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!