PIE - RAT

How will the S/Y Hypnautic guard against potential pirates at she sails south?
Matt & Erin sent us a little care package. LOVE IT! New garb for next year's Michael Beans shows. Things to note- the guns in this picture are about as real as the parrot strapped to my arm and used only on pesky seagulls who like to poop on our boat. The tuft of blond hair peeking out from under the hat is real, I'm always amazed at what the sun can do!

A Beautiful Day

Yesterday started out at the dock at Leverick Bay with a shower, and a beautiful rainbow:

We snorkeled Eustatia Reef and saw a SHARK:

Then we stopped by Biras Creek and saw an iguana eating a flower:

We travelled around the North Sound in our dinghy in the company of about 22 other dinghys. We were all participating in the 2nd Annual Leverick Bay Dinghy Poker Run, which is a sort-of race around the sound, where everyone dresses up in pirate garb and piles into their dinghy and then cruises to the different resorts in the area:

At each of the 5 stops, each player got a card, and the one with the best poker hand at the end, won. Well, one of our guests this week, Swashbuckling Sam, took 1st place and all the glory with his winning hand: a full house with three 3s and a pair of Queens! The prize was a real silver pirate doubloon from the Saba Rock gift shop!!

The event raised over $2,000 which was donated to the local animal rescue, and is used to fly vets from the states down to care for the local pets and strays.

Michael Beans at Marina Cay

One of our favorite people in the BVIs is Michael Beans, but he is so much more than a one-man pirate band who hosts Happy Arrrrr! at Robb and Rodie White's old house on top of Marina Cay.

Beans is also a humanitarian philathropist, as he donates his time and efforts to help the people of Isle La Vache, Haiti (who helped him a long, long time ago). Currently he is raising money to build them a new school. While at the same time he entertains us every Mon - Thu with pirate songs, quick humor, conch-shell-blowing contests, free rum, and the best way to spend the two hours between 5:30 and 7:30 pm!

We always have a great time, and everyone we have brought up the hill has enjoyed it as well, young and old!

For more information about Beans and his charity, visit his website at http://www.beansmusic.com/. This last photo is the beautiful sunrise over Virgin Gorda with Marina Cay and Beans' ferrocement ketch in the foreground.