SeaSix: Day 14

We are almost out of propane, fresh water, and food...but it's the bug spray we're completely out of that is sending us directly to shore. The latter is the hardest to live without. We'll let the dishes pile up and semi-slosh in the sink or even go without a meal but the running out of mosquito repellant out here is a real deal killer.

We motored to Charlotte Amalie in St. Thomas, a passage that took us about 5 hours. Setting up the sails and relying on the wind would have added several more hours to our passage so we opted to start up the engines.

On our way in Connor was excited to go past Hassel Island. He can't wait to tell his best friend back home that he's got an island in the Caribbean. Severin should be happy about that even though the actual island is spelled with one less "L" than Sev's last name. We figure that because things are so laid back here the map makers just couldn't summon the energy to scrawl out an extra "L" on such a hot humid day--and it's too much fun here so they probably never got back to it.

There's Hassel island, the lower island to the right...

There's even a few boats on the island that Sev's dad could get up and running for the two boys. A project for "Brett's Better Boats".

It's even got well-priced homes...

The old ship we saw a week or so before was anchored out in the harbor:

It looked far more impressive out at sea with her sails saturated with sun and wind:

Charlotte Amalie is not only St. Thomas' largest port but probably the biggest in the entire Virgin Islands. It's always congested and full of boats, sea planes, and mammoth cruise ships.

This is Connor checking out Royal Caribbean's "Allure of the Seas", the world's largest cruise ship. We hear it has a rainforest, a zip line, and a wave pool.

Connor said he wanted to hop on board just long enough to hit their self-service ice cream machine.

We may not have an ice cream machine but we're happy to be on board our smaller boat with less crowds. And, we may not have a rainforest aboard, unless you count the severe lack of shaving that been happening while at sea, but we do have a crazy mast rope swing that would prove to be more adventurous and thrilling than any zip line "Allure" would have. Plus, we've also got a wave pool...we call it "The Ocean". And as far as our dessert selection on board goes, Kathy's and her fixed up oven have been baking up some sweet treats that would rival any cruise ship offering--minus ice sculptures.

Mark impressed us with his boat parking maneuvers, squeezing past the rocky shoals, heavy traffic, and even a sea plane taking off.

We looked pretty small compared to all the giant cruise ships as we pulled up next to the fueling dock but Mark seemed undaunted by it all. He turned us 180 degrees and slid up gently to the dock and parked it like it a car with brakes.

We were so happy to have fresh water once again that most of us took showers off the back deck. I didn't even mind if all the cruisers on board the ship next door were watching my little shave and shampoo routine from their porches:

I was just happy to have salt-free hair.

Little privacy is afforded on a boat. I discovered these lame shower photos on my camera later that night when I loaded the days pictures on my computer. I can only imagine it was Keith or Mark who decided to snap pics of my lovely shower. Thanks guys, incredibly helpful aren't they?

With our trash hauled off, water and fuel filled to the top, and a few needed groceries from town, we motored over to the U.S. Customs office in Cruz Bay St. John to check out of the country again.

There Chloe was excited to meet up with her little friend Ruby that we had met at the docks just before setting sail at the start of our vacation.

While we were there to check OUT, Ruby and her family were checking back IN. Ruby was just as cute as we remembered, she ran right up to Chloe and gave her a big hug.

Kathy and I couldn't help jogging over to the nearby fruit stand for cold fruit smoothies once we checked out. Technically I'm not sure telling the country you're leaving and then sneaking across it's boarders for smoothies is sanctioned but on such a hot day it couldn't be helped. We brought back the kids a couple of those frozen drumstick ice creams to buy their silence on the matter.

Once out of the country and back at sea we headed off to St. John. Connor was trying to enjoy the passage by finding the few spots on deck that would offer a shady respite from the afternoon sun.

I kept reminding him that he could be back home in Oregon where he'd be wearing his winter coat and scraping frost off the walkway.

Some news from the British side of the boat...it's leaky! Poor Kathy has leaky hatches. Though I think it's quite fitting that it's damp over on the British side. It rained so hard the other night that it completely soaked her bed. She took the sheets off and dried them during our passage:

Then she jury rigged a complex arrangement of line lashing and boat fenders to literally buoy up her mattress and provide enough air circulation to let her mattress and cabin all dry out:

For a while now she's been using a sophisticated system of duct tape and tinfoil to repel the encroaching sea:

I feel bad for her flooded cabin but one can't help, especially one from the American side, to pause long enough to note all the classic symptoms of a true Liverpool slum. And for me this just begged to be pointed out, so I left a note:

I didn't have a "ten-pound note" to leave so I just left a good ol' fashioned American dollar. Seems to heckle just as well.

For those of you familiar with British football chants, particularly Chelsea's soccer song, you'll appreciate the little taunting ditty I came up with for Kathy's damp dilemma:
(Chris Williams and Chris DeBekes are probably the only ones who'll appreciate this:)

You look in your cabin for a place to sleep

and find it filled with the ocean deep!

In your Liverpool slums!

You live like a bum

with your duct tape and aluminum

In your Liverpool slums!

To which I can only imagine her reply:

You what? You what?

You what, you what, you what??

and both Chris' can surely guess my reply:

You (h)eard! You 'eard!

You 'eard! You 'eard! You 'eard!

I never actually sang the song to Kathy--she was making too many great desserts and I didn't want to be cut off, but her impoverished circumstances were the inspiration behind my penning this dumb little ditty.

***

In no time, we made it to St. John, where were headed over to Reef Bay where Kathy had discovered an old sugar mill hidden just off the beach during the Williams charter back in 2009. Two years earlier it was full of bats and land crabs and Kathy was excited to take us in and show us the old mill. Keith had injured his foot on a deck cleat on that first visit to the old mill and was nursing a stitched up foot, which kept him off the island. This was his chance to see what he had missed.

Most of St. John is a protected National Park where anchoring is prohibited. We were more than happy to use one of the mooring balls provided to hook the boat up to.

From the boat, or even from shore for that matter, you'd have no idea there was brick and stone building just beyond the lush treeline. Keith and Kathy took the kayaks to shore so she could show us the way in...

Did you notice the way in to the sugar mill?

It's that small dark entry on the right. We'd of missed it if it weren't for Kathy. There are no signs pointing the way. Just a small dark passage that looked more like natural growth than an actual trail head.

Once you punctured the treeline it felt like the passage to a secret garden, the trail surprisingly became obvious:

Just a shells throw from the shore, there it was. Kathy's sugar mill right before our eyes:

Last time Kathy was here the entire rooftop was filled with these bats. There were just a few hanging about when we visited.

Here's Kathy daring to stand beneath those bats to get a closer picture. A brave girl who's not afraid of a little guano. Standing near her is Keith in his classic travel pose:

I call it "Sign Stooping"
He frustrates us by reading ever plaque and sign on every vacation but then wows us years later by recalling, almost word for word, anything he read on any sign he's stood in front of. Impressive yet, if he could just read a little faster!

Thanks to Kathy, it was a fascinating trip ashore. The sun was setting by the time we'd explored every inch of the place. If you'd like to read all the fascinating history on the place so you can test Keith's sign reading abilities when he gets back home you can click here.

The short ride back to the boat was illuminated by the golden setting sun.