We are having so much fun, I just don't know where to begin a new blog post. We didn't make it to St. Martin for the birthday celebration, the weather just would not cooperate. For the sailors reading this - imagine motoring into 25-30 knot winds, right on the nose with waves over 10 feet. We decided that we would just spend the time in the British Virgin Islands. Our friends Geoie and Sarah from Kemah came down to spend the week with Rene and Stacy so we spent the week of our birthdays sailing around the BVIs. I can't complain, it's so beautiful and we literally spent the week going from one beautiful island/beach, to another. Nights were spent at beach bars, searching for the best happy hour. We enjoyed time at Da Loose Mongoose, Foxy's, Foxy's Taboo and Willy T's. What a week!
One of the highlights was the Full Moon Party at Trellis Bay on Beef Island. They have a full moon party there every month. Local artist Aragorn creates beautiful fire sculptures, there are dancing mocko jumbies (dances on stilts), fire jugglers and all kinds of entertainment. What a fun night. We are hoping that we will be back for another full moon party before we move on.
We enjoyed our time in North Sound (Gorda Sound) on Virgin Gorda also. The Leverick Bay where the Michael Bean Happy Arrrrr is great fun. On our second visit to his show I won the conch blowing contest! The prize was a bottle of rum!
We had a visit from more friends from back home, Keith and Brenda Veseleny (s/v Beauty and the Geek) happened to be chartering a boat in the BVIs for the week. We finally met up with them on Peter Island and we all headed over to The Bight on Norman Island for a fun night a The Willy T, a floating restaurant/bar that is a converted 100 foot schooner. By the way, Norman Island is believed by some to be the island written about by Robert Louis Stevenson in Treasure Island.
We sailed by the island Dead Chest Cay (Dead Man's Chest) on the south side of the Sir Francis Drake Channel. Dead man's chest was the name of a coffin in the days of yore. This island was given it's name as long ago as the late 1700s when folklore has it that the infamous pirate Blackbeard marooned fifteen men on the cay with nothing a bottle of rum. Some apparently tried to swim the 1/2 mile to Peter Island but didn't make it. The cay became immortalized in Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island -
Fifteen Men on the Dean Man's Chest,
Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum!
Drink and the devil had done for the rest.
Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum!
So much fun in one week that we needed to take a few days to recover! After our recovery period we finally got the weather we were looking for so that we could head over to St. Martin. It was about an 18 hour passage. We left Virgin Gorda late afternoon and sailed all night so that we could make it to St. Martin the next morning. We wanted to make it into the Simpson Bay Lagoon, but there is a bridge that only opens to incoming boats 3 times a day (unless you choose to pay the $1000.00 fee for an unscheduled opening!) We were ready for the 9:30 opening and made our way into the lagoon where we are currently anchored on the French side of St. Martin.
St. Martin, or Sint Maaren (depending whether you are on the French side or the Dutch side of the island) is beautiful and we have having a great time here, but I will save that for another blog post!
We are planning to return to the Virgin Islands in April/May for more exploring. We are looking forward to spending more time in this beautiful place.
Here is a link to some pictures: http://photobucket.com/albums/bb448/SailwithStoryville/Virgin Islands
I am still trying to find a good solution to posting pictures using the iPad. The link to photobucket is the best I can come up with at the moment. The problem is that I can't figure out how to add captions. I will still work on finding a solution when my busy schedule allows!
Now - it's time for happy hour!
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Leaving Luperon
Well, we finally did it. We left Luperon on Saturday, February 11th and headed out for the passage to Puerto Rico. We would have to cross the dreaded Mona Passage, but we had a good weather window and, even though Storyville had not sailed in many months, we felt like we were ready. We left at 7:30 in the morning and sailed for three days and two nights (actually we motor sailed since there was very little wind and it was all on the nose). The Mona Passage was very calm and we didn't have any trouble at all. Troy saw a whale, but it only breached once and I didn't get to see it. I sure was hoping to see one. Oh well, maybe someday. We did see lots of flying fish. They are really amazing to watch as they fly across the waves. We were very happy with our crossing and we made it to Boqueron, Puerto Rico late Monday afternoon.
We stayed in Boqeron for a couple of days, got checked back in to the US and celebrated Valentines Day there. We were surprised at how dead the town was during the week, but we had heard and read that it is a happening place on the weekends. We could see a little more activity each day, but we decided to leave on Thursday since we were anxious to catch up with our sailing buddies Rene and Stacy on Pipe Muh Bligh and Pat and Darnell on Island Dreams. They were waiting for us in the US Virgin Islands.
Leaving Boqueron at 8:30 in the morning on Thursday, we sailed all day and overnight and decided to stop in Vieques, Spanish Virgin Islands for a rest. We had a really rough night with a north swell that caused Storyville to pitch and roll. Not a comfortable night. We sailed into a beautiful little protected cove (Puerto Ferro) on the island of Vieques at 10:30 in the morning on Friday. We spend the day there kayaking through the cove where we saw sea turtles and even had a visit from a dolphin. Such a beautiful, secluded cove with only a couple of other boats for company. We had forgotten what it is like to feel so peaceful and still. This is the life.
The next morning, we got up at 2:00 AM so that we could head out for the Virgin Islands. Not a bad crossing. The most exciting part was that we saw the Southern Cross for the first time. It kinda felt like a milestone and made me start thinking about all the other "firsts" that we have experienced on this trip.
We made it to St. John by about 11:00 where we found Pipe Muh Bligh, Island Dreams and a surprise, our friends Chris and Robin on Toucan Dream. We hadn't seen Chris and Robin in several years, where we had run into them by chance at the Miami Boat Show. Just goes to show that the cruising world is a small one. We all had happy hour on Pipe Muh Bligh to celebrate our arrival. Actually, happy hour turned into several happy hours! How great to be here where the water and islands are so beautiful.
We have spent the last week cruising between the beautiful islands of the US and British Virgins. For the first several days we didn't spend more than one night in an anchorage. The anchorages are so close together and each one is more beautiful than the last. We've been to Caneel Bay, Hawksnest Bay and Trunk Bay in St. John, US Virgin Islands and to Great Harbour,Jost Van Dyke, Sopers Hole and Road Town, Tortola and to White Bay, Peter Island, British Virgin Islands. We have been snorkeling, swimming, doing boat projects and having fun letting PMB and ID show us around.
We are making plans and watching the weather so that we can make the overnight jump to St. Martin / Sint Maarten. We hare planning to celebrate Rene's 50th birthday and my, umm, I forget which birthday I will be celebrating. Our birthdays are one day apart and since Rene is Dutch and this is a big one to celebrate (for him) we are really looking forward to a great time on a Dutch/French Island.
Yesterday we snorkeled at The Indians, part of a BVI National Park. The Indians are rock pinnacles that rise from a sandy bottom at 50 feet to a height of about 50' above sea level and we saw lots of pretty coral and lots of fish. It was the best snorkeling we have seen since we left the Bahamas and we are ready for more!
It is so great to be back to cruising in the clear waters and exploring the coves and islands. We are looking forward to spending the rest of the winter and spring doing more of the same. I am really hoping to get more blogs posted so that we can share some of our adventures. I am using my iPad exclusively now and am still having trouble getting my pictures to post the way I want them to on blogger. I will keep working on it though. This time I will see if I can get a like to my photos on Photo Bucket and post a link to the Photo Bucket page. Wish me luck!
For a couple of pictures from the crossing see: http://photobucket.com/albums/bb448/SailwithStoryville/Sailing to Puerto Rico
When you see the Southern Cross for the first time, you realize now why you came this way. ~David Crosby
We stayed in Boqeron for a couple of days, got checked back in to the US and celebrated Valentines Day there. We were surprised at how dead the town was during the week, but we had heard and read that it is a happening place on the weekends. We could see a little more activity each day, but we decided to leave on Thursday since we were anxious to catch up with our sailing buddies Rene and Stacy on Pipe Muh Bligh and Pat and Darnell on Island Dreams. They were waiting for us in the US Virgin Islands.
Leaving Boqueron at 8:30 in the morning on Thursday, we sailed all day and overnight and decided to stop in Vieques, Spanish Virgin Islands for a rest. We had a really rough night with a north swell that caused Storyville to pitch and roll. Not a comfortable night. We sailed into a beautiful little protected cove (Puerto Ferro) on the island of Vieques at 10:30 in the morning on Friday. We spend the day there kayaking through the cove where we saw sea turtles and even had a visit from a dolphin. Such a beautiful, secluded cove with only a couple of other boats for company. We had forgotten what it is like to feel so peaceful and still. This is the life.
The next morning, we got up at 2:00 AM so that we could head out for the Virgin Islands. Not a bad crossing. The most exciting part was that we saw the Southern Cross for the first time. It kinda felt like a milestone and made me start thinking about all the other "firsts" that we have experienced on this trip.
We made it to St. John by about 11:00 where we found Pipe Muh Bligh, Island Dreams and a surprise, our friends Chris and Robin on Toucan Dream. We hadn't seen Chris and Robin in several years, where we had run into them by chance at the Miami Boat Show. Just goes to show that the cruising world is a small one. We all had happy hour on Pipe Muh Bligh to celebrate our arrival. Actually, happy hour turned into several happy hours! How great to be here where the water and islands are so beautiful.
We have spent the last week cruising between the beautiful islands of the US and British Virgins. For the first several days we didn't spend more than one night in an anchorage. The anchorages are so close together and each one is more beautiful than the last. We've been to Caneel Bay, Hawksnest Bay and Trunk Bay in St. John, US Virgin Islands and to Great Harbour,Jost Van Dyke, Sopers Hole and Road Town, Tortola and to White Bay, Peter Island, British Virgin Islands. We have been snorkeling, swimming, doing boat projects and having fun letting PMB and ID show us around.
We are making plans and watching the weather so that we can make the overnight jump to St. Martin / Sint Maarten. We hare planning to celebrate Rene's 50th birthday and my, umm, I forget which birthday I will be celebrating. Our birthdays are one day apart and since Rene is Dutch and this is a big one to celebrate (for him) we are really looking forward to a great time on a Dutch/French Island.
Yesterday we snorkeled at The Indians, part of a BVI National Park. The Indians are rock pinnacles that rise from a sandy bottom at 50 feet to a height of about 50' above sea level and we saw lots of pretty coral and lots of fish. It was the best snorkeling we have seen since we left the Bahamas and we are ready for more!
It is so great to be back to cruising in the clear waters and exploring the coves and islands. We are looking forward to spending the rest of the winter and spring doing more of the same. I am really hoping to get more blogs posted so that we can share some of our adventures. I am using my iPad exclusively now and am still having trouble getting my pictures to post the way I want them to on blogger. I will keep working on it though. This time I will see if I can get a like to my photos on Photo Bucket and post a link to the Photo Bucket page. Wish me luck!
For a couple of pictures from the crossing see: http://photobucket.com/albums/bb448/SailwithStoryville/Sailing to Puerto Rico
When you see the Southern Cross for the first time, you realize now why you came this way. ~David Crosby
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Test for the APP
This isn't a real blog post. I am testing the Blogger app on my iPad. I want to see if I can post a blog and add photos. I sure hope this works because it will make it easier to post blogs from my iPad. It looks like I can add pictures but I can't find a way to add labels to the photos.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
How Many People Can You Fit in a Gua Gua?
Troy and I took a little trip the other day with our friends Shaggy and Camilla. We went to Cabarete, a little tourist town thats about 50 miles from Luperon. In fact, it kite surfing capital of the world. A friend that we met through other cruisers, Tony and Rosemary (actually Tony's brother), Michael lives in Cabarete and he has a regular gig on Monday nights. He plays music at a little restaurant there and had invited Troy and Camilla to come and play with him. Camilla is a very talented musician and she plays with Troy every Saturday night here in Luperon.
We decided against taking the motorcycle since the weather looked promising for rain. The next best, and least expensive way to get there is by gua gua.
Luckily for us, Camilla is from the DR and, of course speaks fluent Spanish. We would need to take 2 different gua guas and one bus to get to Cabarete. The total cost was 150 pesos per person, or about $3.85 in US Dollars. What a bargain. Gua guas are personally owned cars and vans that run a route, usually between two different cities. What a cultural experience.
On the bigger vans there is one guy on the gua gua whose job is to collect money, tell the driver when to stop to let off or pick up passengers and to make sure everything goes smoothly. On our ride from Cabarete to Puerto Plata, we were on a mini-van with 23 other people. We were packed in like sardines and our guy was hanging out the open sliding door of the van. He has a big wad of cash in one hand, he keeps up with how much every owes, who has paid and who hasn't, takes money, gives change and taps the roof to signal the driver when he needs to stop to pick up or let out passengers. When there is a stop he pulls, pushes, tugs, shoves, moves, whatever it takes to get everyone out or in or out, then back in and settled again. It's really a pain when the guy in the far back corner wants to get out. Everyone - out, back in, scoot closer to your neighbor and hope they didn't have too many habichuelas (beans) or ajo (garlic) for lunch. Meanwhile, the driver is talking on his cell phone, listening to the radio, driving as fast as he can, all while honking and trying to pass all other vehicles that he encounters. In fact, it seems like the objective of driving here in the DR is to make sure that you pass as many vehicles as possible. Wow! What a ride. The only thing missing was a chicken or two (trust me - chickens and small livestock are transported via gua gua).
Troy and I have had so much fun here in the Dominican Republic. The people are so friendly and we have really enjoyed practicing our Spanish. We have made so many good friends here, Dominicans and Gringos from all over the world. It will be hard to say good-bye, but we are planning a return visit for next hurricane season, so that makes leaving a little easier.
So - - - how may people can you fit in a gua gua? Two more!!!
If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home. ~James Michener
We decided against taking the motorcycle since the weather looked promising for rain. The next best, and least expensive way to get there is by gua gua.
Luckily for us, Camilla is from the DR and, of course speaks fluent Spanish. We would need to take 2 different gua guas and one bus to get to Cabarete. The total cost was 150 pesos per person, or about $3.85 in US Dollars. What a bargain. Gua guas are personally owned cars and vans that run a route, usually between two different cities. What a cultural experience.
On the bigger vans there is one guy on the gua gua whose job is to collect money, tell the driver when to stop to let off or pick up passengers and to make sure everything goes smoothly. On our ride from Cabarete to Puerto Plata, we were on a mini-van with 23 other people. We were packed in like sardines and our guy was hanging out the open sliding door of the van. He has a big wad of cash in one hand, he keeps up with how much every owes, who has paid and who hasn't, takes money, gives change and taps the roof to signal the driver when he needs to stop to pick up or let out passengers. When there is a stop he pulls, pushes, tugs, shoves, moves, whatever it takes to get everyone out or in or out, then back in and settled again. It's really a pain when the guy in the far back corner wants to get out. Everyone - out, back in, scoot closer to your neighbor and hope they didn't have too many habichuelas (beans) or ajo (garlic) for lunch. Meanwhile, the driver is talking on his cell phone, listening to the radio, driving as fast as he can, all while honking and trying to pass all other vehicles that he encounters. In fact, it seems like the objective of driving here in the DR is to make sure that you pass as many vehicles as possible. Wow! What a ride. The only thing missing was a chicken or two (trust me - chickens and small livestock are transported via gua gua).
Troy and I have had so much fun here in the Dominican Republic. The people are so friendly and we have really enjoyed practicing our Spanish. We have made so many good friends here, Dominicans and Gringos from all over the world. It will be hard to say good-bye, but we are planning a return visit for next hurricane season, so that makes leaving a little easier.
So - - - how may people can you fit in a gua gua? Two more!!!
If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home. ~James Michener
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Provisioning
We are finally back in Luperon and aboard Storyville once again. We had a wonderful visit with family and friends but it sure felt good to be back home too. You know the feeling. Anyway, now that we're back our plans are to get a few crucial boat projects done, get in some quick provisioning and head to Puerto Rico. We are hoping to get away within the next two weeks. We have a lot to get done but we are hoping to chip away at everything a little each day until we are done.
Troy will be replacing our running lights, anchor and steaming light. Today he installed a cool solar, motion activated light on our davits. The light will light up as we (or anyone else for that matter) approaches Storyville. Helpful to us and hopefully a deterrent to anyone with bad intentions). We still need to get the head sail back on, it's been off since Hurricane Irene gave us a wave as she swept by. We will need to top off all of our tanks, fuel, water, beer rum, etc. and of course give everything a once over.
I am getting ready to go through our provisions and make a list so that we can start provisioning for doing most of our cooking on board for the next 5 or 6 months. We hear that the Virgin Islands and other places that we are going can be really expensive so we are planning on cooking and not eating out for most of our meals. We did that in the Bahamas and found that we really didn't mind at all, especially when a hamburger can cost as much as $18.00 US!! We have gotten out of the habit here in the Dominican Republic because you can get a hamburger for about $3.00 US. What a difference!
If all goes as planned we will try to meet up with our friends Rene and Stacy on s/v Pipe Muh Bligh and Patrick and Darnell on s/v Island Dreams in the Spanish Virgin Islands, we are guessing in early February. We really try not to rush and make any kind of concrete plans. We will just look for good weather windows and go with the flow. But, we are looking forward to meeting up with them again, we have been cruising with them for almost a year now and we are looking forward to experiencing the Virgin Islands together. Many of the boats that we spent hurricane season with in Luperon will be in the Virgin Islands and we are looking forward to seeing all of our friends, meeting new friends and getting to experience the beautiful islands. We can't wait!
The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. ~St. AugustineSaturday, December 31, 2011
May I Present Mr. & Mrs. Rollins.......
Our daughter Tory got married on December 15th. Tory and Danny have been planning the wedding for the last year. We flew home from the Dominican Republic so that we could give our daughter away and gain a new son.
The wedding was scheduled to take place on the cruise ship Carnival Triumph, sailing out of Galveston in the afternoon of the 15th. The plan was for the wedding to take place before the ship set sail so that guests that were not going on the cruise could still attend the nuptials.
Everyone that was planning on going on the cruise, and many that were in town for the wedding spent the night at the Hilton Hotel in Galveston. We had a wonderful rehearsal dinner the night before, hosted by the grooms parents Rick and Glenda Rollins. We woke up early to get ready for the big day. After everyone was showered, dressed and checked out of the hotel, we found out that the ship channel had been closed due to foggy conditions. The ship could not even make it into the dock. We were a little concerned since the hotel was on the sea wall and we couldn't even see the ocean across the street.
The bride and groom were impressively calm and composed, just communicating with the cruise line and waiting patiently. We waited most of the day and started getting concerned that we might have some timing issues with the wedding and reception happening on the ship. Plus, it was a little difficult to keep the bride and groom from seeing each other, since the only thing we could all do was wonder around the hotel lobby!
We were so impressed with the brides composure as she stared to contemplate alternate ideas for the wedding. After throwing some ideas around, it was finally decided that we would have the wedding at the Hotel. Everyone involved was just wonderful in helping make this happen. The Hilton let us use a room at no charge, the cruise wedding planners came to the hotel to conduct the ceremony and, thanks to Uncle Kenny, we even had a sound system delivered so we could play the wedding music through an iPod. The ceremony was beautiful and we soon learned that we would be able to board the ship that evening and have the reception there, as originally planned (just several hours later!).
The ceremony was beautiful and the reception that followed on the ship was a lot of fun. The VIP boarding that the wedding party received was nice too. We had a fantastic time on the cruise, it was wonderful to spend time with everyone!
I ask for your patience with the blog. I am learning to use the iPad to make posts to my google blog and I'm having trouble getting the pictures to post the way I like them. I'm sure there's an app for that, the search goes on. If any of my readers know something that I don't - please don't be shy. Help!!!!
The wedding was scheduled to take place on the cruise ship Carnival Triumph, sailing out of Galveston in the afternoon of the 15th. The plan was for the wedding to take place before the ship set sail so that guests that were not going on the cruise could still attend the nuptials.
Everyone that was planning on going on the cruise, and many that were in town for the wedding spent the night at the Hilton Hotel in Galveston. We had a wonderful rehearsal dinner the night before, hosted by the grooms parents Rick and Glenda Rollins. We woke up early to get ready for the big day. After everyone was showered, dressed and checked out of the hotel, we found out that the ship channel had been closed due to foggy conditions. The ship could not even make it into the dock. We were a little concerned since the hotel was on the sea wall and we couldn't even see the ocean across the street.
The bride and groom were impressively calm and composed, just communicating with the cruise line and waiting patiently. We waited most of the day and started getting concerned that we might have some timing issues with the wedding and reception happening on the ship. Plus, it was a little difficult to keep the bride and groom from seeing each other, since the only thing we could all do was wonder around the hotel lobby!
We were so impressed with the brides composure as she stared to contemplate alternate ideas for the wedding. After throwing some ideas around, it was finally decided that we would have the wedding at the Hotel. Everyone involved was just wonderful in helping make this happen. The Hilton let us use a room at no charge, the cruise wedding planners came to the hotel to conduct the ceremony and, thanks to Uncle Kenny, we even had a sound system delivered so we could play the wedding music through an iPod. The ceremony was beautiful and we soon learned that we would be able to board the ship that evening and have the reception there, as originally planned (just several hours later!).
The ceremony was beautiful and the reception that followed on the ship was a lot of fun. The VIP boarding that the wedding party received was nice too. We had a fantastic time on the cruise, it was wonderful to spend time with everyone!
I ask for your patience with the blog. I am learning to use the iPad to make posts to my google blog and I'm having trouble getting the pictures to post the way I like them. I'm sure there's an app for that, the search goes on. If any of my readers know something that I don't - please don't be shy. Help!!!!
Friday, December 30, 2011
Did You Forget About Us?
So, I took a break. I know, I know, I've been chastized, threatened, begged - please, please start making blog posts again. I think that the time has come. We just got a new iPad and a new keyboard and we are getting ready to set out on some new adventures, plus we have just had some recent adventures, so the time has come to start blogging again.
We are currently in Texas, we came back for a visit for Christmas and New Years and, mainly, to see our daughter Tory marry Danny. The wedding was great and I am planning a separate blog post for that (I need to ease my followers back into this - and not just hit you with everything all at once).
Storyville was left behind in the Dominican Republic. Hopefully she is patiently waiting for us on her mooring. When we return we are planning to visit Puerto Rico, The Spanish, American and English Virgin Islands and St. Maartin.
So, get ready for some blogging in the new year. I think I'll make that my resolution - to keep the blog up to date. At least as much as possible considering that we won't have access to internet most of the time.
So - get ready to watch us sail the Caribbean!!!!!
May all your troubles last as long as your New Year's resolutions. ~Joey Adams
We are currently in Texas, we came back for a visit for Christmas and New Years and, mainly, to see our daughter Tory marry Danny. The wedding was great and I am planning a separate blog post for that (I need to ease my followers back into this - and not just hit you with everything all at once).
Storyville was left behind in the Dominican Republic. Hopefully she is patiently waiting for us on her mooring. When we return we are planning to visit Puerto Rico, The Spanish, American and English Virgin Islands and St. Maartin.
So, get ready for some blogging in the new year. I think I'll make that my resolution - to keep the blog up to date. At least as much as possible considering that we won't have access to internet most of the time.
So - get ready to watch us sail the Caribbean!!!!!
May all your troubles last as long as your New Year's resolutions. ~Joey Adams
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