Well, Steve has been in Florida for five days now and I’ve settled into a routine.  Every morning brush small spiders, and their webs, off of the boat.  For some reason, they seem to fly through the air and land on our boat, daily. 

During this time alone, I started doing the end-of-season deep-cleaning of the boat.  I washed all of the indoor cushions and our courtesy flags.  A courtesy flag is a flag of the country that we are visiting.  While it isn’t a law, it is a courtesy to fly the local country’s flag above all other flags on our boat.  I also wiped down the curtains and soaked some pillows.  Both get light brown spots/coating on them throughout the season, which I’m guessing is mildew.  After completing a cleaning task for the day, I work on consulting, updating the website, and editing pictures. 

Every other day, around 3:30p when it is very hot on the boat, I try to walk to the resort to swim some laps.  Their pool is nice and looks out over the ocean.  And, most of all, the water is refreshing and helps me to get my body temperature down in the hot afternoons. 

One day I decided to wake up early to take some pictures of the Tamarind Resort’s beautiful property.  It was quite enjoyable being the only person on the beach, enjoying special nooks and crannies all to myself. 

Steve and his mom arrived around 4p and we relaxed on the outdoor salon benches for a while.  Steve started showing his mom around the boat and was discussing safety with her.  We have all sustained injuries on the boat and we really didn’t want anything to happen to her.  In the marina the boat is really very steady, so we were not too concerned with her walking around. Unfortunately, Steve and his mom were walking around the inside salon, not paying attention to where the floor cuts out into the stairwell.  Marlene didn’t see that the floor dropped out into stairs and fell down them.  It was immediately apparent that she was injured.

We called the local doctor, Dr. Z.  I had met him earlier in the week when I was walking around the grounds.  He lives on a boat on the next dock over.  He was very nice, knowledgeable, and made boat calls.  He actually practiced in Illinois.  Dr. Z. was amazing and took good care of Marlene.

We decided to get a hotel room at the Tamarind Reef Resort, where the marina is located. It was a much better set-up for someone who is injured since everything is on one floor. After a couple of days, Steve and his mom flew to Florida to seek medical attention, as the island’s amenities were not able to accommodate her injuries appropriately.

On 2.22.23, our neighbors, Dave and Lynn, asked if we wanted to go super marketing the next day with them.  Steve wanted to get some things done on the boat, but I was thrilled to go.  They had a car and drove to the big box store (Cost U Less) as well as a larger supermarket.  I was all set with groceries.  We were looking for a step stool to make it easier for Steve’s Mom to get on and off of the boat.  Unfortunately we didn’t find anything appropriate.  However, later in the day someone dropped off a wooden stool that they must have found stashed in the grass on the grounds.  It was dirty, but would work out well for our needs.

On 2.24.23 Steve flew to Orlando to attend his Aunt Janet’s funeral.  There he met up with his mother and on 2.26.23, and they both flew back to St. Croix.  While Steve was gone, I went to town cleaning the boat.  It was much easier to boat wash the entire boat without having to inconvenience Steve.  I was also able to hose down the cushions and spread them all out to dry.  On Sunday morning I cleaned the bathrooms and prepared the bedroom for Marlene.  We were looking forward to having her visit.  She had wanted to see our boat for a couple of years but this was the first opportunity that she had to come aboard.  We chose this marina because it was in US territory (so she wouldn’t have to go through customs).  And, it is part of a resort, which would enable us to go to restaurants and use the amenities on the property. 

On February 21 we entered the marina.  We were a little nervous about going into the marina because we had heard that the entrance was narrow and shallow.  It turns out that this was all true, but Steve didn’t have any issue maneuvering the boat through.  We were all set to tie up on our starboard side (right).  However, when we arrived the dockmaster asked us to tie up to the fuel dock, on our port (left) side.  So, I quickly moved lines and fenders to the other side of the boat and we tied up.  We had to wait for another boat to exit our slip.  After a couple of hours, the boat tried to move and then returned to where it was originally.  Apparently the captain (Mike) had difficulty getting into the windward side slip. 

Entering our slip was quite a challenge.  Steve had to back the boat into the slip, which he has done many times before.  This slip, however, required that we tie the bow (front) of our boat to pilings in the water.  In other marinas where we have done this, dock hands have helped.  Unfortunately, this marina only has the dockmaster and not dock hands.  Both Steve and I thought this might be more than we could manage.  So, the dock master solicited the assistance of some other captains in the marina.  Matthew hopped on board and helped me.  Mike had set up some lines on the pilings for us to pick up with a hook.  The dock master grabbed the rope that I threw to him from the back and then I went forward to assist Matthew.  With everyone’s help, we docked our boat without any mishap.  As we finished tying up, we noticed that a party was taking place on the boat next to ours and everyone was sipping their beers while watching us.  “Yachtsmen’s entertainment.”   Everyone was incredibly nice and helpful.

As we were sitting at the anchorage today, we looked out at the beach and saw what I think was a baptism of an adult taking place.  A person in a long black robe, whom I assume was the priest, was with an adult dressed in a long white frock.  The person in white appeared to be getting baptized in the ocean, with the priest officiating.  A couple of other people, dressed in white/cream, assisted with the process.  Others were on shore watching and singing.  It reminded me of biblical times where people were baptized in the oceans. Unforutunately I was too far away to be able to take a picture.

In St. Croix, US citizens can check in via the internet.  And, somehow we became verified travelers once we checked in, which is great.  This means that we can go in and out of the USVI’s without having to check in again. 

Today we went into Christiansted to try to get a permit to go to Buck Island, which is a national marine park a mile and a half off of St. Croix.  Getting into a dinghy in 3-foot waves is a challenge, as is motoring to land. I ended up getting quite wet on the ride, but we made it.  It took us a while to find the dinghy dock, but we finally did.  This is the first time that we have had to pay to dock our dinghy.  There was a marine office right off of the dock, which was also a chandlery, where we took care of the fee.  Then we started walking to the fort, which is where we were able to get our permit.  It took us a while to find the park office at the fort, as we didn’t see any staff there at all.  We walked all around the buildings and didn’t see any staff.  Finally, I walked into a building across the street from the fort and found someone who could assist us.  Then the process was very straightforward and we were issued a permit, which is good for a year. 

Our next task was to try to find a grocery store.  The first one that we stopped at was called liquors and groceries.  They were closed, but we think the emphasis was on the liquors.  We found another small grocery store and picked up a few items before heading back to our dinghy.

We decided to have some lunch and then we were going to head to Frederiksted in the afternoon.  Where we were anchored was very rough.  We had three- foot waves and the wind was howling.  Again, it was dangerous to be up at the front of the boat.  However, I managed to get the anchor up and was able to secure it and our bridal.  Unfortunately, the paper bag and rope I had in my pocket blew away somehow.  We started winding out of the channel.  It took us both looking at the markers to try to follow the channel.  If we messed up, we would hit one of several reefs.  We were motoring into the wind, which meant we were going up against the bigger waves and then crashing down on the other side.  Sea spray was hitting us up at the navigation station, which rarely happens.  We were just about clear of the final reef and one of our engines stopped working.  Luckily one still worked.  Somehow Steve was able to compensate with the steering to turn us around and anchor the boat as quickly as possible.  We missed the reef, which we were thrilled about. 

Where we anchored is less rough, but we are rocking more.  Steve put out a stern anchor to try to keep the boat heading into the wind, thereby preventing the rocking.  Anyways, we thanked our lucky stars that this happened while we were still in Christiansted bay.  After looking at the engine, Steve called an engine mechanic, who was able to come out to the boat within an hour.  He thinks something electrical is happening, but needs to return to the boat tomorrow with a diagnostic computer.  In the meantime, we are staying at this anchorage, hoping that our anchor holds and that we don’t have to try to re-anchor. 

We arrived in St. Croix around 3p and then had to navigate the channels around the reefs.  Even though the channels are fairly well marked, there are so many red and green buoys that it is difficult to figure out which way to go.  Then, we had to find a place to anchor, as most of the mooring balls in the area were private.  The area where the boats are parked was very crowded and Steve had to weave in and out of boats that were moored to find a place where we could anchor.  We had to re-anchor once because the first time we dropped the hook, we were too close to other boats.  We finally got ourselves set around 4p. 

Then, we looked up and a water plane was taking off right beside and behind where we were anchoring.  The wind was very strong in this anchorage and the waves were a couple of feet high.  It was a rough anchorage but at least the wind was keeping us pointed in one direction, meaning that we wouldn’t roll to much. 

Originally we were thinking that we would return to the boat around 10p at night so that we could relax and sleep at El Momo.  However, I really wanted to return to the boat in the light.  We were very glad that we decided to return in the afternoon.  The sea state was quite rough and we were bouncing up and down in the dinghy.  It was probably one of the roughest dinghy rides that we have ever taken.  When we left our boat originally, all of the mooring balls in our area were taken.  When we returned, only one new boat was in the area – everyone else had left.  The weather was predicting that the seas would get rougher and the winds would pick up.  We could see that already happening in the afternoon.

We had a 1:30am wake-up call and were underway by 2a.  The seas were quite rough in the anchorage and it was dangerous to be walking on the deck.  We had the mast light on, so we could see well-enough. 

I was in the front of the boat, and all of the sudden something wet and white brushed against my arm.  I have no idea as to whether or not it was a bird or a fish.  Nothing was on the deck when I was able to turn around and look.  It was quite weird.

 Steve helped me get the ropes off of the mooring ball, as the sea was putting a lot of tension on them and I was unable to pull them up.  I got the ropes to the back of the boat while Steve started sailing us west towards St. Croix.  We wanted to arrive before the sun went down at 6p, which is why we left so early.  We saw flying fish along the way, but not much more wildlife.  We ran into a couple of larger squalls, but the wind really didn’t kick up too much with them.  Every time a squall neared us, we pulled the Jib in sum (reefed it), just in case the winds were to increase quickly.  Then, we sailed the boat from inside the salon until the rain passed.  Then, we would un-reef the jib to pick up speed again.  Because of our schedule, we had to run the motors, along with the jib, for about 2/3 of the trip, which was unfortunate.  We encountered 7 to 8 foot swells, however, because we were going downwind, the ride wasn’t that bad.  We were able to walk around the boat fairly easily.  Unfortunately, I had taken some seasickness medicine before we traveled.  (I woke up with an uneasy stomach after trying to sleep in the mooring field).  Even though the medicine is non-drowsy, I still get tired from it (and I only take a half a pill).  So, I slept for several hours and would wake up to give Steve a break at the helm so that he could nap. 

The next day we had planned to walk a 3.2 mile trail to The Bottom.  However, our legs were still tired.  So, after a hearty breakfast, we decided to enjoy the gardens at El Momo and simply relax.  I tried to update our website, but the wifi was taking at least 15 minutes to upload a picture.  I was able to do a little of my consulting work, however.  We had one slice of pizza left and some pineapple, so we ate that for lunch and then called our taxi driver to take us back to the dock.  We really enjoyed the short time that we spent in Saba and definitely want to return one day.  It is a magical place and it reminds me of a tropical kingdom in the sky.  For now we have to settle for the memories that we created this trip, which we will cherish.

Along our way, Cyrill, our taxi driver, took us to the overlook to view the airport.  The runway is only 1300 feet long.  Most are apparently 8000 and 1300 feet long long.  Only propeller planes can land.  And, there are cliffs on either end of the runway.  So, that means that planes have to hit the runway right at the beginning and then stop by the end.  Otherwise, the plane goes into the water.  It is crazy. 

After taking care of everything on the boat and in the customs office, we called our taxi driver, who picked us up and drove us to the top of the ladder trail.  “The ladder” is a set of 800 steps rising up from the shore to the road.  About half way up there is a customs house.  This is how everyone had to check into the island many years ago.  This is also how items were brought by boat onto the island.  We hiked down to the customs house and had lunch.  The view from there were beautiful, as it overlooked the water. 

The path itself was made out of stone stairs.  They were in very good condition.  There were just a lot of them.  After we walked up to “the road,” we had to go up a steep incline, just to get to “The Bottom.”  Along the way, we saw our taxi driver.  He convinced us to hop in his taxi and he drove us to “Windward.”  Along the way, he stopped and we visited a charming Catholic Church located in the middle of “The Bottom.” 

He told us a terrible, but funny story.  He said that in the olden days, the doctors on the island were not very good.  Sometimes people would be in a coma and the doctors would declare them to be dead.  So, they would be buried by putting a board over the hole and the placing rocks on top of the board.  Well, apparently some guy woke up from a coma and started knocking on the board, trying to get out.  The people burying them thought that some demons were trying to get out, so they hurried to put more rocks on top of the board.  It is horrible to think about this, but is is also a little funny.