Fine Line Sailing

Monday, June 01, 2009

Cruizin With Friends

We arrived back on Fine Line on May 20th. 3 days later Darlene and Doug arrived.

Having guests onboard is alot of fun but you always worry about how your guests will adapt to the small spaces, warm weather and island life.

No worries though as long as there is cold beer onboard for Doug

And a front row seat for Darlene

Day one you gotta walk the plank

Darlene trying for a perfect score...we gave her a 9.5...point your toes Dar

The water feels cool when you first get in but it is really nice at 80-82 degrees

Darlene had no problem getting into the relax mode

Doug singing a tune at sunset

Next day we went snorkeling. Doug came prepared with his own equipment....straight from http://www.ilikeoldstuff.com/

"No, my great Sea-Hunt-Like mask is not leaking."

Norman Island, British Virgin Islands. "The Caves".

Steve and Doug raising the Gennaker for a great down wind sail

Doug enjoys working with Steve......see the smile on his face

Steve and Darlene charting course

In a week there are many places to visit. The British Virgin Islands and the US Virgin Islands are so close to each other that you can easily visit multiple islands in a day. You can always find something fun to do.

There are plenty of beach stops with bars and restaurants. Not your typical restaurant, most have sand floors and great views. No reservations required.

Decorations vary but frequent displays include old stuff boaters leave behind....flags, boat parts, clothing

Doug enjoying this stop.....how ironic! Or, is it sarcasm???

A great vantage point on St. John looking across the Sir Francis Drake Channel at the island of Tortola, British Virgin Islands.

The "Willie T" is another fun stop on Norman Island. This is a popular drinking spot. Lots of young tourists come here to drink and do naughty things. Sorry we cannot show you the action photos as it violates this blog site's terms of agreement. Ask Doug to show you.

Doug a bit worn out from all the action

Steve too

Anne and Darlene on watch for misbehaving youths or are they watching the naked wakeboarder?? Ask Darlene for the photos because again, the terms of this blog.......

Doug was worried about getting seasick (that's what he said) so he took Bonine....lots

ZZZZZZZZZZ

Later in the week we visited The Baths, a must stop on the island of Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands.

The large boulders are fun to climb on. You can pretend you are a mountain climber like Darlene

Cool shade and crystal clear water

Another must see is White Bay on the island of Jost Van Dyke. One Love Bar and Grill has typical island decorations.

Outside seating with a view

And a great rum drink called "The Painkiller". What might the ingredients be??

Think there might be some rum in that there drink?

No more painkillers for Steve

Doug gets a "good behaviour" smooch from the crew

A week in the islands will definantly relax you

Put a smile on your face

The weather was great. A few short rain squalls

Beautiful sunsets

Cane Garden Bay on a calm beautiful night.

So will they come back? Were they transformed to islanders? Doug is convinced he will win the lottery and return with a bigger and better boat than Steve has. He will bring his guitar and one day he will be

An Island Guitar Hero!!

A big thanks to Darlene and Doug for sharing their great photos with us.

So now what?? Our boat needs some fixing. Our windlass (brings the anchor up and down by pushing a button) is broken. The up button works ( thankfully) but Steve has to lower the anchor manually. Doesn't sound too bad but the anchor alone weighs 72 pounds and the attached chain weighs 1.5 pounds per foot. Typically we lower 125 feet of chain when we anchor. Good workout but not fun.

We will head south to Tortola on Friday to meet our good friend Nancy and her new beau. They are taking their catamaran out of charter and sailing to Key West. You can follow their travels at http://sunluver.blogspot.com/

See You Soon,

Anne and Steve

S/V Fine Line

Friday, May 15, 2009

Where Have You Been?

They say "time flies when you are having fun". It is true, where did the last month go?

Dana came to visit us on April 1 in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. She has finished Nursing School. She is ready to have fun!

Dana and Steve found a big school of little fish
And a little school of big Tarpins. Tarpins are ugly and scary looking so..... Anne stayed inside the dinghy, thanks
.10 days later Meghan showed up. Yep, she was invited. It was spring break for our first grade teacher and she needed a break. Go crazy Meghan!!

Dana, a bit more conservative, can't resist the jumpAnd even though they are adult women with real jobs they still know how to torment each other. Please don't drown you little sister Meghan.
. We visited some "old haunts". The Soggy Dollar Bar on the island of Jost Van Dyke is thus named since a lot of customers jump off their boats and swim to shore for a famous "pain killer" drink. When money is pulled out of the swim suit it is soggy wet.....nice
Who wouldn't want to swim ashore here???Lot's of fun ashoreHere is the formula: beautiful water+rum drink+sunshine=happy face Another favorite stop is the Baths on the island of Virgin Gorda. Years ago, large boulders were strewn in the water by a big monster. Nicely done.

You can hike all around, in and out, over and under.

Cheers

A favorite spot is Waterlemon Cay in Leinster Bay, St. John

The water is beautiful and the snorkeling is great

Turtle with a couple of hitchhikers
Met a cool pirate on our trip . Michael Bean is a Pirate With A Purpose. He puts on a great show and spends lots of time traveling to Haiti where he helps needy children. Sort of a Robin Hood Pirate.

Steve won the conch horn blowing contest.He was excited. And just a FYI, Steve will dance and blow a horn for rum

Then it was time for the girls to go home and it was time for us to do some maintenance and repairs on Fine Line. Sure, you think all we do is have fun but here is a sample of our to-do-list: