Working our way back. Brewer's Beach, USVI

A Brewer's Beach sunset

Whew!  Way behind on the blog.  Here are the photos and random thoughts you missed if you don't follow us on FaceBook:

"Drinking tea outside this morning, enjoying all the early a.m. activity that is Brewer's Beach. I'm leaning over the side, watching the tarpon have breakfast, when a pelican dives into the water, 4 feet in front of my face. I can hear the WHOOSH of air just before he splahes down. Tea spilled."

Things you need on a boat:

1). Metal skewers.  I'm not sure why I bought these.  We seldom used skewers at home.  Maybe I thought we would be grilling veggies more.  Anyway, they get used for lots of other things.  Today The Captain absconded with one to clear a locker drain...

2).  A really BIG magnet on a really LONG string.  Inevitably, a tool will go overboard.  It's the sound you hear when a kid breaks a toy.... "{splash} AWHHHHHH...".  A ratchet went in today.  He could see it, but we're anchored on 25 ft of water.  I was willing to get in but I can't dive that deep.  Out came the magnet on 30 ft of string!  A boat moves a LOT even in relatively calm water.  Add in some current.  It took me awhile.  The ratchet was under the boat and then "Whoops on the outside of the hull!"  "Nope!  Now I'm inside the hull...".  Got it!

Another beautiful sunset...

Pastelon

Puerto Rican Pastelon--it what's for dinner!  I had been wondering what to do with those frozen plantains I saw at the store.  The Captain said it sounded terrible but ate a bowl, even after catching me pour an egg over the top.  I LOVED it.  Hamburger, bell pepper, onion, tomato sauce & cheese.  What's not to love?  More leftovers for me.  I primarily used this recipe but followed some tips from a second one (added more spices).  Standby for a full write-up over at #OdinEats:  http://www.elboricua.com/recipe_PastelonPlatanoMaduro.html

Ahhhhh

"Don't be alarmed. This is smoking...". Wait, what?  

It could also be captioned, "boat life vs professional aircraft mechanic". 

That's why I'm short a canning jar!

"There's a leek in the boat!"

Bonita's Cantina for #TacoTuesday

So many ideas in my brain that I'm taking notes on my iPad AND a notebook, but not getting any ACTUAL writing done.  #goodproblem

And here is where we made our side hatch sunscreen: http://planesboatsandbicycles.blogspot.com/2017/05/BoatProject-PDQ-SideHatchSunscreen.html

#sailing #sunset #nofilter

For my STT peeps,

We finally got up enough motivation to take the safari bus halfway across the island to grocery shop at Cost-U-Less. We were rewarded with some treats (Ocean Spray grapefruit juice & Presidente) and good deals (if you have room for a case of tonic water)...

Awkward photos are an attempt to show pricing.

FB page, "Odin Eats":  Things are quiet here on Odin, as we count down the days until our haul out.  My current time-filler is flipping through recipes, which usually results in visiting the 5+ grocery stores on the island.  {gulp}:  I have an idea for a pasta dish for lunch.  After flipping through recipes, this looks like my base.  I've attempted versions of this before and they weren't up to par.  I didn't know I needed to look up a recipe for pasta, olive oil & garlic!  

Here's the proper technique for Aglio e Olio...

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/spaghetti-aglio-e-olio-recipe-2043225

While scrubbing the dinghy bottom, I glance down & see a group of Blue Tang swimming underneath me.  #Priceless Thanks for the company 

#STT #USVInice

And here's your Sahara Dust #sunset #nofilter

On our way back to PR. Lindbergh Bay, St. Thomas, USVI

Here's a short clip from our sail to St. Thomas^^^

Look at that speed!

Whew!  Almost two months since I've blogged about sailing.  Ack! It didn't feel exciting enough for a blog, but there are some great pics to share (if you don't follow us on FaceBook).

It's time to depart St. Croix and head towards our home marina for hurricane season.

4/27 Tweet:  "Exactly 4 weeks after arriving, departing #STX for Lameshur Bay #STJ, or Lindberg Bay #STT.  Wherever the wind takes us, baby!"

Main sail & anchor up by 8:00 am (after loosing up wheel to fix a frozen autopilot lock) to motor-sail out of the channel.  (Phone rang.  Our permit for Buck Island?  Next time).  It can be a little rough in the channel, but as soon as we cleared the island, it improved and the genoa was 3/4 unfurled.  We were quickly doing 7 kts and both engines were shut off and retracted.  A beam reach is usually desirable but we're also riding over 4 ft waves.  At least today their more consistent instead of a washing machine.

Heading for St John would put us on a close reach and more into the waves so we immediately fall off for St. Thomas and hear from our friends on sv Eva.  "We're here until Saturday."  Lindberg it is!  Beach bar.  Wifi.  Safari to Havensight to return my non-waterproof camera.  Yeah!

We're not familiar with this point of sail. Gonna have to get out the book! 

(Double reef main, 3/4 genoa. Engines retracted)

We pass the propane tanker and the ferry that go back & forth to St. Croix along with a sailboat going the other way before dropping anchor in Lindbergh.

Tweet:  "Did I mention we sailed the WHOLE way?!  Departing the channel of Christiansted to the entrance of Lindberg Bay. Definitely a top 10, maybe a top 5 (which would include St Croix last year to/from different anchorages)" 

The marine environment is hard on things!  The Captain's first project was to finally dig this bin out of the locker & find out what was leaking in the bottom.  Turns out it wasn't the epoxy resin, but the epoxy hardener.  Messy, messy, messy.  

(Remember, we've lived on the boat 2 years.  Most of those rusty cans were purchased in that time frame!)

While playing around on the computer, we realize our friends on sv Outta Control are in the Google Earth picture for the anchorage!

We caught lunch at Beachcomers with our friends on sv "Eva" before they departed for their haul out in Anguilla.  Good times.  

Important info they shared:  

• It's Carnival on the island (so DO NOT go downtown this weekend to return my camera!)
• The new grocery store (VI Finest Foods d/b/a West Bay Supermarket) down near Brewer's is open!
• Inspect all guests luggage for cheese they forgot to unpack!

A view of Odin from Beachcombers

Dinghying over to Krum Bay to get propane...

How come the propane only goes out when you're making coffee?  Never when you're making lunch or dinner!

The dinghy dock

I rode along on the dinghy ride around the corner to Krum Bay for a propane refill.  Shorter walk to Pueblo Grocery, quick stop Crown Bay Marina Gourmet Gallery for curry paste, & met The Captain at Tickles, Crown Bay Marina, St. Thomas, USVI's.  Dinghy ride back with groceries instead of walking was AWESOME!

A different view of the dinghy dock

It's Raven's (aka ding ding--our dinghy's) one year birthday.  It came with an awesome seat cover/organizer that we get a lot of compliments on.  However, it's starting to suffer and The Captain is going to use it as a template then improve on it.  He's cut into the VERY expensive spare roll of pfifertex that we've been carrying around for a year.  I guess that's what it's for!

Check out the separate "Highfield Underseat Bag" blog: http://planesboatsandbicycles.blogspot.com/2017/05/boat-project-upgrading-dinghy-bag.html

Look at that brightly lit grocery store with wide aisles!  Nice.

Excitement for this cruiser is a new grocery store!  West Bay is 1.0 miles from Lindbergh Bay but only 0.6 (with a hill) from Brewer's (yes, along the safari route).  It is well-lit with big wide aisles (something I took for granted back in the States).  

The prices seem similar to Pueblo with lots of little things we like (the "good" grapefruit juice and some yummy veggie burgers) but missing some others (hamburger, bananas, vanilla & less than 2 lbs of chicken thighs).  The staff is friendly (seriously Pueblo cashiers, at least look up...) and are actively asking customers what products they don't see that they would like them to stock.  The manager stopped me today to chat.  See below for some pricing (Yes, there's a vegetarian section.  Gluten-free pizza?  Yes!  With tofurky pepperoni.  No, thank you). Oh, and the baggers are excellent, even when you hand them a duffle bag!  This will always be our first stop.

The moment you realize oar locks are perfect for hanging grocery bags...

Watch the video above to see the big tourist draw at Lindbergh Beach.  People come out here from the cruiser ship dock just to do this!  (You need a Captain's 6-pack license to drive that jet ski!)

One of the best parts of living on a boat

You know you're a cruiser when your husband compliments you on your newest scent...

and it's bug spray!  (Citronella, lemongrass & cedar)

"Things I've learned in the Caribbean: Fixing potholes & installing speed bumps is redundant."

Good night, from Lindbergh Bay!

All of our neighbors have gone. No cruise ship in port, so a quiet beach day. This season is winding down.

Let's Start Island Hopping!

Lindbergh Bay, St. Thomas:  With the weather forecast improving, we can start moving again.  After filling our water tanks, we motor around the airport to Lindbergh Bay (a gentle reminder how rough the water is in winds gusting to 23.  We've been anchored too long).  The anchorage is a little rolly, but we find a nice patch of sand in 15 ft of water and put on our swell bridle.  sv Encore follows us around and anchors next door.

Summary:  Total time 0:49 min, avg speed 3.8 kts, total mileage 3.1 nm, 2 engine motor.

Garmin BlueChart routing, 2.5 nm!

We're closer to the grocery, so we can provision up for the two weeks we have scheduled in St. John.  There are also two beach restaurants here (all Brewer's is lacking), wifi and best of all, more friends already anchored (sv Outta Control)!  A girl's lunch is quickly planned but we can't wait that long and the three boats quickly assemble a laundry run.

The girls aren't ready to end our "girls lunch" so we retire to Beachcombers...

sv Encore stops at a neighboring boat to learn their flag is Iceland!  I quickly swim over when I realize their hailing port is Aspen, CO!  We have another taker for girls lunch!

We assemble an incredibly diverse group of intelligent women.  We stop at a little Dominican Restaurant called The Flight Deck near the laundromat for lunch.  Two of our group have backgrounds in health care, so after discussing politics {eek, no blood shed} and world economics we declared all world problems solved & retire back to the beach.

All the crazy weather has been cutting into the sunset photos...

And the lights on the hillside above our bay--reminds me of night time in Charlotte Amalie without all the noise & traffic!

And the boat craziness begins as we inch closer to Charlotte Amalie--tall ships, cruise ships, yachts OH MY!

I'm accompanied on my morning walk/grocery run by one-half of Encore and the day concludes with a lively happy hour on sv Eva where we learn a little about the culture in Iceland, architecture and the favorite snorkeling sites of all involved (Thank you Oli, for grabbing the chart & pointing, while everyone yelled out their favorites...)

I'm floating in the bay with my noodle, with Sally on the SUP

Sally on Encore is considering a SUP, so I paddle over to drop mine off.  She quickly jumps on and we begin to tour the anchorage, ultimately ending up with both of us onboard, proving it's possible and results in a lot of silliness.

More errands.  The Captain dinghies around the corner to fill our spare propane bottle while I run into Charlotte Amalie with Encore.  I take them to my normal stops around Yacht Haven Grande and they find a few new ones!  Kmart for some sundresses & other necessities. Tap & Still for lunch. Gourmet Food Gallery for some treats. Natural Food Store for even more treats (corner of main intersection across from Wendy's & next to Pueblo).  I had a cup of Moringa tea this morning, courtesy of Jerry.

Emerald Beach Resort with sv Encore & sv Outta Control

So, I mentioned there are a couple of hotels on the beach.  We park the dinghy on the far right with the hotel's blessing ($300/night hotel).  This results in the occasional conversation with hotel guests while walking down the beach:

What's in the bag?

Laundry (or sometimes groceries)

Where are you going with your laundry/groceries?!

I point to The Captain arriving on the beach with the dinghy.

Wow, where did you get that?! {ie. I want to rent one!}

It's ours.

Where do you go with that? 

We live on our boat and we're anchored in the bay.  It's our car. 

{slack jawed}  Where are you from?

St. Louis

That's not on the ocean!

We left from Annapolis & are now based out of Puerto Rico.

How did you get your boat here?

We sailed it...

{and then I jump in the dinghy and zoom away...}

That never get's old!  We're living the dream! 

Lindberg to Christmas Cove via Charlotte Amalie harbor

Christmas Cove, Great St. James I, USVI:  After six days in Lindberg Bay, we're ready to start moving towards St John, USVI.  Anchor up!

Passing the Marriott, where I used to stay for work, on the way into open water

We take the scenic route through Charlotte Amalie harbor, mostly to avoid to wet ride awaiting us on the south coast of St. Thomas.  We're once again motoring into an east wind and swimming upstream of all the ferry boats that are constantly waking us.  Note to tourists:  always check the weather before boarding a ferry.  The rarely cancel & it looked like a sporty ride for them also!

The only thing between us & a pizza is our friends on sv Encore! (That's The Captain headed in for a pick up...)

Christmas Cove is a strategic stop, just before Current Cut.  And, oh yeah, there's a pizza boat! We drop next to Encore and I jump in to snorkel the anchor while the Captain orders a pizza for lunch (Yes, I planned it that way!).  I'm greeted by a barracuda who has already taken up residency under our boat.  "Oh, yeah.  Hand me the camera!"

Pet barracuda

 

According to the DeLoach's Reef Fish Identification book, barracuda can be 6 ft long, 

"Open and close mouth to assist respiration (not a threat)...

Reaction to divers:  Apparently unconcerned; have the unnerving habit of approaching divers and following them about the reef.  This appears to be nothing more than curiosity, as there are no reports of unprovoked attacks...Normally move away if closely approached."  

All I see are eyes and TEETH!  I swim out to check the anchor & then to invite Encore for sundowners.  After lunch, I receive a text from a friend that their kids went to high school in Indiana with one of the owner's of the pizza boat, so I'm back in the dinghy to relay a "Hello from Anderson!"  

Summary:  Total time 1:49, avg speed 4.5 kts, total mileage 8.2 nm, 2-engine motor.

Anchored in the gin clear waters of Christmas Cove and having pizza for the second day in a row. What the hell. We'll get jobs when the pizza money runs out!

Besides the pizza, there is some great people watching! Hobie cats, dinghies & small powerboats from the Yacht Club across the way. Dive boats. MegaYachts. Charter boats & the occasional schooner and/or pirate ship. Apparently, we're anchored just in front of a private mooring that belongs to a charter sunset cruise. Sundowners with Encore last night was like being a fish in an aquarium--"{whispering & pointing} Look. Cruisers. A unique species found all over the world, but especially in the Caribbean..."

Dive boats & a mega-yacht!

An overcast day but the schooner is still spectacular!

sv Encore braving the cut & forecast for St. John.  We're right behind you {wink, wink}

Encore leaves for St. John with an iffy forecast of big waves.  We're lazy so we stay behind and I get in some snorkeling.  Last year we followed the tour boat that dropped snorkelers off at the black rock on the beach.  This year I follow a dive boat to check out Fish Cay, the rock that separates the north & south side of the anchorage.  As I'm learning, a snorkel may look like a dud then turn spectacular!  This was no exception.  (I'm not happy with my Nikon Coolpix.  I've downloaded some different software and may be able to clean these up a little in the future, but for now...)

Can you see him?

It's been difficult getting a wide-angle of some of the places we've snorkeled, but this gives you an idea...

More pufferfish.  Bashful & won't hold still for the camera.  These two are swimming a figure-eight.  I even tried to catch them on video!

My first sea slug

Check out our Google maps for Year 3, for the best snorkeling spot in Christmas Cove.

Standby for our trip to St. John!

https://drive.google.com/open?id=17dcCqcHRmAlUIfwblez-GT2FQJY&usp=sharing