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Kir McLinn
Kir McLinn

Kir McLinn

Following the wind Lue lisää
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  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    Dean's Blue Hole II

    7. toukokuuta 2016, Bahama ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    We watched as five deviously laughing young men surprised someone, picked him up by his arms and legs, ran him over to the water and tossed him in. The man they threw in the water was William Trubridge, who earlier that day, set the new world record of free immersion diving to 124 meters (407 feet). Good grief! The idea of diving with weights and a scuba tank past 90 feet scares me…. I can’t imagine swimming freely for another 327 feet. We wandered the premise enjoying the sights and watching this close-knit world of free divers around us. We eventually strapped on our own dinky snorkel fins and mask and swam around the blue hole. The diving competition took place within a square, marked off by 4 floating pcv tubes. Friends and spectators could hang off them and watch. As curious spectators, we floated in the warm clear water with the pros. We asked questions as to how athletes started and met their depth. We learned the long wire that hung straight down had flags at predetermined depths for each diver to reach and retrieve their own flag. Upon their ascent two aiding free divers swam down 100 feet only to assist if something was awry. When the athlete surfaced they were required to perform basic functions to show they were stable. It’s not completely uncommon to witness a diver black out or show problems breathing. Not to fear, there are completely qualified and trained medics standing on the raft and in the water to help should any serious problem arise.

    We stayed and watched several divers. They were beautiful, elegant swimmers. They disappeared into the abyss with purpose and rose back to the surface like slow rising smoke or an unearthly ghost – it was fascinating. I watched one woman ascend from afar by diving down a few feet. Through my own mask I could see her face. Her nose pinched off by a plug, and her eyes closed. She was completely zen and relaxed. If it wasn’t for her feet effortlessly moving I would have thought she was asleep.

    We made our way back by hitchhiking again. A diving competitor from Germany, generously stopped for us and gave us a ride back to the marina. She kindly listened to our elementary questions on the sport and we hung on to every word she had to say on what it was like to dive down that deep.

    Seeing Dean’s Blue Hole was beautiful and unique and a great start to visiting Long Island…    Lue lisää

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  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    Long Island & Dean's Blue Hole

    6. toukokuuta 2016, Bahama ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    From Crooked Island we went to Long Island and had another beautiful downwind sail. We tucked into Little Harbor finding ourselves alone again. The cut into the protected anchorage is narrow and East-facing. Don’t time this cut incorrectly or it’ll prove to be a dicey and uncomfortable motor into steep strong standing waves. We timed it perfectly at slack tide and found the harbor to be curiously inviting with a half submerged boat in the shallows. I enjoyed my morning coffee watching the occasional green turtle surfacing.

    The following day we made anchor in Clarence Town and the nearby marina had a nice laid-back bar we really enjoyed. From there we hitchhiked to Dean’s Blue Hole, the deepest blue hole In The World (cool! blue holes are water filled sinkholes). Most known blue holes in the world average 110 meter/360 feet deep. Dean’s Blue Hole is a whopping 203 meters/666 ft deep. A couple of locals picked us up no problem and dropped us off…. on a beautiful white sand beach…. with about 30 other people and a …film crew… (?). Not what we were expecting either. The International Freedive Competition was camped out and taking place before our very eyes.    Lue lisää

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  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    Fish Cay

    3. toukokuuta 2016, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    From SW Acklins we spotted a few small skiffs skimming the horizon but no neighbors to speak of since Matthews Town the day we cleared in. We crept to the South of Fish Cay where the current carved out a deep enough area to anchor in sand. Everything in front of us was all too shallow for Gaia and in 10 knot winds, we had zero bouncing waves. Another sound night of sleeping!Lue lisää

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  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    Acklins Island

    2. toukokuuta 2016, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Hogsty atoll was such a beautiful experience. If you’re sailing through the area and the conditions are right I highly recommend diving/snorkeling the reefs and wrecks!

    We continued on our journey past Castle Island. As beautiful and pristine the anchorage appeared, the swells on either side were too much for us to handle. We motored up the coast to the SW Acklins anchorage. (SW Acklins from aloft – right->)

    You’ll notice none of my pictures show buoys or channel markers outlining channels or warning of shoals and reefs. You really need to depend on your eyes so it’s important to sail with good sunlight in unknown waters. At first I was nervous, having never navigating by eyesight alone…. but with decent sunlight it’s a cake walk. The waters are clear and after you see one reef or jetty of submerged rocks… you know what to look for going forward.    Lue lisää

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  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    Hogsty Atoll II

    29. huhtikuuta 2016, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    We were in the middle of nowhere surrounded by deep deep ocean. And the eerie apart of it all, you could see the wrecks throughout history swept into it's battery clutches. So here's more photos.

    We later learned shark advice from an adventure camera crew:

    Once you spot a shark don’t flail – the splashing is similar to that of a fish in distress and acts as a dinner bell to the shark. (check)
    2. Don’t panic – maintain your normal breathing. When you jump in the ocean, sharks don’t smell you or hear you, they first feel the electrical pulses of your heart. (check)

    3. For most sharks, you don’t look like their habitual meal. A majority of all shark attacks are because the shark mistook the human as food (fish) of some form. A sharks prey tend to dart to the surface. Maintain your buoyancy and try to maintain your lateral swimming position. (almost check)

    4. Keep eye contact with the shark. If possible stare into its eye(s) and face the shark don’t turn your back to the shark. (2/3 check)

    5. If the shark does dart at you…

    a. give up the damn fish. Don’t fight the shark to keep whatever fish you’ve just speared.

    b. punch the shark in the nose. (Yeah. About that…) The shark is most sensitive in the nose and, really, at the end of the day most to all sharks don’t want to be harmed and are weary of getting hurt.

    The anchorage was amazing. It didn’t just feel like we were alone…. we really were alone and it was beautiful.    Lue lisää

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  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    Hogsty Atoll I

    28. huhtikuuta 2016, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    It’s about 75 nm from Great Inagua to SW Acklins, which would definitely be an overnight sail. Or you can anchor midway. Midway of the passage resides a sudden shallow reef called Hogsty. The horseshoe-shaped reef barely cuts the oceans surface, so you should only spend the night when the seas are calm. We were fortunate enough to catch the passage at 11 knots and decided to go for it. We would anchor for the night completely surrounded by vastly deep ocean in every direction for 40 miles.

    The safest way to enter the atoll is more of a westerly direction, too far South and you’ll be dodging large coral heads. With a shift in winds, we found the middle of Hogsty to have confused seas sloshing about but further to the NE where the seas consistently bubbled over the reefs, Gaia bobbed up and down peaceably at anchor. We dropped anchor in 13 feet of sand just east of the Liberty wreck, a freighter that went down in a 1963 hurricane. This is just one of 200 wrecks accounted for since the Columbus’ era of exploration.

    We immediately brought the dinghy down and went on a snorkeling adventure. The water in the lee of this ship was murky with iron tainted waters but once we cleared the side, the water was clear and the shallow reefs stretched on and on luring you in to explore. I bravely snorkeled further from the ship peering around coral heads bobbing about and then … I saw IT! My first encounter with a shark and not a nurse shark. It was a reef shark with shark eyes and a shark snout in its shark environment. My first reaction was to reel around and swim as fast as I could to get Mike because Mike would surely protect me… but then I realized flailing around in the water to float next to another body would not eliminate the fact that I was still in the water with a shark. I decided to slowly float on over to Mike. By the time I had informed Mike, the shark was gone. So we continued swimming but I was less adventurous. We swam past the dinghy to the other side of the wreck and a barracuda kept unnervingly close tabs on us. Mike tapped my arm and pointed at another reef shark behind the barracuda. It wound its way around the coral heads, making its way closer to us before continuing on its rounds about the reef. Very conscientious of my heartbeat and limbs I was now a bit unnerved by the new territories of this water. A few minutes of poking about I watched a barracuda sprint away. I tapped Mike’s shoulder to show him. He tapped my shoulder and pointed in the opposite direction. My third reef shark was swimming ever-closer to both of us. That was it. That’s all I could take for one day. I hadn’t felt this defenseless since our crossing to Bermuda. I just wanted to be out of the water. I slowly watched the shark swim around and loop up right at us and I was acutely aware of how slow I was in the water as the sharks path came closer and closer. Mike was in front of me and began holding out the Hawaiian sling. Thank God, someone had something to stab at the shark. The shark came within 20 feet of Mike and deep inside I was freaking out thinking of all the worst case scenarios and how much all of them would … suck. But externally, I maintained a slow steady breath and kept my movements slow and minimal.

    The shark eventually lost interest and we swam straight back to the dinghy. Once we were both out of the water, everything released. We both just began laughing in awe of swimming around sharks and how thankful we both were Mike decided to bring the spear. That was pretty darn cool.

    We later learned shark advice from an adventure camera crew:

    Once you spot a shark don’t flail – the splashing is similar to that of a fish in distress and acts as a dinner bell to the shark. (check)
    2. Don’t panic – maintain your normal breathing. When you jump in the ocean, sharks don’t smell you or hear you, they first feel the electrical pulses of your heart. (check)

    3. For most sharks, you don’t look like their habitual meal. A majority of all shark attacks are because the shark mistook the human as food (fish) of some form. A sharks prey tend to dart to the surface. Maintain your buoyancy and try to maintain your lateral swimming position. (almost check)

    4. Keep eye contact with the shark. If possible stare into its eye(s) and face the shark don’t turn your back to the shark. (2/3 check)

    5. If the shark does dart at you…

    a. give up the damn fish. Don’t fight the shark to keep whatever fish you’ve just speared.

    b. punch the shark in the nose. (Yeah. About that…) The shark is most sensitive in the nose and, really, at the end of the day most to all sharks don’t want to be harmed and are weary of getting hurt.

    The anchorage was amazing. It didn’t just feel like we were alone…. we really were alone and it was beautiful.    Lue lisää

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  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    Great Inagua!

    24. huhtikuuta 2016, Bahama ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    We wobbled onto land to check in on Saturday morning to Matthews Town. We immediately found the locals to be immensely kind – amazingly generous. There were two locals who gave us a ride to the police station to check if the Customs/Immigration office would be open on a Saturday. The police stationed phoned the C/I who drove over to pick us up at the police station before clearing us into the Bahamas. We paid $300 USD in cash to clear in which gave us a cruising and fishing permit for a year and the ability to leave for up to 3 months and return without clearing in/out!

    Matthews Town wasn’t all that exciting, it had a screened in gazebo/hut with free wifi but even the prospect of free wifi didn’t stop our progression to a new anchorage. We anchored in Man O War bay just South of the Morton Salt dock. It was there we snorkeled the crystal clear Bahamian blue. We decided to splurge and take a tour of Great Inagua.    Lue lisää

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  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    Okay Okay, This is our last long passage

    18. huhtikuuta 2016, Bahama ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    The day our dear friends departed, they took ALL of the wind… Our next leg was about 450 nm from Culebra to Great Inagua – The Bahamas (!!!) so we were stuck until wind could fill our sails. Mike took another stab at aligning the prop shaft/V-drive using a new app called Vibration. Using an accelerometer, it charts 3 different frequency waves to measure the vibration of our engine alignment (thanks Nate for suggesting this!).

    We kept a watchful eye on passageweather.com and saw a decent weather window that we decided to take. It would be light wind the first few days with building stronger winds the last few days – we were okay with that.

    But before we really started the journey we topped off on diesel fuel and water in Fajardo, mainland PR. It was then I noticed our diesel prices throughout the trip.

    2015 Oct – VA USA $2.03/g
    2015 Dec Bermuda $4.50 /g (and that was greatly subsidized!)
    2016 Mar St. Thomas USVI $3.14/g
    2016 Apr Fajardo PR $2.45/g (we unfortunately did A LOT of motoring in Mar/Apr)
    2016 May Georgetown Exuma $3.72/g

    Priciest fuel goes to Bermuda, Cheapest goes to VA

    Our passage from PR to Great Inagua Matthews Town took us 4 full days, we arrived in Matthews Town at midnight Friday. We did 4 hours on, 4 hours off for shifts but again, since it was a short(er) passage we were a bit lenient on the shifts. The first day was great sailing. Puerto Rico appeared more mountainous than I imagined and I hope to explore mainland PR one day. The second day, I was feeling a bit under the weather, and I don’t think it was seasickness, it felt different. Mike was amazing and pulled off a 7 hour night shift for me and the next day I began to pull through my ‘funk’.

    Also worth mentioning, we passed over/ by the Puerto Rico trench. The trench extends 500 miles long and it’s deepest point is Milwaukee Deep at 28,373 feet, the deepest point in the Atlantic Ocean.

    It turned out to be gorgeous sunny sailing. A pod of 16-18 porpoises swam alongside Gaia, playing in the bow wake for a while and we both got a kick out of that. Later, while Mike was asleep, the USCG helicopter circled the boat twice before disappearing over the horizon. We suspected they were doing routine checks in the area for drug control. We passed the northern entrance of the Mona Passage effortlessly – the Mona Passage is notorious for being the biggest in-to-the-wind passage for sailors headed toward the Virgin Islands. Reason # 738 why I’m glad we went to Bermuda then down to Antigua to follow the trade winds back home – one less pain in the butt windward sail for us.
    On day 3, the winds picked up to 20-25 knots and we dropped the main in some decently sized waves which made the entire process…. uhm….”sporty”. For my night watch, I pulled my foulies on in preparation for a few looming storm clouds. No moonlit night sailing this time, it was far more stressful for me this time. A cargo ship was approaching at 13 knots but I lost visual of it in a particularly thick squall that passed. I monitored the cargo ships progress via AIS (AIS is a way to track other boats progress through the water on your GPS, ours is receive-only). Once the squall passed I looked behind me where the GPS showed the cargo ship, only to find darkness. The cargo ship was much much closer than what our GPS was reading & on top of that the controls on our GPS were not functioning. I jibed to get further away from the path of the cargo ship. After the jibe, I took another look around and noticed a single tall white light. I starred at it for a few minutes trying to calculate just what the heck the light was. It couldn’t have been a rocky shallows off the coast the DR – maybe it was a buoy, or another sailboat without red/green running lights. Whatever it was, my current heading could be on close collision course with said mystery light. After a few minutes, I decided it’d be best to jibe and steer clear. I looked over my shoulder to see where that cargo ship was… but another squall had hit. The winds picked up, the rain was slamming down, and I had a mystery light ahead of me and a cargo ship hiding in the squall on my starboard – all with a GPS that was none-too reliable. Earlier, I had looked up the cargo ships AIS data and found the name of the ship so I went down below and hailed the cargo ship on channel 16. “Cargo ship XYZ, cargo ship XYZ, this is the sailing vessel on your port bow” A pregnant pause and then there was a response!!! A complete and utter stranger responded back to me at 2:00 AM in the middle of a squall! I don’t know why I wasn’t expecting a response but my heart was pounding, I was so excited. Since 16 is purely a hailing and distress channel, I was very curt and requested their course over ground / heading. He responded and I said thanks. I looked at the compass and estimated my new course through the water once I jibed & saw I’d be in the clear, close to the cargo ship but in the clear. I made my jibe and about 10 minutes later the squall passed and I saw on my port bow the cargo ship putting along at it’s 13 knots.

    darkness befalls us

    The rest of the sail was a breeze and rather dull. We dropped anchor at 11:50 PM on Friday night and we both slept soundly on Gaia in the Bahamas. We were finally here. Only west and north from here until Boston.    Lue lisää

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  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    Culebra

    12. huhtikuuta 2016, Puerto Rico ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    We sailed from Esperanza Vieques to Ensenada Honda, Culebra (it’s-a-not-a-honda. it’s-a-Beta! – I made that joke too many times to count – we have a beta engine.) and immediately stormed The Dinghy Dock, a bar and restaurant where you could go from dinghy to dock to barstool & beer using only three steps on land. The barkeep asked us our order and the 7 of us looked at each other unsure of the best way to enjoy todays happy hour. (dramatic and patriotic drumroll please…). It was then, our brilliant and bold friend Nate stepped up to the bar counter and fearlessly spoke the words; ‘I’ll have a rum and passion juice drink, please.’ And there you have it, the most refreshing and rejuvenating happy hour caribbean drink ever to be ordered was requested (and politely at that). From hence forth, we’ve named the drink, ‘The Nate’.

    Our friends camped out on Flamenco beach and we gave them our handheld VHF to communicate with, they came up with their own hailing name; a mix between Beer & Flamingo – Beermingo. A perfect mix if you ask me, it was kinda fun hailing them on channel 72 ‘Beermingo, Beermingo, Gaia.’ And knowing some stranger was probably also listening in to the shenanigans. By the way, Beermingo, if you’re reading this: ‘the blue monkey is over the full moon – Over.’

    The island is best explored via golf cart which we made great use of by traversing one end of the island to the other multiple times. Zoni and Flamenco beach boasts to be of the most picturesque in the world…. and it’s true. After snorkeling, playing soccer, and running around with the beach crowds, I think most of us preferred Zoni since it was void of all other people. In further exploration of Culebra, we picked up a mooring ball in Carlos Rosarion Beach and found the snorkeling to be phenomenal. Good snorkeling is a constant search for us. The real treat from Culebra is technically not on Culebra itself but a tiny island near Culebra called Culebrita. There’s a perfect beach which was overtaken by mosquitos. But if you’re able to swim or run faster than the mosquitos you need to explore the pools of Culebrita. All of us happen to be big fans of mother nature and rock climbing so climbing up and down the boulders that create natural eddies and all sizes and manners of pools was A LOT of fun.    Lue lisää

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  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    Vieques, PR

    5. huhtikuuta 2016, Puerto Rico ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    Well, to start at the beginning… We decided to head first to a marina in Fajardo as we had friends arriving the next morning from Boston via San Juan. Customs & Immigration was by far the most straight edge we had encountered after visiting, the French, Dutch, Dominican, & even the English islands. If you’re wondering, yes, Mike and I are both Americans. The whole welcome back to America team must be in JFK airport somewhere because before we could even put a credit card down for the night, the C/I officers were called and summoned. So we awaited C/I to come board Gaia. 20 minutes later three large men with big black shoes, guns, holsters, & gleaming badges came aboard Gaia opened their big black briefcases and thus began the questions and triple carbon copied paperwork. Easy enough questions, we had nothing to hide but what if they suspected something, what if they found an error in our paperwork, what if we accidentally threw away a receipt they required….. All these what if questions whirled through my mind and it was mainly because there were three guns in MY home, three intimidating-looking officers, and I don’t care much for that.

    The officers eventually left with smiles and what they had come for, our money and documentation in their triple carbon-copied papers. But just a warning to other cruisers – don’t mess with the letter of the law, the second your docklines catch in PR or your anchor settles, hustle on over to the C/I with your boat papers and passport.

    IMG_0068The following morning, we met up with more Boston friends, Talia, Julia, & Nate, in Fajardo. We filled the tanks with FREE water and set sail for Vieques in search of some campgrounds for our 4 friends and brilliant beaches. Vieques did not disappoint.

    For $5 a night/tent, there was a wide open grassy-fenced off field complete with amenities. We anchored just off the main fishing dock in Esperanza. We hid behind the small island along some smaller local boats. Guidebooks and park rangers told us the mooring balls were free but they’re NOT! The anchorage was a bit dicey but we managed to hold. In Puerto Rico, the main waterfront drag is called the malecón, and is home to some pretty great eateries & bars. WIMG_7796e trended towards the smaller joints for breakfast & enjoyed those places greatly. Our first day was finding our bearings so not much to say there but the second day was far more successful. We found the beaches, we did the snorkeling, and made the picnic. We fell in love with the seclusion of Plato Negro, a calm white sand beach, and camped out on the beach for the night. We joined forces with even more friends, Jeff & Erik Lambert. And then there were 6 friends of Gaia in the Caribbean!

    IMG_7798We all signed up for a night kayak tour of The Greatest Bioluminescence Bay In The World in ‘Mosquito Bay’ or ‘Bio Bay’. The gentleman pictured to the left was very passionate of the tour and explained why Mosquito Bay, Vieques won such a prestigious title.

    We first begin with Dinoflagellates (the drawing behind our new friend), these organisms, when disturbed, emits bioluminescence. Dinoflagellates survive off of and thrive around red mangroves, which happen to surround Bio Bay. Secondly, the mouth of the bay is in an ‘S’ shape which makes it difficult for these microscopic organisms to find their way out. The bay is also shallow and has a tidal change of only a few inches. Bottom line, these dinoflagellates ain’t goin’ nowhere. The best time to see these tours were on nights like the ones we experienced. We had a downpour of rain in the morning and then nothing but sun for the remainder of the day; at night, we had no moon allowing us to have the best visibility of the bioluminescence. We assembled into our clear-bottom two-person kayaks and followed our guide (who wore a blue light on his kayak) to the middle of the bay. At first, with a splash of my paddle, I was dismayed not to see a single reaction. But as we paddled out, I noticed random streaks of light through the water! They were fish. With each flick of the fishes tail, the dinoflagellates sprung to life, illuminating their path! It was phenomenal, I looked down and it was like champagne bubbles flooding underneath the kayak and when I splashed my hand in the water a wave of bioluminescence erupted. When I took my hand out of the water, it was still wet and there was bioluminescence on my hand! Ah!

    Mike said he’d seen amazing bioluminescence in Luperon, DR that was impressive, but this, this was a whole different league. Our guide told us to stay in our kayaks or else the shark will get you. We laughed but then…. We spotted a flick of a very large tail shaped like a nurse shark tail. We kayaked over to the light that had now faded and sure enough, Mikes paddle dove into the water and the bioluminescent outline of a nurse shark jetted out from under our kayak. We sprang into action and gave chase to the agile bottom feeder. Kayaking after schools of illuminated fish and a nurse shark was such a highlight of our trip. I strongly recommend experiencing Bio Bay first hand.

    Vieques was fun-filled with beaches but Culebra is where I fell in love.    Lue lisää

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  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    VIs to Puerto Rico

    29. maaliskuuta 2016, Puerto Rico ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    This next friend, was well acquainted with St. John in the Virgin Islands. Matt, who we endearingly call Red, lived in St. John just after he finished college. So it only seemed fitting we meet him at a bar in St. John …Coral Bay, Skinny Legs! Burgers and Beers. What more does a cruiser really need?

    We made a few stops to favorite places like Normans Island, the Willy Ts and to the northern section of Francis Bay, St. John. It was a genuinely beautiful time, Red with his puns, Mike with his computer programing talk, Kirsten with her music and every day we’d drop that and go snorkeling. It wasn’t until our passage from St. John Virgin Islands to Puerto Rico we saw any drama.

    Red was behind the helm sailing at a run (the wind was directly at our stern), all sails in flight as far as they could reach. Mike and I were leisurely sitting with the fishing poll stuck in its nook towing a fake plastic squid to catch a tasty fish. All was boring and calm and then ZZZZZZZIIIIING. In light air I brought in the main and tried to furl in the genoa to slow the boat and get the sails out of the way…. This was a lot easier in thought than action. We lost too much speed, the sails backed and the fish, that dang fish, which Mike was reeling in decided to swim right underneath the boat and wrap around something down there. All of a sudden turning on the motor looks like a bad idea…. What if the fish wrapped the line around the prop? Turning on the engine would mean cutting the line to our dinner – BUT if the fish somehow got the line stuck on the rudder, it would fine…. Instead of taking down the boarding ladder and diving in… we opted for continuing on our trip to the island of Culebrita where we would anchor under sail. But not before flogging the sails for another 20 minutes. The furling line on the genoa was caught and had to be manually rolled-in then out and untangled with pliers… ah the joys of sailing.

    We had a beautiful sail into Culebrita where there’s a protected sandy bottom bay – excellent holding. We anchored under sail like pros; no engines used all day! What an accomplishment. We found Culebrita to be absolutely pristine and Red needed no coaxing to dive immediately into the water to check if the fish was still ensnared under the boat. To all of our dismay the fish got away but we still had the lure and hook so there’s always next time. On the bright side, I woke up the next morning and watched turtles come up for air and dive back down. It was the largest amount of turtles in one bay I’d ever witnessed and was wonderfully serene.    Lue lisää

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  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    The Baths!

    23. maaliskuuta 2016, Britannian Neitsytsaaret ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Day 4 was the day I had been waiting for, a visit to The Baths! You’re not allowed to bring your dinghy to shore, instead there are bouys to attach your tender and then you’re expected to swim ashore. All guidebooks mention the swim is not for the weak. Ok, but I’m young and fit and most guidebooks tell me a 3mile hike in the VIs is considered difficult, which I politely disagree with. I took the warnings with a grain of salt. Don’t do what I did the swim can be difficult. There are surges that roll through and crash after the steep dropoff on the beach. What our guidebook failed to mention is the red flags on the beach signaled there are stronger than usual wave conditions. Great. We had snorkels and flotation devices, we all made it in but not without an exhausting fight.

    Finally! Our efforts finally paid off in the form of this magnificent and wild scenery. We found the path for tourists and quickly found our way up and away from the path.

    We spent the night in Spanish Town and found the ocean front restaurants to be a bit pricey and with a less than local feel. We ended up talking to a driver in an open-aired bus who dropped us off at one of his favorite restaurants. It was a perfect mom n pop restaurant with outdoor seating and ridiculously good bbq. Yay! Does life get better? Sailing, adventuring, bouldering, friends, bbq, and fresh passion juice.

    We spent the night in a marina because the swells were just too rowdy in the anchorage for top-heavy Gaia to spend the night. And the following day we had a great sail to Norman Island. We tried racing a catamaran but once they realized how to use the entire main sail we were toast. Norman Island in the afternoon was fairly crowded. The wind had picked up and the few anchoring spots were filled with other boats. We looped around the vast mooring field for the second time as rain began to pour. It was then a voice from heaven (or the mist) called out to Gaia. ‘There’s a mooring behind you!’ Sure enough, an off-colored mooring was indeed bobbing helplessly in the wind. Mike tried his best to keep the bow steady in line with the mooring ball pendant and I cumbersomely hitched a dock line with Tom and cleated it off securing Gaia for the night. I came back slightly chilled and soaking wet. Danise informed me there were gusts up to 30 knots while I was on the bow. I nodded my head feeling a little badass that we had just secured Gaia so effortlessly. It really does make all the difference having another pair of hands on deck.    Lue lisää

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  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    Trellis Bay Tortola

    22. maaliskuuta 2016, Britannian Neitsytsaaret ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    With St. John and Jost Van Dyke & the Channel Islands (Cooper, Peter, Salt, Normans) covered, our next destination to discover was Virgin Gorda (the fat virgin) with Tom & Danise. We had a great sail from Peter Island to the Bitter End, Tom took a go at the helm and sailed Gaia close hauled like he’d been doing it for months. In the afternoon we anchored in the calm waters of Eustatius and just right of the famous shallow snorkeling. Since Saba Rock was only a cables throw away we dinghy-ed over for the cocktails and tarpon feeding. Saba Rock has such a relaxed vibe, it’s where all the cool dinghies go to hang out and their owners sit idly on the dock drinking their high-priced cocktails watching kite surfers perform jaw-dropping tricks.

    We learned there was a full moon party in Trellis Bay and made sail for Tortola to have our own experience in the full moon revelry. We arrived at Trellis Bay… and it was packed, more aptly defined as a sh!t show or a fog of boat masts – it was tightly anchored. Let’s put it this way; being between a rock and hard place was beginning to look roomy. We slowly and carefully meandered the premise, in hopes to find something the other 10 boats in front of us didn’t and sure enough! Winner! On the outer edge close to shore! We surreptitiously motored over, I felt like the submarine commander in WW II b&w movie trying to creep along enemy lines. There were hungry sailboats in every direction eager to jump on a mooring ball or sink their anchor in any ole patch of open water. We maneuvered to the cramped but unoccupied pocket and crept to a halt to anchor. This is what we had been training for. These past six months of hand signals, strong currents, timing, placement…. after 2 tries we anchored in just the right area. We were golden! We watched as other sad boaters skimmed past our transom with forlorn looks of despair at not finding anything.

    We decided to grab a drink before dinner at this small island in the middle of the harbor. All the reviews made mention of young English hipsters who ran the bar. Of course we had to investigate these ‘youngens’. We arrived seconds after the bartender opened for business and had our first round of margs. We meandered to the outside and found a spacious yard with giant jenga, swings made from crates to lounge on, cornhole, fussball, every hipster/frat outdoor game you could think of, it was adult recess.

    The moon began to rise as the sun sunk beyond the horizon, when we saw flames on the beach we took that as our calling. Live festive music was playing at full blast upon arrival and our friends Megs & Tom just happened to be sitting not 10 feet away from the dinghy dock and almost done with their first round of drinks. Fire-Sculpture-trio2 We roamed the beach and perused the art village and all the amazing steel creations and designs. There was a family friendly area and fires ablaze every hundred yards or so. There were several dance parties & jumby walkers spread out but the main attraction were these sculptures stuffed with paper and lit on fire. It was the Burning Man of the Virgin Islands! Far more tame but far more accessible for us. We enjoyed our 2 EC red stripes and danced until Megs & Tom and Nils & Lisa had to catch the last free ferry back across the channel. It was fun festive and lively. Definitely check it out if you’re in the area.    Lue lisää

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  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    Salt Island BVI

    17. maaliskuuta 2016, Britannian Neitsytsaaret ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Once a salt farm, this island held a small village that was slowly abandoned in the 1940's... After diving on the Rhone we hiked around the island, leisurely roaming after small herds of goats. We ended a most spectacular day hiking to the top of the island and watching the sun go down over the VIs. Woot!Lue lisää

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  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    Scuba on the RMS Rhone

    17. maaliskuuta 2016, Britannian Neitsytsaaret ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    We eventually left Christmas Cove for Cooper and Salt Island of the Channel Islands, to dive on the famed RMS Rhone. We descended at the stern to 35 feet and descended our way forward to the bow (the bowsprit lay at 90 feet). Within minutes of our descent we encountered a giant green moray eel….. swimming! He swam right between us! I didn’t realize they ever left their little caves… This beast was at least 10 feet long and slithered through the water gracefully, finally diving into a compartment in the back of what was once part of an engine. I thought it exquisite but cute; while its head & body was hidden about 3 feet of its tail was still exposed as it had outgrown its old hiding spots. Mike later said he had the urge to pull on the tail; needless to say I’m glad he suppressed his 10 year old self. We swam back and forth over and under the old engine room and decaying hull. The RMS Rhone broke in two and now rests on its side so you can see old portholes from above and swim into what once was the deck. We saw some enormous lobsters and beautiful angel fish. The amount of coral and fish life was amazingly bountiful and beautiful.dive site.
    But not so much that it took my mind off the fact that I was now 90 feet underwater and every inch of me was compressed by more than a few atmospheres. It’s a little alarming how long it takes your air bubbles to reach the surface at 90 feet. Feeling a little cold and recognizing I was approaching low air, we both slowly ascended on a mooring line – zero complications. No fire coral to report of.

    Background on the RMS Rhone:

    RhoneThe RMS Rhone was a 310 ft mail steamer. Powered by sail (2 masts) and steam engine. On October 29 of 1867, Robert F. Wooley captained the ship and was preparing her for the return voyage to England. The end of October generally marks the end of hurricane season, so when a Northerly wind began to blow and barometer began to fall, he dismissed it as a northerly front. At the time it was a beautiful day but the captain directed the ship to Road Town, Tortolla to weather the “storm”. At 11 AM, the barometer fell to 27.9 and the sky darkened quickly. Immense winds blew from the NNW destroying the main sails & rigging. A lull passed over so the captain made a the quick order to anchor. But the shackle of the cable caught in the hawsepipe…. (And translation for all the non-maritime folk… ‘messed up their ability to anchor – real bad’.). They were forced to drop the 3,000 lb. anchor and all 300 ft of anchor chain (trans: ‘seriously not good’). Captain Wooley took the appropriate option of weathering the storm out at sea. It was with full engines running, the RMS Rhone turned out to cross the Sir Francis Drake Channel and pass the Channel Islands. By that time the RMS Rhone had almost navigated its way through the Channel Islands, the SSW winds had started up in full strength and forced the RMS Rhone into the rocks, just off of Salt Island. The boat heeled over and broke in two, sinking instantly. There were crew and passengers onboard; of the survivors, I believe, 18 or so crew & 2 passengers survived the sinking.    Lue lisää

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  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    Scuba Time St. James USVI

    16. maaliskuuta 2016, Yhdysvaltain Neitsytsaaret ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Again alone on Gaia, we provisioned diesel, dinghy fuel, water, laundry and refilled scuba tanks in Redhook, St. Thomas. We made a quick motor around the bend to Christmas Cove on St. James and partook in the novelty of Pizza Pi, a steel-hulled sailboat that will serve pizza via VHF & dinghy. A nice and fun treat! We fell in love with Christmas Cove and since the moorings were free… stayed a few nights. We dove on Calf Rock (3/4 mile dinghy ride WSW). It was a fun little dive where beginner divers become certified, actually, where Mike got his very own PADI cert years back. We ended up navigating through some narrow valleys in the rock, which proved to be really fun UNTIL… Mike picked up a broken off piece of coral with a neat little brittle star crawling on it, then dropped it. The shell swirled and swiveled round and round ever so delicately skimming my lower thigh just below where my shortie wetsuit cut off. For such a slight and momentary contact, it felt extremely sharp but I paid no attention to it for the first few minutes. My leg began stinging immensely and the area of contact felt tingly. I’m no expert but I know the words tingly and stinging don’t belong when you’re 40 feet underwater in a rock slit. So I motioned for us to return directly back to the dinghy something was not okay. On our return we followed a turtle, saw a grouper, and Mike even touched a trunkfish!

    Back on the boat I cleaned the wound with salt water and vinegar. I had read somewhere you should use salt water as opposed to fresh and vinegar will reduce the sting. It worked but I had a patch of bumpy irritated skin, which lasted for a few weeks. We ended up identifying the cause of the irritation as fire coral. Fire coral can grown on anything. So watch out!

    Once I got over the trauma of my scuba buddy slashing me with fire coral…. We went diving again. We dinghied due south to an extended point of rocks called The Stragglers; hooked onto a mooring and descended next to the rocks. At 25 feet we heard a boat engine. I looked at Mike & tried to decompress my BCD so I’d sink further to the bottom and closer to him. Hearing the motor get closer, I looked behind me and to the surface and I’ll be damned! A medium-sized powerboat went right over our heads! I was more angry than scared that time… We continued onward and sure enough I heard another engine. This time I kept turning in circles to see if I could locate the boat. No sighting of it but I was breathing hard out of fear. I reminded myself we were in 30 feet of water and floating close to the coral heads and continued the dive until I was cold. Those two encounters served as a strong reminder that the safest place to descend and ascend is on your mooring ball line; that and there are a lot of stupid and oblivious boaters out there. (Respect dive flags, and popular snorkeling/dive spots boaters! And don’t be wanker watch where you anchor!)

    The caves are from Normans Island where the dreaded Willy T resides    Lue lisää

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  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    To Jost!

    14. maaliskuuta 2016, Britannian Neitsytsaaret ⋅ 🌧 24 °C

    Our last few days we explored Jost Van Dyke enjoying pain killers from the Soggy Dollar Bar, (supposedly where the recipe was created) and danced on the beach with a bunch of spring breakers having a good time.
    The Soggy Dollar gets its name from boaters arriving, throwing down their anchor, then swimming to shore for a drink; there’s even a line with clothespins to dry out the sopping-wet tens and twenties. After enough partying we spent the night off Maho Beach and dinghied into Cruz Bay where by Corey and Jamie’s combined worldly knowledge won trivia night! Technically we didn’t win win, the bar tenders won but they had won every trivia night for the past month and we had the severe disadvantage since teams were allowed to buy the moderator drinks in exchange for points…. Bartenders won again but team Masshole Sailors came in second place.    Lue lisää

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  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    St. Johns Rams Head & Coral Bay

    12. maaliskuuta 2016, Yhdysvaltain Neitsytsaaret ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    We spent the rest of our day grabbing a mooring in Salt Pond Bay and hiking Rams Head and snorkeling crystal clear waters. Rams Head is a high jagged bluff on the south east side of St. John and has a bloody past. In 1733 a great slave rebellion took place on St. John, lasting for several months. French & Swiss troops eventually arrived putting a stop to the insurrection. The grim denouement of the rebellion ended with a group of 300 slaves jumping to their death at Rams Head point instead of returning to the overlords and torturous life of a slave. We arrived at the SW summit and looked around at the steep and dramatic cliffside and jagged rocks below. An impending rainstorm brought strong winds tearing over the summit so we looked around silently and quickly returned to the boat in awe. A tiny lizard attacked me on the way back, jumping onto my hand for an instant before flinging itself off into the bushes. Taking me by surprise, I screamed. Mike laughed and recounted the time a flying fish almost hit me in the cockpit on our passage to Bermuda.
    Our next anchorage was a sporty sail into Coral Bay where we made an impromptu stop at a floating bar. We were only going to check it out but the proprietor was so damn friendly…. And how do you say no to rum punches at a floating bar, I have not yet found the strength or craziness to say no …. So out of the dinghy onto the floating pontoon. There was a bed on the other end with a long curtain to partition his room off and in the center there was a circular glass floor under a glass table. At night, you could turn on underwater lights and watch the tarpon swim underneath. There was a full kitchen/bar setup, bathroom, and even a second floor to sunbathe on. He explained how he built the entire set up from scratch and wanted to put it up on a B&B site. He plans to offer a package deal where he’ll captain the vessel out to anchorages around St. John and leave you with a couple kayaks, then he would return and move you to a next destination. For a more adventurous demographic, I could see this working out beautifully.    Lue lisää

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  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    St. Johns Reef Bay

    11. maaliskuuta 2016, Yhdysvaltain Neitsytsaaret ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    At Reef Bay:
    There are ruins of an old sugar mill in great condition complete with an old steam engine built in Glasgow, Scotland. Being the hiking fans we are, we chose to keep hiking and explored the petroglyphs of Reef Bay. These stone carvings are thought to represent a spiritual place for the Taino, Arawak people from pre-Columbian times (anywhere between 600-1,000 years ago). As a kid, I like most, wanted to be Indiana Jones. So crouching down on this uneven rock near a flat pool of water, it was… exciting… to think; 600 years ago someone in this exact spot was carving this image into the stone to honor the spirits and that’s how they spent their day.Lue lisää

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  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    St. Thomas to St. John USVI

    10. maaliskuuta 2016, Yhdysvaltain Neitsytsaaret ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    We “quickly” sailed downwind to St. Thomas to pick up Corey and Jamie in the large harbor of Charlotte Amalie.
    It’s a large flat sandy harbor so we picked any old spot away from the ferries only to find that seaplanes had their own unofficial runway at our stern, which we found to be entertaining. Their plane landed right as we anchored so we jetted straight to the airport…. And just in time I might add…. As we bumped into good ole Corey & Jamie at the airport (who had been giddily sipping free rum samples), they immediately steered us over to a long line for car rentals…. Asking us if we recognized anyone… and by George …of all the gin joints… our college friend Sarah whom, we both met through NEUs outdoor club NUHOC, was standing there! We had traveled thousands of miles away from home over the course of 6 months and, still, we serendipitously bumped into friends from home. Everyone was engulfed in hugs and disbelief asking the same dumbfounded question “Wow, what-the, when, how are you?!?!?!”Because Mike & I were so organized our first order of business was to go grocery shopping in St. Thomas. Fun! Our first night we ate out in town, arriving just in time for happy hour. With beer and cocktails in hand, we made a game plan for the next 5 days – Circumnavigate ST. JOHN! Before leaving we meandered the town of Charlotte Amalie, known for its jewelry district. I found the Dutch influence in architecture to be of far greater interest; the buildings were made-up of old weathered stone walls with thick heavy wooden doorways and fat metal latches beautifully fashioned from a time period I can only imagine.

    St. John, day 1: We beat into the wind (‘beat’ is sailing jargon for bashing the bow of your sailboat into or close to the wind – aka not fun sailing) to St. John and hooked onto a National Park mooring. We snorkeled the area, spotting several stingrays and a turtle and the next morning we ran the dinghy onto shore in Reef Bay.    Lue lisää

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  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    The Bitter End Virgin Gorda

    1. maaliskuuta 2016, Britannian Neitsytsaaret ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    It’s that time again. Full tanks, full propane, full water tanks, and laundry is all set. We chipped away at our seemingly endless list of boat chores and found victory in our accomplishments. St. Maarten struck us as a home away from home and we’d love to return to the island paradise but for now, we’ve made arrangements to pick up friends and sail around the VIs.

    The Virgin Islands are a cluster of islands with all forms of interesting dives, coves, caves, and anchorages for cruisers. The islands provide wind shadows and great barriers to the wild ocean seas making the Sir Francis Drake Channel a very enjoyable place to sail. It’s no wonder hundreds or sailors flock here each winter.
    Our overnight sail was beautiful, we flew the spinnaker for half of the trip and enjoyed a star-studded night. We passed several vessels and I watched a lightning storm pass at a safe distance. En route, I read that the US bought the Dutch portion of the Virgin Islands for $25 million in 1917… nicely done Uncle Sam…. At the time the Virgin Islands were in economic decline from the abolition of slavery. The main export was sugar which had been heavily dependent on slave labor. But far before that ugly period in time; Christopher Columbus discovered the Virgin Islands in 1493 and named the island chain the Virgin Islands after Saint Ursula and the 11,000 virgins. (Virgin Gorda -fat- received it’s name because the island resembled a reclining woman with a protruding belly from the seaside vantage point).

    Having never heard of this Saint Ursula or the 11,000 virgins, I did a little research, I mean, 11,000 virgins… that’s a lot of dames. Why 11,000? What happened to them? From what I’ve gathered from a few sources, Saint Ursula lived between 300-600 AD… (she lived 1500 years ago, & they narrowed it down to 300 years, way to go historians). Ursula was betrothed to marry a complete stranger higher in rank. To meet her soon-to-be husband, she boarded a ship with her hand maidens ranging anywhere between 11 to 11,000 in number. Oh, how stories are skewed sometimes. The long and arduous voyage was miraculously completed in a single day. Taking this to be a sign, Ursula declared she would make a panEuropean pilgrimage with all 11 or 11,000 handmaidens before the wedding (sounds like someones stalling to me). Their journey landed them in Cologne Germany, which, unfortunately was invaded by the Hun troops. The handmaidens refused to be with or marry the invading troops so they were tragically beheaded. Ursula was brought to death by the bow and arrow of the Hun soldiers. One of histories tragic tales, and in part, made immortal by Columbus giving respect to St. Ursula by way of the beautiful island chain we now call the Virgin Islands.

    Around 9 AM we passed Sir Richard Bransons famous Necker Island, we made our way through the narrow passage by Saba Rock and found a cozy little place to anchor in the lee of Prickly Pear Island – only a skip away from Saba, Bitter End Yacht Club, and Customs.

    When I was a kid my family and our good family friends, the Lainos, chartered a Beneteau throughout the Sir Francis Drake. It was at the beautiful Bitter End, I learned how to swim by myself. So, revisiting this place was one of nostalgia. Mike and I stayed here for a few days to recoup and play around with my brand new scuba setup! Mike had purchased his own scuba gear last year so it was about time I join him in exploring watery deep. In St. Martin we stumbled upon great gear on sale; new BCD, new regulator/octopus, new shorty wetsuits for both of us, and lightly used tank for $ 1,000. I’m sure if we had reliable internet and searched high and low there’s a better deal out there…. but for the ease of walking in and walking out in an hour or so… we were excited. We pulled off two beginner dives, testing our buddy breathing, clearing goggles 30 feet under water, hand signals, and buoyancy. Even on the overcast day, we had a blast and celebrated with cocktails at Saba Rock. We refilled our tanks, grabbed a cocktail and still had time to spare before we bore witness to the famous 5 pm tarpon feeding. It was my first time experiencing tarpon fish, 4 feet in length, duking it out for dinner bites cast out into the water. Tarpon are notorious for not being “tasty”, so for the most part, they appear to be slow and docile monsters. But toss a piece of shredded fish out to the water and they tear after the treat with furious speed and agility.

    As always I *really* enjoyed our new anchorage, the Bitter End this time, but we had a beautiful down wind sail to make to meet our friends flying in to St. Thomas the next day.    Lue lisää

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  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    St. Martin II

    28. helmikuuta 2016, Saint Martin ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Once we put in our hours/days of work and enjoyed our weight of chocolate almond croissants, we decided it was high time go and see St. Martin! There’s a famous lagoon in St. Martin, one side is French the other Dutch. The Dutch side is far more developed (green & red channel markers!!! what? haven’t seen those since Bermuda) and cater to the yachts (both mega and minor). The French side is shallow and spacious – plenty of room to anchor. On the NW side of the French lagoon resides a bit of a wayward mess; i.e. there’s a plethora of fixer-upers biding there time or on the slow march to becoming a reef down below. We really enjoyed happy hour at Lagoonies, a bar on the Dutch side. In our meanderings we “won” a discounted vacation to a timeshare resort. We just had to listen to a pitch and received a free lunch and drinks and $50 to shop with. I got my St. Martin t-shirt and Mike bought his fill in hot sauce. Everyone was happy except for the sales rep.Lue lisää

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  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    St. Martin I

    26. helmikuuta 2016, Saint Martin ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    St. Martin was a short downwind leaping sail from St. Barts. En route we passed a curious island, which was mentioned in the guidebook. The island was once lush with green vegetation coating it from coast to coast. Unfortunately the goat population got out of hand and the goats ate the island barren. When it appeared the goats were beginning to starve, the humans intervened and began transporting them off the island. Now, the island is supposed to show signs of green…. But Mike and I could barely see these ‘signs of green’. We suspect there are some sneaky goats still eating their fill.

    Our first landing was on the NW side in Grand Case, which drew us in for the renowned cuisine and carnival Tuesdays. It was a wide but deep harbor and we were both impressed with how flat the anchorage was. From the moment the anchor tugged snugly on the sandy bottom below, I felt at home. Yup, this will do for a week worth of boat work chores. We grabbed ribs and a beer at the closest bar to the dinghy dock (bbq so good it’ll make you cry) and numbered our projects and relaxed, making ourselves at home. We eventually slapped 2 coats of varnish, painted the v-drive, realigned the v-drive, fixed the mizzen boom (again), and genoa sheet block. Carnivale Tuesday finally came our way and the quaint town mainstreet opened up to hundreds of boutiques and food vendors. Music roared from the drum band and whistles while beautiful women wearing elaborate carnival costumes lead the stream of madness. The Heineken Regatta was to take place that week and 20 or so drunken racers made their jovial presence known…. To EVERYONE. We danced to a steeldrum band and drank the local rum punch meeting fellow cruisers left and right. With our fill of Grand Case fun it was time to meet with friends Acedia, Alpha Crucis, & Aggressive in Marigot Bay just 3 miles South.    Lue lisää

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  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    St. Barts

    24. helmikuuta 2016, Saint Barthélemy ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    While Statia wowed me with its history, St. Barts was the place to see the new glitzy and beautiful. 30 nautical miles NE of Statia stands the capital, Gustavia. We skipped over Gustavia and anchored in Colombier which was fairly protected. There are 15-18 mooring balls in place so boats don’t anchor in the seabed of grass. Anchors dig into & drag through sand, in turn destroying roots for seagrass and marine life. Sea turtles survive off of seagrass…. Thus, this anchorage is a protected turtle reserve. So of course, after sitting on our mooring ball for 15 minutes a 50 foot catamaran comes racing in and decides to drop anchor in between the rows of tightly packed mooring balls. I cringe and shake my head at the lack of consideration as to where they are about to anchor. The behemoth of a boat tried anchoring 3 times before the owners of the neighboring boats jumped up to tell them they were too close and to anchor elsewhere.

    We took the 1.5 mile dinghy ride over to Gustavia to check in and explore the ritz and glitz. Sure enough, beautiful exorbitant yachts and even some ugly exorbitant yachts lined every inch of marine real estate. On land store after store filled with rows of rolexes shined brilliantly and clothes attached to price tags with far too many numbers before the decimal point hung perfectly. Boaters have a saying that BOAT is an acronym of a lifestyle…. Break Out Another Thousand – for boat repairs/maintenance what have you. The idea of shopping in St. Barts reminded me of this acronym. I found the gelato and local bar more accommodating to my preferences. We enjoyed Colombier immensely. Gustavia was a nice visit but really a busy and bumpy harbor to stay the night.    Lue lisää

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  • Kir McLinnGone Sailing for a YearKir McLinn

    Statia - Hike the Quill Volcano

    21. helmikuuta 2016, Bonaire ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    St. Eustatius was also the first to salute the United States as a sovereign nation (yay!). Back in the day when a ship came into port with it’s colors flying high they would shoot a few cannons to announce their arrival. The receiving port would fire back a friendly fire to welcome the new vessel. The greater number of canon shots the greater the respect for the nation and captain onboard. English hotshot, Admiral Rodney received word of the historic salute, and the British had enough of these “neutral Dutch” providing the enemy Americans with arms and provisions. Admiral Rodney attacked IMG_7587Statia and pilfered the lucrative trading port. It’s said Rodney was suspicious of his “loot” and noticed there was an oddly high amount of burials taking place. He ordered
    his men to open up the caskets only to find…. the towns riches being hidden below ground. As if that’s not enough, Rodney ransacked the Jewish quarters and noticed the people were heavily dressed. He sliced the pockets and hems of their coats. The Jewish townsmen had sewn their coins into the inseams of their clothing. Rodney got that too. What. A. Jerk.    Lue lisää

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