Photos and Footnotes

We might be home, but we're still living on "Journey's End" in our hearts and minds!  We calculated that she carried us just under 100 miles in 10 days.  And we are proud to say that we only used 7 gallons of gasoline for a total of $41.00 throughout our trip.  That's quite impressive compared to our previous powerboat rental fuel costs which were roughly 10 times that amount.  Sailing is proving to be an economical endeavor!  Below is a map showing our journey.  The dark blue line is from days 1 - 5 and the green line shows days 6 - 10.

Technology made it difficult for me to include many images in my posts while we were at sea, but we did take photos above and under water during our trip.  I guess one of the benefits to being back home is the ability to review our adventure in pictures.  Below are some highlights...

The Crew (Captain Jon and First Mate Amy):

The Vessel:

The Crew at Play:

The Crew at Work:

Favorite Views Above the Water:

Favorite Views Below the Water:

And Our Favorite Spot to Sit and Dream of Our Next Journey:

Newbies No More

I'm writing this second-to-last post for our Virgin Voyage blog while on the airplane flying from St. Thomas to Atlanta. We have very bittersweet feelings about the conclusion of our first sailing adventure.

Last night we had to pack up our belongings and clean the inside of the boat to prepare for our final sail back to "Journey's End's" home in Red Hook Harbor. While in the process of packing, I realized that we had spent more time aboard this boat than we had any other place except for the homes we've lived in - 11 nights spent in a space 37 feet long by 13 feet wide. And we absolutely LOVED it!

Once we got used to the space, there was plenty of room for both of us. We spent mornings drinking coffee in the cockpit. Our triangular bed was far more comfortable than we expected, despite the fact that Jon's feet hung over the end. I discovered the convenience and joy of using the outside shower after using the one in the head for a few days. And we spent the later parts of the evening sitting on the back transom dangling our feet in the water while looking up at the stars. It was truly magical.

And this morning, as we sailed into Red Hook in a squall with boat traffic coming from all directions, I finally experienced the exhilaration of being at the helm in adverse conditions without feeling nervous. Well, actually I was a bit nervous at first. But it gave way to excitement when I felt the power of "Journey's End" and knew that she could take care of us.

While we still have a long way to go before we can call ourselves "real" sailors, we are no longer wet-behind-the-ears. We learned a tremendous amount on our travels aboard "Journey's End." Putting all of our training into practice has given me more confidence in my abilities. And it's given me a much greater appreciation for the calm, steady nature of Jon. He is a rock. I guess that makes me the hard place.

 

FYI - stay tuned for photos coming this weekend...

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Our Journey's End

(And this is Thursday's post)

This was our last full day aboard "Journey's End." We had a short but brisk sail to another bay in the National Park of St. John. The "breeze" picked up quite a bit today and most boats had their sails reefed, included ours. Reefing your sails makes the sail area smaller - important for stability on really windy days. And today our wind indicator registered gusts of over 26 knots per hour.

We ended up just relaxing once we arrived in this secluded anchorage. For our next trip, we'll have to remember to take more time to simply enjoy our surroundings. Sailing is a very fun way to get from point A to point B, but some days we might have done too much. Regular life is about rushing from one thing to another. Travel should be about immersing yourself in the simple experiences.

When I travel, I like to read books about the places I'm visiting. On our first trip to the BVIs I read "Don't Stop the Carnival" by Herman Wouk. It's a fictional account of a dissatisfied Brit who comes to the islands and begins managing a resort. Quite a challenge working with people who operate on island time. "Feet, Fins and a Four-Wheel Drive" was my choice during our land-based trip to St. John. This was an entertainingly written guidebook about the off-the-beaten-path spots to visit but also provided a great historical perspective of the island.

On this trip, I chose "An Embarrassment of Mangoes" for my reading enjoyment. It's a memoir from the late 1990s about a couple who take a year off and travel the Caribbean on their 40 foot sailboat. The author is the wife, who had virtually no sailing experience before they decided to take their journey. She's very upfront about her fears during their year aboard the boat, but she manages to overcome them to have a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Her stories about gale force winds during overnight passages make me look like a chickensh**. She's my inspiration!

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Wayward and Winded

(This is Wednesday's post which I haven't been able to upload due to lack of WiFi)

 

We are back in the US! The US Virgin Islands, that is. We had a great sail this morning to Cruz Bay on the island of St. John. We entered the Customs and Immigration office just before the ferry arrived, saving us from having to stand in line behind a very large group coming in from Tortola.

We've heard that the C&I process to clear in and out of the US and BVIs is a pain, but we didn't have any problems. Most people seem to end up chartering out of the BVIs so they don't have to go through the hassle but I think it was worth it. It's been nice to experience the lifestyle of both sets of islands.

The BVIs are definitely set up for cruisers with fun anchorages, infrastructure and nightlife. But the anchorages in St. John are more like camping in a National Park. In fact, more than 50% of St. John is comprised of a National Park and is very well maintained. Plus, it's cheaper to stay on NPS moorings - $15 per night versus $25-30 in the BVIs. We're now on a mooring ball in Maho Bay and it's very quiet and secluded. Which is fortunate because I need a good night's sleep!

Sailing is a very physical pursuit. Tacking back and forth is jarring and working the lines takes some strength. It also takes a toll on your hands. Mine are ripped up despite wearing sailing gloves every day. You also have to be pretty nimble to maneuver around on a monohull like "Journey's End." We are constantly walking up and down the stairs of the companionway which are steep and require good balance, especially while under sail. Even going to the bathroom takes effort to manually pump the bowl clean. Remember this if you ever decide to join us on a sailing trip. Getting in shape is not about looking good in a bathing suit!

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High Heels in Paradise

This has been an exhilarating day of sailing! We spent most of our day headed into the wind (as usual) but the winds were high and we set our sails accordingly. If you know sailing, you probably realize that "Journey's End" must have been heeling significantly to stay on course through these close-hauled points of sail. In fact, we think our toilet even spilled out at one point. Jon estimates that we were heeled close to 40 degrees at times. Quite a feat and accomplishment for a scared and novice sailor like me. Unfortunately, I was too preoccupied to take any photos.

After a very fun evening in Great Harbor, Jost Van Dyke, we headed towards a couple of fun day anchorages. Little Jost is home to "Foxy's Taboo," and offshoot of the famous (or infamous) Foxy's in GH where we visited yesterday.

We caught a mooring on Little Jost and snorkeled the shallow reef for about an hour, finally seeing some turtles. The ones we spotted were quite large, and had remoras clinging to their sides. We continued to explore these waters and got a glimpse of a tarpon following his meal of minnows.

From there, we stopped at Sandy Cay - likely the location used in the popular Corona ads. Sandy Cay is clearly stunning. We swam instead of taking our dinghy to the beach.

We are now moored in Cane Garden Bay, a much-talked-about spot in the BVIs that I thought sounded overblown. But I was wrong. It's actually a lively, vibrant community with a smattering of good bars and restaurants on a very picturesque sandy beach. We met our new friends, Ken and DD, for happy hour before saying our goodbyes. Tomorrow we head back to the US Virgin Islands for a couple of days before bringing "Journey's End" back to her home.

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Oh, the places we'll go....

The past couple of days are what we dreamed of when planning this trip. We've had very good sailing conditions and have visited some great day anchorages for snorkeling and exploring.

We left the North Sound of Virgin Gorda yesterday morning on a perfect course for the southern tip of the island. Our destination was The Baths, an area of white sands and giant boulders the size of a VW bus. The info in the guidebooks reads... "The sea washes in between the huge rocks, creating large pools where shafts of light play upon the water, creating a dramatic effect." It's a prime tourist spot, but well worth it. The caves and tunnels created by these rock formations look like they belong in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney World. Since it's low season, we were almost alone while exploring this National Park.

Today, we stopped at a really nice-looking reef referred to as Monkey Point. We visited this spot on our Cooper Island trip, but this time the reef looked in even better shape than it did four years ago. That's a rare occurrence these days as most reefs around the world are dying due to pollution and global warming. But this one was lovely and we saw many fish chomping eagerly for their lunch.

 

 

 

From Monkey Point, we set sail to Jost Van Dyke, one of the jewels of the BVIs. We're current on a mooring ball in Great Harbor - a nice, shallow anchorage. We went swimming from the boat and showered off the stern transom - very nice to do so outside instead of our small, inside shower. Now we are enjoying happy hour on the boat, watching a couple of turtles poke their heads up occasionally to say "hi."

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On Course for Divorce

Don't worry - today's blog title doesn't refer to us. It's in reference to the rich, young couple who were in the slip next to us last night. Actually, I can't guarantee that they were rich - the captain and a chef they had onboard were my only clue. I'm just pretty sure their marriage isn't going to make it based on the derogatory remarks she was hurling at him throughout the evening. But it got me thinking about the pros and cons of a trip like ours.

Being on a boat with your significant other seems very romantic. And it can be. But it can also be stressful to be in such close quarters. Don't get me wrong - "Journey's End" is a beautiful boat. But it's not large. In fact, Jon is too tall for our bed and his feet hang over the side every night. Not ideal for a restful night's sleep, especially since he has been woken with cramps in his calves more than once. This is one time that being small is a benefit. Here are some shots of the interior of the boat for reference.

Being on a boat can also bruise your ego and your body. Jon stubbed one of his toes so badly it looked sprained or maybe even broken. Both of my shins are black and blue from banging them on the stairs going up the companionway. And I have a new bruise on my chest from another misadventure with the boat hook (don't ask).

Doing something unfamiliar is exciting but also causes some anxiety. Right now everything is new so this is the time to question decisions and adjust accordingly. But it's hard to feel so inexperienced.

Fortunately, we learn a little more every day. And we seem to be getting pretty good at faking it. There are very few Island Packet sailboats here in the BVIs because they are designed for blue water cruising (long passages across oceans). So we've heard that most people see our boat and assume we are seasoned sailors. Fine by me.

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Beach, Bugs and BBQ

We made some friends! Believe it or not, Jon and I do not typically meet people when we travel. I know that sounds surprising - if you're reading this blog you're probably friends with us already and you know we can be a lot of fun. But Zoe and I both think that Jon can seem standoffish, so people don't usually approach us to chat.

Not anymore though. Ken and DD are honeymooners from Winnipeg traveling the BVIs on a pretty large catamaran. They are probably in their mid-50s and were late-in-life sailors like us. They actually learned to sail during a liveaboard class in the BVIs, and this is their third trip. They had some pretty entertaining stories to share about their previous visits. Before they left this morning, we made plans to meet up with them again in a few days in another anchorage.

With a 10-day charter, we decided to spend two nights at Leverick Bay on the slip. This gave us the opportunity to explore the North Sound of Virgin Gorda. We spent the day on the dinghy - a very small boat with a vintage 7 hp engine.

Our first stop was a private beach where we brought the dinghy ashore and snorkeled a cute, little reef. There were "private property" signs posted, which we ignored because all beaches in the Virgin Islands are public. Individuals cannot restrict access, though the often try.

Next, I decided that it would be great to hike some of the hills surrounding North Sound. As some of you may know, I'm often totally unprepared when I embark on these hikes. Today was no different. About one-third of the way through the hike, I was covered in bloody smears from smacked mosquitos. Bug spray was back on "Journey's End."

After filling our dinghy at the Bitter End Yacht Club gas dock, we stopped briefly at a very fun beach bar that was unfortunately closed for the season. Though we couldn't get a drink, we soaked our bodies to relieve the itchiness from the earlier bug bites.

We ended the day with a great dinner at Hog Heaven, a BBQ place that could rival those in Memphis and St. Louis. Jon had the ribs, I had pulled pork, and we both enjoyed this amazing view of all the spots we visited during our dinghy day...

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The Fat Virgin

We had dinner ashore last night and enjoyed catching up with Derek, one of the managers we met at Cooper Island four years ago. He seemed quite proud of the changes at CIBC and said that they have been a busy destination spot for both the sailing crowd and people staying at the resort. He offered to show us around in the morning, but we needed to head out early to get underway for a long day's sail.

We are now located in the North Sound of Virgin Gorda, very close to the luxury island owned by Sir Richard Branson (Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Airways, and other "Virgin" properties). You may recall a news story about Kate Winslett saving some of Sir Richard's guests during a recent fire on the island. She came out sounding like a hero but that may have just been some good PR spin.

Today's journey on the "Journey" was intense. Winds were high but at least coming from a better direction so we only needed to tack twice during a four hour sail. The wind speed indicator showed gusts over 20 knots (it seemed pretty strong to me) and we made good time. We tied up to a mooring ball at Leverick Bay and relaxed before bringing our boat into a slip. Because I'm a member of "TravelTalkOnline," an online travel message board, we were able to stay on a slip for the price of a mooring ball. After a few nights tied to a ball, it's nice to walk ashore, refresh our water supply and just spend some time on land.

Coincidentally, the name "Swifty Sails" comes from my username on TravelTalkOnline. When I joined, I picked the name "Swifty" as a wink to the nickname Jon gave me many years ago. I think he was poking fun at my occasional less-than-graceful physical blunders (see yesterday's post about the boat hook for reference). Hopefully "Swifty Sails" will be as entertaining as a blog as I have been for Jon.

Here are some shots of "Journey's End" in Leverick Bay...

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Captain (and the) Hook

(And this is from Thursday...)

The "Willy T" did not disappoint last night. We were some of the first people aboard and possibly the only ones eating dinner. But by about 8:00 people started coming by the boatloads!

There were some really interesting things going on in the Bight. Guys and girls waterskiing on a standup paddleboard pulled behind a dinghy. A woman posing for photos with a giant blow up part of the male anatomy. And things were even crazier on the "T." Women getting temporary tattoos in naughty places. Guys wearing speedos and suspenders. The party was still going on when I poked my head out "Journey's End" at 2 AM. We were definitely not at Ol' Mexico! I told Jon that if we ever end up living in the BVIs, he is not allowed to get a job at the Willy T.

We had a leisurely morning on the boat, then took a hike on Norman Island before setting sail. The weather forecast put the winds out of the east again today - in the exact direction of today's destination. But at least it was blowing so we didn't have to motor sail. We just tacked back and forth up Sir Francis Drake Channel for a few hours, as close to the wind as we could get without healing too uncomfortably.

We are now on a mooring ball at Cooper Island Beach Club, and can see the cottage we rented when we visited almost four years ago. CIBC has undergone a major renovation since our last trip. New owners took over (we heard that they are the daughters of a wealthy British couple who made their money in the dart industry), and have really transformed the place. Of course, we thought it was really cute before but was starting to show it's age. Now it's really stunning!

I can vividly recall sitting on the porch of our cottage looking down at the boats in the anchorage and being so envious of the sailors. Now we're one of them! Here's a shot of "Journey's End" tucked away for the night, along with some other shots from the anchorage...

But it's not all sunshine and roses here at Cooper Island. I must confess to my first novice sailor mishap of the trip. We entered the anchorage, picked out the mooring ball we wanted (the closest one we could get to our old cottage) and got ready to hook the ball. I was able to grab the ball with no problem, but I couldn't hang onto it. In this situation, a more experienced sailor would have simply dropped the ball, circled around and tried again. But I dropped the whole boat hook. In my defense, I thought I would be strong enough to stop a 10,000 pound boat by myself (I've been working out a lot to get ready for the trip). Nope. So we tried in vain to pick up the boat hook before it drifted out to sea, until a guy in a dinghy picked it up and handed it over. Uggh - how embarrassing to do something that stupid in front of all of the boaters that got here earlier, but also the people watching the entertainment from the bar. Oh well - live and learn. I'm not likely to do that again!

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