Current Location: Sandy Spit, JVD
Lat/Lon: 18°26.9' N 64°42.7' W
Air Temp: 80°F Sea Temp: 80°F
Weather: Calm
Yes we anchored in Apple Bay on Tortola, just in front of the famous Bomba's Shack, so I could catch some surf!! It was awesome!!! We dropped the hook around 4pm and there was no more than ten people in the water and I caught a bunch of waves. While surfing I ran into a friend who gives massages, which we desperately need! Moved over to Sandy Spit for the night, and visited with the owners of our sister ship, Catatonic, for margaritas and homemade guac (both delicious). Now Tara has some steak on the grill.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Marinas
Current Location: Village Cay Marina, Tortola
Lat/Lon: 18°25.4' N 64°37.03' W
Air Temp: 80°F Sea Temp: 80°F
Weather: Calm
Marinas suck. For one, they are crowded. Second, they are sheltered, which means there is no breeze and they are hot. Third the water is gross so no swimming! Also, marinas mean work -- when we are in port we like to get things done -- repairs, shopping, etc.
So, marinas are also good. They provide services - fuel, water, electricity, supplies, access to repairs, as well as shelter from the elements. We ran some errands, Tara went shopping, Issac from Wickham's Cay II Rigging installed a new halyard, and Junior from Doyle Sails dropped off our repaired gennaker and measured for cockpit shades.
So yet another very busy day of vacation. I can't wait for the vacation to actually start! Almost seems like we do less when we are on charter!
Lat/Lon: 18°25.4' N 64°37.03' W
Air Temp: 80°F Sea Temp: 80°F
Weather: Calm
Marinas suck. For one, they are crowded. Second, they are sheltered, which means there is no breeze and they are hot. Third the water is gross so no swimming! Also, marinas mean work -- when we are in port we like to get things done -- repairs, shopping, etc.
So, marinas are also good. They provide services - fuel, water, electricity, supplies, access to repairs, as well as shelter from the elements. We ran some errands, Tara went shopping, Issac from Wickham's Cay II Rigging installed a new halyard, and Junior from Doyle Sails dropped off our repaired gennaker and measured for cockpit shades.
So yet another very busy day of vacation. I can't wait for the vacation to actually start! Almost seems like we do less when we are on charter!
Lots of Cake
Our last charter was a birthday celebration for the entire family. Four people = four cakes?!? My first thought was to make one huge cake and call it quits. BUT if you know me, you know that I could not be that lame when it cam
e to birthday cakes! So, every afternoon I could find a way to kick our guests off the boat while I worked on another surprise cake I went for it. The Dad had German Chocolate (his favorite), Mom had Pavlova (thank you Allison), older brother had Funnel Cakes and Ice Cream, and younger brother had my trademark Pirate Cake. The baking tested my "new to me" ov
en as much as my nerves. But I've learned that I can turn out a cake in just under 2 hours. (We're never even trying a roast on this boat.)
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
New Mailing Address
Current Location: Great Harbor, JVD
Lat/Lon: 18°26.45' N 64°45.0' W
Air Temp: 80°F Sea Temp: 80°F
Weather: Cool & Clear
What a busy couple of days have passed, especially considering that we are allegedly on vacation! We rented a car and did all sorts of food and parts provisioning for the things we discovered the boat was missing over the last couple of weeks. Also got a PO Box in the US of A so you can mail us stuff now!!!
The address is:
Alexander Bouis or Tara Chaille (as applicable)
6501 Red Hook Plaza
Suite 201
St. Thomas, VI 00802-1306
Lat/Lon: 18°26.45' N 64°45.0' W
Air Temp: 80°F Sea Temp: 80°F
Weather: Cool & Clear
What a busy couple of days have passed, especially considering that we are allegedly on vacation! We rented a car and did all sorts of food and parts provisioning for the things we discovered the boat was missing over the last couple of weeks. Also got a PO Box in the US of A so you can mail us stuff now!!!
The address is:
Alexander Bouis or Tara Chaille (as applicable)
6501 Red Hook Plaza
Suite 201
St. Thomas, VI 00802-1306
Sunday, November 23, 2008
ANTS in me PLANTS!
A month of offering a fresh punch of flavor to our meals and I had to beg Sasha not to toss my little herb garden off the boat. A few days ago he noticed a lone ant trooping across the cockpit and wondered where it had come from. As it turns out my garden is harboring the little guys--- a whole village of them!! After filling my head with thoughts of ants infesting the entire galley and eating everything from loaves of bread to onions hiding under the sink, Sasha suggested w
e somehow create a mote around the plants to keep the ants in one spot until we have time to "deal" with them. I had nightmares about it all. Now Sasha is spraying bleach all over the bases of the pots and the deck they are sitting on to kill anything that dares venture out in the night. Any better suggestions out there?
Finally!
Current Location: The Lagoon, St. Thomas
Lat/Lon: 18°18.76' N 64°52.1' W
Air Temp: 80°F Sea Temp: 80°F
Weather: Windy, Partly Cloudy
We are finally off charter!!! It was a busy, eventful, and fun few weeks, but it is nice to have the boat to ourselves for a change. We found a sheltered cove that is the namesake of our yachtmaker, and we are hunkered down here for the night. Tomorrow we rent a car and do some shopping in St. Thomas!
Lat/Lon: 18°18.76' N 64°52.1' W
Air Temp: 80°F Sea Temp: 80°F
Weather: Windy, Partly Cloudy
We are finally off charter!!! It was a busy, eventful, and fun few weeks, but it is nice to have the boat to ourselves for a change. We found a sheltered cove that is the namesake of our yachtmaker, and we are hunkered down here for the night. Tomorrow we rent a car and do some shopping in St. Thomas!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Sunrise over Ginger Island
Current Location: The Baths, Virgin Gorda
Lat/Lon: 18°25.75' N 64°26.8' W
Air Temp: 80°F Sea Temp: 80°F
Weather: Sunny
All this automation leaves my hands free to capture images like this gorgeous sunrise over Ginger Island on the way to The Baths.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
All in the TOES!
Oh how wond
erful our beloved Capt. Sasha is. He can do just about anything around the boat.... with the push of a button! I was telling my dad the other day about our awesome electric winches on board when it dawned on me that Sasha may be taking waaay too much credit for the work around this little boat of ours. She sails like a dream, but can leave you with a bit of a foot cramp. It's all in the TOES! Check out the photo of Sasha hoisting the main single handed. The hardest part of the job is figuring out where to sit during the whole operation. In all reality this little luxery is probably saving my butt more than anyone else!!
erful our beloved Capt. Sasha is. He can do just about anything around the boat.... with the push of a button! I was telling my dad the other day about our awesome electric winches on board when it dawned on me that Sasha may be taking waaay too much credit for the work around this little boat of ours. She sails like a dream, but can leave you with a bit of a foot cramp. It's all in the TOES! Check out the photo of Sasha hoisting the main single handed. The hardest part of the job is figuring out where to sit during the whole operation. In all reality this little luxery is probably saving my butt more than anyone else!!
Wonderful Weather Underground
Current Location: Cooper Island Beach Club
Lat/Lon: 18°23.15' N 64°30.9' W
Air Temp: 80°F Sea Temp: 80°F
Weather: Starry Skies
So as you may already know, I LOVE to track the weather, and one of my favorite sites is The Weather Underground. Well, it was annoying to me that the BVIs did not appear on the weather radar page, so I emailed them, and less then a day later, lo and behold, there they are! AWESOME!! Great work guys.
I also like Weather Underground co-founder Dr. Jeff Masters' weather blog. During the tropical season, that and Rob Lightbown's Tropical Discussion pages are invaluable resources. In addition, I rely on the local NOAA forecasts as well as other great Caribbean weather sites such as CaribWX, and WeatherCarib.
Finally, I have always relied upon the Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNMOC) Wave Watch 3 (WW3) models to predict swell events for surfing both back in New York and down here in the Caribbean. In fact, we have some swell heading our way tomorrow, so we are going to try to avoid it since we have guests on board. I hope sometime soon I will get to use my surfboard!!!
Lat/Lon: 18°23.15' N 64°30.9' W
Air Temp: 80°F Sea Temp: 80°F
Weather: Starry Skies
So as you may already know, I LOVE to track the weather, and one of my favorite sites is The Weather Underground. Well, it was annoying to me that the BVIs did not appear on the weather radar page, so I emailed them, and less then a day later, lo and behold, there they are! AWESOME!! Great work guys.
I also like Weather Underground co-founder Dr. Jeff Masters' weather blog. During the tropical season, that and Rob Lightbown's Tropical Discussion pages are invaluable resources. In addition, I rely on the local NOAA forecasts as well as other great Caribbean weather sites such as CaribWX, and WeatherCarib.
Finally, I have always relied upon the Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNMOC) Wave Watch 3 (WW3) models to predict swell events for surfing both back in New York and down here in the Caribbean. In fact, we have some swell heading our way tomorrow, so we are going to try to avoid it since we have guests on board. I hope sometime soon I will get to use my surfboard!!!
Monday, November 17, 2008
SCUBA diving is fun
Current Location: Sandy Spit, E of Jost
Lat/Lon: 18°27.03' N 64°42.6' W
Air Temp: 80°F Sea Temp: 80°F
Weather: Isolated Showers
Here is a picture from our last charter. The honeymoon couple loved scuba diving so we dove as much as possible, up to three times a day! Here is a great pic of them having fun:
Lat/Lon: 18°27.03' N 64°42.6' W
Air Temp: 80°F Sea Temp: 80°F
Weather: Isolated Showers
Here is a picture from our last charter. The honeymoon couple loved scuba diving so we dove as much as possible, up to three times a day! Here is a great pic of them having fun:
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