Sailing on Lucky Duck: Steve and Lynn on the High Seas

St. Thomas: Meat Smuggling

Hi there. It's Danielle again with the first part of my travel report.  Hope you enjoy it!

Monday April 10, 2006

It all began with the steak. 

When Nathan and I started planning our trip down to Gustie, one of the first things we asked my parents was, "What can we bring for you guys from St. Paul?"  We were expecting an answer like magazines or peanut butter.  You know, something light and easy to transport.  We weren't so lucky.  The first think my father said was, "Steaks from Morelli's!"

If you're from the Twin Cities and haven't been to Morelli's, what the heck are you waiting for?  Get in your car and go NOW.  Just make sure you bring cash, because they don't believe in credit cards.  Morelli's is an Italian butcher shop/liquor store/specialty foods store, at 535 Tedesco Street, in St. Paul (located at just the point where downtown St. Paul becomes the East Side).  Not only do they have a great wine selection and amazing frozen homemade lasagne, but the meat is incredible.  It's totally fell-off-the-truck Mafia meat.  I never much enjoyed steak until I had a Morelli's porterhouse.   Now I understand what steak is all about.

So, Nathan and I went to Morelli's before the trip, bought 2 porterhouses and 2 t-bones, froze them and transported them in Nathan's suitcase in an insulated bag with frozen gel packs.  Piece of cake.  Or beef, as it were.  Before we left, we asked my dad if it would be a problem to bring steak into the U.S. Virgin Islands.  "Of course not!" he boomed.  "It's still the UNITED STATES!  Sailors do this all the time!" 

On Monday afternoon, we finally landed in St. Thomas after an interminable flight that included a stop in St. Martin/St. Maarten to let most of the passengers off. I have to say that landing and taking off from tiny islands is pretty frightening to a nervous flyer like myself.  Especially when we took off from St. Martin and there was a MOUNTAIN at the end of the runway.  Gulp.  But we survived.

At the St. Thomas airport we had to go through U.S. Customs and Immigration because our flight had landed in another country, even though we hadn't been allowed off the plane.  At the Customs table, the officer asked us if we had any food products.  Nathan, being the honest, upstanding guy he is, admitted to carrying steak.  She asked to see it, so he hauled out the insulated bag.  "We can't let this in," she said.  We asked why, picturing $50 worth of steak being tossed away.  Or even worse, Nathan being taken back and given the smuggler's strip search.  "It doesn't have supermarket labeling on it.  I can't tell where it's from.  It could be from anywhere in the world."  I pleaded our case, telling her we hadn't even stepped off the plane in St. Martin, we were visiting my parents on their boat and that the steak was from a little butcher shop in St. Paul.  I must have seemed especially honest or pathetic because she finally said, "Okay, I'll let it go this time, but next time you NEED supermarket labeling on the steak."  Yeah, right, like we'd bring Cub Foods or Rainbow steak all the way down to the islands.

But still, WHEW!

We caught a cab to Crown Bay Marina, so excited we were both wiggling in our seats.  It seemed gloriously warm and sunny to us after a week of mostly rain in St. Paul.  When we arrived, we called the parents on my cell phone and they came right over and...

HOLY CRAP, ARE THEY TAN!

George Hamilton wishes he could be as tan as my mom.  And my dad isn't far behind.  They almost radioactively glow.  They looked fabulous and it was even better to see them after so long.

We hauled our 6,000 pounds of luggage (the snorkeling gear we brought took up nearly one whole bag) to Gustie and finally laid our eyes on her.  She's gorgeous, simply gorgeous.  I love her navy blue hull and her lines.  She's not a sleek sailboat, but a rounder, fuller-figured one that makes you feel very secure about her seaworthiness.  I can see why my parents fell for her.

We got the royal tour.  The interior was much smaller than I'd ever imagined, but everything had its place and it was very efficiently laid out.  The fore cabin, where Nathan and I would be sleeping had a v-berth (where we each have a bunk that is separate but they come together at the feet) with another bunk above one side of the berth where we ended up storing most of our belongings.  We liked it right away, even after my mom showed us the manual pump toilet (go to the bathroom, pump 6 times, move a switch to the left and pump 12 more times, move the switch back to the right and pump 6 more times) and warned us about using too much toilet paper.

We were just into our first beers and enjoying our Puerto Rican neighbor's salsa music when Nate called.  He was here!  None of us had seen Nate since Christmas so it was a very happy reunion.  There were more beers and tours and exclamations of joy.  I think there might have been gin and tonics in there, too.  If I haven't said it before, my dad makes KILLER G&Ts.  Eventually we had delicious chicken dijon that my mom made and I later had to re-learn how to wash dishes by hand. 

Exhausted from travel, we all ended up in bed rather early.  Instead of sleeping on the lower settee (which converts into a bed), Nate decided to sleep up on the deck on one of the cushions.  I was rather envious of this, I have to say.  It looked really peaceful, except the loud music coming from other boats.  Nathan and I had our first experience sleeping in our cabin.  The v-berth was comfy but poor Nathan had to sleep in the bunk that had the other bunk over it, which left very little room.  You definitely couldn't sit up without whacking your head.  I found it pretty claustrophobic.  Nathan found it pretty hot.  We ended up affectionately referring to that space as "The Box."  But we did end up sleeping after all, excited to finally get sailing the next morning.

Of Seacocks and Plugged Heads

Hello to all of you, 

On Monday Steve and I said a sad farewell to our daughter, Danielle, our son Nate and Danielle's husband, Nathan. They had spent a week sailing with us and enjoying all the Caribbean has to offer. Five is a tight fit on Gustie but with good cheer we made it work. Danielle promises to insert her own impressions on this page, so I'll leave the details to her entries.

I will just say that their first day of sailing the big sea was rocky! The next day we had the big waves and rain (that's another story) but the first day had lots of big wind. It was the rockiest ride Steve and I have encountered in the past six weeks. Steve and I thought it was a blast and the kids handled it very well. But, for the first time out in a sailboat, it was probably more than they expected. Both Nates learned to grind the winches and each had the opportunity to learn the instruments at the helm and steer when the boat was on auto or standby. It was great to see the terror in their faces as Steve hollered directions as we took in the sails and they were expected to do the right thing. And they did the right thing. Such brilliant Nates! 

Although Gustie was heaving and heeling, Danielle was comfortable enough to maneuver below deck and even had an opportunity to be in charge at the helm when the rest of us were below deck. In our head (not meaning our imagination) there is a sign that says "close the seacock before sailing." I always meant to ask Steve what the heck the seacock was all about. That rough, crazy first day (or maybe it was the second crazy day) out with the kids I learned that a closed seacock keeps the seawater from rising up the sink drain when the boat is heeling. When it’s left open, the sea floods the sink and the shelves holding all our toiletries and eventually the floor. It didn't take long to discover the mini flood. What took longer was trying to find the lever that closes the said seacock. While Steve was on the deck at the helm giving instructions on how to locate the lever, Nate was in the bathroom with me, translating what Steve was saying while pressing a towel over the sink drain, and I was on the floor with a flashlight looking in the dark cabinet under the sink, trying to find the lever. The lever was found, the shelving bailed-out and our day and Gustie moved on. 

Steve and I are back doing our twosome sailing in the British Virgin Islands. Tonight we are in exquisite Benures Bay on Norman Island. It is where they filmed The Four Seasons with Carol Burnett and Alan Alda. There is no civilization in sight except for a few other sailboats cozied up for the night. We took a cooling swim as soon as we dropped anchor and it was heaven. I LOVE to back float in this salty water. I think I could save my life doing the back float. We grilled tuna for dinner but it was a crapper, very fishy tasting. God, I hate that taste! So we tossed it and enjoyed the coleslaw and dirty rice. Please don't feel sorry for us. Last night we ate out in Sophers Hole. That was not intended to sound dirty but it does. I'm going to leave it for your prurient enjoyment. Sophers Hole is on the west end of Tortola and cute as a bug. The kids caught ferries there on the first leg of their journeys home on Monday and we stayed an extra day and a half to get our leaky head repaired. It blew a gasket. Before our kids arrived last week I worried about the head erupting. It never did because they were so attentive during the head flushing/toilet paper drill. And, I imagine Steve telling them that whatever mess they make head-wise, they clean up themselves made a lasting impression. So a little gasket rotting away and a teeny leak are miniscule in my mind compared to a plugged toilet in a remote bay. It's a dirty mess.

Staff at Clare Housing: Thanks for the nice article in the Clarion about me. I haven't read it yet, but my sister, Gerry, said some of you even said some nice things about me. You are the best. 

Molly and Sean Conley: If you read this know that Steve and I wish you a safe and speedy labor and delivery. I know your mother would like you to be induced so you would have a slow labor and she would have time to get from Minneapolis to Chicago to be in attendance. She sounds like a mean woman--you may not want her there.

Aberdeenians: Hold down the fort and we'll be back in the fold on June 8th. 

Addy: Grandma and Grandpa look at your pictures all the time. We have your floating-in-space photo as our wallpaper and I especially like the way your tongue is sticking out. You are the sweetest girl and we can picture you as a sailor girl someday. Your dad told us today that you say da-da when you see him. G & G think you are brilliant. I am a sap. 

John Flaten and Joel Peskay: We look forward to having you aboard next week. Joel is a national champion swimmer. He will probably wear his snorkel gear all day long and we will just tether him to the side of Gustie while in transit. My suggestion is that each of you get one of those synthetic dive shirts to wear in the water. They will dry faster than a cotton tee-shirt and protect you beautifully from the sun. John if you get a chance, please bring me 2 packages of dried apricots. Here the Brits sell a variety of raisins but other dried fruits don't seem to exist. I think they like mince pies. 

Nathan Buttleman (our esteemed son-in-law): Congratulations on getting into William Mitchell College of Law and also for receiving the Trustees Merit Scholarship! Don't EVER play Trivial Pursuit with him and Danielle. After an hour you feel like a dolt.

Everyone, know we are happy, fat and on our way to AA. 

Love, L.

Guest Entry: 12 Things to Know When Sailing on Gustie

Hello, everyone!  This is Danielle, Lynn and Steve's daughter.  Nathan the husband, Nate the brother and I just got back from a week on Gustie, sailing (mostly) the British Virgin Islands.  We had an absolutely AMAZING time.  Gustie is a beautiful boat and my parents couldn't have been better, or more fun, hosts.  I highly recommend Gustie as a vacation destination.

Over the next few days, I will be guest blogging here, telling you all about our wonderful trip.  Right now I'm exhausted after 14 hours of travel yesterday.  Instead of the movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles, it was Planes, Dinghies, Sailboats, Ferries and Automobiles yesterday and our flight was delayed for almost three hours.  But we're back in one piece each, tanned, and with a lot of great memories.  Expect some longer entries soon.

In the meantime, here are 12 Things to Know When Sailing on Gustie:

1.  You'll get soooo used to the rocking of the boat. In fact, whenever you go on land, or you get home, everything will continue to rock a little bit.  Our den is rocking with the waves as I write this. If you get a little seasick, my parents have a British wonder drug waiting for you.

2. If you don't like gin before you go, you will by the time you have to go home, because my father makes a killer gin and tonic.

3. When you get home you'll find it odd that you don't have to hand-pump the toilet and you can use all the toilet paper you want.

4. Wear a shirt when snorkeling.  Trust me on this, sunscreen isn't enough.

5. The seafood buffet at the Bitter End Yacht Club in Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands, is worth every penny.  But you might want to think twice before ordering a Painkiller as a drink.  It's hella strong.

6. You probably don't need to bring any snorkeling gear.  Nathan and I left ours on the boat and it's really good quality gear. I've NEVER snorkeled before where I wasn't always having to let water out of the mask and snorkel.  And if you've never snorkeled before, do it!  It's just too amazing for words.

7. It takes a while to get used to the tightness of space on the boat.  The head (bathroom) is smaller than a phone booth.  The galley isn't much bigger.  The fore cabin's v-berth can feel a little crowded. Yet, it all works.  Those Finns knew what they were doing when they designed the Nauticat.  Every inch of space counts. It begins to seem like everybody should live like this and by the time you get home, your house or apartment seems obscenely huge.

8. My parents are so tan it's not even funny.  You will feel like the whitest, pastiest person on earth when you see their George Hamilton tans.  A week on Gustie won't even get you close.  Just get over it.

9. The Virgin Islands, both American and British, are shockingly gorgeous--little mountains rising straight from the ocean.  The water is clear and the bluest blue you ever did see.

10. You really won't miss the hubbub from home--television, movies, radio, cell phones, computers, etc.  Just sitting in a harbor watching some poor schmoes on a bareboat charter attempting to hook their first mooring ball is all the entertainment anyone could ask for.

11. Don't bring steak in from Morelli's in St. Paul.  United States Customs doesn't take kindly to you bringing in steak from a butcher shop that doesn't label their meat.  It could be dessicated goat tenderloin from some unknown island for all they know...  Actually, they let us keep the meat but we got a lecture about not doing it again.  But the steaks, cooked on Gustie's little grill, were SO good.

12.  You'll have such a fabulous time, you won't want to come home!

Pictures and more stories from the trip coming soon.

A Tour of Gustie

I hope you are all doing fine and dandy. I understand Minnesota is seeing green. That sounds early for this time of year. I am very happy for you folks living there. Steve and I are into seeing blue, as in blue water, but green is good, too. 

Steve and I left the water today and had a great but strenuous hike up and down a rocky mountain. It was a mighty climb and decent but it made us feel powerful. We were hot to use the limbs again but probably the #1 reason had to do with getting fabulous cheeseburgers at Skinny Legs restaurant at the end of our journey. We have been eating on the boat since Saturday and haven't been near a grocery store, so a meal out sounded top-notch. We hiked from Waterlemon (not melon) Bay on the north coast of St. John to Coral Bay on the southeast Coast. We saw a mongoose once but got to smell many mongooses as we huffed and puffed along the way. Although we sweated plenty, we had a nice breeze as relief and much of the hike was in the shade. We never met one other hiker the whole way. The other visitors to the park are such wusses! 

St. John is ecologically protected. Lots of the island is a national park. Each bay has a live-aboard volunteer who hustles over to ourboat via dingy to welcome us and pass out materials explaining the features of the bays and how we can help maintain the wildlife.Snorkeling is so rewarding in these waters because of these efforts.They are bringing back the coral reefs, sea grass beds and mangrove trees. The baby sea creatures can become big guys as they grow in the roots of the mangroves in the shallow water. The roots produce algae that feed babies of the sea. Coral and sea grass also produce algae that grown-up fish feed on. I am a font of information!
 
Maybe you would like to hear about Gustie, our mono-hull, pilothouse sloop. Officially she is 42-foot Nauticat. We have to be careful in saying that, however, because a lot of people assume she is a catamaran upon hearing the cat in Nauticat. She is very seaworthy and could make an Atlantic crossing in a snap. In fact Shannon and Jim Foster, the former owners, did just that as they brought her, brand-new, four years ago from Finland. Her bow thrusters help us quickly go to the right or left when in a pinch. Her sails have electric furling but we pull her lines and use the wench to take in the canvas. Teak cap rails top the life lines on the sides of the boat. Two types of fenders keep her from knocking against docks and other boats. The great big round ones Steve coined "Dollies" after that cosmetically induced county singer. And the long skinny ones we call "Helens" after my mother's (God rest her soul) well-endowed and very long mammaries. 

The cockpit is where we hang out and it's covered by a navy blue dodger and bimini. It has comfortable, upholstered seating. We swim off the back and use the wide stairs and railings to get back on the boat. Showering isn't an issue because Gustie has a water maker that desalinates the sea water. Built into the kitchen sink, a water purifier is used for drinking and cooking. The stove is fueled by propane and its oven and two burners are ignited manually after the propane switch is turned on. When the stove isn't in use a slab of corion is slipped in place to give more counter space. A fridge is also built into the countertop. We have a small freezer under one of the settees off the galley. To provide electricity, a large generator does the job. Steve read the generator's instruction manual on, which of course was for a different type of generator, but we went ahead anyhow and changed the oil last week. Before making coffee or using the microwave the generator has to go on to save overuse of the batteries. 

The aft cabin is large (that's where we luxuriate) and its head has an electric, push-button flusher. Our guests will use the V-berths in the fore cabin and have the supreme pleasure of pumping when they flush. It's really quite easy to use and I take advantage of its powers when I'm wandering around at night and don't want to wake up Steve. With a head, toilet paper use is limited. I won't go into detail but when our first guests arrive next week they will get the drill on how many sheets to use and so on and so forth. We would be helpless if the toilets erupted! Along with teak walls, we recently threw away the interior's blue carpeting to reveal the teak and holly floors. We had dinner tonight in the lower settee, across from the galley. I'm typing this in the upper settee in the pilot house. Both settees have a shiny teak table and are upholstered in sea blue ultra suede. I have big plans to have them reupholstered next year in an ivory pleather (pretend leather, in other words, vinyl). If we would need it, the whole of Gustie can be air-conditioned. Gustie is really everything a gal could want! 

Next week we'll have some of our family together on the boat. Danielle, her husband Nathan and our son Nate will check out this lifestyle and get some R & R from their busy lives. Need I say Steve and I can't wait? Beck and Steven won't make it this year but next year, Addy,our granddaughter, will be a year and a half and will probably make her first sailing trip with her folks. After that big bear hike today, I'm starting to fade. I think I'll have one last look at the night sky, read for awhile and then call it a day. Oh, if you want a good travel/memoir kind of book, try Holy Cow by Sarah MacDonald. It's very humorous, irreverent, spiritual and full of amazing insights and observations about India. It's in paperback.
 
It's terribly troublesome to find a radio wave on which to send e-mail. Steve very richly spews expletives as he tries desperately many times a day to send a message. Please send us news or greetings when you can.The point is that it is tough to send individual responses so please stay tuned to our blog. 

Coral Bay and Barracudas

It is early morning in Coral Bay outside of St. John. I'm in my jammies and Steve is still passed out in our cabin. He looks like the male version of a Rubens painting as he snoozes. I may have to delete that when he reads this!

We motored for about an hour yesterday to get here from another spot off St. John. The previous bay was very beautiful. It was set off from the national park and quite remote with no buildings or people anywhere. We snorkeled like mad in the much-hued turquoise water and saw a barracuda and a sweet looking sea turtle wend their way underwater. Actually Steve saw the 18 inch barracuda. He was dying to have me swim over for a view, but I thought I'd save that thrill for another day. Apparently, according to my reading, snorkelers see barracudas frequently. Most of them are quite small and if you don't irritate them they are harmless. I am wondering what irritates them. I know from now on I won't be wearing my sterling silver bracelet under water. The sea water has made it shine and glow but I suspect that element would draw fish to it. I like my left wrist. Back to beauty, one night I sat on the bow at about 3 a.m. The sky was like something out of a children's book. Among the bright stars, the quarter moon was upside down. It was the kind of thing that would look like a smiley face if it had two dots above it.

We are now anchored. In fact we anchored twice (!) yesterday. The ease in which it took must have been due to a nice sandy bottom in which we secured the anchor. We also practiced going in reverse before we left the remote bay yesterday. Reverse is a bear and the boat doesn't like to take direction in that gear. One side of our stern thruster doesn't work so we can't get extra help from that kind device. But, we still manage well. Really, those of you coming down soon, don't worry, we can steer this boat wherever. Well, maybe we've been lucky. 

Since we hadn't been near civilization since Saturday, we had high hopes that we would be able to eat at one of the restaurants touted by the yachting guide book for the bay we are in today. The book also tells us how to enter a bay and other necessary facts to keep Gustie in the water and off the ground. What it didn't tell us is that there is no way to secure a dinghy so that we could trot off the boat and enjoy that good food. We were a little pissed. But, we recovered and enjoyed spaghetti with hot Italian sausage. 

Hey, I have to boogie! See you someday!

Steve's Big Catchup

This is Steve blogging. It's tough getting back up to speed after the 3 week hiatus while our Sailmail system was down. In any event, I'll start at the end by telling you where we are right now and what we have been doing, and then (if I have any gas left) I'll sketch some of the highlights that have occurred between my last entry and now.

Today was a great day. Yesterday was our first day in St. John. We anchored in Caneel Bay last night right next to a Gilligan's Island deserted white sand beach with lots of beautiful palm trees. Lynn and I had the beach to ourselves when we hit it at 8 a.m. today for a hike up the hill to the Caneel Bay Overlook. The exercise felt good. When we got back to our dingy at the beach level we decided on an early morning snorkel.

We got back to the boat for showers, and then we made a big brunch at 11 a.m. Left our mooring at noon and then motored over to the south side of the island. Once we passed Cruz Bay (the main port for St. John) we had a beautiful big ocean all to ourselves. For reasons I don't know, it appears that very few boats cruise the south side of St. John.

We arrived at Greater Lameshur Bay, had a beer, and then went for our second snorkeling trip of the day. It was great. The highlight, for me, was seeing a beautiful 25-inch long iridescent blue fish with pink markings. I am convinced that God saved much of his best work for beneath the sea. We showered again and then it was time for sunset gin and tonics (a nightly ritual).

There are only 5 boats (including us) in this lovely large anchorage. I think we are going to stay another day. Why not?

I'm listening to classical music while I blog, and Lynn is reading. All in all, it’s been a great day.

Highlights from last blog to now:

1. Lynn's arrival.

2. Sailing next to a huge old-fashioned square-rigged ship under full sail.

3. Seeing a dolphin at Soper's Hole.

4. The bent boathook/mooring ball story (see Lynn's latest entry for full details).

5. Sunset gin and tonics.

6. Catching my first ocean fish.

7. Lynn and I figuring out how to do boat stuff that we didn't have a clue about how to do to start out.

8. Dive-bombing pelicans.

9. Almost flipping the dingy (and almost killing Lynn in the process) at Sandy Cay.

10. Beautiful mega-yachts galore.

11. Cow's feet soup.

12. Sailing to St. John right through a sailboat race with many lovely boats under full sail (many with professional crews).

13. Getting nice e-mails from many of you.

14. Lynn liking this life even more than I thought she would.

15. To paraphrase the Nike commercial--just doing this!

Stay tuned for further details.