Sarah writes:
“Got up early today and had coffee and banana muffins on deck for breakfast.  As the sun hits the water it becomes a beautiful shade of blue.  We heard a bleating sound from the side of the mountain and couldn’t decide if it was a goat or a bird.  Finally saw three little black goats clinging to the edge of the rocks.  One of them tried to get all the way down to the beach but gave up and went back up into the bushes and out of sight.
“We missed the weather this morning at 8:00 - too busy enjoying the scenery.  Everything looks beautiful - only a few puffy clouds.  The book says this little cove is like a wind tunnel and the wind has been howling and whistling through all night.”

Mickey:
After two long tacks across Sir Francis Drake Channel and big swells all the way, I decided we should take a lunch break in the calm waters of Great Harbor on Peter Island.  It’s off-limits for night-time anchoring because the waters are so deep, but it’s a good day anchorage for a rest.

After sandwiches, Sarah, Will, Andy and I went ashore.  We were amazed to find that the beach was covered with coral instead of sand.  We walked across the little beach path from Great Harbor to Sprat Bay where we passed  the front door of a family living in a shack.  Less than 100 yards away was the million dollar Peter Island Resort.

The resort was so exclusive that they had a sign up that said, “No shorts on shore after 6 p.m.  Dress for dinner.”

We enjoyed shopping in the dive shop, but had failed to bring any money with us.  In the harbor was a wonderful double-ended yacht from Littleton, Colorado.  I wondered where they sail a boat that big in Colorado.  Most boats are listed from some seaside place like Miami, Marblehead, London or such.  But Colorado?

Great Harbor, Peter Island
Andy: “When we got back to the boat I looked at the boat next to us and the two ladies on the boat were topless.  It was a sight to see.  On our way out, there was another lady that got on their boat who was also topless and she stripped butt-naked and Dad got the binoculars out and looked at her and she saw him and waved. He got embarrassed and looked away.”

Afterwards we motored upwind directly to Salt Island and caught a mooring buoy over the Wreck of the Rhone.  While the best part is only good for diving, much of the wreck can be seen by snorkeling.  But the waves were really rough and I found myself quickly getting seasick bobbing about like a cork in the big waves.  I did see the three anchors and some of the boat.  When I got back on board I quickly took Dramamine and within 30 minutes or so was back in the land of the living.

The sail from Salt Island across the channel and around Beef Island was a fast sail, but with high rollers all the way.  I kept talking about how this was just like it would be on the open ocean sailing around the world.  Sarah just held on tighter and spent most of that trip with her eyes closed.  We passed Marina Cay as we motored into Trellis Bay where we picked up a mooring buoy for the night.

Andy got sick on the way to Peter Island.  Will got sick when we went below to listen for the weather report at 2:00 while moored by the Wreck of the Rhone.  I got sick diving in the rough water over the Rhone.  Sarah got sick, but not seasick, when she saw the size of the ocean rollers coming in most of the day.

When we turn off the diesel motor, it makes a loud, shrill beep as a warning.  It’s amazingly similar to the sound Sarah makes when I tip the boat too much.  BEEEEEPP!  And Sarah grits her teeth, closes her eyes, and holds on for dear life.

Andy snorkeled over by the rocks at the entrance to the bay and saw some large angelfish.  I rowed the dinghy around to keep up with him and to ferry him to and from  Pilgrim.

Sarah writes:
“Lots of boats here, but it is calm and very pleasant.  Watched the sunset while eating baked group with lemon mustard sauce, steamed broccoli, rice and cantaloupe.  Another artist comes to the boat selling her wares, a wind-surfer sails in and out between the boats.  Pat read in her book that there is a school for windsurfing here so I guess he was advertising.”

Another artist named Anouk came to the boat while we were eating, but graciously excused herself when she saw that we were in the middle of our meal.  She invited us to come to her shop ashore.

Will was eager to drive the dinghy with it’s Yamaha four-horsepower outboard.  (Big thrill!)  So we volunteered to go ashore to The Last Resort to find some ice.  As we approached the dinghy dock, we thought we had left plenty of room but ran into very shallow waters anyway.  After oaring our way clear, we motored a big circle around the dock and came up from the backside.  The waitress explained that you normally have to get ice at the marina, but she sold us a bag for $3.50.  Ice is valuable in those parts.

Then Will and I took a slow tour of the bay on the return trip.  We noted where The Loose Mongoose Beach Bar and the marina were for later reference.

Trellis Bay
Sarah writes:
“The evenings so far have been calm, beautiful and peaceful while the days have been full of adventure.  Sometimes I have to close my eyes and pretend I’m swinging in a hammock to calm myself down but the stories will be fun to tell and so far Mickey and Darl at least act like everything is perfectly normal and fine.  It doesn’t seem to bother anyone else although everyone but Pat and Darl has used some of the Dramamine.”

Mickey:
It is fascinating to look around the harbor and see everybody sitting in their cockpits, drinking, talking and cooking supper.  Some boats have several dinghies tied up and eight to twelve people in the cockpit.  Some boats raft up together for the cocktail party.  The late afternoon is a wonderful time to be sitting on a yacht in the BVIs.  The sitting and watching is clearly Pat’s favorite part.  “That’s what I came for,” she says.

Every little aspect of life is different aboard a boat.  This morning Will, Andy and I took our toothbrushes and a gallon jug of water to the edge of the boat for our daily teeth cleaning.  We poured a little water on the brush, applied toothpaste, brushed and spit over the side of the boat.  The wind was blowing so hard the spit toothpaste blew about 10 feet before hitting the water.  Then we poured a handful of water and slurped it up to rinse our mouths.  This time we leaned way over the side before spitting.

Cooking is different too.  You have to turn on the stove in three different places before lighting it.  First, turn on the propane tank in the cockpit.  Then hit the solenoid switch on the circuit breakers.  Then turn on the gas at the stove.  Then light to match.  And voila!  Heat!  The gimbaled stove and oven swings back and forth as the waves hit the boat.  And the whole rig is about the size of a small camp stove.  But hey!  Pat used it like a gourmet cook in a five star restaurant.  And the meal is always elegant with the cloth placemats that Dot insisted Pat buy for the trip.  They are blue and white checkered with fish, anchors and sailboats on them.

Using the bathroom (the head) is different too.  After you do your business, you have to flip the black switch toward the bowl, then pump the black handle back and forth twenty times to remove all “wastes” completely from the boat.  Then flip the black switch away from the bowl and pump until most of the water is gone.  The forward bathroom is so small that it is nearly impossible to lean over to pull up your pants.  Your head bangs against the door and you slide up the door and pull on your pants at the same time.  But don’t get me wrong… all this is worth it, of course.  Small inconveniences.

You take a shower right over the commode.  Well it’s not as bad as it sounds.  After all there is a convenient shelf that lowers right over the commode so you sit on something other than the head.  Shoot!  When you get the shelf lowered you almost forget where you are taking a shower.  Rule number one is that you can’t use much water.  There are only 200 gallons on the boat so you rinse, stop the water, soap up good, and rinse, all using only about two gallons total.  And then you notice that the shower water is not going out.  That’s because you forgot to hit the shower pump switch (which must also be turned on at the circuit breaker before you can use it).

End - Day Five - Motherofallvacations Vacation