A ship and her crew

    A belated introduction to the ship and her crew will be the topic of this post. I am aware that introductions typically come first but with my sudden change in scenery I felt compelled to relay the events that impressed me the most.  I think now that things have calmed down and I have settled into my surroundings it is an appropriate time to get the formalities out of the way.

As I am sure you have gathered from previous posts the boat's name is Snow Goose.  She is a 115' cutter. A super yacht by every definition of the word.   

Her beautiful teak deck stretches from stem to stern, interrupted by a massive pilot house just astern the mast. Complete with sliding doors it does a hansom job protecting the crew from the heaviest of seas.  With her massive sail area we managed to squeeze a screaming 17 knots under full sail in 30 knot winds.  A personal record under sail  for both the Goose and myself. 

One peak below decks will show her beauty is not just skin deep.  With four state rooms, plus crew quarters, a full galley, and a spacious salon, this ocean cruiser has plenty of room to spare.
    As you walk through the pilot house the navi station is to port. The large wheel is set just in in front of an elaborate control panel, filled with more switches, gauges, lights, and levers than a Boeing 747.

Taking the stairs down the companionway will lead you into the main salon.  As your eyes adjust to the light, the first thing you see is varnished wood.  The walls, the table, the cabinets are all beautiful polished wood.  A small couch to your right and to your left a large table with an impressive gold compass rose inlaid to the wood.  And on the floor, a regular window shade  in the process of being repaired makes a perfect centerpiece.  

Continuing on through the swinging doors you will find yourself in the galley, my corner of the boat.  The galley and the crew quarters are one in the same on this boat.  What I mean by that is the crew inhabits this area of the boat more than anywhere else on the boat.  We have a full entertainment center complete with a playstation, flat screen, and a network private to the boat with every movie, tv show, and song you can imagine.  Courtesy of or tech man Wayne Jacobsz.

The galley is large, and easy to work in.  A fully functional kitchen.  It has been a while since I had one of those at hand.  When I am not swimming, beach hopping, sleeping, or entertaining myself in some other manner, this is where I am.  It is a comfortable place where all are welcome. The crew's bunks and head/ shower are just past the washer and dryer.

These are my quarters.  I share a bunk with the skipper, Aubrey. I keep my galley much cleaner than my bunk.  All of life necessities are within arms reach here. Snorkel/mask, charger, Vans, Leatherman (#1), tighty whities, sunblock (spf 30), Roninson Crusoe, laptop, harmonica, yoyo,  scooby, and sunglasses.  This is my life as of now.  Not too bad in my book.




Next on the agenda is the crew. The men I'd  like to call my family on this ocean adventure.
First there is the skipper and the man I am proud to call my bunk mate, Aubrey Akers.

A true South African at heart, Aubrey has been on this boat for over 7 years.  This boat is home and he treats it accordingly.  He is the skipper and the engineer, and know her inside and out.  
 
This picture was taken from the top of Snow Goose's mast, over 60' up, in her home away from home, St Barth, F.W.I.

Next is the first mate, Wayne Jacobsz. The second South African on the boat.  An experienced and good natured guy.  Like the majority of this crew, Wayne has multiple areas of expertise. He is first mate but Tech is his middle name. He handles any network, computer, or electrical problem you can throw at him.
He is a fisherman too! This picture was taken last year in the Atlantic.  His prize catch, an 80lb tuna!

Next in line as Matt Lacey. A deck hand from the UK.  He has won the title on the boat as the "biggest G" (gangster).  A modern day Robin Hood from Nottingham (he's from Nottingham).  A hard worker and a good man in my book with a good sense of humor and  a funny accent.







Technically not part of the crew, but on board none the less is William Moreland. A class act, the life of the party, and the pickiest eater i've ever met.  Currently he is on board employed as a builder, but with an extensive history in sailing, he is a good guy to have around.  The owner, Dominick, is in the process of building a house on the island of St Barth, and employs Will and several other workers to assist in it's construction.  

Well now that you all have been formally introduced, my work is done.

Cheers from the Caribbean!
KB

do the beach hop bop

    Yesterday was yet another day off in St Barth.  My curious nature had me set on the continued exploration of this volcanic rock I would be calling home for the next six months.  This time I found it necessary to take it to the next level.  My plan was to hit the nearest rental establishment early in the morning to acquire the biggest, baddest, fasted, meanest....... scooter, they had.  Like a bat out of hell I was on the road  By 10:00am.  with the wind in my hair (over sized helmet), I was cruising on my very own (rental), fast (25cc), automatic (one speed), baby blue (chipped paint), mean machine (scooter).  Ripping through the rolling hills of St Barth (30mph max down hill), I was hell on wheels. Streets cleared (no one drives on Sunday) when they heard my pipes roaring (like a weed eater) down the road.  .
    Needless to say I covered much more ground with the help of my "mean machine." Hitting almost every beach on the island, I was riding the waves, free diving the reefs, and meeting the people.

    As I worked my way clockwise around the island I was amazed at the terrain the population of this island inhabited.  It's total of 8.1sq mi is packed with valleys, plateaus, lagoons, and even a small mountain they call Morne du Vitet.  Located on the eastern part of the island with an altitude of 938ft.



    In all St Barth has 21 beaches.  Each beach similar to the last, in that they all have soft sand, blue water, and warm sun. But when closely compared, each is unique and suited to specific activities.  I found the beaches on the North East side of the island catered towards surfing due to the large rolling waves coming in from the open North Atlantic.  

    The best diving/ snorkeling beach I found is Grand Cul De Sac on the Eastern side.   With crystal  clear water ranging 10'-40',  It is a playground teaming with life for divers and swimmers to observe.

    A really great beach for the afternoon and evening time is Colombier, on the West side of the island.  There is a bit of a hike to get there but the trail is full of it's own bit of life.  I nearly stepped on this turtle that was quietly having lunch on the path. As I was observing him eat another hiker came along the path and almost stepped on him as well.  I took it upon myself to relocate him to the other side of the path before the hare ran him over too.  But not after a picture with the future winner of the race.

    As the sun began to set I returned to what is still my  favorite spot, a cliff overlooking Shell Beach.  With it's shell covered shore, strait cliff backdrop, and beautiful sunsets, the beach draws a large crowd in the late afternoon.  The cliff however is quiet, and secluded with a great view of the busy beach. 


 Just a few more scenic pictures and my work is done!

Hope you all enjoyed my day off as much as I did.



KB




I found a forwarding address for Snow Goose through the port which enables me to receive mail.  For those interested the address is listed above in the "news, updates, and notes" part of this blog. 

A day in my life

My day usually starts around 6:00am.  I find when living on a boat, big or small, My sleep cycles fallows the sun.  It is also partly because my duties as the cook are to make the crew and guests breakfast.  I take a shower and wander into my galley close to 6:30 to survey what fresh fruits and bread we have left from the day before.  Quite often I will need to make an early bakery run before everyone wakes up.
A few days ago on my way in I noticed a new cruse ship had arrived in the bay.

 And from my observation, not your average Caribbean cruse ship.  This was a 250' tall ship!  My kind of curse.  I have seen it a few times since, but it was quite an impressive sight to wake up to that one morning.

I have been making a running menu every morning for the week.  I decide what to make, list my own personal alterations then when it's all said and done I make a comment as to weather the guests, Dom, and crew liked the food.  Also I comment on if it was easy to make, how the timing was for all of it and what I would do different.  This is another one of my early morning activities that is very helpful to the structure of my day.




My "chopping station" as I call it, is conveniently located next to a port hole through which I dispose of my food scraps.   In doing this I have made a few friends that come visit me every day.  Several 3'-4' Remora (sucker) fish have taken up residency under the boat scavenging any scraps of food I might bestow upon them.  Like dogs of the sea they simultaneously swoop in and fight over every morsel.


    

After lunch I usually have a few hour lull in my day where I'll go diving off the boat or spend a few hours on a beach nearby.  These Remora are not the only fish I come across gathering under our boat.  I will commonly see a Rey combing the bottom or large schools of brightly colored fish passing by.  But I have learned whenever there is a large school of small fish they are commonly fallowed by one or two large Barracuda.

We made our biweekly trip up to St Martin on Saturday.  A large portion of the previsioning I do for the boat is done there due to the different currency.  Currently the Dutch dollar is only 60 cents to our dollar.  It is strange the difference on island's distance can have on culture and race.  St Barth is majority French speaking and white population.  One Island up at St Martin the common language is English with a very largely black population.  St Martin is nicknamed, "the friendly island," which I found to be quite accurate in comparison to St Barth.

             As we set anchor in Simpson Bay, my view through the galley port hole was a pretty one.

My busiest time of day is dinner.  With three courses and a separate meal for the crew, I have my hands full.  All my work is usually done by 9:00pm.  I spend the rest of the night in my bunk doing my best to learn the basics of the very complex French language from an outdated book I found in the bookshop on St Barth.

That's all my happenings for now.  As the days go on I will gladly share my experiences with all of you via this blog.  If you keep reading I'll keep writing!

Thank you all

KB


Best wishes to my closest friend Darci Duncan as she begins her Long flight to Japan on yet another adventure abroad!  Bon Voyage!

A tour of St Barts

Yesterday was my official "Ken doesn't have to do anything" day.  I packed my bag with all the necessary items, snorkel, yoyo, bouncie ball,  harmonica, towel, sunblock, water, etc. caught a ride to shore and had sand between my toes by 9:00. The previous day's snorkel and dive adventures had not even come close to satisfying my curiosity of what this island's marine life had to offer.

    

 I had barely scratched the surface of my mental check list of things to see, but with only three diving trips under my belt, I had already come face to face with a large barracuda behind a small reef.  I shared a small area of water with a sea turtle, and hovered over a medium sized stingray as it gracefully floated across the seabed.  These pictures are just a few taken by Joe, the previous ship's cook on one of our many after lunch swims.
 The majority of my day was spent beach hopping and surveying the town and it's people.

The church is there anchor

The town of Gustavia is built around the harbor.  The church is one of the first sights you see as you come tie up to the dinghy dock.  Just after passing the "Yellow Submarine."  

About half way to the next town, St Jean is the cemetery.  A beautiful array of white tombstones and colorful flowers can be seen from the road.

At the end of the day I awarded Shell Beach my favorite. Under the shade of a palm tree I watched boats sail from Saba Island.  The picture perfect image of a dormant volcanic island of the Caribbean.

I'd say a good bit of sight seeing was done.  I still have much more to see, but it's a start.

Hope you all enjoy the pictures!

KB

Off shore to On shore

My first off shore experience ended up to be everything I  imagined it to be.  It was quite a whirlwind  to begin with.  I arrived at the boat on Monday.  I barely had a chance to find my bunk before we set sail so the time spent adjusting to my new home was happened to coincide with my intro to Atlantic crash course.  After arriving at our destination I was informed by the cook that I am apprenticing under that this was the roughest and most haphazard trip this boat has ever made south.  In my opinion a good experience in the end but I am glad I was not told this two days in.  We left New Jersey Monday November 15th for St Barth.  Being only my second day on the boat I spent the majority of it acquainting myself with " The Goose" as the crew calls it.

Watches were sorted out two hours every twelve hours, and as the cook I was given my choice.  I chose a 6:00 to 8:00 shift which by chance was the best shift I could have asked for.  my choice was confirmed to me on my first morning watch 6:00am on Tuesday when a pod of dolphins came leaping through the water on our bow.  Cruising  at 9 knots they had trouble keeping up with us and as a result there coming was as quick as there going.  The most I was able to capture on film was a small ripple on the water.  In my opinion not worthy of a space on this post.  Something I did find worthy was the grade A, East coast Atlantic sunrise.

The weather stayed calm with a light breeze until the third day out.  We had roughly 400nm under our keel and a storm front came across our path.  It was forecast to hit one day later but as weather forecasts go it was a day early and 20 knots stronger. The storm lasted 24 hours but the seas did not calm till the fallowing day.  With 15-20ft breaking seas there was no sleep for any of the crew that night.  In fact at 2:00am I woke to Wayne simultaneously running up the stairs and telling me we had two pumps failing and water in the bilge.  We were head into the wind and falling into each trough with a crash the shook the whole boat.  Our skipper Aubrey made the call to turn around to put the seas at our stern till morning.  Everything was sorted out by sun up.  We rode out the storm, replaced the pumps and turned back around the fallowing afternoon.  We lost about 80mi but made it up on a beam reach with the wind steady at 30kn off or port side.  Our record speed for the trip was 17.8kn!  A personal sailing speed record for myself and the boat.  As a sailer I was thrilled but as a cook in the galley it was a different story.  Let it safice to say, healed over at 20 degrees steady put a whole new angle on cooking for me.  Evan would be proud to know during my morning watch in35kn winds and 15ft breaking seas I was listening to the Montagues and the Capulets composed by Serge Prokofiev.  This is The "heavy seas" theme song.  He will also be pleased to hear that as I was barely managing to make mack and cheese for the crew, I was playing The Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot in the galley.  The line on repeat in my mind was " when supper time came the old cook came on deck sayin "fellas it's too rough to feed you.""  I found it completely imposable to capture the size of any wave on camera so despite my multiple attempts, not one picture did them justice.
     The next day the dark clouds cleared and the sun finally came through.

The weather evened out to 25kn winds and 5ft seas which was comfortable in comparison to the previous two days.  The next three days were uneventful aside from a few tuna we caught on our way.
On day seven, our first sight of land was St Martin and St Barth close to 5:00pm Monday evening.

  We set anchor at 5:30.  With a bowl of beers on the chill, we all simultaneously pulled beer, cracked it and cheered it to a good week's sail.

ships cook, Snow Goose

I arrived in New Jersey yesterday morning 7:00am east coast time, 4:00am West cost time.  I've adjusted nicely to the time change now but upon arrival I was completely lost.  This blog will continue as usual, but now instead of  Sloop Layla's crew log it is now Sailing Vessel Snow Goosed Cook's log. The yacht is amazing. She's nothing like I've ever seen.  The crew consists of two South Africans, one Brit, three Americans, including "your corespondent," and an Italian, the owner.  Last night was a bit of a "last night in NJ" celebration and today we raise sail!  I won't be able to post as we are sailing down the coast but within 8 days we will be in St Bartholemy FWI.  I am having trouble uploading pictures so there are none at this point. I will keep tryin and soon you will see.

Cheers,

KB 

Mainland

  A month and a half later I am back on "the mainland."  Tied up to my own permanent moorage  in Fairhaven, Wa.  The return trip was more fun than I had even hoped, mostly due to the distance covered and hours under sail.  The time spent in and among the inner islands was full of short passages across straits and channels just island hopping with no long term destination.  If my traveled course had been plotted it would look like a pile of Pick-Up-Sticks on a map.

  This leg of my journey consisted of three parts, over four days.  Each varying  from 10 to 15mi, and lasting 4 to 6hrs depending on wind conditions and currents.  My first stop was Jones Island State Park.  An island about a tenth the size of Lopez with what seamed to be the same amount of deer.  An overpopulation of deer appears to be a problem for lots of the islands but Jones puts all the others to shame.  The camper population was booming as well, but for good reason.  Well maintained scenic trails wrapped around Jones highlighting the deepest woods and best views that the island  had to offer.  I anchored in a well protected cove on the north side, sleeping soundly on board the first night.  The second day I gathered my tent and other gear, hiked as deep and far into the untouched woods as you can on a ten acer island, and set up camp.

  After two days on Jones I pulled up my anchor and set my sails to North East, past the ominous, quarried cliffs of Waldron Island, and on to Sucia Island.  This island has been referred to as,"San Juan's most visited", and "the crown of the San Juans", but I just call it Disneyland.  Coming from someone that has never been to Disneyland I honestly think after being on Sucia I would be quite disappointed with the actual theme park.
That evening I shared a calm bay and an amazing sunset with over 60 other boaters in Fossil Bay.

    The fallowing morning I woke to a red sun and moderate winds, but with home so close I pressed on to what would end up being the most divers sail of the summer. The est. 5mi crossing from Sucia to Hale Pass was hard and fast.  With winds up to 25mph and waves nearing 4ft I was working for every mile. Cruising at 6kts I made it to the pass in less than two hours and in retrospect I enjoyed every white knuckled minute of it.

Entering Hale Pass the wind calmed but stayed near 15kts making an easy cruise between Lummi and Portage Island.  Entering into Bellingham Bay I found the weather even milder to the point that I was able to set my autopilot (an old rope tied to my tiller) and make a small lunch.  Now Just barely making 2kts, I sat, ate lunch, and watched the house speckled hills of Bellingham slowly grow. 

    Now with the summer only half way over I am back.  I have returned for two reasons. 1: my cousins wedding and 2: to visit a neighbor of mine just a few boats down who invited me, just before I left in June, to sail with him down to Mexico and on to Belize after the hurricane season(Dec/Jan).   At this point I am undecided weather to set sail with Captain Bill or finish my summer in the islands.  Ether way my adventure has only just begun and I can hardly wait to see where I end up!

Let me know what you think I should do in a comment.

-KB

        

    

Home in sight

    The last two weeks have been quite eventfull like my entire summer and I appologise for my neglect of this blog.  This post will be void of pictures, short and sweet, but I hope to fallow it up with a full langth, photo filled post in the next few days.

    After walking Josh to the ferry landing I headed back down the appropriatly named Ferry rd.Once again contemplating my next move.  From my last corespondence with Mom and Dad, I gathered  they were not able to find a camping spot and were now aiming for the fallowing week.
  I barily made it into town before I got another call from Mom, happy to inform me they found a vacation rental in the village and were coming that night! 

    The week of the 13th-20th was as I like to call it, "a vacation from my vacation."  I slept in a solid bed, ate my mom's renound homemade food, and spent a wonderfull week sharing all my favorite places I had found on Lopez with my family.   We had the oppertunity to sail over to Friday Harbor for one day, and my brother David and I took a long overdue trip to a park island named Turn.  A great week was had by all and on the 20th they returned to there home and I returned to mine (layla).

    Now it is the 24th and I am beginning to plan my return trip home for a wedding and some catching up with all.  My ever changing plan as of now is to take the long way and revisit some islands I saw in early spring.  Arriving in Fairhaven around the 5th, i hope to spend a week or so home and if no other opportunities arise I will be back on the islands in no time to finish up this unforgettable summer and develop a plan for winter.  This time I'll bring a bike.
 
  Lopez has become my port of choice and I would without question consider it "home port" for this summer.  The longer I've been here the more comfortable I have become.  I've met tons of new people each one strange and interesting as the next.  I am looking forward to seeing Fairhaven and all the friends that I love so much, but I will miss Lopez and I plan to return sooner than later.

See you soon,

KB



 

Island Hopping

    The days since my last post have been too filled with events to list individually.  I feel a bit of neglect on this blogs part, mostly due to the recent onslot of friends and family that have taken time out of there busy lives to keep me company out here in the wonderland that I can proudly call home for the summer. So my apologies.
    Shortly after Evan and Darci left I relocated to a wonderfull park on the north end of Lopez  named Odlin,
where I met a delightfull group of campers up from Seattle.  They shared there camp fire, copany, and bulk Mac&Cheese with me in the scorching July sun, and for that I am more than greatfull.  Thank you all so much!
    There exit was fallowed by my old friend and roommate Skot's arrival.  After waiting on shore for me to finaly wake up, I helped him onboard and we set sail for Friday Harbor. 

It was a smooth passage across San Juan Channel and in less than two hours we were comfertably tied up in our transient moorage H55.  Friday was busy with activity and crowded with tourists. The food and drinks were great but Skots eagerness to see more islands and to avoid an expensive mooring fee, we skipped out of port and headed for Shaw Island the next day. 

    On Shaw we stayed on the hook in Blind Bay.  It's convenient location right next to the ferry was chosen so I could easily swap passengers.  Here Skot would go back home and Another old roommate and friend, Josh Cochran would join Layla's crew of two.
    Shaw is a small island only 7.7sq mi total, and located between Orcas Island and Lopez Island.  Just off the ferry a happy couple, Fred and Wilma, welcome you to there island.

    Josh and I spent most of the day exploring the island.  The large, Indian Cove, on the opposite side of the island was windy and had a great view of Canoe Island and Lopez just past that.  On our way back we fallowed a trail that led us to a private drive that belonged in a fantasy story like  The Hobbit or Redwall.

    We made it back to Layla around 5:00.  Do to the building wind and the forecast calling for 30mph gusts, a better anchorage was in order.  Back to Fisherman Bay we went.  This has become a favorite harbor of mine. Mostly for the resort pool that is commonly left unlocked.
    Josh Leaves tomorrow, and I am expecting my family (Mom, Dad, and David) to come visit in a few days to camp.  I hope this amazing summer weather holds out.

The library is closing and I'm signing out.
Adios!

KB

A Weekend To Remember

    It is now the sixth of July and as quickly as the masses moved in they are now all gone.  Lopez is back to it's quiet, friendly self.  In reflection of the 4th I am amazed at the activities that surrounded this holiday and the turnout in response.  Boats were packed in the Fisherman Bay like sardines, each one decked out in patriotic flare.  

The day was full of fun with everything from a parade, to a village BBQ, to the farmers market, to an amazing glass blowing display, and oh yes, the fireworks!  

As stated by all the locals, the fireworks were a sight to see.  Long after the deafening mortar blasts were over, you could hear the mixed crowd on land and water roar with satisfaction. In all I recommend Lopez Island, Fisherman Bay as a must visit spot on everyones long Independence Day weekend.

    Before I'd even woke on Monday morning half the bay was already empty.  The Vacationing crowds were moving out.  There was no place more apparent of this than the Anacortes bound ferry line.  Evan, Darci, and I managed to hitch a ride to the ferry with one of the volunteers that set up the fireworks the night before.  After thanking him for the ride, and congratulating him on a job well done, I saw Evan and Darci off with the hope to see them both again soon.  It's about a 6 mile walk from Fish Bay to the ferry terminal but luckily for me, on Lopez the locals consider it there duty to pick up anyone in need of a ride.  I heard one man just getting off the ferry call it the "hitchhiking farm".  Needless to say I didn't even make it a mile.

    

    Evans departure of the crew and my company was unexpected on both parts, but I look at it as a great chance to brush up on my solo sailing skills. Company on my boat is always welcome but nothing can beat the absolute solitude of living and sailing by oneself.

  Once again thank you very much for reading, and happy belated Independence day to all.

KB

The fallowing pictures were just too good to not post.  I will see if I can set up a photo gallery link or something soon.

                                                  (home)

                                (reminds me of The Shining,"here's Evan!")