Friday, January 4, 2019

I said I wouldn't but I am

Hey everyone, Happy New Year!

     I announced last year no more blogging, but.....here I am again.  Just in the mood, I guess.
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     We spent 4 weeks in the BVI overseeing the installation of our mast at Nanny Cay, Tortola, by Wickham’s Rigging. We cannot say enough good things about Dean and his crew and are thrilled to have it all done - it looks so pretty and the lines are Rastafarian colors!  Of course, it is the BVI, so there were some delays - most of them because Wickhams is so busy but also every boat seemed to have some sort of issue that prolonged the job.  One boat was found to have soft spots in the deck, another had missing parts, etc.....   We were the easiest job they had, thank goodness and knock on wood.  Nanny Cay is doing an excellent recovery job and we enjoyed our time there going to beach barbecues and Captain Mulligans.  They are finally installing the new docks for the inner harbor, which is a huge job.  When we finally left the marina, the winds were very high so we decided to just motor over to Peter Island and play with the new rigging there. 2/3 of the way across the channel an alarm started screaming - our engine was overheating.  No way were we going back to the marina after 2 weeks there, plus we had great 13-15 kt. winds,  so sailed and anchored in our usual spot perfectly.  Two days later we sailed to Penns Landing to catch a mooring ball and had the engine fixed there.  Luckily the part - impeller shaft- was available on island and Justin went into town to get it for us.  While at Penns we took the bus into Roadtown, which is very busy with construction. Traffic was crazy!  We then sailed up to the North Sound and spent a few days at Leverick Bay, which is in great shape.  However, the rest of the North Sound is shut down, absolutely nothing going on.  Peter Island is cleaned up but the land is off limits and we saw no new construction. The snorkeling at Great Harbor PI is sad - water is clear and there are fish but no coral, just rocks.  We stopped in Spanishtown, they are just starting to reconstruct, there is no where to go there except a cab to the baths.
      We left Megerin on a mooring ball at Penns to fly to Pittsburgh for the holidays and then to Chicago to spend time with Megan and Mark. It’s been cold, windy, rainy, and dreary in the US but we are headed back on January 6 so sunshine in our future. 

The state of the boat when we first arrive.  I put all the cushions up in the v-berth to prevent mold/mildew, then have to move everything into the main salon to be able to sleep on the boat.  It takes us about a week to get organized.

Getting ready to be taken by lift to the launch pad into the water.  No mast but otherwise in good shape.

All new mast, rigging, and safety lines. Took us 2 weeks in the marina, but we luckily had fantastic weather.
Note all the new power catamarans behind us - wave of the future.

Our new lines are Rastafariancolors!

Our 7 year old dinghy just wouldn't hold air any longer so we had to buy a new one at Nanny Cay.  there it is tied up to the new Willie T on Peter Island.  Megerin is anchored way out there off of the point.  The Willie T is a floating bar/restaurant.

Sad sight in Spanishtown, Virgin Gorda - what is left of the Rendezvous Cafe after Irma.

Signs of progress in Spanishtown

Looking at Peter Island resort from Spratt Bay - all of the cottages are gone.   they will will rebuild but for now the whole island is shut down.

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