Happy Arrrr!

Yes, that is pirate talk for Happy Hour!

So what is the first letter in a pirates alphabet?     RRRRRRRRR!      HaHaHa

Yesterday we arrived in Leverick Bay on Virgin Gorda, BVI’s after checking into customs in Spanish Town first.  We were happy to pay the $21.00 to clear in as we were expecting it to be over $100 USD but were told only the Charter Boats must buy the “Cruising Permit”…Yippee!

Leverick Bay is home to about 36 moorings available for $25.00.  For that you get to use the mooring, a free bag of ice, free water fill up and free internet (slow but free).

To our surprise, it was Michael Beans night at Jumbies Bar on the beach at Leverick Bay.  So for Happy Arrrr (which is 5-7pm) we went up to see what this famous local pirate was all about. We purchased some Pain-Killer drinks at the 2 for 1 happy hour price and waited for the show to start.  Beans is a one-man-band that plays the harmonica, the guitar, and foot stomps on an old wooden box then later adds an accordian!    Each table had a “shaker” made from old water bottles loaded with popcorn kernels.  I was the chosen percussionist for our table .  Later in the show there was a conch blowing contest.  Of course our Cap’t John went to compete and tied for first but then lost in the second round…good effort though at 54 seconds of blowing a conch shell. 

His show ends with this “It doesn’t matter how old you are or how young you are, how thin you are or how fat you are, how smart you are, how poor or rich you are, what color skin you have…God Loves Ya No Matter Who You Arrrrr” and then the crowd cheers with an “ARRRRRR”!

Sint Maarten or St. Martin?

It is both.  The Southern side Dutch and the Northern side is French.  It was divided in 1648.  Legend has it that it was divided by a Dutchman and a Frenchman having a walking race (one headed North and the other South).  Where they met became the border with the French obtaining 3/5 of the land.  Today it is the land of “Duty Free” shopping. I did my share by purchasing the local Guavaberry Liquor.  It is the only place in the world that I have been to where you don’t have to go through Customs to cross the border. 

We anchored in Simpson Bay which is a large lagoon entered and exited only by a swing bridge which opens 3 times a day.  The yacht club is at the bridge and quite the crowd gathers for the boat parade.  The airport is right around the corner so every morning at about 8:15 the first of many jets pass over the boats where you are awakened by the extremely LOUD noise of low jet engines.

For fun we took the local bus/van (only $1.50 per person) to Phillipsburg which is the capital of the Dutch side.  There is a beautiful Boardwalk to walk and shop away the hours.  One of the deals we found was a bucket of six Carib Beers for $10.00.  We were hot and thirsty so a cold one seemed like a great way to pass time. We also sopped in to the Yoda “Star Wars” museum.  There were two cruise ships in port that day but at 5:00 pm when they leave, Phillipsburg becomes a ghost town.  We found that only a few things stayed open for the rest of us and most of those were Casinos.  We partook in BINGO at the Coliseum  Casino and I won!  For a $3.00 investment, I won $25.00..not a bad investment and a lot of fun.  John was only a B-4 away from winning the $1500 “Blackout” prize.

Gustavia, St. Bart’s

Back to the land of the French and the rich and famous.  Oh what a sail it was from Barbuda…53 mile run using our assymetrical “BEAST” sail.  We saw another pod of whales of which we think are Fin Whales because of the dorsel fin we see as they surface.  And Jonathon caught and released another fish…this time a mahi-mahi.

Today we went to shore to clear in and clear out (since we will only be staying 24 hours).  It is very rolly in the bay and crowded too!  We walked to “Shell Beach” and as you can see they named it appropriately.  Aterwards we walked through town although most things were closed (back to the siesta thing).  That’s okay as it is mostly stores like Chanel, Cartier, etc. and out of my price range even with duty-free prices.

Barbudaful

 

Today was one of those awesome days because…

Dolphins swam around us as we departed Jolly Harbour…CHECK

Saw two whales spouting water and showing us their tails during the crossing…CHECK

Under Sail all day long with the perfect heel angle and winds…CHECK

Jonathon catching a mackeral and releasing it…CHECK

Getting to Barbuda and the deserted 11 mile beach waiting for me…CHECK

Swam out to rescue the dinghy as it was floating away from the beach…CHECK

Learning to start and drive the dinghy-lesson #4…CHECK

Hanging out all those wet clothes from the dinghy rescue so they can dry..CHECK

Local lobster dinner for only $25 USD…CHECK (they export lobster to France)

Cocktails while watching a gorgeous sunset…CHECK

A GOD GIVEN DAY…PRICELESS!

Arenophile

Do you know what that means?  I didn’t until today.  It means “sand lover”.  Here on Barbuda the alluring thing about the beaches are its pink crystal sand.  The pink grains come from mixing of a red algae that grows on the coral reefs with the white mineral deposits.  I had to bring home a collection for myself.

Since we had to find a way to get to Codington town anyway to clear Customs, we decided to hire a water-taxi guide to take us to the World’s largest Frigate Bird Sanctuary.  The babies were about 3 months old and can’t fly yet.  The females lay only one egg per year.  The males wing span can be over 6 feet long and the body weight is only a couple of pounds.  They eat the fish that are near the surface of the water since they can’t dive/swim due to their long wings.

After the Bird Sanctuary we took a guide to the Indian Caves.  As you can see from some of my previous photos, Barbuda is a low island and the top of the caves are its highest point at 125 feet over the Atlantic.  You walk into a cave, hike a short distance up through a hole and arrive over looking the ocean side of the Island.  The Island is known for the dangerous reefs surrounding it and there are over 200 shipwrecks to prove it.  The original owners, the Codrington family actually used the reefs to gain their wealth.  Since the island did not have sugar-cane production, they would draw ships to the Island with mis-placed lights hoping to find a ship ready to salvage in the pre-dawn light and sell the copper or gold. 

After our tours we stopped at the Port Authority building near the docks and were told we had to walk to customs.  It is in someone’s living-room…pretty funny.  Then on to Immigration and tomorrow morning we can leave early towards St. Bart’s.

Jolly Harbour, Antigua

We moved up the coast a bit as soon as the winds let up.  We wanted to get into a marina for a few days to wash off the boat, top off the water and batteries, and enjoy just walking off the boat anytime you want.  This is quite the marina.  It reminded us of the ICW coming into the Harbour which is another Hurricane Hole.  There are homes with docks all along and it is VERY SHALLOW.  The marina sends help to tie up as it is bow or stern-to and pilings…no finger piers.  I think we have 5 lines out to hold us tight. 

Ashore there are gift shops, a book and DVD exchange, restaurants, a pool, a golf course, and a really great supermarket!  It costs about $50 USD per night plus electricity and water.  We went out last night all excited to play BINGO and have Happy Hour wings but there was only us and a few other people in the bar…no BINGO.  There is a very nice but run down looking Casino here but it is all closed up…pretty sad.  We wandered over to the beach yesterday and saw such amazing light blue…almost white water.

Antigua

A week ago we sailed from Guadaloupe to English Harbour, Antigua.  It was a rough sail for the Admiral as we were in 12 foot seas and winds in the 30 knot range but the Captain loved it as Jay Sea Dee takes off in those conditions.  We anchored in English Harbour which is on the South side of the island and there we stayed for quite a few days waiting for the “blow” to pass.  It was a fun place to be held up though as we could explore Nelsons Dockyard and we rented a car.  The island has some beautiful beaches but otherwise is lacking in the green rainforest and banana and coconut tree landscapes we were getting used to.  The beaches have changed from black sand to a beige color.  The water here ranges from emerald blue to turquoise to a light baby blue…really a sight to see.  We told them they didn’t need to roll out the red carpet for us but…

Admiral Horatio Nelson arrived in 1784 on HMS Boreas bringing the British Naval fleet to this protected “hurricane hole”.  The turnstile looking things are called  “capstan’s” and they were used to “careen” the ships up to shore and turn them over so they could do repairs to the bottom.  The pillars are all that’s left of the sail loft where ships would come to repair sails.

Instead of a turtle sanctuary, they have a donkey sanctuary and it’s free!