Adventures of the Sailing Vessel Hakuna Matata: May 2009

May 28 From Trellis Bay, BVI

Dear family, friends and fans:
We are here! So sorry for our delay in posting. As you may have surmised, the internet connections down here are tragically slow, if they are to be had at all.

We went to Cane Garden Bay and found sand sculptures on the beach. We enjoyed a nice dinner out and dancing to a Jimmy Buffett cover band. The singer tried "God's Own Drunk"...an excellent attempt but we played the real thing for Kristie when we got back to the boat.

The following morning, we headed over to Sandy Spit. Our favorite palm tree in the Caribbean...

These hermit crabs were barely the size of a fingernail...

Brothers doing what brothers do....

After an afternoon at Sandy Spit, we went back over to White Bay and the Soggy Dollar Bar.

Hammock time:

This hat is made from sea fans. I can not think of anything stinkier from which to make a hat. And I really want to meet the tourist who pays the crazy sticker price for it...

We are in Trellis Bay tonight so that Kristie can catch an AM flight. OK. The boat is a beauty and the boat name and graphics are among the best I have seen. But wait, there's more. We scoot around and Craig spots this cat hanging out of an open port hole. Without doubt, my favorite picture of this whole adventure so far.

Eeewwww. We wanted to bloody up the cockpit with a fish to round out Kristie's visit but no luck today. Instead, she suffered through the last ribeye of our Omaha steaks...

Trellis Bay is an arty place whose claim to fame is the full moon party. They fill these sculptures up with wood and light 'em up! I so need to go to this party, and how fortuitous! Our friend David Damm is flying in to help us passage to St Kitts, Nevis and St Lucia. He gets here on the 8th, which means we should really be here on the 7th, which happens to be the next full moon. Darn the luck!!

We have had a great visit with Kristie. We will spend the next week here in the BVIs, both in port for pre-passage maintenance/provisioning and then exploring a few spots off the beaten path. We have enjoyed the BVIs but are somewhat saddened by the significant increase in popularity and people since our last visit as charterers ourselves. Fun but a bit crowded for our tastes, which means we gotta get outta here and head for destinations further south.

May BVI: Tortola and The Baths

Virgin Gorda (the fat virgin) was so named by the Christopher Columbus crowd because the shape of the island supposedly looked like a fat virgin reposing in the sand. Whatever. I have to agree with Craig...these were men who had just spent too long at sea without any, well, company. I have taken artistic license with the view to help our reading public make the visual:

Monday morning, 5-25 we sailed over to The Baths at Virgin Gorda. We got there about lunchtime and were glad to find a spot as this is a very popular location. One dinghies in a certain distance and then swims into shore for a hike/climb amongst the granite boulders. There is a nice beach on the other side of the boulders for a cool down swim…also a restaurant/pool which is another hike up the hill.
We left late afternoon for Cane Garden Bay after replacing the blower to the engine room which apparently experienced sudden cardiac death. This is not engine exhaust. This unit draws fresh air into the engine room and exhausts hot air out. It worked just fine, right up until we tried to turn it on for our departure. Magic bag not needed. Whew.

Does this look like a skull face to you????

This photo opp is specifically for our Shrader readers. Kristie has been brought into the Keen fold...with a spectacular color selection, I might add. Teal! How many pairs can I justify having??

View from the top of the hill. Craig enjoying a fruity drink and then employing his newfound strength because the rock was in my path. He is The Man.

A few critter pictures for Mom...

Bless his heart, but I love the shirt...

This seagull was drafting behind our main sail....

May 23-28 BVI Kristie Yakel Visit...

We picked up Craig’s sister Kristie at Beef Island/Tortola Saturday evening, May 23. She quickly settled into her berth. We left the next morning for a sail to Norman Island. There was a Poker Run going on, so there were jet boats and cigarette boats everywhere…something we had not seen in prior travels here. These are races in which the participants jet around to various sites picking up cards. When they get to the final destination, the cards are displayed to see which boat has the best poker hand. With all the go fast/loud engines, it reminded us of our days on Lake Texoma. There was an impressive presence of law enforcement vessels. After an afternoon of snorkeling the caves, we made the required stop at the Willie T, a moored boat that serves as a restaurant and bar. Kristie was very sad to learn that jumping naked from the top deck for a t-shirt was no longer allowed.
We met Mary, Queen of Shots, who hailed from Brooklyn. Well, there’s something about Mary, besides the fact that she also wears OPI Cajun Shrimp. Among many interesting and useful life lessons, the best we learned was how to pose for the camera and never have a double chin again. It is a painful maneuver, but we practiced until we got it right.
We dinghied over to Pirates’ Bight and Kristie ordered the bucket, filled with tequila, I mean, margarita mix, which was shared by all. We came upon a Kansas family who was vacationing on their catamaran, S/V Seas the Moment, and racing on the beach. I challenged Craig. Alcohol was involved. I hit the ground so hard I think I bounced, flipped and landed in the water, fortunately face-up but still cannot figure out why both knees feel broken. No blood, no protruding bones, all good.

Waiting at the airport; THE BUCKET; relaxing on SVHM