Good sailing once again.  Lunch at Cane Garden Bay and then we spent the  night at White Bay on Jost Van Dyke and visited the Soggy Dollar Bar in the early afternoon.  The beach was stunning (easy to see why it is so named) and there were people and boats everywhere...one big party.  Once again we were viewing rather than partaking...this boating takes it out of you...

Aurora at Sidney's Peace and Love - Jost Van Dyke

A few thoughts about knots.  Good knots are wonderful things – bad knots are ugly.  They do stuff like tying the sails to the boat, tying the boat to the dock, tying other stuff to the boat, etc.  I was enjoying my sundowner drink a few nights ago.  A lovely Dark and Stormy (cocktail).  I was in relax mode, big time, and looked up to see an empty dinghy drifting down wind in Little Bay harbor on Jost Van Dyke island and my first thought was what idiot did not tie off his/her dingy with a good knot.  On closer examination I saw someone had painted numbers on the dingy for ease of identification purposes (most important in heavily dinghy-ed areas).  Then I realized it was our dingy heading nonchalantly down wind.  I shot up like a flash and, very luckily, Eilo was on deck and asked for my cell phone and wallet, neither of which needed a bath, before I went over the side to rescue Aurora’s dinghy.  The unneeded exercise cancelled the intended effect of my Dark and Stormy.  Obviously at fault was a bad knot.

Today we were having fun testing our anchoring system, first at Sandy Cay and then at Little Jost Van Dyke to ensure we could get the anchor down, get good bite - such that the boat stayed where we needed it to stay - and get the anchor back up without shedding any blood.  It worked great - we did great, all was good.  So good we decided to head into shore for some lunch and a walk to the natural Jacuzzi.  The dinghy was in the water and ready to chariot us to Foxy’s Taboo.  I had just shut down the main engine and was about to board then start the dinghy engine -  awaiting the arrival of my first mate.  Sailboats are typically more quiet than motor boats …you become accustomed to the quiet.  In a few days we have become accustomed to the typical noises generated by Aurora.  Unusual noises tend to grab your attention. Even though most of the sounds generated by the craft make sense – some do not.  I heard Eilo’s voice and it was not her usual voice nor was it a panicked voice.  It was more a voice that commanded action, pronto.  I heard "you better come down here now”.  And being a dutiful captain I obliged.  The noise was coming from the engine room/compartment.  It sounded like a minor waterfall with a small cascading river below it.  I opened one of the many engine compartment doors and saw a good spray of water coming from the main propeller shaft seal.  The water was cascading down into and filling the bilge.  Another point about boats - it is always a wonderful idea to keep the water on the outside of the boat.  Doing otherwise usually results in sinking. Had Eilo ignored the noise and had we left the boat Aurora would have been riding a lot lower in the water when we returned, which would have sucked!  The electric bilge pumps could not keep up with the leak so with me on the helm and my First Mate Eilo, manning the manual bilge pump, we motored back to the boat yard in Nanny Cay.  All the time I’m thinking this will be another several thousand dollar odyssey.  We called in hoping we could persuade the boat maintenance guys to hang in there before they departed for the day, it being late Friday afternoon and knowing how much the islanders love and respect their weekends. We got in and very casually one of the mechanics climbed abroad and went below.  It took him all of 15 minutes to adjust the leaking seal and teach me how to do same for the next time it happens.  All very exciting and emotionally draining.  We will sleep good tonight as Aurora bobs around back in her familiar home.  Do boats have feelings and personalities?   Did Aurora spring the leak intentionally such that we would learn more about her care?  Makes you wonder…   

Preparing to sail....just another day in Paradise.  Yes the weather is beautiful and the seas are turquoise and the views are inspiring but...our day is cleaning, organizing, fixing, trying out the new dinghy and engine.  Stubbing toes regularly, losing those screws that you just put down, damn that mosquito (wouldn't have that problem if we were sailing and not at a marina!).  Buckets of seawater to clean the deck (while neighboring boats have staff and use fresh water), get that engine room blower wired up, turn on the engine and generator, check that all batteries are charging, figure out where to stow things so that you remember them and they don’t crash and land during sailing…and whenever you finish your list start the next.  Boats are demanding and they are never fixed...it is just a matter of what is going to break next!  Ken is in his element - as for me....I have forgotten the joy of high heels, make up and fashion!  Bruised, bloodied, swollen and sweating , sporting the frizzed hairstyle, I am the new image of the Caribbean!  Yeah put that on your brochure!

Monday Jan. 26^th

We set sail!!! Our departure from the dock was without incident!  Just local guys who knew us cheering us on!  Ken motored us out into the sea while I tidied away fenders and dock lines.  And yes, to all those who reprimanded me…one hand for me and one for the boat…and I was taught that but you would be surprised what stays in your head and what doesn't when you are anxious.  After the hatch incident, and the bruises are still the most impressive I have ever had, I think I learned a couple of lessons…about closing hatches, holding on and carrying a fender in a manner that still allows you to see the deck.  I hate to think how I will learn the rest of my lessons….

Out in the Sir Frances Drake Channel Ken handed over the helm and I pointed into the wind while he got the main sail up first and then the genoa.  Winds were very light, 5 to 8 knots (for the uninitiated that is not much of anything).  Ken was getting used to the winches etc.  Once up, we set off on a beam reach and started trying her out.  We did about four tacks (turns into the wind…if I get the sailing lingo wrong forget about it…it won’t hurt like the hatch drop!).  Ken was ecstatic…we got her up to 7 knots with ease (that must be good cos with little wind Ken was in seventh heaven).  And me…well I was happy at the helm, looking at the Garmin GPS which makes a lot of sense and holding a course.  But before you think we are finally free of problems…

Ken went below to open the fridge (it opens from above for one area and from a door to get to items below).   Well…from the helm I could hear familiar rage cursing and I could see glimpses of Ken moving seat cushions but nothing intelligible was coming out of his mouth.  When he finally came above I found out that the fridge door handle had simply come apart in his hand and bolts and springs were now sliding around the cabin sole (that’s the floor!).  OMG!  He held the door closed with the seat cushion until he could get to it to fix it.

More….

We had decided to spend our first night anchored off Norman Island in the Bight.  We had been there before and we checked the guides etc.  As we entered the anchorage we realized it was busier than we had ever seen and there was limited space for anchoring but we saw a mooring ball dead ahead and so Ken motored towards it and I hooked it FIRST TIME another one of those good moments. And yes I made sure that I was wedged in so that I wouldn’t tumble in. (Side note: in case you are unaware I am a lousy swimmer and trying to master the art of treading water). As we had already turned on the windlass (yoke that lowers and raises the 220 foot anchor chain, kinda handy) in preparation of anchoring Ken decided to use it to pull the anchor in tightly (just a tad) and so operated the windlass – which did nothing…well it spun on the shaft but, as Ken most eloquently put it, was less than useless.  Windlass had been working, Ken had checked and run it often, but we got new chain and it seems that when the mechanic put the gypsy (part of windlass that grabs chain) back on he forgot something.  Well at least we were on a mooring ball so Ken was not going to have to hand pull chain and anchor!!!!

We dingy’d over to the Willy T (floating steel boat which operates as a bar).  We had a drink and took in the reality show that daily unfolds.  Pretty much everyone was plastered and they were young (college age) and old.  They were jumping off the boat, removing bikini tops to throw into the water and then retrieve; they were “mooning” other boats and generally falling around.  Now, I must admit that we have jumped off the Willy T in the past and Ken did a beautiful dive on this occasion but now that we are serious sailors (well I am trying to be but give me a year or three) we had one drink only!  Also the fact that the boat needs so much TLC renders one responsible.

Dinner on board was a delight.

Waking up to a beautiful Caribbean day….first call to the mechanic’s boss who got back to Ken with the suggested fix for the windlass.  Ken got it fixed and is dying to try it out…I simply want it to work but not so anxious to ‘try’!  Spent day exploring Norman Island….great views.  Then snorkeling near the caves made famous in Treasure Island.  The fish were incredible!  Colors and variety aplenty.  Dinner on board and tomorrow’s adventures await.

Taken from one of our walks...

Almost there...

11 months and the Aurora refit is getting close to completion.  We may actually get to sail this beast.  She saw water 5 days ago.  We got the main engine cranked up OK and after replacing another 4 sea water hoses she stopped leaking (for now).  The generator even started and runs smooth except it was not hooked to anything which would allow the electrons to flow where they might do some good.  The guys who took the generator out and rebuilt her took pictures of how she was wired but that was half a year ago and those pictures have long been blown away so it was anyones guess how to wire her. At least we could get to the fuel dock.  There was a traffic jam at that dock so I made a bad decision to tie up to another dock,to wait out rush hour,  without being prepared to do so.  I ended up hatching my wife Eilo -as she attempted to get the dock fenders from one side of the boat to the other so we did not trash her hull,  she fell down an open hatch and for that effort won her first boat tattoos… some very significant black and blue marks which are still maturing. Of course I was oblivious to her hatching, being more concerned with crashing into the bad choice dock.  She is wearing her fist battle scars well - I am impressed.  We finally got Aurora filled with diesel and uneventfully eased her into a transient berth in the marina.

We had not re-named the boat so the longer she sits in the water, wondering what her name is, the more tempting it is for Poseidon or Neptune to come screw with her and consequently us. It’s a very bad idea to tempt that fate. The next day we had some friends on board and with her black and blue marks well covered up Eilo MC'd the renaming ceremony.  It went off nicely (was it due to good champagne???) without fire, brimstone, lighting, tsunami, or any other bit of havoc the gods of the sea and winds could have thrown at us - were they appeased?  Maybe… we shall see.All critical systems are now working unless one considers showers and toilets critical. Yes Eilo has a strong opinion on that but captain Ken is hell bent on setting sailtomorrow.  All that remains is suck up to El, an excellent rigger, and see if I can persuade him to tune the standing rigging which is the stuff that holds the mast up and see if Derrick can come through with a bracket, he promised was no problem to source several months ago, which connects the auto pilot to the rudder. We need to get the auto pilot running or source a  significant quantity of pure caffeine to keep us awake on the first significant leg of our journey down the islands.

Celebrating Aurora

Clive and Carrie

Aude and Mia

Chris and Karen

The renaming ceremony

Jan. 20th continued...

So the boat is in the water...diesel engine guy, Darryl, is on board and we are tied up next to where we were launched.  Time to check the engine which has had a complete overhaul.  Yay!  The engine turns on...Oh oh!  It doesn't turn off...and none of the dashboard systems work.  Well, we were told that he has to check everything and troubleshoot problems.

We decide to motor over to the fuel dock to fill up and take her to our spot in the marina so that we can continue to work on her over the next few days and live in comfort.  Just so as you get the picture...we are merely motoring around the marina...everything is close by.  We are not sailing yet.  We have checked out the fuel dock and put our dock lines and fenders (rubber yokes to protect boat from getting beaten up by docks or other boats) on the correct side so that we can tie up.  And so we start to motor over...Ken is at the helm and Darryl is ready to manually shut down the engine and I am on the ropes/dock lines (picture me trying to look like a sailor).

We come around the slips where all the boats are lined up looking spic and span....Oh no....there is a boat on the fuel dock and another waiting so there is little space for us.  There is a place we can tie up while we wait but of course  fenders are on the wrong side, we do have a dock line available.   Captain Ken calls to me to get a fender over to starboard (yep...sailing lingo) and I rush to prove myself, the goal is to put the fender between dock and boat.  I am carrying the fender as I rush to cross the boat but now I cannot see directly in front of me and...I step into thin air!  I have just run into an open hatch and down I go...first: my knee gets whammed into the side of the hatch; then above my knee skin gets removed; then my rear end gets walloped and finally my back is bruised and I am in the hatch up to my arms which have prevented me from disappearing below.

 Meanwhile Ken hasn't noticed as he is at the helm, managing fenders and somehow keeping us from harm., he is like a one man band and extremely focused.  Darryl races over and asks if I am OK...I can only imagine what he is thinking...but I tell him I am fine using my best - this is what I intended to do- voice.  Just checking this hatch out...yep seems pretty tough and comfortable too!  I climb out feeling like the absolute klutz that I am, blood on my leg, already swelling, turning black and blue and sore.  I manage to throw a dock line to a helper on the shore but then....another boat appears and says "hey that's our spot"  so after all that we pull out and have to deal with yet another boat coming in to the fuel dock....they kindly pull back when we tell them we are next in line.  Everything else goes smoothly thanks to marina staff and our friend Clive.  Ken manages expertly and me....well at least I look tough with black and blue and blood all over!

We get to our slip at the marina and tie up.  Back to work on the boat.  Oh yes, this is the life!

The journey to the water...

So we thought we would be in yesterday....wrong ...but we finally made it today.  Don't get too excited as now we have to check out the engine and many other moving parts.

  Ken climbing into our camper!

Aurora on her way to the water...

     

Continuing the journey...

Lower away...

Water...at last...

Ken is 6' 3", fit and extraordinarily capable!  He is an able sportsman and sailor, he can fix anything and is fearless.  His dream has always been to sail the world and now at 61 he is ready to go.  Married for over 30 years to me, Eileen  5' 3" and 56 years of age, though fit I am not a swimmer, not a sailor and not fearless! At best we can describe me as "willing"... at least for now.  By the way...my dream has been to live to enjoy old age...

Aurora is a 51' Hylas.  A classic sailing ship built in 1990.  She is "beamy", which Ken assures me means that she will be a comfortable cruiser.  She is beautiful but in need of a lot of love and care. (So far two females in need of TLC!).  Fiberglass hull, lots of wood below which gives you a wonderful feeling of warmth and ageless beauty. We bought her nearly a year ago and have dedicated the past months to getting her refit and ready for sailing the Caribbean.  The folks at BVI yacht sales have proved that they don't just sell yachts...they become part of the ongoing adventure.  Spending a year at Nanny Cay was about  more than refitting a boat...it was a time to get to know the wonderful people of Tortola, the gifted experts who care for your boat and get it ready to brave the ocean.  We had the best team imaginable so we give thanks to Clive, Karen, Dave, Eldred, Edrid, Alfred, Derrick, Keith, and Doyle Sails.  

The plan is to sail the Caribbean this winter (2016) and get to know Aurora and our sailing skills (mine are negligible, can't swim, can't tread water, took an intensive week long sailing course but that does not a sailor make).  Then take the boat to Jamestown RI for summer 2016.  In 2017 we plan to set sail for far flung destinations world wide.  So that's the plan...but this is an adventure so we shall see what actually transpires.

It's a bucket list thing for me. I'm Ken.  I feel really good at the helm of a sailboat - but have spent little time in that sweet spot as lack of time and cost have been major impediments.  I dealt with the cost factor until now using others peoples equipment - when they were foolish enough to invite me along for a ride or lend me their toy and mastered the time factor by retiring last year.  Some good friends, Tom & Doreen bought me a years subscription to Cruising World as a gag (really?) retirement gift... and I, laying in bed one late February 2015 evening, reading the boat classified adds, found what I thought was a misprint - a Hylas 51' for for $125K.  I called the broker in Tortola the next morning and he indicated it was no misprint and no - she was not sitting on the bottom.

I had previously reduced our lives to a spread sheet to see what if anything we could spend on a boat and a trip to put it in - which is kind of sad - reducing our lives to a spread sheet, that is.  But on the happy side of spread sheets you can keep tweaking them until they tell you what you want to hear.  I tweaked ours until it "said" buy a boat. So we were off to Tortola the next day, on sea trials as well as getting the boat surveyed the day after, and made an offer which was accepted the day after that. 

The survey report indicated it would take $100K to refit the boat to render it safe and seaworthy and I thought no way - I'll do it for much less.  It has taken 11 months, 10 trips to Nanny Cay (the boats  home in Tortola since 2009) about 50 days of my own time and a team of contractors to get the old girl back into shape and yes, $100K is what the refit has cost.  

Tomorrow is the big day when the boat yard will convert our funny looking "tree house" with a wonderful view of the teasingly (a word?), beckoning Caribbean turquoise waters (as we have been living on the boat (to save on hotel bills) which is up on boat jacks - meaning we must climb a 10 foot ladder to get on board) - by splashing her.  Even though her anchor chain is a big knot of rust laying off her bow and there is some sort of huge short in the main engine battery circuit the yard thinks she will float, and I hope they are right.  Then we will start checking what we think we fixed over the past 11 months.  That's the part where I get to use a good deal of flowery language and unhelpful body language to expedite the effort to the point when the fun can begin...