.  While Barb put away groceries, I filled our water tanks and then went and paid the marina bill.  We were pulling out of the slip by 11:30.

We pulled out of the marina, turned west and unfurled the foresail.  We turned the motor off and had the second nice sail of the season within a week.  Again, I left the rhumb line in order to make the cut north past Soper's Hole with only one tack.  We turned and sailed though the cut at Soper's Hole between Tortola and Little and Great Thatch Islands.  Our destination for the day is Cane Garden Bay.  I was hoping to be able to sail all the way there, but once we tuned northeast at the tip of Tortola, we were pretty hard on the wind.  If the wind had been the same as on the south side of the island, it would have worked nicely, but the landmass of the island influenced the wind too much.  We could have doubled the length of the leg and sailed towards Jost Van Dyke and then back, but I didn't.  The motor came on and we went directly to Cane Garden Bay.

When we were in Roadtown, we saw that there were two cruise ships in town.  One of the activities for cruise ship people is to be bussed to Cane Garden Bay for the day.  So we found the beach full of rental beach chairs, and could hear a band playing ashore.  We relaxed on the boat until about 15:00, when most of the cruise ship people had left for their taxis back to the boat.  At the dinghy dock, we found that the work on the nice new fountain that had been in-progress last year had been completed, but the fountain was not on.  We went to Tony's Welcome Bar (formerly Stanley's).  We found the bar still full, but got drinks and took a seat at a picnic table.  After a bit some folks left and we moved to the bar.  Part of the fun of this place is that the bar is nowhere near level.  You have to watch where the puddle of condensation from your drink runs, lest you end up with a wet crotch.  They make great Painkillers, and the 3 to 7 happy hour is two for one.  We decided to eat here also, so we split an order of conch fritters, and a rib dinner.  All very good.

We got back to the boat just before dark.  Barb went to the head and when she returned she told me there was a little gecko in there.  She was cool with leaving him alone, since he will eat other bugs.  I wasn't keen on having a lizard inside the boat if I could avoid it.  So, I got an empty plastic Folgers coffee can and went hunting.  The lizard was on the door and didn't try to move as I put the can over him.  With a little jostling, he fell into the can and I put a lid on him.  I punched a few little holes in the lid, since it would be overnight before we were on land to release him.  Later, in the cockpit, Barb spotted a small spider on the inside of the bimini.  So, I carefully opened the coffee can and verified the lizard was on the bottom.  I then held the can up and flicked the spider into the can also.  Maybe the lizard is hungry.

GPS N 18-25.641 W 064-39.559  Nautical miles traveled today 10.  Total miles 10516.

Feb 12

In the morning, after the radio nets and coffee, we headed across the bay to Jost Van Dyke.  On the way, we noticed that the previously dead voltage regulator had decided to work properly.  That only lasted fifteen minutes or so though, and the bypass was engaged.  About halfway across the channel between Tortola and Jost Van Dyke, we suddenly heard a loud pop.  We looked in the direction it came from and saw that one of the solar panel mounts had broken on the port side panel.  Before the second mount had a chance to break from supporting the whole thing, Barb got a line and lashed the panel mounting bar to the stanchion where the mount had broken.  That was out of the blue. 

Our first stop was East End Harbor by Foxy's Taboo.  We have been here before, but never actually hiked to the Bubbling Pool.  We picked up a mooring and hopped in the dinghy.  We took the coffee can with our stowaways with us.  The first order of business was to set the lizard loose.  There is a large pile of rocks next to Taboo that looked like a good home for a lizard.  I slowly opened the lid and found both the lizard and the spider alive and well.  The spider jumped right out, but the lizard was a different story.  He came to the edge of the can, looked around, and went back to the bottom of the can.  He was just like a damn cat that won't get in the carrier to go the vet, then won't come out once you're there.  I had to shake the can several times to dislodge the lizard's sticky little feet from the can.  Once out on the rocks, he seemed right at home and took off into a crevice.

The hike to the Bubbling Pool isn't too far from Taboo.  The Bubbling Pool is a place where the waves from the Atlantic to the north crash over the rocks and into a little deep hole that is like a natural hot tub.  The water in the hole is warm since it's shallow.  In nice conditions it's fun to sit in the pool as the water gushes over the rocks with each wave.  It can be, and recently has been, dangerous in rough conditions, which I'm sure is why there is a brand new looking warning sign there.  We had not brought our bathing suits, and there were two other groups of people there from charter boats, so we just watched and rested in the shade of some sea grape trees before hiking back to Taboo for a couple of beers.

We left Taboo and motored around to Great Harbor where Foxy's and Corsair's is.  Great Harbor used to not have mooring balls, and even now that it does, there aren't enough.  Add to that the fact that it is amongst the worst places to anchor I've ever been to because the bottom is mostly scoured clean of sand for the anchor to hold in.  As we approached, we could see a couple of empty balls.  I was heading for one when Barb saw a boat leave one even closer to the front of the pack.  We turned for that one, but then noticed two guys in a dinghy racing towards it.  They of course got there first, but did not touch the mooring.  They just hovered in the way, while one talked on the phone.  They thought they were going to hold the mooring for their friend who was across the bay already on a mooring.  I kept approaching, prepared to push the dinghy out of the way with the bow if I had to.  Barb and I both yelled to them that there is no saving moorings and to move.  They yelled some obscenities back at us, but never tried to keep Barb from getting the pennant, and I never touched their dinghy with the boat.  They continued to bitch and moan and make some veiled threats as they slowly drove way.  As many bad things I have seen charters do, this may have been the rudest.  We watched to see what boat they went back to and made note of it in case there was any issue later.

Once it appeared the rude guy wasn't coming right back, we went ashore.  We first walked to Corsair's to make dinner reservations.  They close between lunch and dinner, but leave a yellow pad on the bar to write in reservations.  We made our reservation for 19:00.  We then walked back to Foxy's and got a beer.  There are several hammocks on the beach in front of Foxy's, and as many times as I have been here, I've never gotten in one of them.  So, with beer in hand, I somewhat less than gracefully plopped my butt in a hammock.  Barb got a chair to sit nearby and graciously rocked me a time or two.  Barb eventually went into the gift shop to browse, and while she was gone, Foxy's big black lab named Taboo came and lay down underneath me.  Taboo is usually hanging around here, and laying under people in hammocks is apparently his main job.  He made some grunts as if to ask for petting, but while in the hammock I couldn't reach him.  So after a few minutes he moved to the other hammock where the guy could pet him.

We went back to the boat for the rest of the afternoon to relax and clean up before dinner.  We were sitting in the cockpit when I noticed the dinghy from the earlier jerk boat coming our way.  Only one guy was in it this time, and he was idling along at an appropriate speed for the anchorage.  When he was between us and the boat behind us, he suddenly gave the dinghy wide open throttle and passed as close to us as he could making a large wake.  Once past us he slowed back down.  There were no words exchanged, although only because I was so surprised by this childish act that I was caught off guard.

About 18:30, we were at Corsair's for dinner.  Vinnie, the owner, was there and I said hi.  We have met Vinnie several times before, and he grew up about ten miles from me in the same era, although we didn't know each other then.  We do have friends in common though we discovered last year.  I'm not sure he remembered us at first, but he sees thousands of faces each year, so I don't blame him.  He saw our reservation wasn't until seven, but suggested we sit now before it got busy.  He said he had just fired one of the two chefs, so it would be crazy later when they got busier.  We sat at a table for two right in front by the street (the whole place is open to the front).  We ordered drinks and started chatting with two women from Norfolk who were here on a charter.  They were near the end of two weeks here and were the opposite end of the charterer spectrum from the guys we encountered earlier.  We chatted with them all through dinner.  We ordered conch fritters to start, and then both ordered the yellowfin tuna special.  Vinnie said the tuna was swimming earlier in the day and recommended it.  As usual, the meal was excellent.  The tuna was easily eight ounces if not more, in two pieces each over an inch thick, perfectly seared and rare.  As usual, dinner at Corsair's was one of the best we've had in the Islands.

GPS N 18-26.589 W 064-45.040  Nautical miles traveled today 7.  Total miles 10523.

Feb 13

We spoke to Mike & Lynn from Seabbatical today on the marine radio.  They are in St. Maarten and are not coming to the Virgins this season.  After being with them almost everyday last season, we don't know what to do with ourselves.  The Lagoon in St. Maarten is radio hell, so even though we knew they were there, having a conversation was impossible.  But today, things were a little clearer and we were able to talk briefly.

We are staying here another day, but we made note that the charter jerks from yesterday left.  I'm glad we won't have to worry about running into them again. Cookie & Karen, the ladies we were chatting last night swung by in their dinghy to say goodbye before they left.

In order to earn a day at the beach, I need to fix something.  So, I took the time to properly route the bilge float switch wire that I installed temporarily the other day.  That meant pulling up part of the floor, taking the main power distribution panel apart, taking the nav station panel off, and removing the cushions from one of the seats.  After a few scrapes from jamming my arm into places too small for it, I was able to fish the wire through where it belonged, and put everything back together.

The reward for my work today was a trip to White Bay to the Soggy Dollar Bar.  White bay is a zoo with boats most days, so we left the boat safely in Great Harbor and hopped a cab from Foxy's to Soggy Dollar.  We found chairs right in front with a perfect view of the show.  The "show" is groups of charter people coming and going all day.  Many are small groups of six or eight who have chartered a big cat, and many are larger groups who show up for an hour or two on big day charter boats, fondly referred to as cattle boats.  The majority of these people are young and scantily clothed, so the show is fun.  Soggy Dollar is the home of the Painkiller, so another part of the show is watching Mic the bartender slinging drinks.  He makes the Painkillers about a dozen at a time, and busts his butt all day.  There is usually a web cam at Soggy Dollar, but we found it missing.  I looked at it online on my phone and saw that the boats in the picture did not match the boats in the water at all.  I then searched the roof where the camera is mounted, and it was physically gone.  So much for being able to rub it in and wave at people back home.  We had lunch and many drinks over the course of the afternoon, and finally took a cab back to Foxy's about 16:00.

GPS N 18-26.589 W 064-45.040  Nautical miles traveled today 0.  Total miles 10523.

Feb 14

Jost an Dyke is a BVI port of entry, so after breakfast, I dinghied to shore to check us out of the BVI.  It took a bit but I got the three ladies to crack a smile.  The Immigration lady asked my "Is this your final exit?".  I paused and then said "I certainly hope not.  I'm not ready for that."  She hesitated, but then laughed, which made the other two laugh as well.

Our destination today is Caneel Bay on the northwest corner of St. John.  We have never stayed overnight in Caneel Bay as it has a reputation for being rolly.  Caneel is where you have to be to go into the main town of Cruz Bay though, since Cruz Bay itself is full of private moorings.  We decided to see what overnight was really about.  What we found was that as long as there is no north swell, the rockiness comes from ferry (and other large power boat) wakes.  If you imagine a main road between the USVI and the BVI, Caneel Bay would be like a rest area just off the side.  The ferry wakes come a few times every hour, but they pretty much stop about 18:00.  Then they start again after 06:00 in the morning. 

I cleared us into the US by phone again.  This time went even easier than the first as I only spoke to one person in one call.  I like this program.

We spent the day aboard reading.  While we were in Nanny Cay, I had downloaded six new books to my nook, five of them by Randy Wayne White.  Once I start a book, I read it in a day or two, and I got more than halfway through this one today.  I felt somewhat guilty about reading though, because I accidentally stepped on Barb's Kindle earlier and broke the screen.  So she can't play the word games she played on it all the time, nor read the books she downloaded the other day. 

GPS N 18-20.456 W 064-47.600  Nautical miles traveled today 7.  Total miles 10530.

Feb 15

The night was pretty good.  The wind died, and the wakes were gone, with the exception of one around 02:00 that woke us.  We did the normal radio stuff in the morning, and then about 11:00 put the dinghy in the water and went to Cruz Bay for the afternoon.

First stop in Cruz Bay was Woody's for lunch.  We went to the original location where we have been before.  We had a good seafood lunch and watch some Olympic stuff on TV.  While we were there a guy dressed in a kilt, wearing a Rasta fake-dreadlock hat, and carrying bagpipes came in.  He asked the bartender if he could play outside.  She politely told him that if he were on the corner, not right in front of the bar, she couldn't stop him.  He thanked her and left, but we didn't hear him playing.  There were several other parties in the place, including a group of four at the table next to us.  They were pretty loud, but not obnoxious.  Then another couple came through the front door.  The guy had a drink in his hand already and started yelling hello to everyone.  He acted like he knew the people next to us, but in hindsight I don't think he did.  Everybody played along and said hi to him, and they sat down at a table.  The party next to us was about to leave, and they got up to head out.  The guy asked where they were going and got up to join them.  So again, we thought they knew each other.  We paid our bill, and as we were leaving here came the loud guy back in by himself.  Apparently the others, including the woman who had been with him, gave him the slip.  He sat down at the bar as we said goodbye to the waitress and got out while we could.

We went back to the park by the ferry dock where there was an art festival going on that included musical entertainment.  There was a pan band setup, but apparently on a break.  We noticed that JJ's Texas Coast Cafe right on the square is no longer JJ's.  It has been totally remodeled and is a different place.  Apparently JJ's has moved, but we don't know where.  The bagpiper was playing in front of this new place, and he wasn't particularly good.  When he finished the song he was playing, he packed up his stuff and sat down on a bench in the park.  We decided to walk to Mongoose Junction where the Virgin Islands Brewery Tap Room is.  On the way we passed the Barefoot Cowboy Lounge, which is uphill from the main road but has a balcony overlooking the road.  From the balcony, we saw the group of four who had been next to us at Woody's and they waved.  At Mongoose Junction, we had a beer at the Tap Room, and browsed a few stores while a short rain shower passed though.

We went back to the park and found the pan band packing up, but a group of school children singing.  We listened for a couple of songs including one forth grade boy who did a very good solo for a kid.  We then went back up near Woody's but went next door to The Quiet Mon.  It has also been here forever and is reputed to be one of Kenny Chesney's hangouts.  Kenny wasn't there, but we got drinks and sat on the balcony watching the street action below.  Suddenly, the normal street sounds were shattered by the sounds of bagpipes.  The guy had setup again, this time on the corner just down from Woody's.  He played one song, and thankfully stopped.  There may have been some comments from passersby that gave him a hint.  By now it was a little after three. 

Woody's happy hour is 3 to 6, and is a good price performer.  It is $1 Coors Light, $1 well drinks, and $3 Captain & Cokes.  But, instead of going to Woody's we went across the street to the place now called Across The Street.  Woody's had just purchased this place, formerly the Iguana Grill, last year when we were here.  We took seats at the rail of the balcony and ordered drinks.  While there we saw Clay, whom we met last year at Woody's.  Clay is part of the team who bought Woody's and Iguana Grill last year.  I introduced myself and told him about the article I had written for TropRockin.com.  He had seen the article and thanked me for the nice review. 

The seating on the balcony at Across The Street in my opinion is a better place to watch the world go by than Woody's Bar itself.  From here you can see everything going on at Woody's, but the setting sun is not frying you, the breeze is better, and if you need to catch a ferry back to St. Thomas, you can see right down the street to the ferry dock so you don't miss your boat.  As we were sitting here, we unfortunately witnessed a fellow cruiser do a face plant in the street.  It was an older gentleman, whom we don't know personally, but we know what boat he is from.  We don't know if he had perhaps been over served, or if he just tripped on the curb, but the result was he fell flat on his face in the street in front of Woody's.  Several people including two of Woody's waitresses and Clay quickly came to his aid, and fortunately there were no cars going by at the moment.  He seemed to be ok, other than skinning his nose and just being shook up.  He sat for a bit while they got him water and a bag of ice for his nose, then he went on.

The other sight in the street was a momma chicken and her two chicks.  We had seen them around the same intersection earlier and made the standard joke about that's where chicken nuggets come from.  But they kept going from side to side of the street as if they were just tempting the odds to catch up with them.  Maybe it was designed to be a lesson for the chicks.  It got made worse when a jerk sitting at one of the tables in front of Woody's started throwing bits of bread out into the middle of the street.  The chickens were now concentrating more on the crumbs than they were on the tires going inches from their heads.  How nobody got squished as amazing.  Thankfully the guy throwing the bread stopped after several pieces. 

About 17:00 we headed back to the boat for the evening.

GPS N 18-20.456 W 064-47.600  Nautical miles traveled today 0.  Total miles 10530.

Feb 16

We are going to move along today, so I need to pay the mooring fee.  Caneel Bay had a floating platform with a drop box similar to Francis Bay.  But, there was an ugly black cloud coming towards us, so I waited.  The shower rolled through and once it stopped, I dinghied over to deposit my envelope.  The slot was already jammed with several other envelopes.  It took me several minutes to move them a little and get mine in far enough not to be able to be pulled out.  I went back to the boat and got there just as another shower came through.

We are moving one bay to the east, about one mile.  We have never stopped in Hawksnest Bay before.  Between Hawksnest and Caneel is a cut between the main island and a smaller one.  The current through this cut can be quite strong, and if the current opposes the wind, it can be rage conditions similar to the inlets of Florida's east coast.  As we got into the middle of the cut, it wasn't particularly rough, but were we going against the current and only making about 2.5 knots.  Suddenly we both heard a noise from the engine.  I thought it sounded like a fan belt shredding.  Barb went below and opened the font cover of the engine room.  She said both belts were still there.  If the belt to the big alternator broke, it only affects battery charging.  But if the belt which dives the small alternator and water pump breaks, we would overheat in short order.  I kept a close eye on the temperature gauge as we continued through the cut.  Immediately east of the cut, we turned into Hawksnest Bay.  There are eight overnight moorings and four day-use moorings there.  We found several empty and picked one up.  Of course the one time I want to get the engine off so I can see what the noise was, Barb missed the mooring line so we had to go around and approach again.  She never does that.  The gods just wanted to keep me stressed a couple more minutes I guess. We got moored on the second try and I shut the engine down.  Turned out the important belt was coming apart.  It had thrown off it's outer layer which was the noise we heard.  Fortunately I have spare belts, so I replaced the bad one and inspected and adjusted the other.

Looking at the shore from the boat, there are three distinct beaches.  One is the backside of the big resort which faces Caneel Bay.  The other two are both on the south side of the bay, separated by a large rock outcropping.  We dinghied in to see what was here and find the pay station, as there is not a floating one.  We dinghied to the beach that had fewer people, but more visible buildings first.  This beach, it appears, is behind several private homes that are probably rentals.  There were lots of "Private" signs at the tree line.  We walked the length of the beach and back and hopped back in the dinghy.  We went around the rocks to the other beach and got the dinghy ashore.  Here we found is the public beach.  There were lots of people on the beach.  We walked to the far end where we found the National Park bathrooms, picnic area, parking lot, and pay station.  Walking the beach we passed a small sand sculpture made to look like a snowman.  Hadn't thought of that before.  We walked back down to the end where the dinghy was and got in the water for awhile.  While we were there, another pretty heavy rain shower came through, sending people for cover under the sea grape trees, or their towels.  In my experience, the best place to be when at the beach in a rain storm, is in the water.  The rain water is cold, so if you stay in the water covering your shoulders, only your head gets rained on, and I had a hat on.

After the rain we went back to the boat because there was a loud group of about eight to ten teenagers making a lot of obnoxious noise nearby that got old fast.  Several other boats had come and gone during the day, but the best was yet to come.  A catamaran came in to take the mooring behind us.  It may have been a private boat, not a charter.  There seemed to be a couple, with a third guy on the bow to take the mooring.  He picked up the pennant and got his first bridle line through it without fanfare.  He then went to put the second bridle line on.  This required him leaning out over the front to get the line around the anchor.  The guy was a bit on the large side.  As he leaned way out over the front of the boat, he just kind of slowly kept going.  He did a complete summersault over the bow and caught himself with one hand on the front cross member.  He hung there for a few seconds as the captain came running from the helm to help him.  I was afraid at first that his hand was caught in something and that he couldn't let go.  But once the captain got there, he let go and dropped in the water.  The boat was stopped, so he was not injured other than his pride.  It will rank high in our list of mooring stories.

We also saw one of the more creative ways to get to shore.  Two guys took a mooring, then were messing with a kayak off the stern of their boat.  Eventually, one guy was sitting in a lawn chair perched on the kayak, while the other guy knelt on the back and paddled him to shore while wearing a large backpack.  I'm not sure I want to know any more about that story.

There was a boat in the harbor flying a Bay Host flag, but nobody seemed to be aboard.  A little before dark, we saw a dinghy row out from the shore to the boat.  Shortly after that the bay host rowed over to introduce himself.  He asked if we had moored in the park before, and wrote down our boat name.  We told him we knew the drill and had already found the pay station and paid.  He thanked us and went on to the other boats.  This was the first time we have actually seen a bay host being diligent about their job.  The deal with being a bay host is you get a free mooring, but you commit to doing it at least two months, and be around five days a week.  You are supposed to take inventory of the boats that spend the night and answer questions as needed.  They are not supposed to really do any enforcement or collect money, just let you know what the rules are. 

In Hawksnest, we still get the ferry wakes, to a slightly lesser degree than at Caneel.  But, there was an odd choppiness to the bay that did not go away after the ferries stopped.  I don't now if it was because this is a more contained bay and maybe the wave energy bounces around once inside, but it made for a strange ride.  We've been in much more uncomfortable places, but we did not have a very restful night.

GPS N 18-21.019 W 064-46.794  Nautical miles traveled today 1.  Total miles 10531.

Feb 17

By morning, I was ready to leave the choppy bay and move one.  We motored out of Hawksnest and turned east again hugging the coastline.  We passed through Trunk Bay where there are just two moorings which were both taken.  Next was Cinnamon Bay.  Cinnamon Bay is mentioned in Kenny Chesney's Old Blue Chair song.  He has a home on St. John, although whether it is near Cinnamon Bay as the song implies is anyone's guess.  There were seven mooring balls in Cinnamon Bay, and several were open.  We picked up the one closest to shore and also closest to the reef that separates Cinnamon Bay from Maho Bay. 

Ashore at Cinnamon Bay is a campground run by the National Park Service.  You can just barely see some of the campground shelters from the water, and a building that looked like a water sports center where they rent kayaks, Hobie Cats, etc.  The water was much smoother here, so we decided to spend the day aboard, spend the night, and explore ashore tomorrow.  We spent the day reading.  I read anther Randy Wayne White book, while Barb re-read Don't Stop The Carnival, a real book we have aboard.

By evening, we were starting to get a little bit of a roll going on.  Nothing like we have had other times, but just enough to be annoying.  I had not gotten up early enough this morning to listen to the weather on the SSB, and the daily e-mail I get didn't come until 6PM.  Too late for us to do anything about the fact that a small north swell was forecast to start tonight and persist for two days.  It was almost dark already, so rather than move to Francis Bay in the dark, we stuck it out.  It never got too bad, and was still better than the previous night.

GPS N 18-21.261 W 064-45.436  Nautical miles traveled today 1.  Total miles 10532.

Feb 18

We slept pretty well even with the roll, but I was ready to lave as soon as we had our coffee.  Exploring ashore at Cinnamon Bay will have to wait for another time.  We are making another long one-mile trip today to Francis Bay where we were a week ago.  We actually got the same mooring ball, even though there were lots to choose from.  Francis is nice because the wind can be blowing like stink, but you are less than 1000 feet from shore, so the fetch is not enough to make much wave action, and you are protected on the north from any swell or the wakes of the big boats going between the USVI and BVI.

We have developed another maintenance issue over the last few days.  The boat has several batteries that run everything - the House bank.  And there is one separate battery that does nothing but start the engine.  The logic is you can be stupid and run your house bank down to nothing, but still be able to start the engine and get home.  Well, for the last few days, when trying to start the motor, the pre-heat cycle works fine from the starting battery, but when you push the starter button, you just get clicking.  I have to turn a switch that combines all the batteries and then it starts fine.  This is annoying, but as long as we monitor the status of the house bank, which we always do, we wouldn't get stranded.  But, it needs to be looked at.  It either is a case of the starting battery is shot, which is shouldn't be since it was replaced last year, or a bad connection.  I opened up the compartment where the battery is, and had Barb push the button.  The bad connection sizzled and sparked a little when the big load was on it, revealing itself quickly.  I took the connection apart, cleaned it all up, put it back and tightened it good, and all was well.  All fixes on a boat should be that simple.

Later in the afternoon, old friends Hunter & Devi on Arctic Tern, and Chuck & Barb on Tussen Takk II came into the bay.  They took balls not far from us, and later Barb dinghied over to say hi.  We saw them both last year briefly.  They are some of the few boats still doing this that came down in 2007 when we did.  Arctic Tern is heading back to the States this season, so who knows when we may see them again.  We made arrangements to join them for sundowners on the beach tomorrow.

The afternoon and evening continued to be quite windy, and some strong squalls moved through.  I did listen to the forecast today, and the squalls were forecast to persist through the night.

GPS N 18-21.951 W 064-44.846  Nautical miles traveled today 1.  Total miles 10533.

Feb 19

True to the forecast, some heavy squalls came through overnight, but by dawn, the wave had passed through and we awoke to a clear sunny sky.  The wind was still quite brisk, but big wind and big sun make free electricity, so we're happy.

I did two small MacGyver tasks today.  (If you don't remember MacGyver, he could fix anything with no resources).  One involved my third bilge pump installation from last year.  On the rare occasions that pump runs, there was a tiny leak where the corrugated hose clamped onto a check valve.  No matter how much I clamped down on it, a tiny stream would squirt out when the pump ran.  This tiny stream would normally just go back in the bilge with no harm, but in this case it perfectly angled into the battery box for the starting battery.  This little bit of salt water spraying on the battery probably accounts for the bad connection I had to clean yesterday.  Since I can't seem to make the little leak stop, I put a piece of thin plastic over it in a upside-down U so the dribble now harmlessly goes in the bilge.  Kind of like building a gutter to carry the leak from the ceiling outside instead of fixing the leak.  My second fix was to a hatch screen frame that broke a year ago.  It has still been usable, but it is a screen we take in and out of the hatch daily, so with it being flimsy due to the broken frame, you had to finesse it.  The frame is aluminum, and slightly corroded, so my delay in trying to fix it was due to not knowing what might stick to it successfully.  I resorted to the ultimate MacGyver product, JB Weld, which was given to me before we left cruising in 2005 by the ultimate MacGyver sailor, Brian Watson.  There is a long story about how JB Weld saved his cruising season many yeas ago, thus the gift to us when we left.  It took me all of five minutes to mix up a little JB Weld and apply it.  After sitting all day, it seems to be strong as ever and is back in service.  Why did it take me a year to do that?

I spent a good part of the day catching up on writing the logs, and then at 16:30 Chuck & Barb picked us up in their dinghy and we went to shore.  We not only met Hunter & Devi from Arctic Tern, but also Janice & Steve from Sailacious, and two other couples they knew.  We each brought our beverages and appetizers to share.  We spent almost two hours there catching up with the old friends and getting to know the new ones.  A little before dark we returned to our boats and we spent the evening reading.

GPS N 18-21.951 W 064-44.846  Nautical miles traveled today 0.  Total miles 10533.