Birthdays on a boat

It has been an eventful two weeks since my last post.  Enough time to work up a new portfolio of pictures and the stories that fallow.  Some of them i'm sure you have seen and heard already but I will share them none the less for those of you who are not as caught up on my day to day.
The first event to mention would be Wayne's birthday on the 18th.  It was his 25th I believe.  Celebrations can at times be a bit subdued when confined to a boat, but we managed to entertain ourselves quite well with a few beers, a tight rope, and a deck of cards.

I won the house of cards competition.

We ended the night with a pizza and a game oh hide and go seek.  Now that I think about it that night resembled my 8th birthday quite closely.
The fallowing night we were surprised by a spontaneous eruption of fireworks just south of our anchorage.  I was told the island hosts random firework shows about once a month during the busy season.  It was an impressive spectacle for such an occasion as the 19th of January.

  
Shortly after Waynes's birthday we welomed a new guest to the boat.  The owner's daughter took a week away from the frigid New York weather to visit her dad and the Caribbean sun.  With a guest on board my work load doubles.  I do however enjoy the oppertunity to make a few deserts I haven't tried before and kick up my cooking to a three course gourmet status.
Last Sunday Wayne and I celebrated both our guest's exit and our renewed freedom with a dive.  It took us a while to decide on a location but after some deliberation we settled on a wreck we had heard about from some locals on the island.  It was said to be a 200ft motorboat by the name of Nonstop.  It sank less than a mile from Gustavia Harbor during hurricane Hugo in 1989.  The exact whereabouts of this sunken vessel was unknown to us but we decided we would splash near a white mooring ball set for dive boats and search from there.  We swam some distance exploring the colorful coral and synchronized schools of fish in the area.   Caught up in wonder at the brilliant underwater spectacle before me, I had completely lost sight of our initial goal of finding the wreck.  I found myself exploring with no objective but to see what was just out of sight.  As were the circumstances, I can not take credit for finding Nonstop, more like she found us.   Intently fallowing a Manta Rey gracefully gliding along the sea bed, I nearly ran into the massive inverted hull of the ship.      

We even crossed paths with a medium sized reef shark resting under a bit of the wreckage!











In all the wreck was an impressive sight, and a reminder of how formidable the ocean can be at time.  The experience was a major highlight of my extended visit to this tropical paradise.

It is now the 26th of January, my birthday!  The last two months have seamed to fly by. As far as birthday plans go, I don't have many.  This last dive was a bit of a conjoined celebration dive for mine and Wayne's birthday.  We have hopes to go on a shark dive with a group on our next visit to St Marten.
As of 10:30am Caribbean time, 6:30am Pacific time,  I have received an overwhelming amount of "happy birthday" wishes.  Thank you all so much for making this day great!
Hope you all enjoyed this one!

Cheers

KB


I'm trying to get the picture of the manta Rey up but it is being quite difficult.  Check back in  a day or two and it should be up.    

I apologize for the wait on this post.  Over the last few weeks the internet connection has proven to be quite unreliable to say the least.  To the point that I have been forced unwillingly into what I consider internet rehab.  With my phone comfortably resting on the sea bed, for reasons I will not discuss, and no internet  signal to be found,  the social withdrawals from the world have been great.   What I am trying to say is the blog is not the only one suffering as a result.
In all honesty, the internet man could not have picked a better week to take off.  The holidays were quite busy for me with guests coming and going, and taking part in the holiday festivities.  St Barts was a swarming hub of super yachts and curse lines.  Some of the most beautiful and extravagant boats make there way from all over the world to this small island for Christmas.

The boat I was most excited to see was the leader of the fleet by far.  A boat I had read about and fallowed for years,  The Maltese Falcon.   At 281ft this $130 million dollar marvel holds the title as the largest sailboat in the world.

I have a link to the boat's web page and bio in the links section of the blog.  It is defiantly worth looking at.

    With the departure of our guest came a little free time for me and a chance to get off the boat. Sunday was our day off and the wrest of the crew were just as anxious to get off the boat as I was.  We discussed our mutual feelings and set our sights on one of the rock islands protruding  from the ocean surface about half a mile from the boat.  We filled a nap sack with all the essential for a day on a rock, beer, snorkel, and camera.

 

After scaling the rock walls to get to the top the only thing left to do was explore the bottom portion of the island.

During our exploration of the submerged half of the island we happened a cross a small reef shark!  Or should I say it happened upon us.  Being my first time swimming with a shark I was too excited to even think about taking a picture until it swam away.

Well I think that about catches you up with the latest and greatest that's happening in my life.  The remainder of this month should be quite enjoyable. Two birthdays on the boat including my own!  And we're not expecting another guest till the beginning of February.
Hope you all enjoyed the pictures!
A belated happy holidays to everyone back home!

KB

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.