Things I dislike about the BVI

A couple of people have asked what I DON’T like about being in the BVI, and there are some things.  I’ve become more of a food snob over the last few years.  This shows up in Santa Fe and it becomes clearer here in the Islands.  Yogurt is a great example.  Dannon is the brand of choice and I simply can’t grit my teeth enough to eat the sugary stuff.  Scored a couple of weeks ago with eight vanilla and coconut Chobani but haven’t seen anything like that since.  The only alternative is plain Dannon.  I have discovered there are some Chile wines that are drinkable but I sincerely miss my regular brands, my scotch AND lattes.  J  (Although Steve makes great morning coffee!!)

Organic foods are minimal if at all.  Catching veggies on the day they are stocked is a score since they don’t last well down here.  Red peppers and lettuce have to be eaten quickly or they are fish food, and the fish don’t seem to care much for them.  Fish prefer cheese, which I share with the dog instead.  We are down to ground beef, after finishing the last of the chicken brought frozen from home.  We will see if we find any meat to buy at RiteWay. 

I’ve rediscovered that I don’t like humidity, even in this beautiful place.  There is a reason I live in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Clothes and towels don’t ever seem totally dry. I remember, when I first moved to Santa Fe, hearing a radio announcer talk about going back to the Midwest for a wedding.  He talked about getting out of the shower and after drying off with three towels, giving up and getting into his clothes still damp.  In Santa Fe, he insisted, as he got out of the shower and reached for a towel, he realized he was already dry.  It feels like that, to me, down here.  One cure is hanging towels and clothes out on the life lines to air – and then rushing to bring them in when it starts to rain at midnight. 

Grit, sand and salt aren’t favorites either.  I get frustrated that about the only time I actually feel clean is for the first 10 minutes after getting out of the shower.  Sitting on the trampoline in a lovely night breeze is a sure way to undo a shower.  And, while I like my curly hair, down here it is too close to dreadlocks to suit me.

I miss my nightly PBS Newshour routine, walking Iris a mile and a half every day, biking in Eldorado and the gorgeous Iris blooming in my yard right now. (I wonder if any of them will still be blooming when we get back?)

And, as much as I’ve learned about sailing, particularly on this trip with only Steve and me on board, I still worry about what I’ll do wrong that will break something or put us in danger.  We have successfully anchored, caught mooring balls, sailed around many gorgeous islands and haven’t died.  Today, after a beautiful sail to Anegada (jib and mainsail up) I feel a little less unsure. 

All told, my dislikes seem minor when you balance out the beautiful breezes, gorgeous moon and/or stars at night and calm, blue waters for sailing.

A Nice Passage To Anegada

May 24th, 2016.  Setting Point, Anegada, British Virgin Islands

After dealing with the whole ear infection thing, Janet and I set out for Anegada, the most northerly island in the British Virgins.  Anegada, or as it is sometimes known "The Drowned Island" is very different from the rest of the BVI's, in that it is essentially a large barrier reef with a sandy island that has formed behind the reef.  The reef itself is the 4th largest barrier reef in the world measuring 18 miles in length.  The highest point on the island is 28 feet above sea level.

Sailing to Anegada is, to novice sailors, the most difficult of passages in the BVI since the island is not visible from Virgin Gorda, due to the low-lying nature of the island.  Indeed, the difficulty in seeing the island and reef system has resulted in hundreds of shipwrecks.

Janet and Iris having a great time on the passage to Anegada

Eric's suggested route to Anegada

When I first began chartering in 2001, there was limited availability of GPS to help guide a boat to Anegada, and most of the charter companies made the island strictly off-limits, unless you could demonstrate a familiarity with the area.  As GPS became more available the charter companies relaxed their rules a bit and started to organize flotillas to the island.  A lead boat with an experienced captain would gather large groups of boaters at the entrance to Gorda Sound, and would lead them to the entrance of the harbor at Setting Point, Anegada.  These days, with GPS on my phone, my iPad, and a chartplotter on the boat, the crossing is a piece of cake.

Janet, Iris and I set out Tuesday morning around 10:00 AM following some suggestions from a sailing friend, Eric. We had a nice ESE breeze at between 10 and 15 knots, which put us on a delightful beam reach.  We put up the main with one reef, just in case we ran into any higher winds, and the jib.   Once out of the lee of Necker island, we were able to get the boat up to an average of 6.5 knots on just sails, no motor.  The waves were less than 2 foot with no perceivable swell.  An absolutely delightful sail.  We arrived around 12:30, just a 2 1/2 hour sail.  So much for a stressful passage.  And the GPS put us within 1/2 mile of the entrance to the harbor, which is clearly marked with bouyage.  Things are different these days.

Once we made it to the anchorage at Setting Point, we were greeted with a very different scene than what I remember from 15 years ago!  The number of mooring balls has exploded in the last few years, with hardly any good anchor spaces to be had near the ferry dock.   Since most of the deep water area of the harbor is taken up by the mooring field, we decided we would take a mooring ball for the first night and do some exploring with the dinghy before we decided where we would anchor for the next few days.

While our day was without drama, for at least one boater the same wasn't true.  While I was doing some stuff on the internet, I heard a bunch of shouting and went outside to see what was happening.  Off our starboard beam, about 1/2 a mile away a 40' monohull had run hard aground presumably in sand and grass.  What they were thinking being in such a shallow area with a deep draft boat (I'm guessing they draw at least 6 feet), I'm not sure.  And it's not like there aren't good charts for this area.

Luckily for the boat that ran aground there was a couple of savvy sailors on boats nearby.  The good samaritans on the nearby boats immediately jumped in their dinghies and went to the aid of the grounded vessel.  The technique they used to free the boat was one I've seen in books but never in practice.  The dinghies (actually large center-console RIBs with 40 HP motors) took the main halyard from the grounded boat and pulled it hard to the lee, inducing significant heal to the boat.  This freed the keel from the bottom and the boat was able to make it's way (after several tries) out of the shallow area they were stuck in.  Interestingly, they didn't stay the night after getting free, they took off for Virgin Gorda.  While they were leaving Janet pointed out that they were flying a Texas flag.  Not to read too much into that, just sayin'.

Tomorrow we will do some exploring.  Want this morning to make reservations for both a car rental for Thursday, and a lobster dinner for Wednesday night.

Earaches and A Different Kind of Healthcare System

May 23rd, 2016.  Gun Creek, Gorda Sound, Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands

Somehow I developed an ear infection (probably swimmer's ear) and, as much as I tried to ignore it, it became so bad that I needed to visit a clinic.  Something that I've never done before in the BVI, so I figured it would be interesting.  I was not wrong.

After a rough night of sleep (the infection had become very painful), Janet and I caught a mooring ball at Leverick Bay in the North Sound of Virgin Gorda.  After I called the clinic to be sure they were open, I hopped in the dinghy to make the short trip around the corner to Gun Creek.

Much to my surprise, Gun Creek turned out to be a fairly sizable town (as far as BVI standards go) and they have regular ferry services from Tortola and The Bitter End on Virgin Gorda.  Also, for future reference, they have a Customs and Immigration service that we could have used instead of going to Spanish Town.  One of the things I've learned while down here is to deal with as small a Customs and Immigration office as you can, both in the USVI and the BVI.  The lines are much shorter and the employees seem to be less stressed, and therefore more helpful.

The North Sound clinic was a short walk up the hill, and once I checked in, I settled in for a bit of a wait, since I was like the 4th person in line.  The clinics operate on a first-come, first-served basis and no appointment was needed, or in fact, it seemed like no appointments were even given.  The clientele that day was a couple of women who were in for pre-natal care, an old man who was blind, myself, and a couple of eastern european sailor types.

Antibiotics and pain meds, yum!

After a while, my name was called and I first saw a nurse practitioner who took a sketchy history, my blood pressure, and temperature.  She then had me wait for a few minutes and I then got to see the doctor, a Dr. Dwight Robertson.  Dr. Robertson examined me and asked me a few questions about my ears, confirmed that I had an ear infection, and wrote me a prescription for an antibiotic, Azithromycin (Zithromax brand in the US), and NSAID pain reliever, Voltaren (Diclofenac), and Chloramphenicol ear drops.  The prescriptions were filled at the clinic, and I was handed a small brown paper sack with the entire course of the medication as I was leaving.

Iris is tired of waiting for Steve to get back from the clinic.

After all that, I was sent back to the receptionist to pay the bill.  I was a bit apprehensive, given that I would not be covered by their National Health Insurance plan, and that I would have to pay the full price for the visit.  After consulting several price sheets, and discussing with the nurse practitioner, the receptionist handed me a bill, and apologized for how high it was.  I looked over the bill, and the total, for the entire clinic visit, including the filled prescriptions was $149.87!  I smiled at the receptionist, handed her my credit card, and was on my merry way.



May 25th:  Happy to report that the ear (as well as me, in general!) is on the mend.  A couple more days of antibiotics and I should be good as new!

Iris' Accessories

Iris in her classy PFD aboard her dinghy

Without going into detail regarding all the paperwork, shots, tests, etc. that were necessary to get Iris admitted into the BVI, other planning was also necessary for her comfort and health.  There is a great Facebook group “Sailing and Cruising with Pets” which was helpful, Jody’s writing from “Where the Coconuts Grow” and Carolyn, writing in “The Boat Galley” all had interesting, informative suggestions for cruising with four-legged crew.  Below are some of the items we have tried and found to be good Iris accessories for this trip.

First agenda item was a PFD for Iris.  After cruising the internet for suggestions, we went more expensive and settled on a medium sized RuffWear doggy PFD.  Her red PFD is sturdy, adjustable and has saved her twice so far.  She has become adept at getting on and off the dinghy.  About a week ago, Steve and I misjudged the wind/current conditions, the dinghy shifted and she missed.  NOT HER FAULT but nevertheless a dunking ensued.  Steve was able to grab the vest handle and pull, while I got underneath her legs and pushed and she popped right into the dinghy, after floating/swimming around for only about two minutes.  We have decided swimming is not natural for a Plott hound, although she didn’t look too terrified.  She was a little hesitant the next couple of times jumping into the dinghy but by now she is ok again.

The quality, heavy duty construction of the PFD has been everything advertised.  Iris jumps on and off the dinghy onto the beach end and floats or scrambles onto shore.  She has gotten used to wading back towards the dinghy and jumping in with a shove from me or lift from Steve.  While we’re not convinced she enjoys the process, the vest helps maintain my sanity around her beach trips, as well as when we are sailing and she is sitting in the captain’s chair with us.

We also purchased a 20-foot floating leash which we keep attached to her while sailing and for isolated beach trips.  While not a necessary item, it works well to let her loose on a beach, but still have control of her where we aren’t comfortable with her running free.

Food and Storage of Same

All the blogs alluded to the absence of good quality food in the BVI and we have found that to definitely be the case.   Since I’m picky about what I feed her anyway, I started looking into blog suggestions.   The Honest Kitchen and Sojos were the two I tried samples of; these would supplement her regular dry food.  Both are dehydrated, person grade, dog food.  For whatever reason, she didn’t care for The Honest Kitchen brand I offered but likes the Sojos Turkey a lot.  Alternating that with the homemade turkey/rice/veggie mixture that I brought frozen from Santa Fe, and her regular dry food, has keep her eating well.  Snacks are treats from the BarkBox delivery just before we left home, along with her regular homemade biscuits which we’ve kept frozen.  At this point, halfway through the two-month trip, it looks like she will have enough food to last, without resorting to Purina.

Anyone who has been to the Islands knows that moisture and bugs can be a problem on a boat.  So, proper storage for the dog food became the next agenda item.  We settled on a Gamma Softstore30 bag.  With only the three of us on the boat, storage hasn’t been an issue for one dog.  Keeping the food dry and bug-free is, however, and the bag has been a wonderful solution.  I’m tempted to buy another one for use at home in Santa Fe when we go back.

OK, I think that does it for the accessories.  Oh, Iris has adamantly refused to do anything but sit on the Astroturf, touted as the dog potty solution.  Since we aren’t planning any long, several day cruises, we make regular beach trips for her instead. 

We Were Attacked By Tarpons And Tourists

Monday, May 16th, 2016
White Bay, Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands

We decided we would bite the bullet and visit one of the more touristy spots in the BVI -- White Bay on JVD.  White Bay is a lovely half-moon shaped bay which is protected be a large reef.
There are two bouyed entrances to the anchorage, which is bisected by a rocky outcropping by land and by the reef itself underwater.

East End of White Bay, Jost Van Dyke

We pulled into the East End since the other half of the bay seemed a bit crowded and grabbed a mooring ball.  The water in the bay is some of the clearest we've seen in the BVI so far -- 25 foot visibility easily.  

As an aside, one of the things that I'm most disturbed by in BVI is the proliferation of mooring balls in the most desirable anchorages.  In recent years it seems that the number of good, free anchor spots is shrinking and just about anywhere you might want to drop the hook.  I guess at $30/night it's very profitable to stake out a bit of the ocean and call it your own.

Looking For Soul Food And A Place To Eat

After spending the day limin' and cleaning the boat a little bit, we went into the local bar, Ivan's to see if we could pay for the mooring and grab a quick beer.  No such luck paying for the mooring, so we walked Iris along the beach a bit and then headed back to the boat.  Dinner and a sundowner ensued.

Right around sundown I was checking over the mooring arrangements and noticed a large dark shape in the water.  Once I got a good look at it I realized it must be a tarpon looking for  a meal.

What, don't like small fry for dinner?

Didn't really think much about it until Janet pointed out another one roaming around the boat, and when I looked off our stern I was able to count at least 10 fish in what looked like a school of predators.  I wonder if they hunt cooperatively?  I would guess they must.  Too bad they're not good to eat or I would go get me a fishing pole and a license and try to snag one for dinner.

Iris wants the Tarpon to come back and play

Tuesday, May 17th, 2016
White Bay, Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands

After our Tarpon encounter we decided to move to the westernmost end of White Bay since that part of the bay was free of mooring balls and looked like a great place to spend the day and an evening behind the reef and in the fresh breeze.  Little did we know what we were in for.

West End, White Bay, Jost Van Dyke

We moved into the anchorage part of the bay around 8:30 in the morning, dropping our hook in about 8 feet of water and in beautiful white sand.  Lovely place to spend the day with more limin' and just lolling about planned.  And a cheeseburger in paradise at the famous Soggy Dollar Beach Bar.

When we moved we shared the anchorage with one other boat and it was nice and quiet.  We took the dinghy in to the beach and were able to get a table at The Soggy Dollar.

In the time it took us to get our meal and a painkiller, the place exploded into a large outdoor partay.  Fueled by cheap rum and pineapple juice.  By 2:00 in the afternoon we estimated that there were an addition 25-30 boats in the bay, many of them day excursion boats from St. John, USVI.

All of those tourists covered with oil

Day tripper Cats on the beach

2 hours sail from St. John, 2 hours on the beach, 2 hours back to St. John

Turns out having Iris along with us is a great conversation starter.  Janet met a nurse from New Orleans who stopped by to pet Iris and struck up a conversation.  Turns out she had done some time in the army in Lawton, OK and knew Oklahoma City pretty well.  Told her that I was an OU graduate and she said "Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that"

Nothing fancy, just places we've been, please

At least in addition to the cheeseburger and painkiller I got a new T-shirt.

Iris decides to join in the party and loll about on the trampoline

We've been back and forth between Cooper Island and TMM, refilling propane tanks and provisioning.  Had fun watching Cormorants fishing off Cooper and now Pelicans in Lee Bay, anchored off Camanoe Island.  A great beach for walking with Iris, who is now having a siesta.  Dog on the monohull next door to us; here Iris thought she was the last dog in the world. Yoga on the front of the boat this morning with a beautiful breeze blowing off shore.

            

             

Beach walk with Iris today was fun if a little creepy.  Stagnant salt pond, wasp hives in the trees as big as Iris, not so pretty beach on the other side.  Kinda zombie-like, end of the world-ish.

And now a gorgeous sunset, pelicans fishing again, gentle breezes.  I’m having trouble with the blog not posting correctly, so will post again...  technical difficulties.  So, dates are not going to be right perhaps.

  

OK, so this has taken me longer to start than I expected.  Hopefully I can put together some interesting things for you folks.  Our travels the 20^th (starting off from Evergreen, Colorado at Kristin’s, with new snow) were relatively painless.  Iris was an awesome airport and airplane dog, particularly as it was a first time for her. 

We arrived Cyril E. King airport on St. Thomas, meeting Greg and Carol at baggage.  Carol, Iris and I walked up the road to Emerald Beach Hotel – taxis here are not dog friendly so far, and although we met many people who loved Iris, natives are often wary of dogs.  Guys took off to the ferry.  We walked the beach and played near the water.  Iris padded in herself but only up to about 3 inches.  Taking control, Carol finally picked her up and dropped her in about two feet of water.  She promptly swam to me on shore – and wouldn’t get near Carol for the next two hours.

May 22^nd we taxied to Red Hook, Iris in her crate in the back seat.  Winding road, great taxi driver telling about sights, way too expensive due to dog….supposedly…dropped at Hook Line and Sinker to await guys coming in with the boat.  Awesome cheeseburgers and Samuel Smith Chocolate Porter.  Iris loved the chickens in the restaurant.  “No Iris, you can’t have that baby chick. Why did the chickens cross the road?  Because there was a dog in their favorite bar.” Guys joined us for round two and we bedded down at the American Marina for the night. 

While I’m sure there are some lovely spots, St. Thomas is the most commercial of the USVI and we were happy to leave it behind.  It was too rough to get to the south side of St. John, so we headed to Salmon Bay for our first overnight.  Greg excelled at catching the mooring balls along our route—with Steve’s expertise at the helm.  Watermelon Bay was next, including a hike to Annaberg Sugar Plantation ruins.   It was a hot hike and we could only imagine the heat in the buildings that the slaves endured there a century plus ago.  Who knew my Danish ancestors settled here? 

Next morning was Sopers Hole Immigration check in.   Steve did the boat, then we loaded Iris into the dinghy and went to do her appointment.   A very nice vet looked through the paperwork and OK’d her into the BVI.   All the work, effort, agonizing not to mention money paid off.  Then, another customs guy came back out and called Steve back into his office.   Apparently the $10 license needed an additional $5 declaration of the dog….

That night we settled into The Bight, where we were bitten tons by no-see-ums.  Definitely not pleasant and we hope to find better anchorages and not repeat the ordeal.  Next on to Cooper Island.  Steve and Greg got to dive on the Wreck of the Rhone.  Now Greg’s most favorite dive ever.  There are tons of youtube videos on line, here is one if interested.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pchb2wO1MSI

Saba Rock salad bar and cheeseburger—mine was carryout as this is not a dog friendly island.  Free water from tying up to the mooring ball was brackish and the dock guy was obnoxious.  Too bad as we have enjoyed being there in the past, but there are too many great alternatives to go again.

Greg, Carol and Steve have loved the snorkeling along the way, including Marina Cay.  Iris spends her time on the boat with me, watching them leave.  She is the first to see them coming back and is excited to have them back safe on the boat.  Sooner or later she will slide into the water, from the wet deck, and Steve will have to retrieve her.  Like all good parents, we will say, “Did you learn your lesson about running around?  Might take more than once.  She has been “the bomb” as I am calling her, a real trooper.  We were loading her manually into the dinghy then on one trip, she and Greg went together into the drink.  Since then, she has taken matters into her own hands, err paws, and jumps on and off herself, much more gracefully than I usually manage.  Today at Key Cay she launched herself into two feet of water and helped drag me to the beach.  The surge was pretty strong and picking us up, Steve had to come around twice since lifting Iris back in left me stranded after dropping off from clinging to the side.  As always, I have bumps and bruises all over that I have no idea exactly how I got them. 

Missing our friends who left yesterday.   They definitely helped us (read, me and Iris) transition.  It is a different feeling being here for two months, rather than our normal 10 days.  There is more rain this trip than usual and also more time to explore.  And anchor in a bay for more than one night…

Two days in the TMM marina while solar panels are being installed.  Steve has spent time decimating the mosquito colony he found in the bilge.  Upside was a visit to Sharkey’s  for a cheeseburger, wedge and mushroom truffle oil pizza – Janet was starving.  Then Crandels for Jamaican Patties and turkey Johnny cake breakfast.  Yum!

We’ve been told that many native island people don’t like dogs.  So far, we’ve found just the opposite.  The guys at TMM came by to smooze Iris on their breaks.  The only two we’ve run into were older people.  Others wanted to know what breed she was and how she was doing with the sailing. 

We've been back and forth between Cooper Island and TMM, refilling propane tanks and provisioning.  Had fun watching Cormorants fishing off Cooper and now Pelicans in Lee Bay, anchored off Camanoe Island.  A great beach for walking with Iris, who is now having a siesta.  Dog on the monohull next door to us; here Iris thought she was the last dog in the world. Yoga on the front of the boat this morning with a beautiful breeze blowing off shore.

           

        

       

       

       

Beach walk with Iris today was fun if a little creepy.  Stagnant salt pond, wasp hives in the trees as big as Iris, not so pretty beach on the other side.  Kinda zombie-like, end of the world-ish.

"I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere."  Says Iris.

And now a gorgeous sunset, pelicans fishing again, gentle breezes.  I’m having trouble with the blog not posting correctly, so will post again...  technical difficulties.  So, dates are not going to be right perhaps.