...hi guys, I know this is unheard of, a blog two days running but I forgot to mention something in yesterdays blog which has/is troubling me, Pelicans. Yes, you've read it right, it's Pelicans that are bothering me......still can't work it out? Over here Pelicans are the Shite Hawks (Seagulls) of the Caribbean, not that they steal the coconut from your hand but they're as common as farting in public......
What bothers me is the speed at which they enter the water when they're fishing......they come down from a great height like Captain Nemo on speed and that's the problem......what if they mistake the pattern on my swimming trunks for a tasty little fish?.....how would I explain having a Pelican wedged between the cheeks of my arse...?.....have you seen the size of their beaks......imagine if they tried to open it whilst still embedded....I hope now you can appreciate why I lie awake at night trying to devise a way of preventing this mishap.....any sugestions would be welcome.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Saturday, November 29, 2008
BVI - not sure we want to be here...
...this is the second attempt to update the blog, the first one, after much work, was posted but evidently had the wrong postage and was sent somewhere like Magnolia (Mongolia) where some goats are eating it...!
As mentioned in previous blog, we're in BVI but it doesn't tell how we managed to get here and that dear followers is worthy of a line or two.
Having left Bermuda well rested and full of fond memories of the friendly disposition of the islanders we spent the next day or so almost becalmed (little did we know or how lucky we were) wishing for more wind.
OMG....didn't it arrive, the wind we were to experience was only 12 knts short of a hurricane, there we were, hurtling toward our Maker, main sail fully out, genoa partly furled in but not much and then the topping lift (holds the mast steady) gave up followed by the boomvang (holds the boom down)breaking loose.....there was precious little we could do but hold for grim death.....if you have the impression we're reckless in so much as not studying weather forecasts then you'd be well out of order....before any voyage we listen in advance, being guided as to when the best 'window' for departure will be and, this instance was no exception....we were advised we might get a set of 'squalls' lasting roughly 100 miles but nothing more than 25 knt winds.....suffice to say we now regard weather forecasts as merely an understatement of what really is to come....have you noticed, each of our voyages increases in ferocity? I have.
Mind you whatever we ask of 'her' (the boat) she rises to and comes through, each time proving she's worthy of the test which, in turn, gives us more confidence in here ability.....we also learn a bit along the way.
Arriving bedraggled and sail weary in BVI, we stayed for a couple of days in Little Harbour, Peter Island as already referred to. As we are only here to register the boat we had to put into Road Town on the island of Tortola which has been spoken off, being a filthy place inhabited primarily by people who couldn't give a rats cock!
Anyway whilst there we encountered a flotilla of yachts (mostly Americans) and amongst there was a lovely couple, Meena and Bob (who happened to be English) who had the one thing we coveted more than anything.....yes, you've got it, a wind generator that was all but silent and produced copious amounts of power unlike the sack of dead mice we've got masquerading as something similar. They gave us the info needed to get a nice young man to come and give us our hearts desire some time in December. It won't be cheap but it will solve the power problem we've had since day one of our escapade, and that is priceless.
Having left Road Town we next anchored on Jost van Dyke Island which was noteable by it's very existence i.e. rustic, soooo laid back and full of fellow seafarers practising the 'anchor dance' which is nothing short of the 'birdy song' on water......it's always the women who drop the anchor and the men who do all the positioning ( nothing new there then!) but due to the swell at night we moved on to find more settled waters in search of a good kip.
We spent one night in Brewers Bay where the aroma of the brewing process hung thick in the air which isn't such a bad thing but the quality of the water was less than suitable to snorkel in even though the one person we spoke to, Shem, helped restore a bit of faith in the BVI residents and, by goodness they needed it.
Spanish Town on Virgin Gorda is our present address and apart from having a surprisingly pleasing marina with everything a sailor could want, i.e. beer, laundry, supermarkets and free internet access it is anything but a town. The streets are nothing more than dirt tracks with bars springing up in the most bizarre places with music so loud it shakes the fillings out of your teeth and all around there are goats and chickens running wild, extraordinary. The water is clear but lacks the terrain of coral and reef to make it anything other than good and we're near to a ferry jetty which exposes us to swell at certain times so we're only likely to be here for a couple of days before we move on to South Sound sbout 7 nautical miles away.
As mentioned in previous blog, we're in BVI but it doesn't tell how we managed to get here and that dear followers is worthy of a line or two.
Having left Bermuda well rested and full of fond memories of the friendly disposition of the islanders we spent the next day or so almost becalmed (little did we know or how lucky we were) wishing for more wind.
OMG....didn't it arrive, the wind we were to experience was only 12 knts short of a hurricane, there we were, hurtling toward our Maker, main sail fully out, genoa partly furled in but not much and then the topping lift (holds the mast steady) gave up followed by the boomvang (holds the boom down)breaking loose.....there was precious little we could do but hold for grim death.....if you have the impression we're reckless in so much as not studying weather forecasts then you'd be well out of order....before any voyage we listen in advance, being guided as to when the best 'window' for departure will be and, this instance was no exception....we were advised we might get a set of 'squalls' lasting roughly 100 miles but nothing more than 25 knt winds.....suffice to say we now regard weather forecasts as merely an understatement of what really is to come....have you noticed, each of our voyages increases in ferocity? I have.
Mind you whatever we ask of 'her' (the boat) she rises to and comes through, each time proving she's worthy of the test which, in turn, gives us more confidence in here ability.....we also learn a bit along the way.
Arriving bedraggled and sail weary in BVI, we stayed for a couple of days in Little Harbour, Peter Island as already referred to. As we are only here to register the boat we had to put into Road Town on the island of Tortola which has been spoken off, being a filthy place inhabited primarily by people who couldn't give a rats cock!
Anyway whilst there we encountered a flotilla of yachts (mostly Americans) and amongst there was a lovely couple, Meena and Bob (who happened to be English) who had the one thing we coveted more than anything.....yes, you've got it, a wind generator that was all but silent and produced copious amounts of power unlike the sack of dead mice we've got masquerading as something similar. They gave us the info needed to get a nice young man to come and give us our hearts desire some time in December. It won't be cheap but it will solve the power problem we've had since day one of our escapade, and that is priceless.
Having left Road Town we next anchored on Jost van Dyke Island which was noteable by it's very existence i.e. rustic, soooo laid back and full of fellow seafarers practising the 'anchor dance' which is nothing short of the 'birdy song' on water......it's always the women who drop the anchor and the men who do all the positioning ( nothing new there then!) but due to the swell at night we moved on to find more settled waters in search of a good kip.
We spent one night in Brewers Bay where the aroma of the brewing process hung thick in the air which isn't such a bad thing but the quality of the water was less than suitable to snorkel in even though the one person we spoke to, Shem, helped restore a bit of faith in the BVI residents and, by goodness they needed it.
Spanish Town on Virgin Gorda is our present address and apart from having a surprisingly pleasing marina with everything a sailor could want, i.e. beer, laundry, supermarkets and free internet access it is anything but a town. The streets are nothing more than dirt tracks with bars springing up in the most bizarre places with music so loud it shakes the fillings out of your teeth and all around there are goats and chickens running wild, extraordinary. The water is clear but lacks the terrain of coral and reef to make it anything other than good and we're near to a ferry jetty which exposes us to swell at certain times so we're only likely to be here for a couple of days before we move on to South Sound sbout 7 nautical miles away.
Friday, November 21, 2008
We're in BVI!
...as Shakespeare had it (with apologies)
...now am I in BVI - the more fool I - were I at home I were in a better place!
Actually it seems to be Road Town in Tortola that sucks. If you ever want gratuitious rudeness try immigration here - league of their own!!
On the other hand - three miles away is Peter Island with a quiet bay, loads of fish to look at when snorkelling, clear water - priceless!
One of the things about Bermuda was just how friendly it was - everyone on the street would say hello if you made eye contact. Passengers getting on a bus would say good morning to the other passengers, and smiles everywhere. It may be a small island, but it is worth a visit. I guess that is what made the contrast to the people here so striking. It is fair to say that given time, most will warm a little, but not all. The really friendly have been in a minority(Sam says you can count them on one hand!).
We are going to try Virgin Gorda, and see if it is different there, we hope it will be.
...now am I in BVI - the more fool I - were I at home I were in a better place!
Actually it seems to be Road Town in Tortola that sucks. If you ever want gratuitious rudeness try immigration here - league of their own!!
On the other hand - three miles away is Peter Island with a quiet bay, loads of fish to look at when snorkelling, clear water - priceless!
One of the things about Bermuda was just how friendly it was - everyone on the street would say hello if you made eye contact. Passengers getting on a bus would say good morning to the other passengers, and smiles everywhere. It may be a small island, but it is worth a visit. I guess that is what made the contrast to the people here so striking. It is fair to say that given time, most will warm a little, but not all. The really friendly have been in a minority(Sam says you can count them on one hand!).
We are going to try Virgin Gorda, and see if it is different there, we hope it will be.
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