Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Not all who wander are lost...


A solid shot of myself sailing Lizzy Belle solo heading towards Charlotte Amelia Harbour.

Yes Sir! With only two weeks left on this leg of the journey Evan and I decided to hang out in St Thomas with our friends at the Island Beachcomber for a couple extra days. We figured that we had spent a lot of time in and out of the anchorages in the BVI's and we were not in any hurry to head back up that way. So we combed the beaches and Evan who had been volunteering around the hotel for the weeks my folks were on LB introduced me to practically the entire island. Everywhere I went people were waving to him and asking how he was today. He showed me where all the locals hang out and how they eat and drink away from the tourist destinations. After speaking with Evan about his time away from LB he said he was thankful for the experience and the relationships he had created. Nice work brother!

We used the zodiac to shoot some photos of LB and the gigantic cruise ships!

Evan had his first solo trip as well. The Captain usually never leaves his ship but I trusted Evan.

Oasis of the Sea, has fifteen decks with four swimming pools. It is five times bigger than the Titanic and also has fog free mirrors! Hahahaha I'll stick with Lizzy Belle. My mirror doesn't fog up either because we don't have a shower...or hot water.

We pulled out "Gracie" our autopilot and relaxed with a Red Stripe. Gracie always takes care of the business.
We also met Jim. Jim has sailed around the world solo. We must have grabbed his attention at the Beachcomber because he was in love with Lizzy Belle. He taught us some new tricks about improving our technique on the the boat and also gave us some gear he had left over. Thanks buddy, it was a pleasure meeting you and thank you for sharing your stories with us.
A whole bunch of stainless steel gear. Perfect!

A hand sail sewing kit!

Some other odds and ends to get us out of a jam at sea. Jim was an awesome dude.

We also spent a lot of time on Tiger Lady with the Mike's from the Beachcomber. We would almost go out daily and cruise up and down the coast.

The inside of Tiger Lady.

We also would hang out off the shore of the airport and watch the planes land right above us.

Mike enjoying the scenery. He taught us all about how the airport works and the politics involved. He had worked their for years in the past.

Evan looking sharp.

Evan and Mike having a time.

Alright here is a cool story. Mike's dad was stationed on a battleship in the Pacific in World War 2. A Kamikaze slammed into the deck of their ship but did not explode, luckily. All the sailors would strip the plane clean and Mike's dad grabbed the Japanese flag that was wrapped around the pilots shoulders. They have the flag mounted on the wall of Tiger Lady. They also had the writing translated and their were various sayings like, "For my family" written all over it. Brave bunch of dudes!

It has been raining a lot since my folks left. Raining and hot are a bad combination for Lizzy Belle. It gets really moist inside her like we are living in a sauna.

Evan enjoying the sauna. hahaha

Meet Don. Don and Rob pulled up to LB on their Zodiac because they are also from Halifax. Don had been golfing in florida and I guess word has gotten around about two Canadians sailing around the BVI's on a small wooden boat. He heard the story and came over to find out if it was us. And of course it was. After a few rum drinks we also learned that Don works for Heffler Inkpen which is where my main man Jeff hooked me up with Insurance for LB.

Anyone need Insurance talk to my man Jeff MacEachern at http://www.hefflerinkpen.com/

He's your insurance guy for sure. He worked hard on getting LB set up for my trip. Thanks again man! You are my insurance hero!

Once Don and Rob were aboard we decided to have a party on LB. We invited every dinghy that went by and ended up with a lot of interesting people. We hung out all night and were treated to a Lobster Dinner by Martin and the two Dave's. Thanks guys! Much Appreciated.

The crew enjoying the party!

Now I'm starting to prepare for this. Lizzy Belle's "Haul Out Card". Unfortunately our time in the caribbean is almost over for this season. We plan on leaving Lizzy Belle at Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour in the British Virgin Islands along with Michelle and Al's yacht Easy Listening. The past two years I have left her in Bridgewater and have always had a close eye on her during the winter season. I won't even be able to look at Lizzy Belle until next November which also means I will have no control over her. She has been my home for almost a year now straight time and I have an uneasy feeling every time I think about leaving her behind. I keep telling myself that she will be fine, until someone brings up that one word that makes me tremble, "hurricane".

Now it is time to prepare...

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