Taking a fancy to the Virgins!

16/4/2011

$30 per night mooring buoys do not appeal to us, so we headed over to Sopers Hole on Tortola, to stock up and provision for the next week around Jost Van Dyke and Cane Gardens. Mastercard systems problems struck yet again, and once again we found ourselves holding up supermarket queues, scrambling for cash because the bloody card won’t work! Thanks to our secret weapon, Katiloo, who has been on Standard Banks case so often in this regard, we now have after hours hotline numbers . $40 of cell phone call time to the bank revealed that there was nothing wrong with the card, but there seemed to be a connection problem reading the magnetic strip on Standard Bank cards in America……”But I’m not in America!” , …”Our systems regard BVI as America! Tell the cashier to manually input the details, and not to “swipe” the card.” This we did, and it worked! Great, but it still wouldn’t let me draw cash from the only ATM in Sopers Hole! The delay meant paying another $25 to stay overnight on the buoy. It struck me that for the $65 Standard Bank cost me, through no fault of ours, we could have spent another night at the Willy T, drinking plenty of beers, getting tattoos , and watching topless ladies jumping around! The upside was that we were able to have a farewell drink at the Sopers Hole Pub with Walter and Jackie ( Jean Marie), and Mike and Lesley ( Extasea), as we are all setting off in different directions from here. A big black squall messed up our plans to negotiate the tricky reef entry to White Bay, so we diverted to Great Harbour ( Jost Van Dyke), and dropped anchor in 12mts, just as the heavens opened. We caught 200lts of water in the two hours it rained, filling our tanks to the brim (all 650lts). The sun came out, and we headed ashore to explore, and to sample conch fritters ($10), and Jamaican Jerk Wings ($10) with our sundowners at the legendary “Foxy’s”! Gadzooks! R14 for each golf ball size fritter, or a single chicken wing, and R28 for a beer! Been there, done that, and bought the T shirt to prove it! The next morning, we moved on round to White Bay, with Mary playing every trick in the book to persuade me not to go through the reef pass into the beautiful palm tree lined beach beyond! In vain, I might add, as we are now safely anchored in this lovely bay, with at least a metre below the keel….now! At one stage it registered 0 mts! Later it was off to the Soggy Dollar Beach Bar, to sample their world famous “Pain Killer” rum punch, which is basically a Dark Rum over lots of ice, mixed with pineapple juice, a little orange juice, coconut milk, Angostura, with grated nutmeg on top! $6 a go, and very more –ish! Cheapskates that we are, we had one, and made the refills on the boat ourselves! We watched a shoal of Spanish Mackerel and Rainbow Runners in a feeding frenzy around the boat, as the charter boats headed home at sundown. Saturday. Welcome to the circus! The charter boats from the US Virgins packed in, taking up every square inch of anchor room, and then some! We watched in awe as one idiot dropped an anchor between two other cats, where clearly there was not enough space……. panic, go full astern over his dinghy tender’s tether, foul the prop, dive over the side to untangle the mess, while the boat is being fended off by those on either side! The name of his boat? I kid you not…”Paw Paw of Wight” !!! Despite all the drama’s it is still a very beautiful bay, and the entertainment has been non stop. We have just been too scared to leave the boat unattended to go ashore, with all these monkeys around! We understand that the US skippers ticket of competence is called a “Six Pack”, which has something to do with the 6 disciplines they need to have mastered. We think the ticket means something entirely different, given our observations!! The professional skippers’ in these parts reckon that their ticket is a credit card!

BVI – A second glance!

15/4/2011

We tore ourselves away from the North Sound, and enjoyed a leisurely 17 mile broad reach sail down the Francis Drake Channel, towards Cooper Island. Had a quick look around the crowded buoy filled anchorage at this resort bay, and then continued to Great Harbour, Peter Island, past Dead Man’s Chest. We anchored in 16mts, and chatted to Ti Bay over in Little Harbour, which sounded great. So we moved round to this beautiful little stern line to shore anchorage. What a gem!! It was our first experience of this type of anchoring arrangement, which is required because of the catabatic back winding. Only about a handful of boats can fit in, and there are no facilities, apart from a beach braai area made by cruisers out of flotsam and jetsam! No “boat boys”, no Ba Ba Boom music, and no one lives on the island apart from a flock of goats! No question about it…the nicest little anchorage we have experienced yet. Nature at its best. From the boat, we swam over to coral reefs, and observed big Spotted Eagle Rays feeding, and a pair of mating Dolphins slowly circling the anchorage, oblivious to the curious snorklers just a respectful few metres back. Mike and Lesley,( Extasea), whom we had met down in Ilha Grande Brazil, joined us for a couple of days before they head west. Another interesting cruising boat was a 21ft plywood homebuild painted in Rastafarian colours of red, yellow and green, which had sailed over from Belgium. The young skipper, who always wore his Rasta beanie, was accompanied by two girls who spent most of their time topless. We christened them Bob, Boobs and Bee Sting for obvious reasons! “Tenacious”, and “Bolero”, two other 80ft plus yachts we had previously seen in St Martin, were also in the anchorage. The skipper of Bolero, which was built 25years ago in South Africa, was also a South African. He and his wife had just bought a house in Baviaanskloof, Hout bay. They left to rush up to Antigua, to take part in the “Spirit of Tradition” classic races. After an idyllic week, we headed for Norman Island, in the “Bight”, picking up one of the hundreds of buoys, which make anchoring almost impossible! It is a big protected bay, with some nice dive sights, and a couple of well frequented places…..Pirates, a pub restaurant ashore, and the William Thornton, (Willy T), a ship restaurant pub. We managed a beer at Pirates, but the combination of $30 per night mooring buoys, and sudden runaway tummy bugs, forced us to cancel our trip to the notorious Willy T, of the stick-on tattoo barman, and the free drinks to all the ladies who jump topless from the bridge……perhaps it was a blessing in disguise!

Our first feel of the Virgins

01.04.2011

Mary and I have been looking forward to the BVI with great expectations! Yet the closer we got to being here, the more the Doom Sayers had to say about the overcrowding, the Bareboat charters, limited anchoring choices, expensive mooring buoys, and prices in general! So we left Anguila at 5pm for the 80mile overnight sail to Virgin Gorda, with mixed feelings…. Would it be a highlight of our cruising, or a bit of a disappointment? The trip up was a dead downwind, rolly motor sail with only 10knots of breeze…..just enough to keep the diesel fumes in the cockpit all night! Not Mary’s best! We arrived at Round Rock at first light, and headed up to Spanish Town to check in. Contrary to what we had been led to believe, anchoring was easy and available, and we dinghied over to the Yacht club and walked over to Customs and Immigration. The paperwork was a bit more extensive than usual, (and a lot more tedious than either the French, or Eseaclear signatory islands), but not too bad. The cruising permit for the two of us for 4 weeks was $17.50, which was also a lot less than we had been led to believe. After checking in, we headed up the Fat Virgin coastline to the North Sound, making our way through the well marked channel, into this protected stretch of water. We were too tired to spot any virgins, (rumour has it that there aren’t any), but we did find a very nice anchorage off Vixen point. There are buoys at $30 per night, but there is still plenty of room to swing off your own hook, which we chose to do. (must drop the hook in sand……anchoring on coral is prohibited) The next day we watched a huge fleet of racing yachts(+/- 100) fighting to the finish line, inside the Sound. We chilled, rested and swam in the crystal clear waters, taking the opportunity to dive and clean off the last of the weed and barnacles that we acquired in St Martin. Later we watched the start of the next leg of the race…. A downwind start under kites and bags, led by Richard Branson in his150ft + catamaran “Necker Belle”. He organizes a number of BVI racing events. It was quite a spectacle! The big man himself arrived by seaplane, landing somehow amongst this field of yachts, 30minutes before the race got underway. Recognize the Cat at anchor in the foreground? Yes, Klaus and Beryl , on “Ti Bay”, are en route to the Bahamas, and we have spent good times together, whenever we have met up along the way since Grenada. We all went the Bitter End Yacht Club for sundowners and a light meal that evening. When we returned to the yachts at Vixen Point, we found Sheer Tenacity surrounded by huge (3ft to 5ft) Tarpon, swirling around, hunting down jacks attracted by the cockpit lights. At first I thought they were sharks, with their bright orange eyes, but their profiles and silver shining bodies soon revealed their ID! Earlier in the day, we had been watching big Green Turtles surfacing around the boat. So although the fishing on the route up had been quiet, the sea life seems alive and well here! On Friday we left the Sound, and anchored between Prickly Pear Island and Eustatia, alongside a snorkeling reef. The islands themselves appear quite scrubby, reminiscent of Pilanesberg by the sea, but he beaches are white, and the water a beautiful clear turquoise! Yes, we like our first look at the Virgins, and look forward to using up our full 4 week permit, as we explore the islands and anchorages that we have dreamed about for years.

If Clothes maketh the man, what about the Drag Queens? 18thMarch 2011

21/03/2011

This blog is about a couple of the interesting anchoring techniques shown by bare boat charters that we have witnessed recently. At first I was tempted to title the piece ”Sunsail Specials and Moorings Monkeys”, given the Chartering dominance of these two companies around these waters. However, the more we saw of these yachts, the more we came to realize that the yachts offered by these two companies are generally very well presented and maintained, and that the comments I am about to dish out should not be linked to Sunsail and Moorings alone! We were nearly wiped out by a dragging “Switch” cat in Bequia, so one learns to identify the livery of all the charter companies PDQ.

We had chartered a Sunsail yacht, a Beneteau 381 in the Seychelles around the turn of the century, and it was a dog…. Designed and prepared to maximize accommodation, at the cost of sailing capability. It was also nothing like as well maintained as the fleet we have observed in the Caribbean, which also have the added advantage of now ,once again, mostly from the Bruce Farr stable, after the Bay of Biscay tragedy, where the righting moment of a particular boat was questioned. A South African cruising friend we met here, bought an 8 year old 50ft ex Sunsail Bruce Farr designed Beneteau, and it was extremely clean, well equipped and maintained. Yes , the 75hp Yanmar had done 5000plus hours, and the windlass was past its best. It would still require a fair amount of time and money to convert it into a livaboard cruising yacht, but we felt he still got a lot of boat for his $140000. Similarly, we have had friends who have bought ex Moorings Leopards, and have also been able to get fine cats for reasonable value. There again, the engines have big hours, and re engining them needs to be factored into the equation before too long. Although having said that I prefer the solid look of the old 45/47ft Leopards against which, the newer 44ft versions appear to have higher topsides, seem narrower, and a tad more skittish at anchor.

Which brings me back to the chartering crews and skippers who are let loose on the poor innocent and unsuspecting cruising fraternity…….actually Not unsuspecting at all….. more like Suspicious, Wide awake, and generally Shit scared of Bare Boat Charters! The point being…. It’s the crews skills deficiency, and not the Charter Company’s boats, that is the problem!!

Mary and I were hard pressed not to burst out laughing at the succession of anchoring exercises that were on display in Anguilla last week. The biggest clue and common denominator about Bare Boat Charter boats, seems to be the need to hold committee meetings on the bow, when about to anchor. We watched a Sunsail boat pull up behind us in 4mts of water, let out 4mts of chain , and then proceed to back up for about 8omts, until they were in at least 6mts of water, without ever letting out any more chain! They did this about 4 times before concluding loudly that the holding was bad, and they should try elsewhere.

Another mystery we observed on this yacht, was to do with all the flags they flew from the spreader: Lima,Whisky,Bravo,Juliet,Mike,Sierra. We think it was just because they thought it looked pretty, but I wanted to inform all the boats in the anchorage that it was a well known signal for “Free drinks here at 5pm”, but Mary felt sorry for them, and said “No!”

The ups and downs of boat handling skills!

17.3.2011

During our time here in St Maarten, we have enjoyed the opportunity to see some of the world famous super yachts in the boating world , and as impressively , have been able to witness the boat handling skills of their crews and skippers. Sure, they all have massive bow thrusters, and many have twin screws and stern thrusters as well, but it is also good to see the precise use of one ,or both anchors, as they maneuver their way into very tight spots with minimal fuss.

Unlike Shearwaters , they do actually go astern, when asked to do so, which makes for a good starting point! I know of at least two 39ft Shearwaters whose owners have capitulated to this behavioural quirk, and fitted bow thrusters to minimize their marina embarrassments!

The” Marie Cha iv” was here for a while, having some work done on her “Park Lane “ boom, which in itself was wider and longer than “Sheer Tenacity”! At the moment, the “Mirabella V”’, which I think is still the world’s largest sloop, is also anchored/moored just inside the Simpson Bay Bridge. It dwarfs all the other little 145ft Peroni Navi’s, with its mast stretching up way above all the other mega yachts , all with their red anchor lights,( which must be something to do with warnings to aircraft! )

Mary and I were lucky enough to be invited for dinner on the new “Zephiro”, by Gerhardt Reuther, whose previous “Zephiro”, ( 76ftv Solaris), I had helped sail to Sardinia from Grenada in 2008,and, which wasn’t too shabby either! The new “Zephiro” is a Southern Winds 100 footer, and is a real work of art…….. sleek, elegant, understated, fast, and beautifully appointed and equipped. She was moored in a tight little berth in the Place de Plaisance Marina, and her bow thruster, powered by two gensets( 1 x35kva, 1 x 25kva) made this a piece of cake!

The closest we came to watching the Heinekin regatta, was to watch the traditional open boat yacht race between Road Bay to Dog Island and back. On these lightweight sloops , (24-30ft), there are no weighted keels. Ballast is only of the human kind, so each boat needs 2 or 3 bulky lads on the rail, or even on trapeze . They take the job seriously too, and knock back about a beer per mile in case they lose too much weight from overexertion! These crews zig- zag their craft through the anchored yachts, fighting for position all the way . There are no handicaps, and it was interesting to see that the race was actually won by the smallest craft in the fleet. Just better sailors! The boat names too were a bit special.. “Stay Up’, “No Big Ting”, “De Storm”, “Alma Gloria”, “ Magician”,”F S Tornado” were some we recall.

The flipside of all this skill is found in frightening abundance all around, as we are approaching the epicenter of bare boat chartering ! I have made mention of various anchoring techniques in a previous blog, but some amazing and innovative anchoring attempts demand a special mention entirely on their own, in the next blog!

SXM Heineken Week Escape!

16^th March 2011

As most yachties at HBYC and yachts clubs worldwide already know, “racing” skippers are a very different breed of people! Aggressive, Hypersensitive, Rude, Arrogant, and incredbly sensitive about whose “water” belongs to whom!

These attributes are honed and perfected during races, but are still very much in evidence in marinas and anchorages where the skills are still being practiced and tested in the days leading up to “Race Days”. When the racing machines approach the 80-100ft mark ,these attributes reach a state of near perfection, where “right of way” rules are easily morphed into “I’m Bigger than you” !

Heineken Week is also characterised by the onset of nightly orgies of parties, loud music, immense consumption of rum and beer etc. I have heard it described as a drinking week with a sailing theme, but the participents would probably be upset!

It starts off with the legendary Mount Gay Rum Party at the Soggy Dollar bar in Palapa Marina, which culminates in the Carribean renouned “wet T-Shirt” competition. We we invited to the party of course, and Mary suggested that I offer my services as a judge in this event, given my lifelong fascination in this field, combined with my well known observational skills. I gave the matter serious consideration, but then had to admit to myself and all concerned , that it was unlikely that I would still be awake for the event which was scheduled to start at only 3.00am, when everyone was as nissed as pewts! Besides, I heard on the grapevine, that the event had been highjacked by the Plastic Surgeons Mammary enhancement association of the World, as an advertising gimic! It would bebelow my dignity to lend my credibility to such a sham!! I had to offer my apologies!

And so,with our new watermaker installed, and ready to be tested, we decided to seek the peace , quiet, and clean water, of Anguilla, some 20nms distant. We chose the 9.00am Bridge opening, and were hauled and ready by 8.45am. We eventually escaped from the lagoon at about 10.00am in last place, in a 30knot rain squal and a hysterical bridge operator, having been pushed and bullied out of the way by the entire Heinekin fleet, who just knew that their “water” was more important than ours!

The weather prediction had been for a 10-15NE breeze, with clear skies,which is why we enjoyed 27-30knt SE rain squalls all the way to Anguilla. No sooner had we finished anchoring in the rain and gloom, than the skies cleared, the wind dropped, and to reveal the turquoise beauty of the Caribbean, and lovely golden beaches………a very long way from the madness of St Martin!

We learned later that our departure was a doddle compared to the chaos of the following morning, where one yacht did its best to demolish the bridge, and another got itself jammed diagonally in the channel!

Meerkats and other Mugs

02/02/2011

Obviously my last bit of scribble, filled with apologies and contrition, did the trick! I am no longer gated , and in fact we are going back to lovely Orient Bay with Tom & Johness for Sunday lunch at Bikini beach………. But not the NUDY section !!! Tom too, had his challenges he tells me. Its all very well for us to remember to look down , to keep chatting away, without staring at the many and varied sights ….. but its another thing altogether trying to tell your dog where she can and can’t go sniffing!
Our visit to SXM has been longer and more expensive than originally planned, but it has also been very productive. Sheer Tenacity is now very much better equipped and prepared than when we left Hout Bay. A watermaker has now been ordered and should be here in about 12 days. More “wads of wonga”, which can not be justified on a cost basis in the Caribbean. We have taken the plunge to spare my ageing back, and cut out the tedious water runs with jerry cans. So we will be staying a little longer!
During our visit, we have also picked up a few SXM specials worth sharing!
The lagoon is big and widespread, making longer than usual dinghy trips the norm, hence the reason for our own new aluminum hulled RIB and 8hp motor. (Notice the eyes to help look out for wakes and other traffic!) The unspoken war between ignorant, power boaters, and yachties lies just below the surface in SXM. Many of these guys roar around chucking up huge wakes, causing anchored yachts to rock and roll, and problems for little yacht tenders. The lagoon itself can be quite choppy, and one often gets wet when going places. One of the quite common techniques to avoid getting wet is for people to stand up like Meerkats, holding onto the rope tether in front, and using an extended motor handle. Ex board surfers and water skiers usually have the balance and control, but not all are so talented! More than one has been catapulted into the sea by hitting large wakes. The Meerkats of course do not have the “kill” switch around their wrists, and therein lie’s the danger. Two such Meerkats were lucky to survive their wipe out last week, as the spinning prop on their upside down tender was luckily fouled by the tether. But before one gets too self righteous and critical about all these “stupid” power boating guys, cruisers need to remember that they too transform into “stupid” power boaters the moment they take off in their tenders!
Many cruisers, like ourselves, mark our anchors position by using an anchor marking buoy. It helps to define the swing range, and helps to avoid people dropping their hook on top of yours! This can be dangerous here! Once our marker buoy was wiped out by a power boat, and twice we have seen bare boat skippers moor their charter yachts onto some other poor dudes anchor marking buoy!
The busy SXM Juliana Airport runs from Maho Bay across the isthmus, onto a reclaimed strip into the lagoon. There is a never ending roar of jets taking off, and landing, over the anchorage. There is a “no anchoring zone” at the end of the runway. Urban legend has it, that when the runway had to be extended, to cater for Jumbo’s, the local Government official on the project committee, suggested that it might be easier to dredge the lagoon , and make it deeper so that the yachts would float lower in the water, and thereby not be a hazard to the planes! Archimedes must have turned in his grave!
SXM is also firmly in the American sailing region; anchoring balls and stars and stripes everywhere! We have thus had the opportunity to observe in various restaurants and bars, that quite a large portion of our American colleagues suffer from a common genetic defect. They have either been born without a” volume” control in their voice box, or, a defective “pitch” control! The problem seems to get worse with a simultaneous intake of alcohol!
Lastly, I am proud to announce, that Mary has finally converted to being a Real Cruiser! “Damn”, she said to me yesterday, “I’ve left my cap in the car!” meaning of course, the dinghy!