Mass for Mom

My oldtime friend from Xerox Marylou O'Brien (second from the right, in pink) was kind enough to have Mass said today (2/21/2010) at her church in Texas. I just wanted to take a moment to thank her here for her years of friendship and kindness. I really miss all my friends but am enjoying meeting new ones as well. I miss my Mom too and think of her often.

Bye bye to Chip and Jo

The next day Chip and Jo leave to go back to the frozen north. They were having flight delays due to ‘weather’ though there did not seem to be any snow storms. The weather (we found out later) was ash and dust from the volcano collapsing at Montserrat. So, after they got home Chip made a cool Google map of our trip (Copy & paste the following hyperlink into the address field of your internet window.)
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&gl=us&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=1469%2039th%20Ave,%20Kenosha,%20Wisconsin%2053144&msa=0&msid=111698484107118574624.00047f9378c912b13ed33&ll=18.407306,-64.644241&spn=0.415013,0.827408&z=11

Then Chip published their pictures on their website (Copy & paste the following hyperlink into the address field of your internet window.) http://www.chiplueck.com

Back to St Thomas, Charlotte Amalie

The next day we stopped at Sopers Hole to check out of BVI customs then on to Cruz Bay, St. John to check into US customs. Since they were leaving the next day we continued to Charlotte Amalie and were planning a vegetarian dinner when Mark mentioned to Chip that there was a Sushi restaurant in the bay – so here we are after a delightful meal.

Darn...I forgot the camera

Well, the wind turned to the west of all things and we had to motor sail back…we stopped at Norman Island and had a visit at the William Thornton, sadly I forgot to take a picture

The Bitter End of Vrgin Gorda

We ventured up to the Bitter End for the next two nights. I discovered after Chip & Jo left that I really sucked at taking pictures. We had drinks at the Bitter End Yacht club and dinner at The English Pub down the road a bit. The pizza was good.

Red flag at the Baths...darn

We went up to Virgin Gorda to the baths but the red flags were out stating that swimming was dangerous. Jo, Chip and Chris braved the elements anyway but stayed far away from the rocks and shore. The snorkeling was kind of disappointing as there was a lot of sediment kicked up. This is Mark at the helm on the trip up…up wind all the way BUT we were looking forward to a downwind run on the way back.

Front row seat...

Chip found a good seat in front of the jib yes, we were motor sailing (again).

Foxy's in Jost Van Dyke

The next morning we sail over to Jost Van Dyke and check into customs then of course we have to stop at Foxy’s as all good tourists do. It was kind of empty and we wondered why until someone remembered that it was Superbowl Sunday. The following Tuesday we remembered to ask who won (the Saints) an the ‘jock’ we asked looked at us like we were idiots.

Chip and Jo arrive from Wisconsin

Chip & Jo arrived from very cold Wisconsin on 2/6/2010 and are met in Red Hook at our favorite little Mexican Bar. Boy, are they glad to be in warm weather.

So long to Dave and Susan

All good things must come to and end and we dropped Dave and Susan off at their hotel for the weekend and stayed for a cold one and appetizers at the outside bar.

Skinny Leg's

Next we catch Dave and Mark at the Coral Cove, St John hotspot, Skinny Leg’s

Norman Island and the William Thornton

The next day (1/27/09) found us at Norman Island (the Bight) and at the William Thornton. A real hot spot for young folks (younger than us) who like to show off their tattoos and various body parts. Just in case you happen to arrive during a quiet period there are the videos to watch.

Lovely view

This picture was taken just to show what a lovely anchorage we were in between Jost Van Dyke and Little Jost Van Dyke.

Needed a beer after a long hike

Naturally after that long hike we had to stop for a beer at Foxy’s Taboo.

Bubby Pool

We next traveled to ‘Bubby Pool’ anchoring between Jost an Little Jost near Foxy’s Taboo Restaurant. It was a small hike to get to the Bubby Pool but worth it as there was a northern swell and the crashing waves were great. Thought this picture doesn’t have any people in it, you can actually play in the surf, rocks under the water cause there to be little undertow.

The pirate got into the rum…again...

The pirate got into the rum…again!

Sopers Hole, Tortola BVI

We picked them up at Red Hook and were on our way to Jost Van Dyke to check into customs but it was kinda rough so we dogged into Sopers Hole at the west end of Tortilla to check in instead. Next we stopped for happy hour/dinner at the Jolly Roger with ‘Big Sexy’ as our bartender / waiter. When asked how he got his name he said ‘I earned it’

Oh, and brother Bob, when I used your trick of the empty bottle over my head to indicate (per you) that ‘I needed another beer’…Big Sexy said that you tricked me that what it truly means is ‘I’m drunk’!

Susan and Chris enjoying the ride

Susan and Chris enjoying the ride. Susan was delighted to discover that her patch worked and did not get the least bit seasick…we were delighted as well.

Dave and Susan Fiorelli arrive

Dave and Susan Fiorelli arrived as our first visitors of the new year on 1/25/2010. We really were very bad at taking pictures with our camera though I believe that Dave and Susan took quite a few more. This is (of course) Mark and Dave behind the helm.

Treasures of the sea...

On 1/23/2010 John and I went diving – a refresher for me as it had been years since I have been diving. We practiced depth control, clearing ears, etc and found this beautiful plastic glass on the bottom. (It went into a proper trash container after this picture.)

Meanwhile Mark removed the small lantern in the aft cabin and replaced it with a hand-hold for getting in or out of the aft berth.

Ground beef via KitchenAid

We went to the store prior to Dave and Susan arriving and I had ground beef on my list. Well, the only thing they had was 73% fat free, which translates to 27% fat! They did however have a really nice bottom roast which I purchased instead and ground my own beef with my handy-dandy KitchenAid. I knew that meat grinder would come in handy.

Fixer-upper for Jack and Karen

We found another ‘fixer-upper’ – this time for our friends Jack and Karen. This boat is near Water Island (Crown Bay) just west of Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas….just in case you want to fly down and have a look.

Dinner with Seaman's Exixir

We had dinner with friends on Seaman’s Elixir Steve and Linda. Linda is a wonderful cook and is in her galley ready to pop some appetizers in the oven.