Provisioning Outside of the USA

You really appreciate home when you are facing new challenges such as shopping. At home, you can easily find food items that you like at a price that is comfortably familiar. When in the islands, it is a different story. There is no Costco or Sam's Club here. There isn't really a fully stocked Kroger or ...

When shopping at a local "supermarket," the prices were shocking:

• $7.35 for a small Boursin cheese
• Horizon milk was $6.85 for a half gallon
• $10.50 for a whole chicken - and there were only 3 from which to pick
• No pre-cut, pre-packaged fresh chicken
• $12.00 for an 6 oz. ribeye steak (and it wasn't very good)

The produce was just as costly relative to shopping at home. And there is a limited amount available. No Nino's here! Apples were $1 - 1.75 EACH depending on the size. Many of the bins were empty. Of course the reason for the high prices and limited quantities is that everything has to be imported. The only crop on Tortola is bananas.

I asked the cab driver if the prices were the same for the locals. It seems they are and the income levels are much lower. I really don't know how these people afford to feed their families. That is one reason why sailors give their extra provisions to the locals who have helped them when the boat goes on the hard and you can't take your extra food back home.

The meat counters are full of interesting things: goat, chicken feet, pig snouts, and other cuts I have never seen before. We are staying away from the local seafood except for deep sea fish. Several people we know have become seriously ill - one died - from something picked up in island seafood. I think Maryland crabcakes are looking better all of the time. And of course, Michigan white fish, perch and walleye can't be beat!

We have tried a few things at local bakeries. The coconut roll cake is very tasty. A new treat is the chicken roti. It is a thick chicken stew wrapped in a special flat bread called roti. The island spices make it delicious. I have even learned to drink Carib beer. Beer has always given me stuffy sinuses, but this one is light enough that it doesn't bother them and I actually like the taste - when it is cold. Warm - UGH! And if you don't drink it quickly, it will be warm is a very short time! So ... bottoms up!

Exploring the Virgin Islands

Nanny Cay Marina

We are using Nanny Cay as our home base in the BVI. It is the end stop for the Caribbean 1500 Rally and the starting point for the Atlantic Cup Rally in the Spring. It is a quiet harbor with a little village of 40 shops and restaurants, marine services, pool, beach and lots of "island time" relaxation. Road Town, the "big" city on Tortola is a short cab ride away. There are lovely hotel rooms and condo at Nanny Cay as well as marina slips with the best ever marina showers! (I never thought showers could matter so much until I started frequenting marinas!)

We have family and friends joining us for some fun and exploration. We have been in the area before, but mostly stayed on the water - as in on the boat or swimming, but not exploring on land. This time we will go ashore and experience the famous (or is it infamous) watering holes and restaurants that sailors proclaim to be among the best! I think they mean for fun, not necessarily for the food! Hopefully the meet the expectations set.

On a trip around the "outside" of the British Virgin Islands several years ago, we went around the north side of Tortola, past the Dogs, down to Marina Cay and over to the Baths on Virgin Gorda. Then we circled around the southern shore of St. John, USVI before sailing to Red Hook, St. Thomas, USVI.


Cooper Island Beach Club Restaurant

In November 2010 after completing the Caribbean 1500 Rally, we rested up in Nanny Cay for a few days before exploring a couple of anchorages. We sailed to Round Island, Ginger Island and Cooper Island. The winds were squirrelly with a lot of chop so we did not go ashore at any of these. After a few attempts at grabbing a mooring ball in the wild wind, we did anchor overnight at Manchioneel Bay in front of the Cooper Island Beach Club, which claims to have a great restaurant. This means a return to Cooper Island to check it out. Lucky for us a boat comes out to collect the mooring fee so we did not have to bounce around in the dingy to pay.


Then we continued exploring by circumnavigating Salt and Peter Islands looking for more anchorages. It is extremely important to know your charts in these waters as there are rocks and reefs everywhere. We passed between Peter and Norman Islands and went around the south side of Norman Island into the Bight on the west end. The Bight is one the best anchorages - with lots of company - as it is protected from the Trade Winds. It is a very popular spot with two places for fun: Willie T's (William Thorton - The Bight), which is a casual dining establishment which was originally on an anchored pirate boat (replaced some years back) and Pirate's Bight, a beach bar and grill. Many stories have been told about the happenings at Willie T's! We will have to see for ourselves.

While many places on the maps look like good places in which to anchor, the charts tell you otherwise. The goal, of course, is to get out of the direct wind so your anchor will hold while you sleep. Many of the bays are not accessible due to the reefs. And you sure do not want to put yourself in a situation where you could get blown ashore or onto one of the reefs.


Another beautiful sunrise in the islands

 There are so many places to visit and experience. Our goal this year is to get to know the Virgins -Islands, that is. Both British and US. There are places like Foxy's on Jost Van Dyke, Bitter End Yacht Club on Virgin Gorda, Caneel and Trunk Bays on St. John, and Magen's Bay on St. Thomas. An overnight sail to St. Croix is also in the plan. We will take you along through photos as we explore the islands.

There are such beautiful sunrises and sunsets, clear blue skies, turquoise waters all begging to be photographed. Day after day, but they never get boring! I will try not to bore you with too many photos of them. Let us know if you do want to see something in particular and we will try to capture it for you.

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To Circumnavigate or Not? That Is The Real Question!

Recently we attended a Detroit Regional Yachting Association  event at the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club where our friend Erick Reickert spoke to a group of Great Lakes sailors to encourage circumnavigation in your own boat. A few Great Lakes sailors venture into the big waters in their own vessels. Most travel to the islands during the cold winters and charter a bareboat. After all, where else can you find better sailing than the vast waters of the Great Lakes where you can sail to 4-5 states and another country in a matter of a few days? You can even see the sunrise and sunset on two different lakes from the same anchorage! Actually Great Lake sailing offers some of the toughest conditions.



Erick & Susan onboard SV Trillium

Erick is actually the one who put the circumnavigation bug in my brain over 15 years ago. You see, I sat next to Erick and his wife at a charity dinner. There he told me he was having a boat built in England and that he planned to sail around the world. Having spent summers growing up on Michigan lakes, I was intrigued with Erick's plan.

However, I was not a sailor. Water skier, fisher-woman (since the age of 4 both on water and ice), swimmer, etc., but not a real sailor. I had a small AMF sailboat, then later a Sunfish, and finally at 14 foot Snipe with a main and jib. Put I didn't really sail! Not compared to what we do now. So Erick's plan seemed like a dream to me, but not one I would ever execute. It never seemed to be a possibility, let alone a reality for me.

Then Dennis announced that he wanted to retire on a sailboat and sail around the world. I tried to tweak that a bit by altering the words to "sail about the world." When we actually started looking for a boat, we consulted Erick, who has a vast amount of knowledge and experience. (Check it out at http://SVEscapade.com.) Once we made our "wants" and "needs" list, we went in search of the perfect boat. Soon we realized there is no "perfect" boat! Finding a boat is a compromise between design, function, handling, space, etc., etc., etc. We found our lovely Hallberg-Rassy.

Capt. Dave on our overnight sail in Lake Erie.
We even had gourmet meals. This was dessert!

Next came learning to handle a big boat. We took our American Sailing Association certification with Captain Dave Bello of Fair Winds Sailing (http://FairWindSailing.com) and can recommend them for sailing instruction and chartering in the Great Lakes and in the Caribbean, Chesapeake and Bahamas. Captain Dave and his staff make learning fun. Our broker, Roger Johannsen at Free State Yachts in Tracy's Landing, Maryland was a great help during our search and even more supportive after the sale. If you are looking for a bluewater boat, we would recommend both Roger and Scott at Free State Yachts (http://freestateyachts.com).

After surrounding ourselves with knowledgeable people, we sailed the Chesapeake Bay for two seasons. Then in November 2010, we joined the Caribbean 1500 Rally (http://carib1500.com) to Tortola, BVI. We joined the group in Hampton, VA and the rest is history - as can be read in previous posts in this blog. We highly recommend participating in a group event such as a Rally. There are many benefits. Now comes the really big question: are we ready to join the World ARC (http://worldcruising.com) in January 2012?

Part of me is so ready for the adventure. Another part of me is terrified! Dennis is ready, but we have this thing called "work" that is pulling us back. We also agree that we need another year to learn all of the systems on Trillium. She is a complicated vessel with dual 110/240 and 12V/24V systems. The plus is that she is set up to be comfortable anywhere in the world! See - there are always compromises: simplicity vs. flexibility. 

So "To Circumnavigate or Not" has become the real question. And if yes, then when? We have a year to decide. In the meantime, we have our return to the Chesapeake Bay in the Spring with the Atlantic Cup Rally to start planning. Stay tuned ...

It Was The Night Before Christmas ... And later

I was wondering what Santa would bring to the Skipperette. It seems that while outfitting Trillium for the Caribbean passage, we drained Santa's pocket so if there had been nothing under the tree, this Skipperette would not have been disappointed. A gift certificate for a manicure was out of the question since I have no nails left - at least nothing long enough to pretty up! A massage might have been in order as my body is still recovering from bruises and aches and pains.

Resort wear was on my wish list, but I hadn't found any stores in the Detroit area that is carrying them this season. So no where to suggest Santa's Helper to visit. They must think no one here can afford to go to resorts in the winter! Oh well, the spring clothes will be on the racks within a couple of weeks once the after-Christmas sales are over.

I did note that dressing in the islands while living aboard is different than my wardrobe of golf clothes! I need to spiff it up some. There are boat clothes and there are ashore clothes! But there is very little closet space on board!

Now the Captain received some ashore clothes to spiff him up a little. He doesn't like to have me buy him clothing, but I didn't pay attention to that! There are a few items he could use whether he realizes it or not. His favorite cowboy-look doesn't fly in the islands - especially in the evenings. He needed a pair of Crocs, but I could only finding fur-lined or camouflage styles! Not quite island wear! I finally found one pair of navy blue, but they were not quite big enough. At least he got the suggestion of the gift and we can hunt for different ones later.

Santa's Helper was very creative: swim fins and a new double tether for me - AND a pair of hot pick Crocs! I guess great minds think alike or maybe we have just lived together long enough to read each other's minds. Actually he found a Crocs store in Somerset Mall. I never knew it was there. And my daughter hasn't given up on the nails: a gift certificate for a manicure! I treated myself to the much needed massage.

The best Christmas gift of all was watching our nearly 4 year old granddaughter open her gifts. She took her time and enjoyed each one of them. And when she gave her presents to everyone she said she wanted us to be happy. Then she watched intently as we opened her gifts. For this, it was worth coming back to snow country to share these precious moments.

We hope your holiday celebrations were special whether back at home or still on the water! Here is to an exciting 2011! Happy New Year.

"So What Was It REALLY Like?"

Since we have returned to land (the land of cold and snow, that is), our friends have asked for the details of our big adventure. After listening to the Captain share his version, everyone of them has turned to me as said, "So what was it really like?" It is as if they don't believe that I am in agreement with what Dennis was telling them. They seem to think that I will have a differing opinion.

Definitely a "Blue Job"

I am pleased to say that I don't! We are pretty much in agreement as to the ups and downs of the experience. Of course, we each have our own perspective of reality. Many of these are different points of view based on our roles aboard. There are definitely some "pink jobs" and some "blue jobs," but not necessarily in the ways you may think. He actually has the "dirt jobs" of going aloft and crawling into the engine room.

Probably our different views of the passage are more about what we experienced. I did not do night watches so I don't have the experience of being on deck alone in the dark for several hours. I did sit watch with each of the crew until 11 pm each night - then I crashed. Sometimes it was just to unwind and relax after a busy day with my duties; other times it was to provide company to a sick crew member's substitute when they were doing two hours on and two hours off. I had great conversations with each crew member and the 10 - 11PM shift gave Dennis and me an hour of quiet time together to catch up.

Bob was great with the dinner dishes

The guys did not do Galley Duty so they were not experiencing being thrown around and watching pots rock back and forth on the gimbled stove. I still find it hard to believe the food stayed in the pots because they were really moving at times. I did learn to use much larger (deeper) pans than I do on land. You try cooking pasta at a 20+ degree angle while moving up and down!!!

I did get some help with the dinner dishes once the crew decided I was spending too much time below. That was a welcome relief following the evening meal and long days. Since they got their own breakfast, I did clean up. Lunch was relatively easy with sandwiches, chips, fruits and veggies. I think each crew member should prepare at least one meal so they have more respect for conditions below when they are trying to get the maximum out of the boat! They were most appreciative of what I prepared and my efforts in doing so.

We did learn that the stainless steel water bottles I bought for each person had a negative effect on the compass when placed in the pedestal cup holders! I have now replaced those with insulated plastic ones. Probably not as healthy, but a compass off by 10 degrees is not healthy either!

"Blue Job": Engine Room

Dennis did "blue jobs" such as engine and systems checks and repairs. I will try to learn some of it later as it is important to know how to do everything on the boat in case it becomes necessary. I gave up on keeping the boat clean and picked up below. There were too many clothing layers to be added and shed depending on the weather and time of day or night.

I do enjoy my time at the helm as I don't do well going forward since I have a balance problem with a sciatic nerve issue. I usually dock the boat and take it out while Dennis handles the fenders and lines. His work is physically harder than mine, but handling a 48' boat and moving in and out between other very expensive boats is mentally challenging and nerve racking at times. He has the challenge of trying to pick up a mooring ball while I try to follow his hand signals to a ball I can't see from the helm. See, there is a lot of team work on board.

Twice a day we reported our position

I do more with the computer systems and the communication systems such as the daily check-ins on the single side band radio (SSB). Next we both need to become more proficient with the weather software and email. We both do the navigation which is good to have a check on where we are going and what is going to be in our way.

When we return in February, we will be working on these things and sharing time aboard with family and friends. As we gain more experience, we will work out our routine of daily life aboard and handling various tasks. There are "pink" and "blue" jobs, but there are a number of "lavender" (combination of pink and blue!) jobs, too!

So what was it really like? Great! I love living aboard.