The Rest of St John

April 5th - 12th, 2014

A - Great Lameshur Bay,  B - Saltpond Bay,  C - Coral Bay,  D- Hansen Bay,  E - Francis Bay,
F - Waterlemon Cay

I'm not sure you can see the dramatic difference from bright blue sky to gray with rain.

We moved to Hansen Bay on Friday to get protection from the wind.  The next four days were the first gray ones since November.  We have come to expect every day to be perfect.  The temperatures remain in the mid 80's.  Gusty winds have delayed our exploration of the north shore. 

 After three days on board, it was time to get off and get a little exercise.  The dingy was in the water so we headed to Coral Bay looking for a grocery, mail box and dumpster.  On the way to the dingy dock the waves were behind us so we didn't notice their size.  After taking care of everything and having lunch we made our way back to Gotta Smile.  Now we were going against the waves.  The swells were mostly 2-3 feet, but periodically they would build to 6.  They look pretty big when you are in a dingy!  We would see them coming, hold our breath and float over the top.  Quite a sensation.

                                                                      Free range goats, sheep, donkeys and chickens.

 About dusk Brian decided that the dingy should be connected to the boat with the chain instead of the dock line.  I was busy in the galley.  I heard a big splash, but wasn't concerned.  Shortly after the splash I heard, "Could you get the ladder, Jackie?"  Yes, I finally got to prove that I would save him if he fell overboard.  For years he has claimed that if he went over, I wouldn't look for him for at least four days.  The rescue went fine.  Unlike Captain Ron, I didn't drop the ladder on him as I installed it.  Hopefully, it never gets trickier than this.  

The mountains of St John give each bay a different personality. Some have good TV reception, some have WiFi and others have good phone reception.  Of course, the weather is also influenced, but since it is mostly blue sky and sunny we are more concerned with our creature comforts! 

Tuesday dawned with the blue sky we love.  We have been anchoring more than we anticipated.  That means using the generator to keep our batteries charged so we can use the washer, dryer, water maker, coffee pot, microwave/convection oven, hair dryer, etc, etc.  And, that means we need more fuel to complete the trip.  Called the Red Hook marina.  Diesel was $5.25/gallon.  Second call was to Charlotte Amalie where we found diesel for $4.75.  Since we were getting 315 gallons, it was worth traveling an extra 12 miles.      

When we finally made it to the north side of St John, we stayed in Francis Bay and loved it!  A day long dingy ride took us to Moha Beach and Cinnamon Beach.  It was great to walk each of them from one end to the other.  We sampled the snorkeling, but it was disappointing.  Maybe we just didn’t find the best spot. 

Local artists gift to the tourists.....

Happy tourists enjoying the local art and another one of God's masterpieces. 

Our last night in the US Virgin Islands was in Waterlemon Bay.  It will definitely be a revisit.  We arrived with strong gusts that challenged our mooring skills.  Rain and strong wind continued most of the afternoon.  By the time we launched the dingy it was dusk.  Just enough time for a quick tour of the bay.  

Looking along Sir Francis Drake Channel.  Island on right is St John.  The other islands are BVI.

We have been in the US Virgin Islands for three weeks and it has been all that we had hoped.  Tomorrow we will cross Sir Francis Drake Channel and begin our exploration of the British Virgin Islands.  So excited! 

Gotta smile -- we're lovin the ride!

Culebra, PR to US Virgin Islands

March 19 - April 4, 2014

22 - San Juan, 23- Fajardo, 24 - Culebra, 25 - St Thomas, 26 - St John

It was 5:15 AM when I awoke.  The local roosters were crowing telling Culebra it's time to get up. Too early for me.  I rolled over and suddenly it’s 7:00.  The roosters were still crowing but at a much more civilized hour!  The doors to the cockpit were open and I could look from the bed all the way through the boat.  Since we are anchored, I got a panoramic view of the bay as the boat slowly twisted on it's anchor chain.  Another beautiful day!  We enjoyed three days in the Culebra harbor without leaving the boat.  It was good to relax after having company for a week.

Charlotte Amalie Harbor from a lookout on our way to Magens Bay Beach.

Exploring alleys and streets in Charlotte Amalie.

On Tuesday the 25th, we set off for St Thomas -- a short 4.5 hour cruise.  We had briefly visited St Thomas several times before, but only as a flight layover on our way to St John or the BVI.  This time we wanted to explore the island.  Our first day was a dingy ride around the bay and a walk around town.  The second day we rented a car and drove to Magens Bay (their best beach) and Red Hook.  Well, sadly, our opinion after two days of exploration was the same as we had on our stopovers.  Too busy, too crowded, too commercial, too many cruise ships.....  The best part of our stay was meeting Krogen owners

Lavinia and Richard on Partners.  We invited them over for a drink and had a wonderful evening discussing the finer points of Krogen ownership and these beautiful islands.  They have been down here for 18 months and were a wealth of information.  After a trip to visit family, they will return to sailing the islands with Trinidad as their summer destination.  We know that we will cross paths again and look forward to it.

Magan's Beach.  There was an outcropping of rocks
at one end.  I told Brian we should have our picture
taken as I sat down.  I immediately rolled off the
rock and into the water.  I came up yelling, "Brian grab
my phone".  It was floating in my waterproof purse!

These ships looked really big (259 & 279 feet) until
David Geffen's 453 foot ship pulled in.  Yowza, that's
only one of his two super yachts!

Lavinia and Richard's Krogen, Partners.

Night view of Charlotte Amalie from our cockpit. 

A - Great Lameshur Bay, B - Saltpond Bay, C - Coral Bay

First views of St John

Three nights and two days was long enough in St Thomas.  We were ready to move on to St John, one of our favorite destinations in the world.  Two-thirds of the island is a national park with NO airports or cruise ship docks.  There are only two towns and very few large resorts.  St John is where our daughter, Jennifer, married Ian 12 years ago.  55 guests spent a week celebrating with us.  I still hear from some of those guests saying it was one of their best vacations.    

Another day, another beach!
Great Lameshur Bay

Our weather guru had sent an email warning that a large storm with hurricane type winds had hit Nova Scotia earlier in the week.  That storm was sending large swells our way and we needed to get into a protected bay before it's expected arrival on Thursday.  Email friends that have been down here for years recommended Great Lameshure Bay on the south side of St John.  It was just two hours from our anchorage in Charlotte Amalie.  Thanks to Barb and Chuck on Tusen Takk II (another Krogen) we are tucked into a beautiful protected hideaway.  

Every night there is a beautiful sunset.  Luckily I
remembered to take a photo this time.

The weather prediction was correct. Thursday night, right on schedule, the winds picked up with intermittent showers throughout the night and the next day.  Our secluded location protected us from the swells and wind.  Even the best locations can have a drawback or two.  We are suffering with very limited WiFi and poor phone reception.  Luckily the water is 80 degrees, clear, a beautiful blue and calling me to take a leap.... a good daily diversion.  Brian is being much more productive by putting additional coats of varnish on the cap rail.  The last time he worked on it was in Stuart, Florida.  Bugs, rain and ash from the sugar cane

burns were a constant menace to his smooth finish.  Down here we have neither bugs or ash and the rain is infrequent.  It’s looking great.  

Most of the bays in St John have mooring buoys.  Anchoring is only

The weather has calmed.  Time to leave Lameshur.

allowed in specified locations.  The park service is trying to preserve the coral and anchors can tear up decades of growth.  The buoys are only $15/night which is a great deal.  But, even better — if you have a senior pass for the national parks the fee is cut in half!  Luckily we have the pass and, even better, we could actually find it.  Fabulous!!!  This bay is where the Tektite aquanaut program was located in the late 60s and early 70s.  Four men lived in a chamber 60 feet under water for two months.  Saturday, March 29th was the 45th anniversary of the program.  Three of the aquanauts spoke at a program and showed slides of their life under water.    

Saltpond Bay
The beach was an easy swim from the boat.  Snorkel
off the swim platform and some BIG FISH.

Monday, March 31st, we moved to the next bay, Saltpond.  There are only six mooring buoys in this bay and we were warned to only stay if we could get on one of the two that are closest to the beach.  The other four get too much wave action from the reef.  We came over on Sunday and no buoys were available. Tried again on Monday morning and JACKPOT — we got one that was next to the beach!  This is a classic location. 

It is exactly what one imagines.  The white beach, the blue water, hills in the background, very quiet.  We snorkeled off the back of the boat, swam to shore and walked the beach for two days.  Having the boat where we are snorkeling is such a treat.  Climb back on board for lunch.  We didn’t have to pack a cooler….!

Coral Bay

Wednesday, April 2nd, we moved to Coral Bay.  No beach here, but a small town and dingy dock.  There are probably 75 boats anchored with us and all but three are sailboats.  Motor vessels are really the minority since we left Miami. 

On the ferry for a 15 minute ride from Cruze Bay,
St John to Red Hook, St Thomas.

Thursday was a busy fun day.  We used the dingy to go into Coral Bay.  Met Roger at the dingy dock.  He had the full scoop on this small town including where to catch the island bus.  The bus is a full size city bus that takes this two lane, steep road like it’s a Miami freeway.  It was exciting!  Especially when it turned to one lane and a van was coming at us in that one lane.  Our bus driver didn’t back down, she had size on her side — both the bus and the driver!  Next was a ferry ride to St Thomas to pick up

Walking into the Cruze Bay shopping area.

parts.  A quick lunch and we were back on the ferry and in just 15 minutes docked again in St John.  The rest of the afternoon we shopped in some of the cute stores of Cruz Bay.  Cruz Bay is a must visit stop while here.  It is the one real town on the island.  It has most of the shopping and restaurants.  We were tired after more than our quota of walking so we headed to the bus stop for another hair raising ride back to Coral Bay.  One place we had

'Fine dining' at Skinny Legs.

promised ourselves we would visit on this island hopping trip was Skinny Legs.  Skinny Legs is a landmark bar/restaurant in Coral Bay.  About 50 of us came to Skinny Legs for Halloween to launch the wedding fun.  By the time we finished dinner and got back to our dingy it was dark and raining. 
 I carried my computer this whole day hoping to find a restaurant with WiFi.  No luck.  If this blog gets longer it's going to crash computers that try to open it. 
  

Gotta smile — we’re lovin the ride!                

    

El Yunque, Culebra and Family

March 8 - 18, 2014

Doing the 'happy dance' now that they are
off the plane!

It has been a busy ten days since my last post.  Our son and his family came for a week from Minnesota.  Steve and Erin have twins that are six years old:  Niko and Addison.  Gotta Smile held the six of us comfortably and we had some great adventures here in Puerto Rico.  Meal planning was a challenge.  Steve is a vegetarian.  Niko is allergic to tree nuts and Niko and Addison are both dairy and egg intolerant.  I was well prepared with lots of options and once they arrived it was much less complicated than I had imagined.  

Ready to begin the hike.

The first day of their visit we went to El Yunque National Forest....a tropical rain forest.  The land was originally set aside in 1876 by King Alfonso XII of Spain.    We hiked the long strenuous path to La Mina Falls.  OK, it's only .7 of a mile, but it really is up and down one steep hill and then another on a very narrow path.  The falls cascade into a pool of ice cold water.  It was definitely worth the pain.  The scenery was fabulous the entire way and the kids loved swimming at the falls.    

Finally, the falls!

Amazing trees supporting other
plant life.

Heading back to the car.

Feeling a little seasick.

Our next stop was Culebra--a four ride by boat.  This beautiful island was a practice bombing site for the U.S. Navy until 1975.  There are still tanks in the forests and on the beach.  Now it is a quiet getaway for Puerto Ricans and boaters traveling the area.  Culebra is one of the islands referred to as the Spanish Virgins.  We arrived mid afternoon, anchored in Ensenada Honda and began jumping off the back of the boat.  The next morning Brian put the dinghy in the water only to find that the motor would not start.  Lots of disappointment for everyone.  He worked on it all day rebuilding the 

Not everyone felt bad.

carburetor several times.  The rest of us got more and more adventurous jumping off different levels of the boat to make big splashes.  Finally, his perseverance paid off.  About 4:30 the motor started.  Good news, we would be able to explore for the next two days.  Friday, we took a long dinghy ride to the National Wildlife Refuge, Melones Beach and Tamarindo Beach.  The kids loved splashing in the water, rolling in the sand and picking up shells and small pieces of coral.  Our last day on Culebra we rented a golf cart to see the island from a different perspective.  The main goal was to go to Flamenco
                                                                               Beach.... absolutely gorgeous!    

We're all feeling great now! 

National Wildlife Refuge

Tamarindo Beach

Niko and Erin snorkel.

Heading into town

Downtown shops, restaurants and hotels.

Flamenco Beach

Leftover tank from the Navy's bombing practice.

Wild chickens are all over the island.
This one has babies.

Watching the fish as we wait for lunch.

Last night on board I helped the kids make fish out
of coconuts that we found on the beach.

Another stop at Costco after the airport.  Time to finish provisioning.  Unbelievable--- they were out of Diet Coke.  Really -- out of Diet Coke?  How can a major store run out of Coke?  You know what that means -- another  (our 6th) Costco visit.  This one had plenty.  (I know you are relieved.)  This boat is maxed with food.  Every drawer and cabinet, all of the refrigerator shelves and both freezers are loaded.  We even filled the ice maker with food!  Trinidad here we come!   
                      
Gotta smile -- we're lovin the ride!

Fajardo, Puerto Rico

February 19 - March 7, 2014

Here we are relaxing for a few weeks in Fajardo.  Fortunately we stumbled onto Sunbay Marina when we drove over from San Juan.  We had read about Puerto del Rey Marina and thought we would be staying there.  But, when we saw how huge it was and found the cost was more than double Sunbay, our decision was easy.  Except for the weekends, we virtually have the marina to ourselves.  It's good to take a break from schedules and the three w's: wind, weather and water, while we wait for our son and his family to arrive.      

At the top of the first hill.  Marina far below.  

We have been without a car most of the time.  It's given us an excuse to walk in spite of the very hilly terrain.   The marina is at sea level (surprise!) and everything else is one huge hill after another.  We found a great little cafe/bakery that makes delicious sandwiches and desserts.  It is the perfect excuse to take that walk.  

Looks like gas is really cheap.  Those prices are
actually per liter.  We did decide to get a couple
hundred gallons of diesel ($4.05/gallon).  Next
fill-up in Trinidad.

Puerto Rico has a few idiosyncrasies when it comes to their highway signs:
mile markers are in kilometers and speed limits are in miles per hour.  It feels like they switched half of their measurements to metric and ran out of money.  

Since Puerto Rico is part of the United States, delivery by the post office and other carriers is more reliable and there is no tariff.  We had parts sent that we needed or thought we might need in the next year.  Rebuilding the stabilizers was his biggest task.   

Gotta smile -- we're lovin the ride!